(AF) Ills Sneak Up On You - Part 5 - Dental Visit

Since I was having to take so many meds to get through this dental appointment, and there was a high risk of the appointment and procedure further shooting my blood pressure up, plus, due to all of the above, a slight risk of hemorrhaging from the socket and/or choking on blood if it didn't clot correctly (also from all of the above), my wonderful Dave set aside everything he needed to be doing to come down here, take me to the dentist, sit through my appointment with me, and keep an eye on me through the night (My appointment was actually at 6pm. Never had one that late, didn't know dental appointments could be made that time of day.)

Blood pressure med before I left the house, left off the tylenol to reduce chance of thinning blood/excess bleeding, and we were on our way. Dave kept the conversation going so well, to help keep my mind distracted and off of my HUGE fear of the dentist. About halfway there I nibbled on my horseradish folded up in a slice of bread. About 45 minutes after we left my house, we were finally there. I rinsed my mouth out well with some filtered water and took my 1/4 of a Valium, along with some deep breaths.

Once inside, I signed in and barely had time to sit down before they called me back. I was so glad to see that they still had the same dentist! He is the best one I have ever been to. He can actually get me numb, and takes the time to explain everything to me as he goes, which eliminates 2 of my bigger worries behind seeing a dentist.

I kind of feel bad that I asked (practically begged) Dave to go back with me and stay through my appointment (I am sure it was hard to watch), but I sure needed him! Every time I got overly nervous, I just looked up and saw him sitting there and relaxed. I don't know how I would have gotten through it without him!

They (the dentist and his assistant) looked over the tooth in question and take an x-ray. Before they took the x-ray, they put this BIG ole, heavy, brown apron thingy over me. Hmmm... no dentist had ever done that before. Now, I have had a few x-rays done at a stand-up machine, and it may have had some kind of protection built in, I don't know. But the ones they take when you are in 'the chair', this was the first time I had ever had one of those things put over me. And I have had a LOT of dental x-rays over the years! Interesting (and not in a good way).

In no time, the dentist comes back in and says, "Good news! There isn't anything wrong with that tooth. You have a severe sinus infection, that tooth is in your sinus (he showed us on the x-ray) and that is what is causing it to hurt. Just stay on the antibiotics a little longer and you will be fine." He said that it wasn't impossible the tooth wasn't abscessing up under the crown, where he couldn't see it, but nothing showed up on the x-ray, just the sinus infection. Yay!!! No tooth pulling!

As I sat there I kept thinking that, despite what he said, I felt like crud .... my body felt like it does when I have an abscessed tooth. I remembered all those signs all too well. So I decided to ask him to look at another tooth, since I was already there. I had one on the other side (the side that I was having the mini strokes on and the swollen glands), that didn't hurt, but had a bump on the gum. That bump had been there, off and on, for years, and I was led to believe that it was from my sinus allergies draining. After a quick look, he drew back and immediately said, "Now that's an abscess! And it's an old abscess. It's been there a loooong time!" The bump was the abscess trying to beak through the gum. He called it a "draining abscess." Oh, my gosh! That tooth had had that bump above the gum, off and on for years, 6 to 10 years! I had been to the dentist sooo many times in that length of time, and not one dentist had caught it! Forget being afraid, I was furious! That tooth had been pumping toxins and poisons into my body for years and years, doing who knows what kind of damage throughout my system.

So, why had it not been noticed before? Well, I honestly don't know why the full scale dentist I use to go to didn't catch it. His prices were so high, I should have gotten a full look-see each time I went for something. But, then, to have found something, would have been to admit that previous work he had done on my teeth had gone bad.  But the dentist at the sliding scale, government funded clinics ..... they are only allowed to look at whichever tooth is hurting you. They aren't allowed to look over the rest of your teeth..... they aren't allowed to do any preventive work. Oh, no, they can't possibly be allowed to do anything that would save the patient and/or the tax payers, and/or the government any money. You have to wait until things are bad before anything can get done.

He (the dentist) said that he did not want to pull it. He said that I really needed to get a root canal done on that tooth, he strongly advised it. I asked him if he could do that. He said no, he was a last resort dentist, only. The tooth already had a crown on it, so it was going to be more complicated, and costly, too. We are talking enough money to pay my house payment and all of my utilities for the month, and then some. I said that there was no way I could afford that. He said I needed to... the tooth was too close to the front, and it being gone would also weaken the ones on either side of it. He explained about a place online where you can fill out a form for an interest-free dental loan if you met the income requirements (Is everything online now?! And, I am betting, that site/group is comprised of dentists to ensure they get their money, one way or another. But it is good something like that is available.). He added, "The crown doesn't have to be taken off. They just drill through it and go through the crown and tooth to do the root canal." Yep, the panic was beginning at just the mere thought. Then a thought hit me and I said, "Wait, one of those two teeth up there has had a root canal done... years ago."  He asked, "Are you sure?" I said yes, I remembered it all too well (they couldn't get it numb), but I wasn't sure if it was that one or the one next to it, so he told his assistant to take an x-ray of it, too.

We talked a little more while his assistant finished the x-ray, he left to go read it, then came back and asked, "Do you want that tooth out tonight, or do you want to make another appointment?" The tooth that I had already spent a fortune on (once upon a time I had a good income) ... had been abscessed, root canal done and crowned ... now had to come out!!! The root canal had apparently been done wrong. And then I was left to wonder, 'had the abscess ever been completely cleared up?' Well, I was there, I was already medicated to the hilt, and I didn't want to go through all that anxiety and fear again, so I said just do it now and get it over with. He got me numb quickly, I started to panic a little as I heard that drill come on and start to grind against my crown, he got a good grip on the tooth, rocked it a bit, and out it came, crown and all, NO digging, yea!!! What a relief! It was like having a huge splinter pulled out. And oddly enough, as he was pulling it out, the pressure shot across all of my top teeth and landed in the tooth that I had actually come in for, pain returning. Imagine, a tooth on the left side, causing pain in the right side!

With no nerve in the tooth, I never felt pain in that tooth. It 'tingled' from time to time, but, once again, I thought it was from my sinus allergies. Amazing how many things are connected to our sinuses, even back and shoulder pain can be related. And that tooth had been pumping toxins through my sinuses and body for a long, long time! I truly hope it hasn't done damage to my body beyond repair, my body fully heals, and I can soon start to feel better than I have in a long time, better than in years, maybe, even.

Less than an hour after our arrival, we were leaving. By then the tiny bit of Valium I had taken (I sure hope I don't have to take that stuff very often) was really kicking in good and I think I probably gave Dave a good chuckle or two, not sure, memory faded a bit at that point as I relaxed with the relief that it was all over, and depression from the reality that one of my "smiling" teeth is now gone, set in.

On the way home we stopped at a small Chinese restaurant and got soup for dinner (Okay, I got soup, Dave got a dinner with some substance), because I was in no shape to cook and was suppose to rest, and Dave had  to be tired from all that driving from town to town.  I rarely eat out any more, as it is all so loaded with chemicals it practically glows, but that night, we made an exception, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I embarrassed myself, drooling soup out of a semi-numb mouth, but it really hit the spot!

It's such a relief to have it over with. And I am hoping and praying I get my strength back soon, and everything in my body levels back out so that I can get off of the rest of these meds. But I still get extremely irate when I think about all the dental work I had over the years (including braces when I was a teenager), then several crowns, and now it is all having to be removed. Folks, don't ever mess around with an abscessed tooth. They can be very dangerous and reek havoc of all kinds, all throughout your body, even causing heart attacks, strokes, and even death due to brain infections. If you suspect you have one, get it properly taken care of IMMEDIATELY.

Now, to just hope and pray that that other tooth isn't abscessed up under the crown and I don't have to go through this all over again! It would be cheaper and less hassle for all involved if all of my teeth could be checked out and taken care of, rather than as each one becomes an emergency, but logical isn't how this kind of health care works.

Stay tuned for the final part - THE FOLLOW UP CHECK UP

Also Read:  Part 1        Part 2          Part 3         Part 4    Part 6  

(AF) Ills Sneak Up On You! - Part 3

First, I want to start by saying that I am feeling considerably better! I still have a long road ahead to full recovery, and I am very, very tired, but I am making big improvements each day. I am still having a little trouble typing with my left hand (from the mini strokes), but I figure short typing sprints with rest breaks will probably greatly help in getting it back to normal. One night I even managed to sleep soundly and restfully for 6 hours straight, and it felt soooo good! From infection, I had been struggling so hard to breathe for so long, that sleep had become nearly impossible. Every time I tried to lay down, I would stop breathing. Or if I did get to sleep, I would eventually stop breathing and wake up frantically gasping for air. Yep, all this from one little tooth.

As I ended my last post, the PA had just come in to see me. I was SO relieved to see that it wasn't the same one I saw the last time! Why? Well, I guess I better back-track a little bit here:

The very first time I went to this clinic, it was also my first experience in seeing a PA instead of a doctor. But things went well, he seemed to know what he was doing, he had a caring manner, and I was fine with it all. But then... after my exam, he made sure the door was closed, looked at my chart and asked a few questions about my finances and marital status (single - living alone), then said that he might be able to help me with my income. . . . huh? ? ? ? ? ?

He asked if I would like to know about an easy way to earn some money. [Oh, boy, here we go, *eye roll*]  He said I would have to keep it quiet, though. I was curious, so I figured I would play along and see what he had to say. He then proceeded to tell me about some kind of insurance that he sold and how much money I could make if I sold it under him, then gave me his card, told me to really think it over, and call him. He once again told me to keep quiet about it on my way out. Sheesh! Needless to say, that PA was soon replaced by another....

The next PA was excellent! You would have thought he was an actual doctor. He was very knowledgeable, listened and gave you his full attention, took the time to explain everything to you, and exhibited a sincerely caring attitude. After a couple of appointments with that PA, he, too, was soon gone. I am betting that one went on to bigger and better things, as he was a good one! .....

Then came the one with the chip on her shoulder and the "I hate the world" attitude. Where do they get these people?!  Now, mind you, I was in that time for a badly abscessed tooth (it has been missed on a previous visit) and the infection was so bad it had spread into my blood stream, infected my respiratory system, organs, and shot my blood pressure up (well, that, along with my fear of the dentist and doctor). So, my blood pressure was high, dangerously high(It's a wonder I was still walking), and she got extremely hateful with me about it being so high. Also, a few days before I went in with my tooth, I had pulled a tick off of me (which had really whelped up more than usual), and a spider had gotten ahold of my back while I was asleep (I had moved into a bedroom that hadn't been used in awhile), bit me in several places, and were starting to look pretty bad, despite everything I was putting on them, so I knew I needed to get her to look at them. Well, totally disregarding that my blood pressure was well above stroke level, and that we were in a tiny building, just feet from the waiting room (no sound barriers), she began to scream at me, "Those are bad! Those spider bites are bad! I mean really bad! Why haven't you come in here?" Well... that's kind of what I was doing, duh! So she loudly rants a little more about my high blood pressure (not a smart thing to do), my spider bites, tick bite, and anything else she could think of, for everyone in the office and waiting room to clearly hear. She loudly insinuated that I was really stupid for letting myself get into a position that I got a tick on me and said I must rub down with repellent each and every time I went outside (I live in the woods! A tick will happen on occasion. And rubbing down with chemical laden insect repellent every day would be more damaging to my body than one tick!)

By the time I left, everyone in the building knew I had probable tick fever (no test was done, she just said that was what I had), multiple spider bites (probable brown recluse) spreading through my body, and a seriously abscessed tooth. No patient confidentiality there! She was loud, rude, sarcastic, hateful, and made you feel about an inch high, not to mention, further running my blood pressure up. I decided I would have to be near death before I went back to that place!!!

Okay, so I was once again in a life & death situation and had to go back to that intimidating clinic. And I was REALLY hoping there was a new PA there this time. . . . . . to my initial relief, there was . . . . . but she actually made the last one look nice!!

So, we are back to the present and the PA came in, laptop in hand. She was sarcastic from the moment she began speaking. I am guessing that (just my guess), and referring to my weight loss conversation, she didn't like me saying that I was working harder at living naturally.  She sat in a chair, laptop in lap, eyes down, seldom looking up at me. As she read my computerized chart she asked if I was still taking this med and that med (blood pressure meds). I said that I  hadn't in a long time, but was the past couple of weeks because of my infection. I explained to her that after my last abscessed tooth was removed and infection gone, that my blood pressure went back down and I hadn't needed it. She also asked how much I was taking. I told her half a pill. She sarcastically asked if that was because I couldn't afford to take full doses. Sheesh! No! It was because that is what they prescribed and it was right there in front of her!!!

She got very sarcastic about my meds, and said that I HAD to take what they prescribed and should never quit taking them.... They have side affects, serious side affects, and I won't put toxins that my body doesn't need, into it if I am doing fine. My gosh, that medicine even carries a risk of heart failure! If I can do it naturally, I will! So, once again, this PA starts yelling at me about my blood pressure, at how high it was (at least it was a new, better building and other patients couldn't hear). I tried and tried to tell her that my blood pressure does that from my fear of going to the doctor/dentist and when I get an abscessed tooth. She ranted a little more, then looked at my tooth (the one I thought it was). She corrected me and said it's your teeth", meaning I had more than one abscessed on that side. Once again she used a sarcastic tone to say that the dentist wouldn't work on me with my blood pressure like that. I said that he would, that we had a routine we went through to get my pressure down long enough to get the tooth out/fixed, then my blood pressure would start going down anyway. I explained our routine, including the 1/4th of a Valium I was told to take just before I went in, and she really came unglued! "Valium! Where did you get Valium!?" I told her that I got it there, over a year ago. (I was prescribed 3 pills, I still have 2 of them."  The sarcasm really grew then, with the "your trash" attitude. I assured her that was the only time I ever took it, when I went to the dentist, that I didn't like taking the stuff, but I wasn't going to die from a tooth, either, because they couldn't get it out.

 She didn't check several of the usual 'basic' things a doctor routinely checks, but she did listen to my heart and lungs. She told me to breathe in deeply... then breathe all the way out. She said to do it again and keep doing it. I was really struggling to breathe with the infection, and was breathing really slowly, but I was doing the best I could to do what she said. And it took awhile to get the breath all the way in, then all the way out. So once again she started screaming at me, "I said to keep doing it!! Keep breathing in and out deeply!" and "You're not doing what I said!! I said to keep doing it!!!"  She got very irate about it and hatefully let me know it... no compassion for the elevated blood pressure.

Even though she was sitting there, looking at my chart, she asked if I was allergic to any antibiotics. I knew she was looking at the list, but I listed them all anyway. She was obviously irritated that I had already started taking some (I wouldn't have still been breathing if I hadn't), but prescribed me more of the same, anyway (a very strong, black listed, antibiotic - one of the few I can sort of take). I then tried to tell her about the glands on the left side of my head that were really swollen up big, in a large area, and a bug bite close to it. She wouldn't look at all, she wouldn't even look up from the computer screen, she just said, "That's from the bug bite. The antibiotics will take care of it."  She checked for swelling in my lower legs/ankles through my thick (scrunched up, double layered, with bottom zippers) sweat pants and deemed them swollen. First, there was no way to tell through all those layers, and second, it was the side that stays swollen up from arthritis that she checked. So she yelled at me some more for not taking the water pill. (she didn't check swelling anywhere else on my body)  I tried to tell her that I had snapped that foot during a mini stroke, but she wouldn't listen. She wouldn't let me tell her about my foot, the several mini strokes I had had the week before, the spells at night where I repeatedly stopped breathing, NOTHING. Every time I tried to tell her anything, she cut me off and sarcastically said, "You are here just to get antibiotics for that tooth. Make another appointment for anything else."  That really made my blood pressure boil!!! Yes, I was a 'walk-in' (a scheduled walk-in, at that) but my payment was the same as for a regular appointment. Everything I was trying to tell her WAS related to my tooth, and her attitude sounded like a scheme to get more money with total disregard for my health!

Next, she said she needed to see me again in 2 weeks for a blood pressure check (which they also charge for, now, like it was a full office visit, but didn't use to). She said that I needed to fast before I came in, too, so that she could do some blood work. I reminded her that the last time I was in, they had written out a form for me to get blood work done (before they upgraded the building, they contracted out to another lab for lab work, but do it there now), I had paid for it (which I told her), but I had had a family crisis come up and wasn't able to go get it done. Now, mind you, she has my chart in front of her, had been looking at all my prescribed meds and giving me heck over them, then says (referring to the blood work), "I don't know anything about that. You will just have to pay for it again." LIKE HECK I WILL!!!!!  She wouldn't let me tell her about what kept me from being able to go get it done, she kept cutting me off, and telling me I would have to pay and do it again. If the order for the lab work (paid for) isn't in my chart, someone monkeyed around with it.

So I left furious, irritated, frustrated, stressed, upset, and, well, you get the picture .... and my blood pressure even higher. But, let me tell you folks, THIS is what we can expect from government funded health care!!! 

 Also Read: Part 1    Part 2     Part 4   Part 5   Part 6