THE EXTRACTION!

Okay, so this past month, I went to my friendly dentist and what to my horror, I had an absessed tooth! It was tender, but, as far as pain goes it didn't feel all that bad. It was a baby tooth I never got to trade for some cash. I'm sure the tooth fairy was quite disapointed at the time. What she didn't realize was she'd be paying big bucks for it later.

My dentist, Scott, was very kind and told me that he was learning how to extract teeth and put in implants and that he was willing to give me a good price if I'd be willing to let him practice on me. HA! That's that last thing you want to hear from your dentist. Images of jawbreaking pliers and loud drills just sort of cloud out the better judgment of getting it done for a deal. So I called around, too cowardly to let him practice on me. The cost of the average extraction and implant? 4,500 DOLLARS!! Um hello?? I said extraction not extortion! So I went back to Scott and asked him how much he was going to charge. $2,000. I didn't even have that kind of money and so I basically just left it at that. Living on a fixed income is hard, and unfortunately I couldn't pay him off 25 dollars a month. But then my parents stepped in to my rescue and said they were willing to pay for the proceedure. By that time the tooth had become pretty sore and I was ready to pull it out myself and make an implant out of paper mache'. I mean they probably had a RS lesson on it at one point in my life and .... well, I can't remember how to do it . Maybe it wasn't paper mache' but recycled lace table cloths ... that actually sounds more familiar! ;)

You have to understand, Scott is the Hubbie of one of my YW leaders and they've known me for a long time! He is an angel and his wife is serioulsy a walking celestial being. Nearly up there with my parents and family. Can you get higher than celestial? Hmmm ... I'll have to think about that later.

Thurday arrived. I went to Scott's office and he numbed me up. I think that was the most painful part of the entire thing. The drilling wasn't all that bad and pulling the tooth, well, it seemed to just pop right out. And the tooth fairy had prepaid!

My cute little baby tooth which turned out to be not all so cute!

Then Scott was looking in my mouth and he turned the reigns over to the supervising Dr. That dr was nice and he seemed to have no problem doing what he was doing. Then all of a sudden he says, "this is a LOT worse that I thought." then Scott starts looking in my mouth and says something like, wow that infection goes a lot deeper than it looked on the x-ray. So they started asking each other what size ... 10mm? 11mm? 11.5mm? No, 12mm! I think they were debating the size of drill to use. I honestly have no clue. But suddenly they both lean back and tell me, "whatever you do, don't close your mouth!" I was thinking ok, whatever. They wanted to get another x-ray taken. So, I got up and on my way to the x-ray room I glanced in the mirror and stopped short. I had a drill bit stuck in my jaw where my tooth had been!

drill bit!

I just started at it in disbelief because it looked horrifically painful, but I wasn't in the slightest bit of discomfort! Weird! so after they took the drill bit out, they let me take a picture of just how big the metal bit was:

the drill bit salvaged from my jaw

  Anyway, the tooth is gone. It's interesting because I am really working on keeping my mouth washed out and using the rinse that they gave me. Gratefully it really doesn't hurt. It tastes awful, and I'm sure that the people sitting around me at church today were leaning as far away from me as possible because my breath is so bad, but the pain is gone and I am happy. Honestly it looks like the Dentist used my mouth as a quilting project.

I'm still on soft foods. I've been eating a lot of soups, yougurts and smoothies. If anyone else has a good idea for a little one like me, please pass it along.

August 23, 2010
The other part of the story is that I popped those carefully placed stitches that weekend and then went back into see Scott to have them replaced.

He stitched me up even better than before and we talked for a bit afterwards while I was still reclined. Everything was GREAT until he sat the chair up. Suddenly it was as though the chair was spinning on hyper warp speed. I told Scott I wasn't feeling good. In a moment I felt like I was sinking into a heavy darkness. It was like I could hear all the around me, but couldn't respond. (Scott said I was repeating over and over again, "I'm fine. I'm Fine" I'm sure he would have loved to smack some sense into me, gratefully he didn't. Instead he ran and got smelling salts.

Man, I don't know if you've ever smelled those fragrant salts before but it is a JOLT of smell --- worse than having your nose stuck in a bottle of bleach!

When I came to (if you could call it that because I was still unable to really respond appropriately) I could hear the ambulance coming to get me.

Imagine my confusion when I realized I couldn't move the left side of my body. People were wondering if it had anything to do with the dental procedure, but Scott had worked on my right side, not left. I was rushed to Grossmont Hospital where they immediately sent me through the CAT scan before even checking me into the ER.

It was an odd feeling to be half paralyzed. But what was even odder was that I wasn't panicked, scared, anxious or anything of that nature. For whatever reason I caught myself kind of joking about it. I think joking must have been a natural instinct of some sort, because it really wasn't anything to joke about. I could talk better out of the right side of my mouth that was all shot up with Novocaine!

Slowly I regained my feeling and ability to move the left side of my body. My eyes lined up again.

My dad and Grandpa came to give me a priesthood blessing, during which I was promised that I would be healed completely and there would be no residual side-effects.

They ran a whole bunch of tests and couldn't find anything to explain what happened. They finally said it had to be a TIA, or mini stroke.

I was transferred to Kaiser Hospital and placed in a room. The Dr came in and did some things to test muscle strength. I couldn't walk on my own so he said that I would have to stay over night.

That night, Scott and his wife came in to visit me and see if I was aright. He said there had been a little boy in the waiting room who completely freaked when the fire engine and ambulance pulled up and dragged me out on the stretcher. His mom rescheduled the appointment. Going to the dentist will never be the same for that kid!

When I woke up the next day I was perfectly fine, and VERY tired! I was sent home.

I talked to my parents about it after I was released. The Dr's had determined it wasn't a side-effect of the dental proceedure or a conflict of meds. Basically they said they didn't know why it happened, what caused it or even what to call it. There was no indication of a stroke or TIA on any of the charts. I had normal blood tests including sugar levels, cholesterol, liver, you name it! My parents and I decided it was truely a blessing that it had happened while I was in the office and not on my bike somewhere, at work or on a bus or trolley. That could have been disasterous! Instead Scott had swung into action, even calling over the MD in the office next door and emergency crews were able to get to me within 10 minutes of dialing 911. It is a miracle I was not permanently effected. Man! I am grateful for fast acting dentists, priesthood blessings and prayers!

Love you guys! -MOPS

The List

My dad gave me the advice (twice) to make a gratitude journal. I have been working on it. He said that when I am feeling bad I should review it . . . perhaps hourly. So, since I am feeling completely terrible right now I have decided to transfer my log to this post.
1. I am grateful for my parents.
2. I am grateful for my doctors and my counselor.
3. I am grateful I can read.
4. I am grateful for my lifetime of great friends.
5. I'm grateful I don't smoke or drink and never have.
6. I'm grateful for my glasses.
7. I am grateful for my grandparents and that I have had the opportunity to get to know them.
8. I'm grateful my Grandpa is a Sealer and I hope that one day I will find a great, loving, nonjudgmental, priesthood holder that my Grandpa can Seal me to.
9. I'm grateful for the people who work on CAP 2. (That's the hospital unit I am usually sent to.)
10. I am grateful I have my own room.
11. I'm grateful I can volunteer in Senora Alvarez's 2nd grade class.
12. I'm grateful that I have a bus pass.
13. I am grateful and miss David and Judy Peterson and pray that they will be safe and have fun on their mission in Madagascar.
14. I'm grateful for my friendships and admire my professors from BYU, Dean Hughes, Colleen Whitley and Don Norton.
15. I'm grateful for my mom and all she tries and does for me. I wish I could communicate with her better.
16. I'm grateful for my dad and that he holds the Priesthood and I wish that I could communicate with him better, too.
17. I'm grateful that I had a car and the freedom that went with it for as long as I did.
18. I'm grateful for my new Bishop and his wife, who's my visiting teacher.
19. I'm grateful for my brothers, Klint and Jeff and for their wives and all their healthy kids.
20.I'm grateful that Sharla and Jeff are expecting!
21. I'm grateful for the strength that I have for having gone through the temple and pray that I can remember it and hold onto it so that I won't get suicidal anymore.
22. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father and wish I could be with him.
23. I'm grateful that Christ died for each of us, so that not only can we be resurrected but He also understands us and gives us the opportunity to take the Sacrament.
24. I'm grateful for President Monson, his counselors and the Quorum of the 12.
25. I'm grateful for my patriarchal blessing and wish that I could understand it better and take comfort in it.
26. I'm grateful I have comfortable shoes.
27. I'm grateful for my bike and that I get to ride it.
28. I'm grateful for the people who work at this house who drive me almost everywhere.
29. I'm grateful that I fought on the right side in the pre-existence and made it to this world to be tested. My test is HARD. I don't understand it and it frustrates me to no end . . . but the Father trusts me enough to give it to me and I WILL pass this test!
30. I'm grateful for my mission president, President Hanks and his wife, Sister Hanks and their testimonies.
31. I believe I will find the man of my dreams in this life and be sealed and have a family.
32.I am grateful for Carol Beachley and all she's taught me as a Laurel advisor. I'm grateful I could help her with her paper route. I'm grateful she got me involved in ASL. I'm grateful for all the rides she gave me growing up. I'm grateful for her nonjudgmental ways and I'm grateful that she took care of me and my brothers so often growing up when my parents went out of town---along with all her kids.
33. I'm grateful when I have a good perspective and strive to have one more often.
34. I'm grateful when I can see the hand of the Lord in my life.
35. I'm grateful I'm not persecuted for being a member of the church.
36. I'm grateful when I have the ability to make good decisions and do.
37. I'm grateful for my Aunt Chris and her family. I'm grateful for all the rides she's given me and for her willingness to understand me.
38. I'm grateful to those who give me a hug when I go to church.
39. I'm grateful to Sue and for her willingness to cook for us.
40. I'm grateful that I got to go to Young Women's Camp Milabee and for all the fun I had learning the lessons, getting to know the leaders and singing my heart out. (And I wish I could remember the songs.)
41. I'm grateful I got to go to Ricks and BYU and graduate from both.
42. I'm grateful I was accepted to a great MFA in Creative Writing and wish that I had the funds to do it. But will probably do it later in life.
43. I'm grateful for Elder and Sister North and for their love and rides.
44. I am grateful for family home evening.
45. I'm grateful I learned the Cha-Cha last Monday night with some really great partners.
46. I'm grateful for my meds and wish that they worked better.
47. I'm grateful for all the vacations I have gone on and hope to continue to see the world.
48. I'm grateful I can speak Spanish and know American Sign Language.
49. I'm grateful that I have been keeping a journal for so long since I have a rotten memory.
50. I'm grateful that I served a mission in Dallas, Texas---met so many wonderful people and helped several gain testimonies of Christ and get baptized or reactivated.
51. I'm grateful for the scriptures and plan on reading them more often.
52. I'm grateful I got to work at the temple here in San Diego as an Ordinance Worker and also in the recording office and in the laundry.
53. I'm grateful for my letter from President Monson.
54. I'm grateful I got to go to EFY so many times and share my testimony with my friend who later became baptized and sealed in the temple to a wonderful husband and great kids.
55. I'm happy for all the times I was able to pull a prank on a friend . . . and laugh with them about it.
56. I'm grateful I have short hair that I really don't have to worry about.
57. I'm grateful for all the times I got to have a friend spend the night, stay up talking and stregthen our friendship. I miss that.
58. I'm grateful for friends who call or write me an email just to see how I'm doing.
59. I'm grateful I have a dentist.
60. I'm grateful for all the good books I've read.
61. I'm grateful for all my seminary teachers, religion teachers, primary teachers, Sunday School teachers and Young Womens' advisors.
I'll continue this later.

There is a student in the class that I am volunteering at and he has a hard time too. I told him about my list and even let him read some of it. I told him to make his own list. We started it together with things like: his grandma's cooking, his skateboard, his laptop and a list of about 15 things. We're both working on feeling better. I hope his list helps him out.

Until later, MOPS