A Dental Diary in the Blog-Us-Fear

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This sometimes feels like a medical diary created especially to form a deadly boring buzz in the Blog-us-Fear. But lately the medical world crashes into my real world and takes over. The last encounter actually has begun to interest me (if it doesn’t kill me first). I am hoping it will interest you too.

As you may know, I had total hip replacement surgery in July of 2021. Everything went perfectly and the hip is like new. Well, it is new…. not just like new.

Hips and teeth do not seem to have any connection but this story began in early September after the hip replacement. It all began with tooth pain…. like sensitivity to cold and pressure.

Now think about this. At the close of hip surgery I was handed a sheet of instructions to give to my dentist and told that I will have to take antibiotics for life before having any dental work done, including simple things like cleaning. Evidently infections in the mouth will travel directly to an implant (in this case, the artificial hip) and that will wreak havoc on the entire body.

The story began in early September (just two months from my hip surgery) when I felt an odd little pain in a lower left tooth. It did not seem crucial so I waited a few days. On September 8, 2021 I visited the hip surgeon for a last follow-up meeting and had no pain at that time either.

But on September 9, 2021 a real sensitivity to cold and pressure returned and I knew there was something wrong. “Probably just a cavity,” I thought so I called the dentist. The receptionist put me on hold while the dentist checked my records and when she returned she said, “The doctor says he sees nothing wrong in your chart. Please begin brushing with a sensitivity toothpaste for a week and then call again if the pain persists.” I was amazed that the new toothpaste worked after a week and I didn’t call back. However the pain returned off and on so the dentist finally decided to take Xrays and to look at the tooth for me. The results of the Xrays showed nothing, nor did a “look-see” show anything. “Stay on the sensitivity toothpaste,” was the admonition, and do not rinse.” And so it went. Until January 2022.

For two days early January 2022 I suffered intense pain with no added stimulation. Then the pain went into swelling to create the face of a ghoul! Though I tried to be brave and use my sensitivity toothpaste correctly, I called. And I got a rapidly arranged appointment with the dentist for more Xrays since evidently a swollen face is good enough reason to be concerned. On January 6, 2022 I was finally diagnosed with an abscess, given a high dose of antibiotics, and referred to an Oral Surgeon. On January 7, 2022 the surgeon removed the tooth. There was an unmistakable urgency to get all this done.

And there you have it….. the evolving story of a tooth that was basically ignored and a dentist who forgot about my hip surgery and the dangers of infection travelling to that site and the possibility of sepsis and all sorts of potential side effects like death.

Should the dentist have started me on antibiotics “just in case” as a precautionary measure? How dangerous was it to my life and limbs to ignore a possible infection reported just two months post hip surgery? How dangerous was it to let this go from September 2021 to January 2022?

It is a happier day today since the swollen face is looking a little better. I am on heavy duty antibiotics for a total of 6 days. Hopefully none of this infection will move around to attack vulnerable areas.

“Such is life” and modern medicine!

Lemme know what you think.

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Pondering in a Pandemic

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I like to say I am growing old instead of already old.  It gives me a better feel for how to feel when the most vulnerable population to the Covid-19 virus is touted as 60+ or 80+ or somewhere inbetween.

In any case, there always seem to be new rules about coping with this virus.  I know you are dying to hear them…. forgive the pun.  The world is coping but there are consistently more confusing theories about how the virus is spread and regulations regulating how we should lead our lives in the midst of what I call Viral Confusion.

For instance:

When I was a kid, you did not go to a doctor unless you were sick – maybe even really sick.  That seems to be the case now too.

2020 Pandemic Rules

Do not go to a doctor unless you feel sick.  And even then, call first to see if he/she will let you in.  Will this eventually even lead to doctors making house calls again?  When our son developed a very high fever, panic set in and we called the doctor who came to our house in 20 minutes, but by that time, the fever was gone.  And I don’t think the doc even charged for the visit!

Ah for the good old days.

Do not go to a dentist unless you have a bad toothache.   Dentists are just now reopening in my neck of the woods and I think they can be called for more mundance things like cleaning.  Check to be sure where you live.

But in the good old days, Mom would give me a clove to suck on or an ice cube – anything but the dentist – to cope with pain.  She was deathly afraid of dentists but finally when I was 14 and had a bad toothache, she made an appointment.  The dentist found one cavity for every year I had lived and I spent the next 14 weeks getting cavities filled (minus Novocaine!).  In those days you raised your hand if the pain was too bad.

Did I say I was growing old or already old?  Is pre-Novocaine ancient or what?

Ah for the good old days.

The new scary deadly virus has made me re-evaluate the wonders of staying home.  But what about positive changes?  Take clearer water.  They say you can see the fish in Venice canals now. I would love to take a gondola ride again but this time in clear water.

And now that there is more testing going on, some say if you are blood type O, you have a better chance of not catching the virus or maybe even surviving it.  Maybe I can go out sans mask and celebrate shoulder to shoulder in a crowd since I am in the O category.

Or if your ring finger is shorter or longer than the rest, you may or may not be in trouble re the virus.  I keep forgetting to size my ring finger.

And how about the urge to flush the toilet without putting the lid down?  Do you know how volatile the spray can be as you flush?!

Screaming spreads more virus than talking.  Talking may be the New Nasty Culprit that spreads the damned thing.

Disinfecting every surface on earth is no longer advised but don’t stop washing your hands.  You may have touched something evil.

All this speculation makes me wonder what people did in the real good old days of The Plague and Cholera.  The more I hear or read, the more I ponder this pandemic and all its pros and cons.

Stay Safe is the new Farewell, especially in our emerging “New Normal.”

Stay Safe my friends.

Stay Safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dental Dread

I am having a tooth pulled tomorrow.  It was deemed a “gonner” 10 years ago but will finally really be gone.

My old dentist retired and the new one says it’s time.

But I hear the new guy sits on an exercise ball to work so I am kinda dreading the whole event.  What if the exercise ball bounces or something?

You may assume Dor is a big baby about dental work.  But that is simply not true.

I am actually very brave even though having had horrifying experiences since childhood.

• Mom was afraid of dentists so she never took me.  When she finally did (probably  because I was in pain) I was 14 years old and had 14 cavities that had to be drilled and filled, all done with no Novocaine!   “Raise your hand if it really hurts,” said that dentist.  And I went to him for weeks and weeks and weeks.
• Then there were the Wisdoms (with roots wrapped around the jaw bone).  That dentist had what looked like a chisel and hammer and called in one of the patients from the waiting room to help!  True story.  Of course this was in the olden days when you still had to spit in a tray.
• The last bout created an adverse reaction to Epinephrine (supposed to be a life saving thing they give people who are allergic to bee stings).  In my case they gave it as an adjunct to a numbing agent.  The reaction?  I thought I was having a heart attack.

Right now I am only thinking about tomorrow and already having an adverse reaction with no Epinephrine – just thinking about it.   

Another dentist once told me that older people feel less pain.

I’ll let you know if I live through tomorrow.

Note:  Epinephrine, also called adrenaline, is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. It plays a critical role in the “fight or flight” response. Epinephrine is given in many situations of acute cardiac arrest and is also given in the treatment of acute allergic reactions.  Epinephrine is used by dentists because it acts to constrict the blood vessels. By doing so, the local anesthetic remains in the area longer, because there is less blood flow to take the local anesthetic away. Simply stated, the epinephrine helps you feel and stay number longer.  And epinephrine is a key factor in keeping patients adequately numb for procedures.  However, if you have ever had an adverse reaction you should tell your doctor if your first injection caused serious side effects such as increased breathing difficulty, anxiety, or uneven heartbeats.

 

 

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Foot and Mouth Disease

The Top of My Hospital

We are approaching the end of a week.

Thankfully.

This week has been just chock full of exciting things.

I have been visiting my local hospital so often it is beginning to feel downright homey.

View from My Hospital’s Parking Lot

I am also feeling popular, kindly and easily approachable..

Every time I go in for a test I meet some old fella (well maybe about my age) who immediately starts talking and tells me his whole life story including all current anatomical deficiencies.  It is more than I wish to know of course but I lend a sympathetic ear and nod and ooh and ahh in the right places.

I know you would like to hear why I have been visiting the hospital so often.  And since the hospital buddies/admirers never ask about MY reasons for being there, you are the unfortunate recipients of this sad tale of woe.

It all started with a swollen foot.  I think I told you about that about two weeks ago.

It ended with a tooth extraction.

And the swollen foot is still swollen.

I am finding it difficult to sort this all out too.  But here is an attempt.

I did go to my primary doctor about the foot.

“Should I baby it Doctor?”  “Or should I walk through it and exercise it away?”

“I won’t know that until I know what caused it,” said he.

And he promptly scheduled:

• A blood test to rule out gout.   Nope, no gout.
• An Echocardiogram to rule out heart.  Nope, heart’s just fine.
• A sonogram to rule out a clot. Nope, no clot.
• An X-ray to rule out a break or fracture.  Nope, no breaks or fractures.

None of these appointments could be scheduled on the same day – hence, the multiple hospital visits and the ever growing number of male acquaintances and their autobiographies.

About this time a back molar tooth (mine) became sensitive to pressure!

Then it began to really hurt non-stop.

That meant a trip to the dentist who said it was a bad tooth and had to come out ASAP.  He referred me to a tooth pulling specialist with a fancy name like Oral Maxillofacial Surgery.

And so yesterday I had an extraction there.  That means they yanked the offensive tooth right out!

I will not beleaguer you with details about that horror-fying experience, but the extractor person accomplished the deed  in 30 minutes.  Fortunately, Bill went along for the ride and was there to catch me as I staggered out.  He was my life-saver-hero who literally let me cry on his shoulder! That was yesterday and when the shakes wore off there was no pain and no pain since.

Note:  Next time I will request total anesthesia, gas, PUT ME OUT COLD PLEASE!

That brings me back to the swollen foot which is still swollen!

Now the doctor is talking about a possible MRI for the foot – not the tooth.

And while I wait, Bill purchased a glamorous set of hotpink and black lace-up, sturdy, walking shoes for me.  Ahh, I know it’s not a fur coat or diamonds, but I am hero worshipping anyway.

Bill Got Me Some New Shoes!

 

 

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Friday’s Random Rants

Uh Oh – it’s Friday!

SUPER WOMAN COLLAPSES

I started working with a mattock on a long narrow ex-flower bed now destined to be grass only.

A MATTOCK IS A VERY HEAVY TOOL.  I think huge men use that tool to build railroad tracks.

Anyway, the soil I was attacking was compacted into immovable iron.

And my goal was to fluff up the iron into rich loamy (is loamy a word?) stuff to welcome grass seed.

But after an hour of hefting, heaving, sweating, and finally broadcasting seeds and tamping them down, I staggered into the house and collapsed.

Bill stopped by my inelegantly posed body (complete with ice packs in pertinent places) and said, “Are you o.k.?”

Moan:  “Yes, but      having      chest       pains……….”

“Oh,” he said.  “I’m going to get a haircut.”

RAIN, RAIN –  PLEASE!

SittingLying still with ice packs helped and I started thinking about the poor grass seed dehydrating in all those parched clumps of soil.

Those seeds needed water and fortunately THE FORECAST WAS FOR RAIN.  There was already high humidity, overcast skies and even thunder in the distance.

“I will just sit here a little longer and let the rain do the work.”

And I promptly fell asleep.

No rain.

This is Day 4.   Tomorrow I will resort to the hose!  It is sure to rain after that.

MORE WORK?

I am the secretary of our landowner’s corporation.

All of a sudden there was a lot of busy work to be done re the sale of one of the properties.

Work?!   Me?  Wasn’t working with a mattock enough?

I would rather play on my blog!

 

A DEAR ENCOUNTER

On my way out, there was a deer.  I stopped.  He stopped.  We looked. Why is he staying glued to the spot?   I reached for the camera.

Turn on camera.

Wait until things don’t look too fuzzy.

Aim.

No.  Too far away.

Aim again.

O.k. – Shoot Click!

We were frozen.  He still stood perfectly still looking right into my eyes.

How long could this last?

“I’m sorry but I have an appointment,” I explained and slowly moved forward.  And finally the young buck returned to the forest.

Such are the wonders of living in Brigadoon.

GAP TOOTHED WOMAN

I had a tooth enlarged to fill in a gap that harbored leftover morsels of just about anything lodged there.

ENLARGED?

Well, maybe that is not the exact dental terminology.  But what else would you call the insertion of putty or enamel or whatever between two teeth to fill in a gaping void?  It doesn’t show by the way so I am still a ravishing beauty.

The process took an hour, required numbing, cost $200 and left the same gap eagerly awaiting future lodged in morsels.

I have a darling of a dentist though who says to come back.  He wants to try again.

LAUGH UNTIL YOU CRY OR OTHER THINGS

Pete Begins the Laughing Fest

And tonight I laughed so hard I cried (and other things).  It was dinner out with friends and one of those times when everything is hilarious.

We were all beyond having a stable quiet evening but were into leaning over, close to falling over, screaming with laughter.

Bill tried to pry open the coke bottle salt shaker and missed seeing all the little pouring holes on top.  That sent us into fits of giggles and guffaws.

Pete ordered brown beans and he got about eight beans in a soupy mixture.  Talk about laughing tears!  I could hardly breathe.

The sign on the door left off pants in the dress code (see previous post “Pants Not Necessary.”)

And what better way to end a week than in laughing to the point of total collapse?

 

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