Midlife Sooner

I weigh a little less and have a hole in my wall of teeth

Well I did it, I got the tooth extracted. Much like everything else with me there are several stories to tell along with the extracted offender. Last Friday I was supposed to go in and have it done, we had my wonderful parents come to watch the kids and help Angie. Friday morning rolls around and I am worried about throwing up due to a empty stomach. So I have a small bit of biscuit (homemade by my mother), crumbs actually. We get to the dental office, Angie with her books preparing for the wait, and the lady asks if I had anything to eat or not..... I wonder what I should have said, I guess the truth but it sure did hurt. I said that I had a little bit of biscuit, her head snapped up with a look of horror and asked how long ago! I said about an hour (the crumbs would already be through my system) Well we wait in the lobby and the nurse calls me up and says "you had a biscuit!!!" in a very loud condescending voice, like I had just eaten two helping of biscuits and gravy at Denny's before we got there. She gave me a lecture and sent us our way with a rescheduled appointment for today. I don't know much about medicine or dentistry but I really doubt that the bits of biscuit I had would have done anything, it is not a white and black line that if you cross you die.... eat nothing you live, eat a crumb you die. I am lucky they let me breathe after midnight. and what is up with the attitudes?, I realize I lost some of their time but are not I the customer in this venture, but am I not paying for this service? Isn't part of the price the hassle of dealing with people like me? There is my venting, it was not losing the appointment that I was upset about it was the rescheduling of babysitters that bothered me. I realize they must have rules so they don't get sued if someone chokes on something they ate, I am not mad at them, just the system that lets us sue so easily.
Anyway I go this morning we found a college girl to sit for us and I went in, without eating anything mind you. I thought about holding Angie's capuchino on the way in just to freak them out, but I knew that was a bad idea with the prevailing lack of sense of humor there. They called me back, after a few minutes in the lobby where I caught up on Brad and Jolina (they bought another kid you know according to people magazine), I sat in this chair and they hooked me up to many monitors, I remember being disappointed that it wasn't more like a surgery room. I did get an IV and a air mask. I thought about taking my picture there but again the atmosphere was not real conducive to pictures. I probably would have to signed something saying I wouldn't use the picture to sue them. The doc came in (just a few years older than I am) and "gave me the good stuff" two surenges of something that made me forget most of the morning. I remember small pieces like when I asked Angie "did they save my tooth for me?" and trying not to look too sick for my boys when I walked in the door. I slept for about 5 hours and my mouth was dry and I was hungry (because I didn't eat anything for days). Angie has been regaling me with funny things I said the whole way home and in the office. She said that when we walked by a bunch of switches and lights in the hall I reached up to start playing with them, I don't remember that. I haven't much to eat today, just some soup, oatmeal, and apple sauce. I plan on gorging myself on ice cream tonight. There is not much pain so far even after the drugs wore off (due to me not eating food beforehand maybe??? whatever) it feels weird not having a tooth there, I am afraid my tongue will try to escape and get caught in the surrounding teeth... where did that thought come from? must still be the drugs. I told Zeke that I weigh less so I should be able to beat Matt Roman in bike racing now. All the help I can get although the ice cream might mitigate that one advantage. Having less teeth does give me more of a connection with my Arkansas roots, so it isn't all bad. And it is one less tooth to cause me pain later on. I still haven't decided what to do with the hole. I could go for a bridge or an implant, or just leave it and machine something out on my own.
Speaking of riding Matt and I went riding again Saturday night, it was beautiful outside (about 65) and a lot of fun. We rode the supposed course of the upcoming race. It is extremely fast and fun. Matt's light once again was inadequate, so I rode behind him and lit up his path. My light works well but for only about and hour if it on the lowest setting. A Lot of fun.

posted by Flippo @ 6:14 PM