Bea's Surgery Recovery Fund

Hey y'all. I'm back here again. It's Bea Lissima (or Anda), and I’m fundraising for my upcoming open-jaw surgery recovery.

CW: intimate partner violence/medical sharing

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When I was in my early 20s, my jaw was pulled out by someone who I trusted. Since this assault, I’ve been dealing with pain and the gradual deterioration of the discs in my jaw. The right disc has been completely detached and lodged near my muscles, causing more pain and damage. The left, is hanging on by a thread.

After years of meeting with various dentists and surgeons, X-Rays, scans, an MRI, an arthroscopic jaw surgery, and a special "equilibrated occlusal" splint that sent me to the hospital numerous times, I've finally been recommended to receive an arthrotomy jaw procedure with disc replacement. I will be shaving the side of my head to prepare!

My surgery date is August 17, 2022. I will be staying in Edmonton for a few days for the surgery and will need to travel back and forth for follow-up appointments.

I will be off all work for about 6-8 weeks. I will not be allowed to perform, talk, or exercise during this time and will require help with my finances and daily living.

I will have to live off a special diet of soups and liquids for about eight weeks, and my grocery bill will increase. Your financial help will go towards the following for the next two months:

Costs:

Travel: $500

Rent: $2000

Physiotherapy/Massage/Occupational Therapy: $2000

Food & Incidentals: $3000

Assistive Technology (portable mic): $50

Medications: $200

GoFundMe Fees and incidentals: $90

TOTAL: $7840

Thank you so much for your support and love. Anything over this amount will continue to help me with physio and medical care post-surgery.

There will be a fundraising show you can support or connect with me to offer time and support. I will need help taking care of my dogs until I can walk and prepare my liquid meals. All will be helpful to me during this time.

Lots of love,

Bea (Anda)

A few answers to questions you may have:

What's the procedure like?

An arthrotomy of temporomandibular joint is an open joint procedure. It is invasive and is thus performed in a hospital operating room under general anaesthesia.

The procedure involves the following steps:

With the patient under anaesthesia, the surgeon makes an incision along the patient’s ear. This incision is similar to the one made during a facelift, which exposes the entire jaw joint area. With the patient’s jaw joint exposed, the surgeon examines the area for signs of:

-Adhesions, which can restrict the movement of the disc

-Osteophytes (bone spurs)

-Bone fusions

-Tumours

-Scar tissue

The surgeon then performs the necessary treatment, such as removing tumours or releasing adhesions. The surgeon will then harvest tissue (from scalp or thigh) to recreate a disc and implant it in the joint. The surgeon then closes up the incision with sutures. The procedure takes around 2 to 3 hours, and patients are required to stay in the hospital for at least 24 hours.

What are the complications?

Complications related to arthrotomy TMJ surgery include:

Persistent pain or reduced mobility of TMJ that isn’t resolved by surgery

Misalignment of teeth

Facial nerve damage, weakness, or paralysis

Deafness

Why are you fundraising for so much money?

Open-joint procedures like this one will require several weeks off. I've been instructed not to work and to attend physio, chiro, occupational therapists, massage, and more to help heal my jaw after surgery. This will be a life-long commitment to healing and I've already spent thousands getting to this point. Not being able to work for two months will severely impact my ability to heal.

What are your Incidentals?

I have to account for things that generally my job would help me pay for, such as my phone bill, insurance, internet, my dogs medications and food, car maintenance, and specialty home care items I'll need to help with my healing.