Larissa Duffin Urgent Dental Expenses

Hi everyone, it’s Karen Duffin and I am fundraising for my best friend Larissa Duffin for her immediate and urgent dental expenses. Please help our family if you can! We have very little time to raise these funds. My best friend and sister in law, Larissa, is scheduled for emergency surgery on Thursday, February 8th to have all her upper and lower teeth removed due to a number of abscesses. She is and has been seriously ill due to complications from hip surgery in 2018 and the experimental drugs she was put on to help heal the fracture, but unfortunately created irreparable damage to her health and her teeth. Her husband Jim updated Bob and I on February 3rd and I am sharing his comments below.

Jim Duffin: I am contacting you today with an update on Larissa’s condition. As you know, since breaking her hip in 2018 and being hospitalized with Covid in 2020, Larissa’s health has declined considerably, she has lost 35 pounds and has been suffering from severe acid reflux. She has taken every acid blocker and acid reducer, known to man, plus hundreds of bottles of Gaviscon. She has had 11 major hospital administered tests including overnight tests. She has been in emergency care three times, the last time was on January 15th. Her condition has seriously worsened over the last couple of months. She can now only eat blended or pureed fruits, veggies, and oatmeal etc. She has been suffering memory loss and has needed assistance walking. She hasn't left the house except to get medical help. We had a meeting with a Gastroenterologist Surgeon in early January. He was referred to us to do a procedure that ties part of the upper stomach around the Esophageal Sphincter to prevent reflux. He was adamant that he studied Larissa's test results and couldn't find any signs of acid reflux. And warned us, as an Expert in the Field, not to let anybody talk her into doing the surgery. About a week later we had a consultation with a Pharmacist in Crowfoot and he studied Larissa's tests and also suggested that he didn't really see evidence of acid reflux. Something major is happening, and even though Larissa has the symptoms of acid reflux, the medical professionals say that it's not acid reflux. On January 15th Larissa had a major meltdown and after trying everything to help her, she finally went to emergency at the Foothills Hospital and was there for eleven hours. They took her blood pressure three times and finally sent a Doctor over to see her. He accredited her problems to acid reflux and side effects from long term Covid? This has been our experience with the number of Doctors Larissa has seen over the years, many different diagnoses. Larissa had been complaining of her gums, teeth, throat and the roof of her mouth being on fire for about 3 weeks. So the emergency Doctor gave her what he called a ‘Pink Lady Bomb’. It consisted of the painkiller Lidocaine and Pepto Bismol. Larissa reacted just like he said she would, like she had swished a bomb in her mouth. She was really upset as it was extremely painful. A huge blister formed on her gums and then burst. And then the Doctor sent her home shortly thereafter? After that, her teeth and gums really started bothering her, so I made an appointment with the Dentist for the next day. He examined her, gave her a prescription for antibiotics and scheduled a second appointment for the following day. They took X-rays and conducted a thorough exam and found that Larissa had several abscesses and the enamel had been eroded from her teeth. The Dentist advised that her teeth were not recoverable and that she needs to see a Dental Surgeon for extraction of both her upper and lower teeth. Of course this was devastating news and by that time Larissa was in a really bad state. From there, I made appointments with three different Dental Surgeons and found one that would give us a payment plan. We also had to see a Dental Clinic to get Dentures made ahead of time, costing more money.

Although we don't have all the answers at this time, the Dentists all point to the experimental drug called Alendronate, a Bio-Phosphate that Larissa was prescribed by the Surgeon who fixed her fractured hip in 2018. They say it affects the calcium in your teeth but the surgeons push it because the bones heal stronger. The stats for women over 60 refracturing their hip within 5 years is 50%. At this point, we are hoping that the poison from Larissa's teeth has been the problem. The results seem to correlate with the symptoms. As it turns out the Doctor who gave her the ‘Pink Lady’ in the hospital might have saved her life. She was close to SEPTIC SHOCK which you can die from without intervention from Antibiotics.

Karen Duffin: Thursday, February 8th is operation day and the cost is close to $13,000 for the surgery and dentures. This truly is an emergency and Larissa’s Dental Surgeon requires one third of the cost now to do the surgery on Thursday, another third next month and the final payment in March. We ask for your prayers please and if you can make any donation to help Larissa, her family appreciates it and thanks you in advance. Because of her rapid decline in the last few months, Jim has needed to be at home to care for Larissa, and that has created serious financial distress. This emergency surgery and funds are needed now to avoid any potential septic shock, and damage to Larissa’s organs the longer she waits. Jim and Larissa don't have the financial ability to afford this emergency surgery and so on their behalf, we are asking for your help. Larissa’s Government allowance was used up for emergency dental care in 2018 and 2019. It will not be available again for them again until 2025, and She needs Help Now.

If you know Larissa, you love Larissa. She is one of the most loving and kind people I have ever known, and for those of you who know her, I am sure you would agree. Larissa has always lovingly supported and put others first and now it is our turn to support her during this critical point in her life. We all want her to get her health back, this has been going on for too long now. And it’s not just a case of acid reflux in the typical sense. From my conversations with Larissa, I know that she has been sleeping upright for three years, the majority of food doesn't stay down, and her body violently expels most foods and liquids, including water and tea. That and most likely the experimental drugs has caused her substantial weight loss and the dire situation she is in now.

As many of you may know, Go Fund Me takes 2.9% of all donations plus .30 per donation to manage and distribute the funds. Jim and Larissa appreciate any donation, no matter the amount, either through that organization or directly to Jim and Larissa at [email redacted]. Again, thank you all for reading this and for your consideration in donating to Larissa’s cause. We all sincerely appreciate it.