I'm just a barrel of fun lately, aren't I?

this is so the OTHER pic is not the first one you see... trust me.

Here's a brief "catch-up":

Awhile back, I broke a tooth whilst eating a french fry at a local burger joint. The only "pain" I experienced at that time was SHOCK at breaking a tooth on a french fry, and the callous that formed on my tongue, as it was forming, from rubbing against a jagged tooth. The tooth itself didn't bother me too much.

This was either followed by or more likely, preceded by (I forget) some pain in the opposite side of my jaw, likely due to an infected tooth, which I "remedied" by chewing on the other side, causing the tooth to break on a french fry.

Then we moved, and I had to fight shortness of breath (SOB) and wheezing, and major "cough up a lung" coughing fits. So, while I still had insurance, I saw a doc at Kaiser, who prescribed a rescue inhaler. That got me through our California winter.

Also while I still had insurance, I took care of the pain on the right side of my mouth, which was, in fact, due to an infected tooth that had at first been Rx'd (a year earlier? I forget) "ROOT CANAL & CROWN", to which I had said "STFU" and attempted to heal myself with coconut oil pulling and close attention to flossing and other nearly-OCD dental hygiene. Of course, by the time that year or so had passed, my nearly-OCD dental hygiene had flown out a proverbial window, and the pain returned, and the infection was so far gone that the dentist said "we have to extract" (after I had walked in the door saying "I need an extraction". DUH). So that tooth got pulled, and my jaw pain abated a lot, and all I dealt with was my nagging breathing.

Then I ran out of insurance and applied for Medi-Cal.

Then I got really angry with the Shitologists next door, and had to find a way outta that headspace. That headspace was #NoBueno for me or anyone else. With the help of my friend, I found some peace. #YayMe #Blessed

Then my Medi-Cal came through just as I was about to die from SOB and wheezing, and I got my inhaler refilled. For Free.

Then I started having jaw pain on the other side, pretty much directly under Mr. Brokey. So I looked into seeing a dentist on an urgent basis, because my damn jaw was throbbing so badly, I hardly slept at all on Friday night (this past Friday, a week ago tomorrow). Saw the dentist on Saturday... made a "walk-in appointment" for, eh, 15-20 minutes from now-ish? and walked the 3 blocks up the street. Filled out appropriate paperwork; receptionist took my Medi-Cal info; x-ray tech led me back to the most x-rays I have EVER had to have of three regions of my mouth, considering there was only ONE tooth to inspect. Also, I had to hold the thingy inside my mouth, as well as steadying the x-ray "camera" against my aching jaw. #Weird?

Dr. Gandhi came and took another look at my mouth, looked at the x-rays, and said, "your (broken) tooth is infected, and it needs to come out. We could do a root canal, but Medi-Cal doesn't cover it, and it takes a long time, and how do you feel about extraction?" and I was all, Yee-Ha, take that sucker OUT!

So he had me schedule the extraction for Tuesday and wrote prescriptions for amoxicillin and 400mg Ibuprofen (what? no Vicadin? Day-Um!), and I was out the door, having paid zero for the office visit... I had to drive to BF Egypt to fill said prescriptions, because it was SATURDAY, and most Kaiser Permanente facilities are NOT open on Saturday, and the only KP HOSPITAL with a 24-hour pharmacy is located in East Jesus. So I drove to Podunk, got my Rx's filled for free, and went home to start taking them.

Tuesday, I booked a couple of workshops that I am so glad I attended, so I had to reschedule the extraction for yesterday. Appointment for 2:30 in the afternoon, I walked the three blocks and got in a little early. I was seen pretty much immediately, and while Dr. Gandhi was waiting for the Novocaine to take effect, I was tweeting that I might need some "positive vibe" emotional support. He told me to put the phone down NOW so "we" could focus on the task at hand, before I even got to hit "send", which meant I just had to believe that the emotional support was there. I'm not sure why I was nervous yesterday, but I was definitely nervous yesterday. My back was sweating, and my hands were clenching/unclenching/flailing a bit (not too much) nervous. Possibly because this particular tooth was in no way "loose", so doc had told me that he might have to cut... the tooth, or even the gums. #Yikes!

But honestly, the only "pain" I felt during this incredibly quick procedure was on the opposite side of my mouth, when he needed a little leverage. And I mean, this procedure was incredibly quick, and he got the tooth out "whole"! (Meaning, it wasn't whole to begin with, but he didn't have to break or cut it to get it out). And it was FREE.

So I got the gauze and I still have the antibiotics and ibuprofen, and I went back for a follow-up today, which took probably a whole 60 seconds of him looking inside my mouth. I'm fine. Everything's fine.

sexy, amiright?

But what a roller coaster, eh?