Personal Journal:
Dr. Fossum, a dentist, is my new best friend. Why? Because he ended my horrible tooth pain I've suffered with ever since the new year began. Oh, the constant ache that ruled my days and night is gone now. In place, I have endured a root canal and acquired a brand new crown upon my furthest back right top molar. I guess it was worth paying out for the higher dental plan this year, plus the $600 out of my own pocket. I had considered to get the tooth pulled out.
After all the xrays were done and the damage to my way-overdue-dental care that fell to the wayside last year was evaluated, he deemed I actually needed three root canals/ four crowns (as one tooth had a piece break off) and a filling. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch!! It seemed I might top off my insurance annual allowance probably after the second root canal and crown buildup. So yeah, pulling a tooth seemed less costly. I have had a couple of friends who did that and were no worse off, so they said. But the kind dental assistant at Dr. Fossom's office explained to me how pulling a tooth can make the rest go out of alignment. Then you risk having crooked teeth, unsupported in the spot where the missing tooth would be. To get a bridge to ameliorate this malalignment would cost more; up to $3000. Wow! I didn't realize.
And then when I spoke over the cost factor for the root canal/crown with his financial person, there was no pressure to absolutely have all the work done at once. "We can work with your schedule and your budget. We can put the immediate need first to get you out of pain." she had explained. Her mannerism is what sold me the most. She was kind, considerate of how not everyone can afford such elaborate work all of the time. If I wanted to get a tooth pull, we could go that way too.
I guess I was so impressed with his staff, the professionalism, and Dr. Fossom himself (who is a YOUTHFUL and great looking dentist !! )I decided to save the molar. I seen him around the 18th and booked the surgery on Jan. 25. And in all those days in between, I SUFFERED. Oh my. I had never had a tooth ache and ache as much as this one. I couldn't sleep well. I couldn't eat well. I alternated taking Tylenol and then Ibuprofen, downing about three pills at a time every four to six hours. When I went to work the morning of the 25th, I thought I had a slight fever.
"They won't pull the tooth if they think you have an infection" my co-worker said and my eyes went wide.
"OH NO!" I sputtered, grabbing the ibuprofen, "It's been long enough waiting for relief. I won't tell them a word!!"
I was hurting so bad that morning. So much that I was working and trying to hide my tears. So when 2:15 p.m came for me to leave for the dentist, I flew out the door. And when I sat down into the dentist chair, I told Sophia, the assistant, how I couldn't WAIT for them to numb me up. She gave me the prettiest smile and patted my hand.
"Oh, you've been hurting?" she asked, to which I nodded and then went into the explanation how that day was the worst; that I couldn't tell which tooth on that side of my mouth was hurting anymore. Was it just the back or the other one that required surgery as well. So she explained this to Dr. Fossom, who nodded and mumbled something about "We'll find out."
After about two injections, which he did very gently, we waited for the anesthesia to take affect. And the pain that had throbbed like a huge bongo drum beating out of control in some untamed jungle finally quieted into nothingness. Ahhhhh, relief. And then a sense of calmness. He came back into the room and asked, "Do you feel any pain elsewhere?" To which I said, "No, Doc. I'm feeling fine now."
"Then it is just the one tooth," he explained and sat to gather his tools, "Because I only numbed up the nerves for the back. If the other tooth was hurting too, it would still be aching."
Well this made sense to me. Then they proceeded to help me relax by putting ear phones on my head to allow me to listen to the television, while they inserted all those instruments (drill!!) into my mouth. There were times I could feel the drill pull away the root, if that makes sense. I could feel it, but it didn't hurt me. And all I could think was, "ahhh, he GOT you!!"
So after that, they fashioned a temporary crown. Then they used some funny instrument to put into my mouth. I thought it was a laser, as it had a light at the end of it. To my surprise, it was a type of camera and this enabled Dr. Fossom to create my permanent crown. It would be ready to insert with the same week. Hallelujah! Talk about convenience.
Now, when he was done, Sophia put the temporary into place. OH my! The thing felt HUGE in my mouth. And later, I discovered when I tried to chew something, it felt like i was biting down onto a rock. I couldn't chew right and I couldn't eat on that side at all. My surgery was on Monday and my permanent crown would be placed on Wednesday afternoon- Thank goodness. I was a little hesitant when they put me back into the chair. I mentioned to Dr. Fossom how the temporary had been ill fitting. But luckily, the permanent fit like a glove. Ahhhh, relief again!!
So I walked out of the office feeling very happy with the new crown and the fact I saved my tooth. And I guess sometime in February, we'll go onto to the next phase of scheduling a root canal/crown on the 2nd teeth. It will be worth not enduring another week of a horrible tooth ache.
Writing Challenges from The Written Voice:1. Martin Luther King Jr - picture prompt Jan. 18th. My submission:
My mother lives near a street named for Martin Luther King, Jr. It used to be called something else when I was a young girl, but it was changed to honor him.
I was born in 59, about the time a young man, Martin Luther King, Jr., had already graduated with a degree in philosophy and theology. In the year of my birth, he had traveled to India to meet Ghandi. He came away a changed man, who now envisioned "that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity".
In the turbulent 60's, he used this to reach people in his sermons about civil rights. It was a time when black people could not even mingle with the whites, in restaurants, buses, or even schools. A young girl named Rosa Parks refused her seat on the bus and got arrested, which sparked an interest with the committee from the Birmingham African-American community to look into the case. Ever since then, Dr. King's crusade to reform civil rights in the United States became his life work. He took his case on a march to Washington DC to make specific demands: an end to racial segregation in public school; meaningful civil rights legislation, including a law prohibiting racial discrimination in employment; protection of civil rights workers from police brutality; a $2 minimum wage for all workers; and self-government for Washington DC , then governed by congressional committee.
He inspired many with his speech, "I have a Dream. which is one of the finest oratory speeches marked in history, next to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Roosevelt's Infamy speech. The march was a success; the largest gathering of protesters in Washington's history.
But his life was short lived. King was shot at 6:01 p.m. April 4, 1968 while he was standing on the motel's second floor balcony. He had gone to Memphis to help Black Sanity workers get fair pay. People cried over his death. The news was on television and talked about for years as much as Kennedy's assignation
Now both of these men inspired a nation to do what was right for every citizen. They inspired dreams, courage, and having faith in yourself against adversity.
I heard a song when I was a young teenager.. singing about the loss of such men. I didn't realize all that it meant because the changes they began were already a part of my life. Kids of all races were going to the same schools. Were there some clashes? yes, but not as violent as witnessed in Alabama.
We were blending in; sharing our culture; growing as individuals and bonding as friends. I recall in high school how one of my friends was belittled for dating a black boy. She was white, but we were friends. Later, they had a child and she was happy. It's what I wanted most for my friend.
Later, I got married to a white man, but I'm Hispanic. And the older I got, the more it seemed that people were finding it easier to marry outside their own culture or race. Its not an easy path to follow as there is always someone who won't tolerate; understand; or who will cut down. But I think more people are willing to overlook to accept everyone as they are.
Just this past year, our country elected its first black President. A huge milestone in this nation's history. Did I vote for Mr. Obama? No, because my background is republican; conservative. Do I honor and respect how he goes about leading our nation? Of course I do. He's my president, of my country. I don't always have to agree with his policies, but I do admire the man. He's educated, a father who shows love to his children; a devoted husband, and a man with vision; similar to the direction that Dr King displayed during a hard time in our nations history. Mr. Obama would have never been considered a candidate without the changes Dr. King began in my toddler years.
So when I go down my mother's street and see his name on the corner post, I recall what it stands for in the back of my mind. It is a brief recall- for all he has done is like a breath of air to me; just natural. And I believe it's probably the way Dr. King wants us to think about when it comes to fair treatment to all of its citizens, no matter what race or creed. To treat everyone just natural
2) Picture prompt- Camping
She wondered what it would be like, to go without electricity, radio and television for a weekend. Her new beau was an avid outdoors man, while she had only gone to a cabin in the woods for girl scouts. She had been 12 then and could recall mosquitoes, trails with snakes and lizards, and lots of swatting of gnats by day. Yes, the campfire with smores had been fun, with the sing-a-long, but their stay had been inside a clean place, with a running toilet and electricity. Even the cot had a great mattress upon it, so it wasn't a total bad experience.
But now she was twenty five and worked in the city. She had met Tom at a local night club and somehow through the haze of smoke, loud party people, and a rocking band, they managed to talk some and exchange phone numbers. Their dates, so far, had consisted of movies and restaurants. They bowled and walked around at the mall for exercise. Their romance had begun in winter and now with the first mild-temperature weekend approaching, he wanted to go fishing and camp out under the moon and stars. His married brother and sister-in-law wanted to join them, so they wouldn't be alone. Plus, they offered tents.
"We'd be cooking on an open fire?" Megan quizzed, watching him pack items into the car,"and sleep on the ground?"
"Uh, huh, but we'd use air mattresses," he replied, cramming fishing gear into the back of the Toyota. His answer was short, being in a hurry. What rotten luck. The plan to get off at three backfired. An unexpected conference call delayed him. Then he got stuck in after hours traffic. Now, it was getting dark and they hadn't finished packing the car. Thank goodness he had asked Megan to prepare the cooler items and to get their clothes ready.
"Doesn't the park attendant leave by nine?" she asked with a frown as she looked at her watch. His scowl made for a good reply, "Will we make it?"
"Maybe," he said and with that he slammed the trunk. They were ready. Both scurried into the car. Within minutes, they were on the highway heading towards their destination 30 minutes away. They drove out of the city into the dark of the land. She could barely make out fence rails go by. They veered off the highway onto a dirt road, going down a hill towards the lake. As they made it to the bottom where the parking attendant building sat, they saw everything was dark and the gates were locked tight with chains.
"Oh, no" he said and steered the vehicle to the side of the road, turning off the engine and lights. "I guess we'll have to park here for the night and come back to retrieve it in the morning. We can climb past the gates and walk."
"All the way down to the campsite? In the dark? What if there are snakes or scorpions! You can hardly see the road past this place!"
"Don't worry. I'll hold your hand," he replied and got out, "Come on! It will be an adventure."
Luckily, his key chain had a small beam light to help guide their way. They knew the numbers of the spots and what vehicle to look for. They could feel the wind accelerate and heard a crack of lightening in the distance.
"It's going to rain?" Megan questioned, "I thought the weatherman said there was only a 30% chance tonight and it would be all clear tomorrow and the rest of the weekend."
"Guess the percent chance found us. let's hurry!" he retorted and they picked up their pace. To their dismay, when they arrived to the right spot, poor Eric and Kristen were having a major argument; and no, not a single tent was up yet.
"What's going on?" Tom cried out, rushing to their side. Kristen held up a lantern while Eric struggled to put up the support rods.
"I just bought these on sale last year. I've never used them. We got here late and I've been trying for an hour to get these support rods in. Kristen was trying to read the directions by the lantern. Then she lost them!"
"Not my fault!" she shot back, glaring," The stupid wind picked up and blew it out of my hands."
Before another word could be said, rain drops began to fall. Each drop grew faster and heavier. They had no choice but to duck under the picnic table which had a metal roof covering. The wind blew the rain onto them, so then they escaped into Eric and Kristen's small compact car. Their breaths caused the windows to steam up. The rain didn't seem to let up at all and they soon fell asleep, all cramped in their seats.
The next morning, they awoke and got out to stretch and look around. The rain had stopped and the morning sun rose behind pink clouds. Megan stood by the lake and watched tiny minnows rush around by the edge of the bank. In the distance, a huge fish jumped out of the water into the hazy mist hovering over it. Then it crashed back into the water, breaking the silence. She turned to see the men make another attempt at the tents. Upon the bush nearby, Megan saw the directions stuck in the branches. She rushed over with them and the three tackled setting up the tents. Kristen had started a fire and pulled out her cooking gear. Within minutes, the smell of bacon and brewing coffee penetrated the air. Tom went up for his vehicle and when he returned, they ate breakfast on plastic plates. The air was cool, but the morning sun was rising and warming the earth. Everything smelled fresh and natural.
In spite of their mishap , Megan sipped her coffee and absorbed the surroundings. She saw a couple heading into a nook to fish. A crane flew away, frightened off by their trespassing. A lone bass fisherman started up his trolling motor and steered the boat out onto the middle of the lake. Kids nearby threw stones across the water. Tom and Eric shared a story to make Kirsten laugh. All seemed right with the world again.. and mostly, Megan felt good being there, roughing it without modern day conveniences. Somehow, she knew the rest of their weekend adventure would go great and hoped there would be more times like these to share with Tom.
That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed. Take care until next time. :)
