Karen’s Tumor Removal and Jaw Joint Replacement
Who and why...
My name is Karen Eaves and I am seeking financial assistance in the amount of $20,000 for medical expenses related to an upcoming surgery. I have a bilateral condylectomy and joint replacement surgery scheduled for June 10, 2021. This surgery is necessary because there is an osteochondroma (bone tumor) growing on my right temporomandibular joint. It has significantly impacted my quality of life and the only option at this point is to not only remove the tumor, but also replace the joints that have been negatively impacted.The surgery itself is approximately 8 hours long. After the surgery, I will remain hospitalized for 3-5 days (one day in ICU and the remainder in a surgical recovery unit). Recovery will be long and arduous, involving several trips to St. Louis and a significant amount of physical therapy.
Our insurance is currently refusing to pay for anything associated with the surgery and hospital stay because of a TMJ exclusion. This means that even though this procedure has been deemed medically necessary, they are refusing to pay for it because the tumor happens to be growing on the TMJ joint. At this time, with a discounted “self-pay” rate, the remaining balance that we are required to pay is over $70,000. This is outrageous by every sense of the word and puts the flaws of our insurance companies in the United States on full display. It is an exorbitant amount of money that my family does not have. We are currently in the appeals process trying to reverse the decision, but our chances of full coverage are not looking good. We are also taking out loans and trying every angle we can to make this manageable. The stress of this financial burden is simply too much and is really taking a toll on my mental health (which is not ideal when preparing for major surgery).
A little backstory...
Approximately seven years ago, I started experiencing pain on the right side of my jaw.The pain was also accompanied by the occasional popping or clicking. The pain was a mild nuisance and not something I was terribly concerned about. As years passed, the pain progressively worsened and my jaw began popping on a more regular basis and actually started locking occasionally. Migraines also became more frequent as time went on. In 2016, my new dentist took a panoramic x-ray and noticed that the right condyle of my jaw was extremely misshapen. That part of the bone is typically rounded and smooth. My condyle looked flat, club-shaped, and severely degenerated. It’s important to note that he is a dentist, not a jaw expert or oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He recommended that I speak with a specialist and also my rheumatologist (as I also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis). My rheumatologist dismissed my concerns and recommended I find a specialist. I spent months making phone calls in an attempt to connect with a specialist to no avail. Doctors did NOT want to address whatever I might have going on with my temporomandibular joint. In the meantime, my dentist made me a bite appliance in an effort to alleviate some of the pain. At first, it did provide some relief. However, five years later and the pain, popping, locking, and now persistent migraines became unbearable. I again tried searching for a specialist and every doctor that would actually take an appointment with me just offered bandaids for the symptoms. Migraine meds here and pain meds there, with no real answers about the source of all these issues.
No one actually discovered the root cause of all my problems until 2020 when my new primary physician referred me to Dr. Reza Movahed in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the specialist that discovered the osteochondroma, a bone tumor, on my right temporomandibular joint. It was such a relief to finally have an answer to what was causing such pain and misery in my daily life.
(recovering from arthroscopic procedure on both sides)
This last year has been full of tests, scans, and procedures to see if less invasive measures could provide relief. Nothing has helped. It is Dr. Movahed’s recommendation that we move forward with a bilateral condylectomy and joint replacement that would remove the tumor completely and prevent any further recurrence or regrowth. This surgery is the only course of action to improve my quality of life. If I do not undergo this procedure, the osteochondroma will continue to grow and cause even greater issues in the future. These issues range from pain, migraines, and bite misalignment, loss of teeth, all the way to further facial asymmetry and/or deformity.
(braces in preparation for surgery)
As for your help...
As much as I have contributed to other campaigns, I never thought I would have to start one myself. I never imagined being in a situation like this and if you know me, you understand how much it pains me to ask for help. There are so many amazing people out there that are willing to help in situations such as this and I hope you are one of them. Any amount you could contribute toward these medical expenses would be helpful and greatly appreciated! I know $20,000 doesn’t cover even half of the expenses related to this surgery and recovery, but it’s a start and would help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety I am experiencing with this financial burden. Please share the link to this campaign far and wide. Any funds raised through this campaign will go directly to medical expenses relating to this surgery.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and contribute to my cause. I look forward to keeping everyone updated throughout this process and sharing more about my surgery and recovery.