Illness update, no donations requested.

Hi, I'm Lori.  Signing up here has been a hard decision but I have found no alternatives.  I need to have all teeth removed and IMPLANT ASSISTED DENTURES to replace.  The problem?  I'm disabled and Medicare doesn't pay any dental.  Most people can get by with dentures, but with lupus and Sjögren's I must have implant assisted dentures or I will suffer deterioration of the jaw bones, which will then not even support regular dentures.  The implanted "pegs" into the bone keeps this from happening.  Unfortunately, implants can vary from $10,000-$20,000!  I called the place that advertises on TV where it's all high tech, "you can get temporary teeth in a day" and their range was $30,000-$55,000!  No kidding!   I was accepted as a patient by! SIU-E Dental School in Alton IL for treatment by students at a discount price.  I want to make this clear-I took good care of my teeth.  Just two years ago I had all work done that was needed-I had saved up and the discount price was $1500 through the health department.  Just two years later and I have lost/had removed more teeth and the rest MUST follow.  The health department doesn't do implants of any type. My major phobia has always been missing teeth.  I used to smile and laugh and not anymore.  I don't like to talk without covering my mouth with my hand.  COULD YOU LIVE COMFORTABLY DAY BY DAY WITH NO TEETH?   Please, donate.  I know $10,000 isn't going to be enough but it already seems such a huge number to me.  Sharing my campaign will help as well.  Thank you. I have neurocognitive lupus, Sjögren's, chronic erythema nodosum, my thyroid is dead and, not surprisingly I suffer from situational depression.  I am in rather severe pain 24/7.  Rarely does it let up, more often it gets worse. The erythema nodosum went haywire and has damaged nerves and tissue in my lower legs and feet.  It won't go away, as it does with most people, and has been active over 10 years now.  The lupus has been giving me symptoms for years, then it finally decided to just go for it and checked all the right boxes in the lab results for a positive diagnosis.  Honestly?  Lupus is the disease from hell.  If you look it up you will find that it can, and will, make your life hell with any and every symptom there is.  If you want the most basic understanding of the life of lupus, please read http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/   (These comments relate to the original goal of this campaign which was gastric bypass surgery.  There's no point having that since unless I get this dental issue resolved it will do the work of the surgery-I won't be able to chew!)  I want out of this recliner but even though I eat pretty healthy my weight is out of control.  This last year my weight has gone up and down and back again for unknown reasons because I eat the same things most of the time.  Fruit, yogurt, granola, whole grain crackers, soup, sometimes I'll have fish or a burrito.  I assume it's lupus that messed with my taste buds as I couldn't eat or even smell meat for over 2 years.  I can eat it sometimes now but it's not something I have on hand.  My weight has been big forever, but I did the numbers from this up and down and it added 129 lbs. to this body.  Yes, I lost 59 of that.  But the Dr.'s scale doesn't lie (it does groan when it sees me coming!) and the already overweight woman who now lives in a recliner most days never knows what the dreaded scale will say.   So, imagine constant pain in both legs (simulation possible if someone whacks you with a 2"x4" in several places on both legs.  Several times a day).  Add in new symptoms of muscle spasms throughout your body that can be wicked painful.  Then pain through the rest of your body because lupus sucks.  I want to get up and go places.  I'm only 53 and I don't know how long I have to live, but I want to LIVE!  If the surgery works I will probably be back because I doubt Medicare will fully pay for skin removal, but the thought of living with that excess skin is appalling!  (Was referring to original goal of gastric bypass surgery, I am hoping that having no teeth will help with the weight.) See September 8th Update for the dental background and issues.  Lupus life is a never-ending story of pain, new symptoms that can be ANYTHING, and for some of us severe loneliness.  Thanks for reading my story.  Your donation would be greatly appreciated and may help lengthen my life.  Take care and I wish you the best.