Part 3 of I Guess My "Fast & Loose" Youth is Catching Up to Me

Wednesday - Gamma Rays and More Bad News Just in case you need to catch up - here's a link to Part Two The Allergy Doctor - Tuesday hh Wednesday, March the 22d. A day that may remain forever etched into the whorls of my mind. Another vacation day. Not that I intended it to be, it just worked out that way. My mouth awoke me early - 4:30 or so...Time to eat another handful of advil and shower. Steroids and nasal spray for breakfast. Yum! I was feeling alright by the time it was time to go and get my chest X-Ray done for the Allergy doctor. Still unsure about this Asthma thing. One thing I'm not unsure of though, is one of my upper left teeth has a serious problem. Luckily this will be addressed today, I'm hoping. Get to the clinic where I'm to have the X-Ray done by 9:05. So much for 8:45! 'Take that! you pushy receptionist!' Answer all five thousand questions for the third friggin' time this week! The technician comes to get me and takes me somewhere in the back and asks me to have a seat. So I do. She goes away. She's gone for like maybe ten or fifteen minutes. Coffee break?! Smoke break?!? I don't know, but I'm beginning to get a little steamed...Couldn't do me yesterday and now I'm left to cool my heels sitting next to this big Magnet! MRI machine. What kind of outfit is this anyway... The tech finally comes back and we head off to the XRay suite. "Mr. Hynds, please remove your shirt and any jewlery" So I do. She takes me over to the Gamma Ray Sprayer and poses me this way and that. Takes a few shots. You know the drill. Tells me to have a seat while she checks the XRays. We do one over...Goes away. Comes back in a few, "Okay we're done!" So I get dressed and head over to the business office, where I expect to pay at least my co-pay. I stand around for like 10 minutes while people ignore me. I get perturbed enough that I go back out front to the receptionista and stand in front of the desk until she looks up at me. "Okay that's it!!" "What! No-copay??" "We bill the doctor. You are finished. Have a nice day!" So I bail out to my car. Cruise back to the house to await my next appointment with the Endodontist in the afternoon. Eat another handful of advil and a steroid with my lunch. Yum! Manage to sleep, just a little. Till it's time to drive over there and the pain is starting to get impressive! I roll into Dr. Garza's office, sign in, and sit down. I'm really expecting him to chew my ass out today for not finishing the work that was begun last year. And I deserve it! In the mean time, these steroids are making me go to the bathroom. A LOT! I was warned by the allergy guy about this. So I'm called and escorted back to the 'Chair'. The Doctor's assistant, pretty though she is, is prattling about, annoying me. Gotta be the pain(!). The advil is wearing off and I hurt! She takes a couple of X-Rays. Digital, but still more Gamma Rays(!) and Doctor Garza ambles in. We exchange pleasantries as much as I am able, through clenched teeth and get down to business. Dr: That tooth we did last year has decayed even more. That isn't the one that's causing you pain though, I did a root canal on that last year. But I'm afraid it will need to go. Me: Waht!? Dr: Yes it's too far gone. Me: Waht?! Dr: Let's get you numbed up And he does so. The he gets his implements of destruction out and goes to work. The guy is generally very gentle. But he hit ALL THREE of the nerves in that tooth in quick sucession and that almost brought me up and OUT OF THE CHAIR! He numbed them up, of course, each in turn. But STILL! After about half an hour, he stops. Dr: Tom, we need to talk... Me: Waht?! Dr: This one is too far along too. It needs to come out of there. Me: WHAT!?! TWO TEETH!! I'm a little upset...But those teeth are like my friends. I don't want to lose them. Dr: I've got to see if we can get you an appointment with an oral surgeon while you are still numb. Me: Waht?!? Dr: I'll be back in a few... So I'm left to contemplate the loss of two teeth in the immediate future. It nearly brings me to tears. It is one of those moments in life you hear about, but think, it'll never happen like that to me...My eyes well up. But I fight the tears back, almost. One escapes and rolls down my left cheek. I am clearly distressed about this. And I should be. But I've got no-one to blame except myself. Doctor comes back. Okay the surgeon is waiting for you right now. I'm sorry Tom. Me: Not your fault. You did your part. I didn't do mine! He gives me directions to the Oral Surgeon's office. This is the same fella who took out my kids wisdom teeth. Good man. I walk out to my car. Next: This Is Gonna Hurt You Alot More Than It Does Me!