New Teeth For Nathan

In 2014 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in my esophagus and stomach. The prognosis came on a Thursday, on Friday I went to the hospital to have a PICC line inserted into my arm, and chemotherapy began the following Monday morning. Everything happened so fast, and because of the aggressive nature of the cancer, there was no time to spend researching and pondering all of the potential outcomes and side-effects. By June 2015 I had completed the treatments and was in full remission. I am so thankful to have passed through all of it and come out the other side relatively unscathed. As time went on, most of the side-effects passed as well. My hair grew back, the nausea subsided, the neuropathy in my hands and feet were only an occasional problem, and I could finally eat somewhat normally again. Life was good and I felt extremely blessed.

You can't imagine my relief and joy at being able to eat rice, pasta, and bread again. You see, as a result of the cancer, my esophagus had become so constricted that I was pretty much on a liquid-only diet. I had difficulty swallowing anything that wasn't soft and malleable (apple sauce, mashed potatoes, soup, etc), and when I did, I sat there choking on it until I ran to the bathroom to expel what was piling up in my narrowed esophagus. It was painful, exhausting, and embarrassing.

At first I didn't even really take note of it. A chip here, a break there. But all in all it was minor and more of an afterthought. "Hmm, I don't remember feeling that sharp edge with my tongue before". It wasn't until the first tooth snapped in half that it grabbed my full attention. I've had some dental issues in my life previously so my first thought was that a tooth with past work on it had broken due to the oversight of a dentist that I later learned had been cutting corners for some less than savory reasons. Until the next one broke. And then the next. And the next. And so on, and so on...

As I started to look into why this was happening, I came across a lot of stories and documentation showing the relationship between chemotherapy and periodontal disease. I found myself surprised and alarmed that this was not something discussed prior to or during treatment. The only real mention of dentistry was that I would not be able to go see a dentist until after my treatment was completed because of the possibility of infection on my already weakened immune system. The more research I did, the more I found people going through the same exact thing. While Health insurance in America is pretty great, covers a lot, and generally your out-of-pocket expenses are relatively minimal, Dental insurance on the other hand is a total joke. It covers routine, basic needs, but you pay through the nose for anything of major substance, even if out of necessity. How closely related is oral hygiene to heart health? How often has an abscess drained into the sinus cavity and traveled to the brain, resulting in death? It baffles me that we pay to have insurance that is primarily concerned with minor issues but gives no real focus to overall health and quality of life.

In November 2018 I went to see what could be done to fix my teeth and be able to return, yet again, to a somewhat normal life. What I found out then left me deflated, depressed, and astonished. My only real option is to have all of my teeth extracted, have a few posts surgically implanted, and get dentures put in. It's not perfect, and will require maintenance and possibly additional implants to have it be more permanent, but it will at least give me the ability to bite and chew again. Outside of the coverage provided through my dental plan, minus the deductible, it will only cost me roughly $35k out of pocket. Excuse me? What!? Yeah, let me just grab that out of the nightstand drawer...

I try not to let it get me down but I find myself speaking less and covering my mouth more. I can hear the change in the way I talk, in the slight lisp that has developed, and in the overall tone. I waited so long to bring this to light because I didn't want to ask anyone for help. I had hoped that I could find a better paying job that would afford me the ability to start the process and that no one would ever need to know. While they may have never said it to my face, it's painfully obvious why I've been denied job after job, even though I am more than qualified. It always starts out so promising, but it crashes and burns during the face-to-face interviews, so self-conscious of the looks of wonder and disgust once I start talking. I can only imagine the thoughts that are running through their minds... "Meth addict? Heroin? Bath salts?...". Enough is finally too much!

They say that a smile is the first thing people notice when they meet you. Currently I have 12 teeth left in my mouth, 2 of which will likely come out by the time I post this. I live with constant pain. I can't eat most of the foods I enjoy. I can't take a bite of pretty much anything anymore. I can barely chew, and as a result of this, I am again finding myself choking on my food and needing to regurgitate it to keep it from getting clogged up in my esophagus. This brings me to today. So here I am, asking you for your assistance, because I just can't take it another day. Please, help me replace my teeth, restore my self-esteem and confidence, and let me be able to take a big ol' bite out of a sandwich one more time. I thank you in advance for your help, no matter how big or small, as every little bit adds up and will bring me closer to having the ability to move forward with this procedure. I appreciate it more than you could ever know. Be good to one another, be safe, be healthy, and be happy! One Love. #pmaporvida #gluckcancer