Here goes nothing. Ive been fairly secretive about my surgery this past Thursday, but no more. Im taking a stand for myself, and Im going to stop hanging my head in shame because this wasnt my fault. Ive given this a lot of thought, and Ive realized that if I stay quiet, some of my friends may end up suffering the same consequence as a result, and I cant live with being responsible for that. Just three days ago, I had oral surgery...to have all of my teeth removed. I was really embarrassed about it, and terribly emotional. Any time I even thought about it, I cried. If someone mentioned it, I cried. Because after all, if youre not a senior citizen and youre about to embark on this horrible, evasive, painful surgery, you must be a drug addict, right? At least, thats what MY perception had always been. And I guess, if Im being completely honest, I was being completely judgmental. My situation was a bit different. At the age of 26, I had given birth to my second child. She was very sick, and I wasnt quite ready to have another baby any time soon...if ever. I wasnt responsible enough to deal with the pill. I have to take it the same time every day? You MUST be joking. I had never taken birth control before, so hearing about all of the different types was like being a kid in a candy store. I settled on an injection type contraceptive, that was given to me every three months. It was the depo provera shot. I couldnt believe my luck! I only had to think about it four times a year, and the bonus? NO MORE PERIODS! This couldnt get much better! Or so I thought... At the time, it had been approved, and was sold by the drug reps as a safe and effective birth control, approved for long time use. I will just fast-forward six years, because that affectively brings me to where I am today. I had my every-three-months appointment at the OB/GYN, to get my injection. It started like every other time, but ended up being my very last shot. My name is called and I walk back to the room. I get weighed, like always. I sit down and roll up my sleeve and wait. The shot comes in, then the fateful news. The nurse looks up at me and says, Im obligated to let you know that Pfizer (the company that created depo provera) has been doing studies and has cited that the depo shot causes bone density loss. It is no longer approved for long term use...and is only approved for use UP TO three years. After today, if you want to continue, youll need to have a bone density scan. Otherwise, youll need to discontinue use. Of course, Im paraphrasing, here. I dont remember word for word, but I remember that conversation very well. Being that I had no health insurance to speak of, I gave up the shot. Honestly, I wasnt worried...yet. I was in my early 30s! This wasnt going to affect me! It didnt cross my mind much, if at all, after that day. Like I said, I was young. There was no way it was going to affect me. And shortly after that day, we decided to try one last time. We ended up with our incredibly busy, ever-the-comic son, Anthony. It was after he was born, that I began noticing some serious dental issues. I had cavities all along the gum line in my upper and lower teeth...all very visible. That alone, was devastating. I had a standing appointment with my dentist every two weeks until that was all taken care of. About $1600 later, I thought it was over. Again, I thought wrong. It was approximately six months after that that my teeth began crumbling in the back. I had to have six teeth pulled. A few months later, three more. In those few months, Id had nine teeth pulled, and somewhere in between cavities being filled, three more. Within a year, I lost 12 teeth. Some time had passed since my fateful conversation with the nurse at the OB/GYN, and I had all but forgotten about it. In fact, for the life of me, I couldnt figure out why this was happening to me. WHY??? I had nice teeth! They were naturally straight. Never needed braces. My teeth were strong! I took care of my mouth. Who doesnt? One day, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Oh. My. God. I know why this is happening. I was angry. Ive cried more than my fair share of tears. This is so UNFAIR. Ive never felt more betrayed by my own body. I began doing my own research. I found out that women from all over, in their late 30s and early 40s are being diagnosed with osteoporosis. Other women, just like me, are suffering from dental issues. There are ongoing lawsuits going back for a decade with the Pfizer company. I will be joining the lawsuit. So friends, I will not be ashamed. This happened TO me...not because of me. If anyone you know, friend, daughter, wife...anyone mentions that theyre considering the depo shot, PLEASE share my story. Im 37 years old, and Im going to have dentures for the rest of my life. Since Thursday, I havent been able to eat more than two or three bites of food...actual food. Ive lost about two pounds a day. More than that, I lost my beautiful, healthy teeth.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 16:10:20 +0000
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