writefiction: (Default)
2008-08-22 02:01 pm

678 is the new Olympic gold medal challenge

678 is how many words I have written for the [profile] words_we_wroteTTA track challenge. At least 822 words to go.

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Diagnosed by a Doctor

So, I went to see Dr Levey yesterday (and I totally spelled his name wrong in the other post) He said I definitely need a root-canal. But he said that this one would be, like, 100x easier than the last one. The last one was so horrible b/c the infection was just completely out of control. The nerve in my tooth had died so I wasn't in any pain and didn't notice the infection until my gums and face were wicked swollen. And apparently, the same thing has happened this time: the nerve in my tooth is dead. Hence no pain.

Earlier in the year, after my first root-canal, I couldn't wear my nightguard b/c of my new crown. Then my front tooth, the one that's getting the root-canal, was soooo painful. The dentist said it was just b/c I was grinding so badly without my nightguard. So they made me a brand new one for free b/c I hadn't even had my old one for a year yet and those suckers are, like, 400$. Needless to say, my tooth stopped hurting once I got my new nightguard. Everyone thought it was hunky-dory. But now my mom and I are wondering if that wasn't b/c of grinding. Maybe that's when my tooth was infected for the first time. Usually the nerve in your tooth doesn't just die right off the bat like that unless there's some sort of trauma and Dr Levey doesn't think the fork did it. So now we wonder. Not that it matters any. It doesn't change anything. But Dr Levey said I don't have to have it done until I come back from vacation next week. I have an appointment scheduled for 9:45am on Thursday. Oh joy. But he guarantees it'll be so much better than the last time. Plus, b/c the infection's so small it's not going to be as much work so it's only going to cost us $840!!!! I'm so happy with that. But we'll have to see how much we gotta pay my regular dentist for the after-work.

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Self-Diagnosis

For years and years and years, showering has made me itchy. The warmer the water, the worse the itching. The other day I was in the shower and just as I was finishing up my shoulders and the top of my thighs started to itch something fierce. By the time I was all dried off and dressed, my forearms itched horribly too. I finally decided to jump on-line and try to look up my symptoms. Seems a ton of people have this problem and it's an actual medical issue. It's called Cholinergic Urticaria, a subcategory of physical urticaria. Basically, it's a skin rash brought on by a hypersensitive reaction to body heat. Symptoms can be brought on by anything that increases your body temp, i.e.: exercise, heat from the sun, saunas, hot showers, and even alcohol! All this time I thought some forms of alcohol made me itch b/c of the sulfites in it. And get this: it's more common in people who have other atopic conditions such as eczema and asthma, both of which I have. So basically the next time I go see my PCP I'm going to ask her about it. But it all makes total sense now. It's amazing.

Whenever my entire body itches and I'd tell my mom she'd tell me to take a shower b/c I was probably itching from sweat and dirt. I've always told my mom that showering doesn't help. And now we know it doesn't. Unless it's a shower of icecubes. This is kind of amazing actually. I'm not itching just a little bit and then essentially making mountains out of mole hills. It really is that bad. It's not just all in my head. Last night my mom was like, you have so many other problems, why not this too? haha But now it finally makes sense and it gives me some semblence of relief.
writefiction: (Default)
2008-08-21 12:01 pm
Entry tags:

a tooth for a tooth

My mom called about an hour ago to let me know I have an appointment with Dr Levi today @ 3:00pm. But we have to get there by 2:45pm to fill out paper work. So I need to, like, eat a sandwich and get in the shower ASAP. I'm not looking forward to this. But at least all they're going to do today is take an x-ray. And if I need a root-canal they'll schedule it for Thursday or Friday of next week. Way to spend the last days of vacation. I guess this means we're probably not going to the zoo to see the flock of flamingos. But at least we're still going to be able to go to Six Gun City and Clark's Trained Bears (also known as Clark's Trading Post)

Well, I am off to eat a fluffernutter and then shower.
Wish me luck.

xoxo,
amanda: jaclyn's twin sister
writefiction: (you bitch)
2008-08-20 03:54 pm
Entry tags:

Dear God, it's me, Amanda, Jaclyn's twin sister.....

Fuck. My mother is going to kill me. 

Yesterday I went to the dentist for my six month cleaning. I pointed out this issue I have with the spot on my gums just above my very front tooth. Back @ Memorial Day, I was at a cook-out and I stabbed myself above my front tooth with a plastic fork. (would have been funnier if it was a spork.) A week or so later I noticed this huge bubble-like thing on my gum where I had stabbed myself. I popped it and blood came out and then I rinsed with salt water. I rinsed like this until it went away. As soon as I stopped rinsing, it came back. So I did the whole drain it and then rinse thing. Every time I stop rinsing it comes back. Then it went from being a bubble to this, like, hanging flap of skin. It got so big that you could see it hanging down on my tooth when I smiled. But in the past week it's gotten small enough that you can only see it when I lift my lip up all the way.

After Bridget finished cleaning my teeth yesterday, Dr. Aviza checked it out. Bridget told him the story of what happened. Dr. Aviza thought that I probably just tore the tissue there and it had grown back weird like this. But he wanted to get an x-ray just in case. So they took the x-ray and then I left. Dr. Aviza was going to look at it and get back to me.

So just a few minutes ago, Roberta called. She said that Dr. Aviza looked at the x-ray and found a small absess at the root of the tooth that the weird gum-skin-flap-thing is over. He's refering me to the root-canal dr. He thinks that they need to do a root canal and Dr. Aviza will put a permanent filling on it....which is NOT the same as a crown and does not last forever like a crown. We went through this last time when I needed a root canal and my mom was kinda pissed and was like, You are NOT doing that. You ARE putting a crown on my daughter.

So basically I'm screwed b/c a root canal is, like, $1,200. I only have about $400 left on my dental insurance and that is getting used up next month on some cavities. So, yeah. I'm screwed. I really don't want my mom to come home from work b/c I really do not want to tell her. Yesterday we were scared b/c it sounded like all of this might happen and we don't really have the money for it. But I'd really rather have it done before my tooth starts hurting like a bitch. I've had 2 absessed teeth before. One hurt like a bitch. But the second one I had didn't b/c the nerve had died. I couldn't feel anything, so I didn't even know there was something wrong until the infection made my gums and my face swell up wicked badly.

Once again, I am SO screwed.

Just thought you should know.