Dental Problem

More of the temporary crown may have broken off it is sharp again and my tongue hurts lots.

First post on my new medical/dental blog

I am beginning this blog today but the notes go back a couple years. Recently I had kept a paper diary of what my doctors told me. As I get older I find it harder to remember what they tell me and when. I have now decided it will be more manageable and easier to read electronically as a Blogger blog.

Alternate titles for this blog were "Can It Get Any Worse?" and "You want to do what?"

Dental Emergency Treatment

Christmas holidays are over and my dentist and his staff are back at work. I called first thing this morning and his scheduler told me to come in at 3:00. The doctor ground down the sharp edges of the broken temporary crown where it was cutting my tongue. I feel much better now. The new, hopefully unbreakable , bridge will get installed on January 8.

My Tongue Hurts

The pain in my tongue is getting worse. It's hard to swallow and chewing anything is impossible. The pain killers aren't helping me sleep. I called the dentist's office hoping to get a referral to some weekend emergency dentist associated with him. There isn't any. Leave your number and somebody will call.

A few minutes later my dentist's receptionist calls me back. She is his emergency contact person. The only thing to do is to have him drive in from his home west of Mobile. Or get some Fixodent and glue it back in. I get some and it works, but the break is vertical so there's little strength. Oh well, I can keep reapplying until Monday morning. My tongue feels better already.

Just One Bite...

Lunch at Jackson's, the town's fanciest restaurant, a chew of bowtie pasta and chicken and the temporary breaks off at the expected place, near the cantilevered bit. The break is very sharp and it cuts into my tongue. At least it has taken my mind off the milder pain from the dry socket at #31.

By evening I am on pain killers and can hardly swallow. Or talk.

More Problems Where Tooth #31 Used To Be

I will never have dental procedured done just before a holiday. Called the dental surgeon to see if I could get the hole where #31 was packed with the medication, but he's closed (as is my regular dentist) until December 29, pain is less but it is a bother.

Discomfort from Recent Dental Work

#31 stings a lot now and then. At times it feels like dry socket pain. Making the impressions was very uncomfortable and removing them took a lot of effort. Something may have gotten dislodged on the socket.

Also the temporary bridge for #28, #29 and #30 doesn't feel right and it hurts to chew on that side of my mouth. So I don't.

For $1900 I expected better results. Perhaps it will get better?

#31 Flaring up

After doing so well through the cruise, the hole in my mouth where #31 was has started hurting again. Did I brush it and/or irrigate it too vigorously last night? Or did the prep for the bridge irritate it?

Dental Work -- Bridge Prep

10:00 A.M. my dentist preps tooth #28 a lot and #29 a little for a bridge, #30 is long gone. It seems to take forever. His assistant has to redo the casting for the temporary and when I finally get out of the chair I had been in it for two hours and forty-five minutes. I am so lame I can hardly walk.

The Knee Operation Planning Begins

At 11:30 I called the orthopedic surgeon's Physician Assistant. He examined me on November 3. He told me to call when I wanted to start the process for the surgery. He couldn't be reached and I had to leave a message for his nurse to call me back. She called me back at 12:30 and said I must speak with the surgeon' nurse. She asked if the surgeon had examined me when I had the appointment on November 3? I told her no. She sounded doubtful.

Same day, in the mail was a bill from them for $47.33 that was not covered by my insurance. But it was, so I will ask about it the next time I go over there.
I would call them but the wait to get a person is 20 minutes

BTW, the original 20 minutes exam cost the insurance $440 plus $181 for x-rays.

Dental cleaning

Cleaning by the dentist's hygienist. No new problems. Old problem areas doing OK. #31 healing fine.

Follow up on #31

The oral surgeon's person removed the packing. The problem has nearly gone away. No more packing. I had fresh medication and packing in the hole on November 11, 13 and 17.

Give it gentle cleaning and irrigation at home.

Dental cleaning postponed...

...to November 25, by then #31 should be much better.

#31 continued

The doctor's assistant cleans the hole and packs it with some kind of medicated gauze. I'll need to repeat this several times.

Dry socket complications

Serious pain in the area of #31. Feels like dry socket to me. I called the surgeon and he can see me tomorrow.

Getting #31 pulled

The tooth that needs to be extracted is a big molar on the lower right. It has complicated roots and my regular dentist and I both want an oral surgeon to take it out. So I'm at the doctor's at 7:45 A.M., with my driver, to have tooth #31 removed. The procedure seemed to go well although I was out cold for the whole thing. After I came to he gave me a prescription for lots of Oxycontin.

A New Orthopedic Surgeon

At 3:00 P.M. I went to the new orthopedic surgery place. It's a big place with lots of doctors and helpers. My former orthopedic doctor was by himself with just four assistants.

They took x-rays and then I waited for the surgeon's Physician Assistant to examine and interview me. He said there were no alternatives to the total knee replacement, on the left side -- there's almost nothing left there -- and then he tried to show me pictures and plastic models of what they have to do during the surgery. I told him I was bothered by all that and he seemed quite disappointed.

He told me to get this operation done as soon as I can. When I asked for a more specific time frame he said do it in the next six to eight weeks.

My very sore right heel, that keeps me awake at night and makes me limp worse the the left knee, has tendinitis and (I wasn't clear about this) it's either hard to fix or the fix doesn't usually work. The podiatrist and the other orthopedic doctor said nearly the same. Or they didn't say much but really confused me.

Next step for tooth #31

The dentist saw me at 10:30 A.M. and after looking at the x-ray referred me to a oral surgeon who will see me early Thursday morning.

The dangers of flossing

While flossing under the old bridge, lower right side, I heard a tiny click and the bridge popped off. Looks like tooth #31, the back tooth of the bridge, has decayed away. It doesn't hurt at all. I'll call the dentist first thing Monday morning.

I have worried about this bridge for at least ten years. I knew there were problems with #31. It had several root canals and there was some evidence of a cracked root. But every time it flared up it got better in a few days. I always dreaded what they would have to do to remove it when the time came. As it was, I did it myself very painlessly.

New Sonicare Toothbrush

Began using the new Sonicare. It has a smaller head and seems to clean better.

Foot Checkup

Annual checkup with the podiatrist. There is no reoccurance of the nail infection.

Dental cleaning postponed, blood tested

Postponed dental cleaning to November 12.

Blood test at Sacred Heart, a followup to the medical exam last week.

A1C=5.7; PSA=0.9; chol is OK, but Trigl. too high.

Medical checkup

We reviewed the last sets of blood test results. We discused the left knee and I told him I wanted to see a different orthopedic surgeon. He said he would get me a referral to a new one, no problem.

I should lose some weight, test my blood sugar every few days and come in for another checkup in six months.

Dental cleaning postponed

Now on October 28.

Flu Shots

We both got flu shots at Professional Health Examiners on Old Spanish Trail, (850) 434-6168.

Medical checkup postponed

Postponed to October 15.

Medical exam postponed

Changed to September 9.

Blood test results

Had blood tests at Sacred Heart. The diabetes test, A1C was 5.9, which is not immediately alarming. The PSA was OK, well under 1.0.

Medical checkup

The doctor checked my blood sugar diary and said it was slightly elevated at this point.

Dental cleaning

11:00 A.M. She worked the deep pockets agressively and warned me to clean well under the bridge.

Cortisone shot in my knee

My (former) orthopedic surgeon examines me. Says nothing is better and gives me a shot. He's good at the shots, painless.

He says again the heel pain is a problem to fix. End of discussion. The right knee probably has some arthritis, but doesn't take an x-ray. And when I ask if it's time for the surgery on the left knee he is non-committal. I have a hard time communicating with him. Once again I left his office feeling bad and hopeless. I decide never to see him again.

Dental repairs

Crown has a chip fall off and the sharp edge, tongue side, of #31 is cutting my tongue. Very sore. Dentist ground it smooth. Feels much better.

Blood tests

Blood tests at Sacred Heart, results: PSA OK, A1C=5.7

What they are telling me

Based on current reports from medical doctors and dentist:
· I am too fat;
· have high blood pressure;
· high triglycerides;
· early signs of diabetes;
· high blood sugar;
· end stage arthritis in left knee;
· minor arthritis in right knee;
· tendonitis in right foot;
· insomnia;
· gum disease
· deep pockets between several teeth;
· a bridge on my lower right in which at any minute tooth #31 could fail (cracked roots) and cause me to loose three virtual teeth (#29, 30 and 31) and go through a painful removal of the bridge and tooth #31

Medical checkup

My medical doctor reviews the latest blood tests with me and starts me on daily blood sugar monitoring.

Medical exam postponed

It's now on March 4.

Deep Dental Cleaning

Went in for a cleaning. The hygienist said I had some trouble spots, "pockets -- deep pockets" and in addition to regular cleaning she would have to do some scaling. I told her that sounds terrible. She said it's also known as "root planing" and that sounds a lot worse, so I should be happy she called it "scaling."

Instead of Novocaine she had a new painkiller that doesn't need to be injected. It is forced between the tooth and gum with a tiny caulking gun. It hurts as much as a needle and has no pain killing properties at all. Lovely.

Second Eye Exam

I had to make a return visit because I couldn't have the eye drops last week. Everything is fine with my eyes.

Blood Test

Blood tests for the next visit with my medical doctor.

Eye Exam

Annual eye exam; my eyes are in pretty good shape says Dr. J. There was enough change in the prescription to require new glasses for seeing, reading and computing.

Medical Exam

We reviewed the results of my recent blood tests. I must loose weight, at least 50 pounds. This should help lower my blood sugar and my blood pressure.