Approaching Glory

Root Root Root Canal

Today was THE day.  When the office called yesterday to remind me of my appointment (like one can forget their prescribed day of torture?) - I asked if they give gas.  No.  Uh huh.

This is where I gently reminded her again that I suffer high anxiety with ALL dental related situations. Don't ask.  Won't tell.  Suffice it to say I have very good reasons and that I have PTSD.  I'm very upfront about my condition.  I've gone to the same dentist now for twenty years and he knows me.  I may cry even if I don't want to and it takes every bit of faith I have to walk in his office. 

However, this is NOT my normal dentist.  This is a specialist - because I have infection grabbing roots.  Once my roots grab said infection they don't like to let go.  This is a nasty habit on the part of my teeth because this (more often than not) leads to root canals.  My regular dentist is getting tired of my quirky teeth and sent me to a specialist.   Considering my dental phobias and my allergies to most opiads (which are the best things with which to feel no tooth pain) - I face alot of opportunities to be an overcomer.

Before you even think it - I brush and floss and take good care of my unappreciative teeth. Anyway....

After assessing the situation of NO gas, I asked the nurse what she intended to do for me.  Bottom line - Valium.  Okay by me.  Jbird will drive me to and fro and hopefully the stuff would relax me enough.

And guess what?  It worked!  Woo hoo!  This guy is good and I do mean good.  I was SO happy when he said, "We're just about done now."  I was doing great  - until I got to the front desk and was told I needed to fork out over $1000.00 - like  - right - then - and - there.  Say what?   The nurse told me I got services and I needed to pay for them.  Like - would a couple of hundred suffice for today?  Nope - the whole thing and nothing but the whole thing.  I rummage through my purse and come up with a credit card.  Hubby is going to have a fit.  Now I'm NOT feeling so good.

I sign over my life and wait for her to give me an appointment date for a year check up. 

"Oh!", she exclaims, "You've got dental insurance!"

Uh - yeah.  She begins to profusely apologize.  I begin to breathe again.  We cancel payment and I pay the co-pay - which is about $279.  PTL.  Much more do-able.

Tests and Findings

T was taken back to Emory early.  She spiked a fever of 104.  They are currently trying to run tests to find out what's up.  My other friend had his tests run and the early report is a tough one.

I continue to feel like I've got the flu - when in fact - I know it's the meds.  I spent one night this weekend itching from the Darvon/propocet pain killer.  I quit taking them.  I am allergic to most opiads - morphene, codeine, hydro-codeine, demerol, talwin - and the list goes on.  Need to get one of those medical bracelets - really do.  Lord knows what they'd give me at a scene of an accident - if it was morphene I'd be breaking out in hives.  I'm okay for surgeries because there are a good many things they can give you with IV - it's just the "take home" variety that's the issue I guess.

Yes - I'm knitting away on the MS3 shawl.  I've made a few errors - gosh I wonder why - but I'm pretty much the only one who will ever notice them and I've let a few go.  The perfectionist in me cringes.  The guys just look at me and shake their heads.  They promise me no one will see them in the intricate design.  I'll know they are there.

Swimming Through the Waters

I got my first taste of the pool at the Y today.  How wonderful it is.  The locker rooms are so nice, new, and clean.  Hey - I spent over three years at a place where the locker room could have used a complete overhaul.  The locker room here even has a machine to spin the water out of your swimsuit.  How cool is that?  I'm so happy that Jay is working there.  The facilities are just beautiful.  I'm officially a member now - I've got my ID badge and everything.

Well - I went to retrieve my email that corresponds to the MS3 and there were over 700 messages waiting for me.  Needless to say, it took quite awhile to sort through them.  We were finally told the theme for this MS3 - Swan Lake.  We were also told that the stole is assymetrical and we were shown a schematic.  To say that this spurred comments on the board is a vast understatement.  I will have to make some major decisions concerning the stole in the future.  (I'm running behind in the row count here)  I'm holding out until I see what the stole looks like when someone knits into the new section.  If it's not me - well then - I think I'll do a symmetrical stole that is sewn together in the middle.

Ingrown Toenails

Hubby took Jbird to the doctors today.  The first trip was to the lab for the drug tests needed for his new employment.  The second was to the podiatrist to have to his ingrown toenail sliced and diced surgically repaired. The boy does not get how to cut his toenails correctly.  He cuts them way too short - so we will hold another class in Personal Nail Hygiene 101.

Child brought home and Hubby goes to have car blinkers check out.  Seems it was as simple as the flasher button had gotten pushed in the half-way position.  Fixed.  Free.  Good thing.

Hubby back home to get meds and pick up J and they head on down to help SIL continue the moving saga.  Tomorrow is the re-scheduled garage sale.  J helped put price tags on while everyone else was helping with the set-up. 

Me?  I cleaned up kitchen.  Read, wrote, and surfed.  Knitted on the MS3 KAL - still on Clue 3 whilst Clue 4 was released today.  I will get to the end - in my time.

Read one offering in the Reader's Digest Book.  A tells me she wants me to go with her for a five day vacation to the beach in August.  She knows this is the only time she'll have before beginning her 15-18 mos. Nurse Practioner course.  She's got four courses to take this Fall.  She has a four hour class on Friday and Sunday and two four hour classes on Saturday.  Nuts.  Completely nuts.  That's in addition to her full-time job.  I don't think I'll see much of her for awhile.

However, her plans for a vacation with me going are stuck on a few things:

1. I am my child's means of transportation to and from everything and all classes resume August 1 (band, swing choir, lessons, new job, and karate)
2. My appeals to the powers that be in this family have to date gone unheeded that our son needs to have his full license ASAP.
3. My backup for transportation (Judy) is in Las Vegas and I don't think she'll be back yet the week Amy got off.
4. And while a vacation sounds nice - if I had the money to spend - I would prefer to apply it toward a laptop for me.
5. The laptop for me is based on the knowledge that J will NOT be getting said license ASAP and I will be spending alot of my time waiting (again).  This year I would like to do so productively blogging, emailing, and writing.  Yes - I still plan on knitting and reading BUT I would love a laptop.

So in less than two weeks I will have: my son working his first job, Hubby back to work with the full day at EHMS and teaching two classes at night, homeschooling my son's senior year, and all the extra-curricular activities for sonny boy back in full swing.  And how many things on MY Honey-do list are done?  Nada.  How much painting have I gotten done (both the house and my artwork) - Nada.  Maybe I'll be doing those things while sonny works - by myself.