Tuesday, February 19, 2008

A Journey of 1,000 Miles…

…began with that proverbial first step today. That first step cost about a grand… that would be a lil over 1,000 Yankee Dollars… but who’s counting? (Hint: me. Every last penny, when you come right down to it.) But already I digress. I intimated I’d be beginning a dental odyssey with a post on the subject late last November. Well, the adventure has begun…

Actually, it began about two weeks ago, when I went into Dr. Thompson’s office to have molds made for an “appliance,” which I would be required to wear during a CT-scan of my entire head, a precursor to the surgeries that will begin in the very near future. The appliance came back from the appliance-manufacturer a week ago, the CT-scan was scheduled at Roosevelt County General Hospital, and things began in earnest today.

Consuelo... Bagging It

I stopped by Dr. Thompson’s office this afternoon, picked up the appliance, received a lesson on how to place the thing in my mouth when the scan took place, and then toodled off to the hospital.

Consuelo holds The Appliance. Dontcha LUV medical terms, Gentle Reader?

I checked in at the hospital, filled out the usual administrative forms, and walked a short distance down to radiology. After checking in yet again…this time with the radiology folks… I had enough time to read several columns in a three-month old copy of Time before being called back into the rear of the radiology area, where the real action was to take place.

The CT Machine

The real action was anti-climactic, at best. The scan took all of about four minutes…I probably spent longer talking to the technician and snapping these pictures than I did laying on the table during the actual scan.

Christine, the CT-technician

The machine itself is impressive, but I was dismayed to note it was manufactured by Toshiba, and not General Electric. It’s actually impressive, in and of itself, that Roosevelt County General actually has such a machine, which, as you might imagine, Gentle Reader, is one pricey piece of equipment. I imagine Roosevelt Co. General will recoup their investment rather quickly, however. I inquired as to the cost of this four-minute procedure while checking in and was told “oh, somewhere between $700.00 and $900.00.” Yikes! This procedure is the only part of this 1,000 mile journey that’s covered by my insurance, and that’s a great good thing. Every lil bit helps, lemmee tell ya.

So. The CT-scan is done and I’m awaiting scheduling of the first series of bone implants, otherwise known as a “sinus lift.” On both sides of my face. That sounds like Big Fun, doesn't it?

I’ll keep ya in the loop. Or not, depending. Medical war stories are much less interesting to those who aren’t living them, I’ve heard.

11 comments:

  1. Medical stories matter to people who care about you. We care about you Buck, and will be with you every step of the way, even from a distance.

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  2. I agree with Kris, Buck. We care about you.

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  3. Poor Buck!! At least today's procedure was painless (though Dr. Thompson is GREAT and I'm sure the rest of your work will be as painless as possible, if possible).

    How cool to see not just one, but TWO pictures of Consuelo!! That woman and I go back a few years, we used to work together at a store called Alco, a mini Walmart of sorts, that left town when we got our Walmart. It was in the building that now houses C&S Parts over on 1st street across from Wells Fargo. Anyway, her youngest daughter is best friends with my youngest daughter at school (I mean, they hug and call each other sister every chance they get. So cute for a couple of 3rd graders). Consuelo also went to school with my husband, though about a year or two ahead of him. She is a FUN gal, be sure you give her an extra hard time for me (and you can tell her that, too!!).

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  4. I read the "cautionary tale" post. Lou commented that she has had bad dreams about her teeth being knocked out. I have dreams like that too. The orthodontist told me 2 years ago that I did not have to wear my retainer at night anymore but I still do.

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  5. My parents oftened joked that if they had no doctor's appointments, they would have no social life. So you can look at this as if your social life is improving. Plus, it will give you lots of blog fodder. Maybe you will meet a hot nurse.

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  6. Thanks for the support, Kris, Ashley, Jenny and Lou! All y'all are so very kind and I sure appreciate it!

    And thanks, Jenny, for giving me Consuelo's name. Dr. Thompson needs to update his web site... coz Consuelo ain't there. There are great write-ups on other folks in the office, but there are also several holes. And isn't Victoria photogenic!

    Ashley: I was serious as a heart attack when I said I regret not spending that money (that wasn't there...) back around '78 or so.

    Lou: re: nurses. See: "all the good ones..." etc., etc. ;-)

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  7. Victoria IS very photogenic!! Nice lady, too! Flora is also Floyd Alumni. And didn't know if you knew this or not, but Micah is Dr. Thompson's wife (her grandmother is the elderly lady that was recently killed a few weeks ago when her house exploded from a natural gas leak under the house). Obviously the site hasn't been updated because they had their third child last year sometime and the site says just two children. If memory serves, Micah was Miss Roosevelt County competing for Miss New Mexico one time.

    Sheesh, I know too many things about people! LOL!

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  8. Jenny sez: Victoria IS very photogenic!!

    Yep, and that's an understatement. Victoria is the principal reason I never miss a cleaning these days. ;-)

    She's a great person, too.

    re: the rest. I knew most all of that. Micah was in the office with the baby yesterday, and I probably should have snapped a couple of pics, just on General Principles.

    re: Sheesh, I know too many things about people! LOL!

    Au contraire, Jenny...you're just dialed-in. Not a thing wrong with that!

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  9. I'll be thinking of you, Buck.

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  10. Dan sez: Shoulda gone with the car.

    I gave it some thought, Dan, but decided I like food... solid food, like a good New York, rare... more than a new Miata. Priorities. :-)

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.