Prozzäk was really 'kewl' in the late nineties with its state-of-the-art animation and highlights on futuristic information technology trends, such as ICQ and websites (www.nevergetoveryou.com) I had no idea they were "still around". Remember the "Incoming Contact," "User is Online," and all the UH OH's?!?
I'm kind of disappointed that www.nevergetoveryou.com isn't an actual site anymore. I think they might have only been popular in Canada though, I'm not sure. However, Prozac is quite popular everywhere ;)
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Ugly Things Ahead
What I'm listening to: Fiona Apple - Paper Bag
I've liked this song for a long time. I used to listen it on loop 239843247 times on the bus, while working, running laps outside, to try to get to sleep, etc, and especially at the gym. It has that line that a lot of people love and it's motivational. Did I ever end up sending this to you, Intensecure? I can't remember, but here it is for everybody to download.
I can tell this is going to be a long post already. Sometimes I wonder whether I should just do a voice post instead, but I'm not really good at speaking. *Deep breath*
I hope you're reading this, ES!
I just got back from my consultation with the specialist (I'm not getting paid for this) who is going to remove my wisdom teeth, all four at the same time. I got there very early, as usual, and had to fill out two forms, so it wasn't too bad. Waited for a bit and had to go in to do a panoramic x-ray. I think I already did one not too long ago, maybe October, but I didn't have time to go get it from my cousin's office, so I figured I'd get a new updated one done, just in case. Nothing exciting, I just had to take off all jewelry and metal items, wear the lead armour which is a little heavy, put my chin in the space, and bite on a piece of plastic. Went back to the waiting room, which is beautifully furnished. Picture a nice hotel lobby or Troy/McNamara firm in Nip/Tuck. There were a number of rooms and they were very bright and spacious. They were well equipped with a computer, a very organized set of tools in cupboards and drawers, and a large flat screen television, but it just happened that the computer wasn't connecting properly to it to show me my x-ray today. It's fine because I've seen it before and I was going to bring my camera to take a picture, but I probably wouldn't have done it anyways. The doctor had a lot of diplomas and certification documents framed on the wall. All of it was very impressive and he lived up to it in person, too. Dr. Freilich was patient and thorough when asking me questions and explaining all the details, risks, outcomes, additional medications, whether there were any contraindications of the anesthesia with my medications, reports I needed to submit and why I need it done at all. He wants me to come in only when a professional anesthesiologist is working because of my medications and to be extra careful. Very considerate and observant as he noticed my tracheotomy and asked appropriate questions to go along with concerns about head and neck fractures.
"Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry that treats surgical problems of the mouth, jaws, teeth, gums, face, head and neck. Practitioners of this specialty graduate from accredited dental schools ("Doctor of Dental Surgery" or "Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry" degrees), and then complete hospital-based surgical residency training programs that range from 4 to 6 years to complete. To be licensed in Canada as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, practitioners must pass a credentialing examination that is administered by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and be eligible for licensure by their provincial College.
Dentists who refer to themselves as "Dental Surgeons" are General Dentists, and are not specialists in any aspect of dentistry."
The doctor also wanted me to either get a blood test done, which as you may recall I did not too long ago, so he wanted me to give him a copy. I had to pay at the front desk and my dad had given me $100 at the last minute as an afterthought this morning, but I ended up having to chip in $60. I'm lucky that I keep a decent amount of cash on me, because the consultation on its own was $100 and the x-ray was an extra $60. I got the appropriate receipts and hopefully we can get reimbursed from the insurance that my dad's company pays for. I had to sign a release of information form, so that the receptionist could fax it to my GP to get the blood test results. I insisted on sitting there to watch her do it, I'm not sure why. It took quite a while, but all the paperwork and the faxing were completed properly.
This is where the fun begins. While waiting for the fax to go through, it suddenly occurred to me that I should make a trip to the GP's on the way home. Her original receptionist was AWOL, while her husband the pharmacist was still working at his pharmacy, but she was replaced by a younger girl, who was...kind of difficult to deal with. I arrived and it was still that girl. I asked if they received the fax and they did, not too long ago. I was a bit worried that I might show up after she already faxed in my blood report, so I'd seem very pushy. That wasn't the case today. She was talking on the phone, for a long time. When the doctor came out to make an appointment for a patient, she hung up and I told them what I needed done. My GP gave her approval and told her to pull it from my file. After a long search, she still couldn't find my file. My GP continued with her appointment, so I kept waiting as she looked for it until my GP came out to sort something out again. It turned out that the file was actually with my GP, because she had to make a CT appointment for me/my head. She thought it was strange to use the one from February and I reminded her, so we got out the proper one done in April. My GP left again, telling her to fax it. She said she'd do it right in front of me. Of course, I wouldn't have left if she didn't. She puts it in the fax machine and we wait forever. I had a feeling she dialed their own fax number, which she did. *sigh* I'm glad that I had a couple of the Dr. Freilich's business cards in my pocket, which had their fax number on it. I kept standing there until it went through, but halfway through, she told me I could leave. I waited for it to go all the way through, but thinking back, I'm not exactly sure if it was my report at all. She might have faxed the requisition from the specialists' back to them. I got home and gave them both a call, but no one picked up, presumably because they had gotten off work or were close to being done for the day so they didn't want to have to deal with a call that might make them stay a few minutes later.
Dr. Freilich had mentioned getting a night guard for my teeth, because I had said that my jaws hurt, either from the way the wisdom teeth are growing in horizontally because there isn't enough space, from grinding/clenching my teeth at night or both. I already have one, but I don't wear it as often as I should, because I have enough trouble getting to sleep as it is. In case you've never seen one or you're going to get one, and it seems like there is an increasing number of people who need them, I'm making this post as a product review.
I took a picture of all of these things that I had to make a mould for. I didn't include my retainers because I've probably lost them. I didn't actually need them, but an overenthusiastic orthodontist made me get them. She wasn't nice at all and her personality wasn't the greatest, so I really didn't like her. I've made a post about the trays on the left that I had to get for the bleaching process. I got my first night guard, which is on the right, but I never really wore it because it's very uncomfortable. It had the same yellow case.
As I've already said, it's not comfortable enough to allow me to sleep, but it's an improvement. It's glossy on the underside as my cousin didn't have to adjust it by shaving pieces of it off, because it fit quite well. The colour is a lot nicer, too.
It's difficult to really tell, but this is the inside of it where I fit it on to my top set of teeth. I have to immerse it in hot water for before I put it on, because it softens it up a bit. The grooves get to be sort of gummy, which isn't the right word, but it's the first one that comes to mind. It has a plastic taste to it that almost seems like a synthetic fruit flavour.
I think it's a bit thinner than before and felt as comfortable as something like this could get for the first few times I wore it, but that feeling passes pretty quickly. After a night of wearing it, my teeth felt very different and foreign when chewing. I think it would have been more effective than my retainers if they shifted the grooves around a bit, but that's very difficult to perfect. When I got sick of using it, I went back to using those trays for bleaching, but that was bothering me a lot last night, so I left them next to the abandoned night guard on the desk beside my bed. Imagine wearing that in the daytime as well, like I was told to. I guess it could be used to prevent overeating sheerly out of boredom.
I've liked this song for a long time. I used to listen it on loop 239843247 times on the bus, while working, running laps outside, to try to get to sleep, etc, and especially at the gym. It has that line that a lot of people love and it's motivational. Did I ever end up sending this to you, Intensecure? I can't remember, but here it is for everybody to download.
I can tell this is going to be a long post already. Sometimes I wonder whether I should just do a voice post instead, but I'm not really good at speaking. *Deep breath*
I hope you're reading this, ES!
I just got back from my consultation with the specialist (I'm not getting paid for this) who is going to remove my wisdom teeth, all four at the same time. I got there very early, as usual, and had to fill out two forms, so it wasn't too bad. Waited for a bit and had to go in to do a panoramic x-ray. I think I already did one not too long ago, maybe October, but I didn't have time to go get it from my cousin's office, so I figured I'd get a new updated one done, just in case. Nothing exciting, I just had to take off all jewelry and metal items, wear the lead armour which is a little heavy, put my chin in the space, and bite on a piece of plastic. Went back to the waiting room, which is beautifully furnished. Picture a nice hotel lobby or Troy/McNamara firm in Nip/Tuck. There were a number of rooms and they were very bright and spacious. They were well equipped with a computer, a very organized set of tools in cupboards and drawers, and a large flat screen television, but it just happened that the computer wasn't connecting properly to it to show me my x-ray today. It's fine because I've seen it before and I was going to bring my camera to take a picture, but I probably wouldn't have done it anyways. The doctor had a lot of diplomas and certification documents framed on the wall. All of it was very impressive and he lived up to it in person, too. Dr. Freilich was patient and thorough when asking me questions and explaining all the details, risks, outcomes, additional medications, whether there were any contraindications of the anesthesia with my medications, reports I needed to submit and why I need it done at all. He wants me to come in only when a professional anesthesiologist is working because of my medications and to be extra careful. Very considerate and observant as he noticed my tracheotomy and asked appropriate questions to go along with concerns about head and neck fractures.
"Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry that treats surgical problems of the mouth, jaws, teeth, gums, face, head and neck. Practitioners of this specialty graduate from accredited dental schools ("Doctor of Dental Surgery" or "Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry" degrees), and then complete hospital-based surgical residency training programs that range from 4 to 6 years to complete. To be licensed in Canada as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, practitioners must pass a credentialing examination that is administered by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and be eligible for licensure by their provincial College.
Dentists who refer to themselves as "Dental Surgeons" are General Dentists, and are not specialists in any aspect of dentistry."
The doctor also wanted me to either get a blood test done, which as you may recall I did not too long ago, so he wanted me to give him a copy. I had to pay at the front desk and my dad had given me $100 at the last minute as an afterthought this morning, but I ended up having to chip in $60. I'm lucky that I keep a decent amount of cash on me, because the consultation on its own was $100 and the x-ray was an extra $60. I got the appropriate receipts and hopefully we can get reimbursed from the insurance that my dad's company pays for. I had to sign a release of information form, so that the receptionist could fax it to my GP to get the blood test results. I insisted on sitting there to watch her do it, I'm not sure why. It took quite a while, but all the paperwork and the faxing were completed properly.
This is where the fun begins. While waiting for the fax to go through, it suddenly occurred to me that I should make a trip to the GP's on the way home. Her original receptionist was AWOL, while her husband the pharmacist was still working at his pharmacy, but she was replaced by a younger girl, who was...kind of difficult to deal with. I arrived and it was still that girl. I asked if they received the fax and they did, not too long ago. I was a bit worried that I might show up after she already faxed in my blood report, so I'd seem very pushy. That wasn't the case today. She was talking on the phone, for a long time. When the doctor came out to make an appointment for a patient, she hung up and I told them what I needed done. My GP gave her approval and told her to pull it from my file. After a long search, she still couldn't find my file. My GP continued with her appointment, so I kept waiting as she looked for it until my GP came out to sort something out again. It turned out that the file was actually with my GP, because she had to make a CT appointment for me/my head. She thought it was strange to use the one from February and I reminded her, so we got out the proper one done in April. My GP left again, telling her to fax it. She said she'd do it right in front of me. Of course, I wouldn't have left if she didn't. She puts it in the fax machine and we wait forever. I had a feeling she dialed their own fax number, which she did. *sigh* I'm glad that I had a couple of the Dr. Freilich's business cards in my pocket, which had their fax number on it. I kept standing there until it went through, but halfway through, she told me I could leave. I waited for it to go all the way through, but thinking back, I'm not exactly sure if it was my report at all. She might have faxed the requisition from the specialists' back to them. I got home and gave them both a call, but no one picked up, presumably because they had gotten off work or were close to being done for the day so they didn't want to have to deal with a call that might make them stay a few minutes later.
Dr. Freilich had mentioned getting a night guard for my teeth, because I had said that my jaws hurt, either from the way the wisdom teeth are growing in horizontally because there isn't enough space, from grinding/clenching my teeth at night or both. I already have one, but I don't wear it as often as I should, because I have enough trouble getting to sleep as it is. In case you've never seen one or you're going to get one, and it seems like there is an increasing number of people who need them, I'm making this post as a product review.
I took a picture of all of these things that I had to make a mould for. I didn't include my retainers because I've probably lost them. I didn't actually need them, but an overenthusiastic orthodontist made me get them. She wasn't nice at all and her personality wasn't the greatest, so I really didn't like her. I've made a post about the trays on the left that I had to get for the bleaching process. I got my first night guard, which is on the right, but I never really wore it because it's very uncomfortable. It had the same yellow case.
As I've already said, it's not comfortable enough to allow me to sleep, but it's an improvement. It's glossy on the underside as my cousin didn't have to adjust it by shaving pieces of it off, because it fit quite well. The colour is a lot nicer, too.
It's difficult to really tell, but this is the inside of it where I fit it on to my top set of teeth. I have to immerse it in hot water for before I put it on, because it softens it up a bit. The grooves get to be sort of gummy, which isn't the right word, but it's the first one that comes to mind. It has a plastic taste to it that almost seems like a synthetic fruit flavour.
I think it's a bit thinner than before and felt as comfortable as something like this could get for the first few times I wore it, but that feeling passes pretty quickly. After a night of wearing it, my teeth felt very different and foreign when chewing. I think it would have been more effective than my retainers if they shifted the grooves around a bit, but that's very difficult to perfect. When I got sick of using it, I went back to using those trays for bleaching, but that was bothering me a lot last night, so I left them next to the abandoned night guard on the desk beside my bed. Imagine wearing that in the daytime as well, like I was told to. I guess it could be used to prevent overeating sheerly out of boredom.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Dietary Concerns
As usual, it is a Thursday, which means a visit with my GP. She is the one person I see most frequently, regularly, and for the longest durations of time:
Frequently - Twice a week, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Regularly - Every week.
Duration of Time - Half an hour per visit, which would come to a total of an hour per week.
However, she's recently informed me that I'm getting a double visit each time, because they're usually supposed to be fifteen minutes long. Because there are a lot of patients who can only come in on Saturdays, she says it's nothing personal, but she might have to shorten it to fifteen minutes from now on. I was about to mention that, because I'm not having a crisis at the moment and hopefully not for a while.
I'm told that a lot of GPs wouldn't do that for their patients. I've never met a GP who I would want to see even once in a very long while. She's one of the kindest and one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met, but she's the only one with the combination of the two. I really have to get going on writing that card. I've been at it for over a month now, but I know why that's happening. No, it's not just because I'm lazy. According to my workbook, I'm procrastinating because I'm a perfectionist and so I want it to be perfect. How accurate.
I'm not going to go into specific details on all my issues and whatnot, especially since none of them really have a solid solution. I had a blood test done recently. Nothing. Same goes for the x-rays. I did a urine test today. No abnormalities. Altered my medications and got the exact opposite of what was expected, meaning more side effects than before by decreasing, so I'm going back up again. Of course, with these experiments, everything is a variable and there are no controls aside from the medications themselves. I don't think anything else is steady, so it's not an accurate test at all. Therefore, I came to absolutely no conclusions with any sort of certainty. The guess is that I'm probably dependent on them. With these results, I'd think that I should further increase my Wellbutrin dosage, but I'm already at the 'target dosage' and I think any more would be really pushing it or too much altogether. I want to decrease the Lamotrigine, but my GP checked my charts and noticed that I've only been "stable" for almost an exact month, which isn't very long at all. She'd rather I be completely out of it than...well, how I was before. I feel brain-dead.
My cognitive abilities are terrible and I'm only a little bit upset about that, whereas I think it should be more serious than that. I. Can't. Do. Math. Or. Concentrate. Just when I finally decided on preparing and reviewing. I was really kind of getting driven to work on it. I think I still am, which is how I managed to find all my notes in the basement, because my dad rearranged my possessions and I couldn't find anything. I think I'll start by looking at it before attempting anything because that will probably discourage me. My GP thinks it's a good idea. She also tells me that I should go to the gym, exercise, go outside, socialize. I don't know why I say it every time it comes up, which is very often, but when she asks if the gym is accessible, I tell her that it's difficult and then she'll mention something about getting a ride, or like today, she suggested taking the bus and I said that I could always walk there, which I have done in the past. That was the past. It is not within walking distance at all. I don't know why I keep saying that. I'm very repetitive when I talk, much worse than when I write, and it really irritates me. The same word, the same sentence, same idea. I'll keep saying it over and over, but it's only after the appointment that it literally echoes in my mind, both the repetition of the actual phrases and the act of it. I think I'll move it up on the priority list and get going on that workbook. I didn't think it was as important, because I have all the time in the world for it, whereas school is coming up. However, solving Calculus and Algebra problems happen in September, while I need these skills probably take longer to develop and will ultimately be my most crucial ability. As well, I think I'm supposed to get the workbook done by May 24th, which always seemed like a very distant date. Well, it is now on the same page on my calendar that I look at everyday. My excuse was that none of that will get absorbed, so I should wait until my mind is actually functioning, but I'm not sure when that will happen. My GP asks about it and I have to say that whatever she's asking about is further along in the book, a chapter I haven't gotten to yet.
As for the problems that this post is supposed to address, I think I'll use the ones that I found and forgot about until I looked them up again and start from there. I swear that I am not the person who wrote this:
Dear Hungry Girl,
I often take in at least 40-50 grams of fibre a day. Is it possible to get too much of the stuff?
--Feeding on Fiber
Nor am I the one who wrote:
Dear HG, A friend at work told me that sipping apple cider vinegar after eating will break down fat, or keep it from absorbing into the body at all. Any truth to this? If so, how much should I sip and how often?
--Curious in
While I may be curious, I am not in 
I'm pretty sure that my fibre intake exceeds 40-50 grams daily. I eat organic cereal like couch potatoes eat chips. Each serving has 10 grams of fibre, but I have a lot of servings each time and frequently throughout the day. I bought Fibre 1 yesterday and it has an impressive 100 calories, 0 grams of sugar and 14 grams of fibre for a fairly large serving. It tastes oddly sweet, because they use sucralose instead of sugar. I don't think it was spread very evenly throughout the batch, because I was very surprised when I had a blast of very synthetic sweetness. I eat multi-grain oatmeal with added organic oat bran for breakfast. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I don't know how much all of that adds up to, but I'm sure that the fibre from the cereal already surpasses 50 grams, which is already double the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI).
This is what Hungry Girl had to say:
Well, yes, that is me to the extreme, as usual. They always mention increasing gradually, which I did. It just got out of control, like everything does with me, including blogging. First, I eat the bare minimum. Then, everyone urges me to eat and my GP gives me very disapproving, frustrated looks. So, I do, but I think I take it too far, because I eat a lot, but it might be by my standards. I don't know. Eating is a very serious matter to organize. I examine the Nutritional Information of everything I eat. Repeat. It's not as bad as before where I counted calories and wrote it all down, which I started on Monday but lost track of it with my absent-mindedness. I think a lack of variety concerns my GP, but I'm not sure what I can do about it. I never felt sick about it before, but it's been bothering me for a few weeks now. I feel full, yet unsatisfied and somewhat hungry. If I start eating, I get full quickly and feel sick, but I have difficulty stopping once it starts - all in the name of eating properly. After all, I am making healthy choices. In fact, I even put away whole wheat crackers and breads, because it's too processed and also in an attempt to limit myself, but it doesn't work that way. I just focus my attention on everything else that I've deemed healthy and all of it contains fairly high amounts of fibre. I don't care so much that it's leeching minerals, but this bloating, water retention, weight gain and all the other discomforts have got to stop, but I'm certainly not going to give up fibre, which is why I haven't even attempted to solve this problem. It finally got me thinking when my mom's face swelled up this morning, probably from the saline solution IVs. In addition to putting cucumbers on the eyes and that sort of thing, diuretics would be a solution:
Natural diuretics
More and more people are resorting to natural foods and herbs that exhibit diuretic properties instead of diuretic pills. Moderation is the watchword even in the case of natural diuretics. Natural diuretics can aid in removal of excess fluids from the body and aid in treating of sciatica, kidney stone, lymphatic swelling, PMS, gonorrhea, liver disorders and high blood pressure.
| |
Diuretic food
Natural foods with high water content such as watermelons and cucumbers help increase urination and better flushing out of toxins. Cucumbers are rich in sulfur and silicon that stimulate the kidneys into better removal of uric acid. Watercress and artichokes are also natural diuretic foods.
Asparagus contains asparigine - a chemical alkaloid that boosts kidney performance, thereby improving waste removal from the body.
Brussel Spouts help in stimulating the kidneys and pancreas. This helps in better cleansing of cells.
Beets are natural diuretic foods that attack floating body fats and fatty deposits.
Oats contain silica - a natural diuretic.
Cabbage is known to aid breakage of fatty deposits, especially around the abdominal region.
Carrots are a rich source of carotene that speeds the metabolic rate of the body and hastens removal of fat deposits and waste.
Lettuce aids better metabolism and flushing of toxins.
Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C that aid the metabolism and release of water from the kidney to flush out waste.
Other than the other excellent properties that Garlic possesses, it is a natural diuretic food that aids breakage of fat. Horseradish, raw onions and radish speed up your metabolism.
I eat a lot of those fairly regularly, but I'm guessing not enough in relation to the amount of fibre intake. I think it's time to start the tomato soup craze again like when it was almost all I ate with cereal as a snack. I think I'll be adding some of the above instead of just plain tomato soup, sometimes with ground flaxseeds.
Vinegar
I can't even begin to describe the amount of vinegar I used to consume, as well as the quantities of lemon juice. I'll bet if I kept it up, I would have developed ulcers very quickly. It eroded my teeth and my dentist wondered what happened to them. Acid reflux? Maybe, but I think it's quite enough just to ingest that volume. I did the Master Cleanse Diet, which involves drinking a mixture of fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and grade B maple syrup. This is followed up with a saltwater drink designed to purge the stomach and bowels. Some people choose to take a laxative while on the Master Cleanse, but no solid food is eaten while on the cleanse. The typical amount of time spent on the Master Cleanse is ten days, although it is not uncommon for people to stay on the cleanse for longer periods of time. I've done all sorts of bizarre "holistic" and "natural" detoxifications that don't seem to work, but I don't know for sure. Maybe magical things are happening internally for all I know.
In response to the question of concern above:
I might do a proper product/food review on some of the things mentioned above, but I'm a little bit busy and this extraordinary post started on Thursday and has been finally completed after a lot of procrastination. It turns out I was done and there wasn't really anything else that I wanted to discuss, but I was really bent on doing reviews of everything. I think I'll save that for separate posts.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Pelvic X-Rays
In the event that you happen to feel so inclined as to see what one of my x-rays look like, I happen to have some to share with you:
Unfortunately, I don't have a 'Before' shot to show you, but do you notice the right side and how it's different? It's not that I'm just lying crooked, which is what the technicians thought at first. See if you can pick out all the fractures... :(
However, I do have a bunch of 'Immediately After' and several 'Recovering' shots, but they're the actual x-ray films themselves, larger than my torso and we had to carry them back from Shanghai. In fact, this wouldn't be a bad time to write about the journey home...
I believe I left on September 16th. My dad's company's insurance company was paying for it and all of my medical expenses which ended up coming to a total of approximately $100,000 USD (Correction: I'm told it was closer to half a million dollars). Shocking, isn't it? Not so much, considering I stayed in two hospitals; the first one for a few days in the ICU and the second one for approximately 8 weeks. In the latter, part of it in was spent in the ICU and the majority of it in a bedroom with two adjustable hospital beds, a flat-screen television, air-conditioning, a bathroom with shower, some furniture, a convertible sofa bed, meals included, and a small refrigerator. And a 24/7 maid.
On the return trip, they sent a nurse from Washington DC and a physiotherapist from somewhere else in the US (Atlanta? I can't remember) to pick me up and bring me back. My brother and dad left earlier not much for school and work, and my mom had to leave a couple days before, because those were the only tickets we could get. By then, I no longer had to be pushed on a gurney (they're awful), but I was in a wheelchair and I could even take a step or two if I was holding on to something. I took the ambulance with them to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Not only was it a strange coincidence that I happened to get the same ambulance with the same doctor on board, but I even remembered him and he vaguely remembered me, so we chatted a bit just before I had to be lifted off on a stretcher and seated in a wheelchair.
This was around the time when they weren't allowing any liquids in carry-ons. I had some lotion and Polysporin in my backpack, which they made me throw out. It just so happened that the elevators were broken, so I had to be tilted backwards with a female attendant supporting me and the physiotherapist holding me from the step above on the escalator. How long have the elevators been broken? A very long time. And will they ever be fixed? Uncertain. At least the escalator wasn't broken or else I would have had an exciting time getting down the stairs. I wonder what they would have done.
I got to take a break in the lounge, but there wasn't anything good there to eat or read, because the United Airlines lounge was being renovated or something, so there was one that was being shared with the Japan Airlines. The physiotherapist was a vegetarian of an Indian background and the Korean nurse was working for the insurance company, Sunlife, I believe. I had to walk up one step and down the aisle to get to my seat right at the first row in First Class on the United Airlines plane. The two had managed to buy a few faux brand name purses and I was worried about them getting through customs, but the flight attendant said not to worry. First Class wasn't as spectacular as it had been made out to be. The seats were wide and allowed the passengers to lie down, almost to 180 degrees. The meals were okay, better than most vegetarian meals, but nothing amazing. Individual screens and cassette tapes to choose from to watch at any given time. I watched Thank You for Smoking, which was great, and Failure to Launch as well as a few others that really...weren't. I was given a percocet and the nurse kept taking my temperature and blood pressure every hour or so and keeping a journal of everything. My story spread very quickly between the flight attendants and they were all very friendly. Almost at the end of the flight, I was having trouble breathing so I got to use the oxygen tank.
When we landed in Chicago about thirteen hours later, I had to walk back off the plane, then directly back into a wheelchair, where another attendant, male this time, pushed me to the destination I was supposed to be at. I think a lot of them were Polish and they weren't speaking English to each other. The physiotherapist was very nice, but she had to stay in Chicago for the night before she returned to her home. She had never done one of these trips before, while the nurse had to do them all the time, all over the world.
The only items I was carrying were my backpack and the enormously heavy and bulky x-rays, which are why I finally decided to write this story. The nurse had a huge bag of equipment and medications. From there, we took an air ambulance with two pilots and a nurse back to Buttonville Airport, just a few blocks from my home, but that wasn't where I was headed. The ride was not pleasant at all. It was freezing cold, I had to use the washroom and there was a lot of turbulence. There was no way I was going to be lying on that cold metal stretcher, so I sat in one of the tiny seats. There was popcorn just before the exit to this mini-plane and we took some onto with us for the flight. There were better snacks, such as granola bars, potato chips, bottled water and drinks, in the back, but I didn't take any of them. I'm not sure that I could reach either, because I couldn't get to my backpack that contained the hoodie Angie had bought me just before I left. She was having lunch with a client that day and was running late, but she showed up near the end and brought me fried rice and the Paul Frank hoodie. Very kind of her. The fried rice was delicious, too.
It took just over two hours to arrive at Buttonville Airport, where I was picked up by another ambulance via a convertible stretcher/gurney (I really hate them) and driven to Markham-Stouffville hospital at about 1 AM. I got my own room and then was quarantined, because I was coming from Asia, which obviously meant that it was highly likely that I was carrying SARS. Being crippled and having to take the commode wasn't nearly as bad, but that must have been the worst part about staying there. My parents came, brought me some food and my mail, which was rather depressing as a good part of it were letters from the university I was supposed to be attending, packages describing the orientation weeks and events and the residence I was supposed to be sleeping in, not the hospital. There were also a few letters from my high school to inform me that I should go to Commencement to pick up my awards. That just rubbed it in even more; the awards and diploma I had earned before. The few days after that just got worse, so I think I'll end with the best part: While I got wiped down every day in Shanghai by the maid, I was finally able to take a shower the next morning - the first one I'd had in over 8 weeks. Exhilarating.
(click for a larger image)
These were taken on September 19th, 2006 and November 8th, 2006, respectively.Unfortunately, I don't have a 'Before' shot to show you, but do you notice the right side and how it's different? It's not that I'm just lying crooked, which is what the technicians thought at first. See if you can pick out all the fractures... :(
However, I do have a bunch of 'Immediately After' and several 'Recovering' shots, but they're the actual x-ray films themselves, larger than my torso and we had to carry them back from Shanghai. In fact, this wouldn't be a bad time to write about the journey home...
I believe I left on September 16th. My dad's company's insurance company was paying for it and all of my medical expenses which ended up coming to a total of approximately $100,000 USD (Correction: I'm told it was closer to half a million dollars). Shocking, isn't it? Not so much, considering I stayed in two hospitals; the first one for a few days in the ICU and the second one for approximately 8 weeks. In the latter, part of it in was spent in the ICU and the majority of it in a bedroom with two adjustable hospital beds, a flat-screen television, air-conditioning, a bathroom with shower, some furniture, a convertible sofa bed, meals included, and a small refrigerator. And a 24/7 maid.
On the return trip, they sent a nurse from Washington DC and a physiotherapist from somewhere else in the US (Atlanta? I can't remember) to pick me up and bring me back. My brother and dad left earlier not much for school and work, and my mom had to leave a couple days before, because those were the only tickets we could get. By then, I no longer had to be pushed on a gurney (they're awful), but I was in a wheelchair and I could even take a step or two if I was holding on to something. I took the ambulance with them to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Not only was it a strange coincidence that I happened to get the same ambulance with the same doctor on board, but I even remembered him and he vaguely remembered me, so we chatted a bit just before I had to be lifted off on a stretcher and seated in a wheelchair.
This was around the time when they weren't allowing any liquids in carry-ons. I had some lotion and Polysporin in my backpack, which they made me throw out. It just so happened that the elevators were broken, so I had to be tilted backwards with a female attendant supporting me and the physiotherapist holding me from the step above on the escalator. How long have the elevators been broken? A very long time. And will they ever be fixed? Uncertain. At least the escalator wasn't broken or else I would have had an exciting time getting down the stairs. I wonder what they would have done.
I got to take a break in the lounge, but there wasn't anything good there to eat or read, because the United Airlines lounge was being renovated or something, so there was one that was being shared with the Japan Airlines. The physiotherapist was a vegetarian of an Indian background and the Korean nurse was working for the insurance company, Sunlife, I believe. I had to walk up one step and down the aisle to get to my seat right at the first row in First Class on the United Airlines plane. The two had managed to buy a few faux brand name purses and I was worried about them getting through customs, but the flight attendant said not to worry. First Class wasn't as spectacular as it had been made out to be. The seats were wide and allowed the passengers to lie down, almost to 180 degrees. The meals were okay, better than most vegetarian meals, but nothing amazing. Individual screens and cassette tapes to choose from to watch at any given time. I watched Thank You for Smoking, which was great, and Failure to Launch as well as a few others that really...weren't. I was given a percocet and the nurse kept taking my temperature and blood pressure every hour or so and keeping a journal of everything. My story spread very quickly between the flight attendants and they were all very friendly. Almost at the end of the flight, I was having trouble breathing so I got to use the oxygen tank.
When we landed in Chicago about thirteen hours later, I had to walk back off the plane, then directly back into a wheelchair, where another attendant, male this time, pushed me to the destination I was supposed to be at. I think a lot of them were Polish and they weren't speaking English to each other. The physiotherapist was very nice, but she had to stay in Chicago for the night before she returned to her home. She had never done one of these trips before, while the nurse had to do them all the time, all over the world.
The only items I was carrying were my backpack and the enormously heavy and bulky x-rays, which are why I finally decided to write this story. The nurse had a huge bag of equipment and medications. From there, we took an air ambulance with two pilots and a nurse back to Buttonville Airport, just a few blocks from my home, but that wasn't where I was headed. The ride was not pleasant at all. It was freezing cold, I had to use the washroom and there was a lot of turbulence. There was no way I was going to be lying on that cold metal stretcher, so I sat in one of the tiny seats. There was popcorn just before the exit to this mini-plane and we took some onto with us for the flight. There were better snacks, such as granola bars, potato chips, bottled water and drinks, in the back, but I didn't take any of them. I'm not sure that I could reach either, because I couldn't get to my backpack that contained the hoodie Angie had bought me just before I left. She was having lunch with a client that day and was running late, but she showed up near the end and brought me fried rice and the Paul Frank hoodie. Very kind of her. The fried rice was delicious, too.
It took just over two hours to arrive at Buttonville Airport, where I was picked up by another ambulance via a convertible stretcher/gurney (I really hate them) and driven to Markham-Stouffville hospital at about 1 AM. I got my own room and then was quarantined, because I was coming from Asia, which obviously meant that it was highly likely that I was carrying SARS. Being crippled and having to take the commode wasn't nearly as bad, but that must have been the worst part about staying there. My parents came, brought me some food and my mail, which was rather depressing as a good part of it were letters from the university I was supposed to be attending, packages describing the orientation weeks and events and the residence I was supposed to be sleeping in, not the hospital. There were also a few letters from my high school to inform me that I should go to Commencement to pick up my awards. That just rubbed it in even more; the awards and diploma I had earned before. The few days after that just got worse, so I think I'll end with the best part: While I got wiped down every day in Shanghai by the maid, I was finally able to take a shower the next morning - the first one I'd had in over 8 weeks. Exhilarating.
Medical Conditions
You may or may not have noticed that I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I was previously, but I really was intending to whenever I got the chance.
I was "taking a break" when I fell down the last few steps of my staircase one morning and landed flat on my ass and hit my arms on the edge in a feeble, natural instinct attempt to brace myself for the fall, more on the right side - the (more) messed up, lop-sided side, but both sides of the parts around my spine/tailbone are giving me a hard time. It's a strange coincidence that I had made a post about that not too long ago as well, so you would know exactly what I'm talking about. My hip is not only higher, but pushed inwards. I forgot to mention that it protrudes, as you might imagine it probably would. It's not very pleasant at times with most jeans and/or a belt.
Contrary to the phenomenon described in the previous post, where my symptoms disappear the moment I seek medical attention, it didn't happen this time. Unfortunately, not only did I have to endure the ache for the days before my visit yesterday, but I had to have very bizarre panic attack right before it. I've had it before a couple times, but we never thought much of it. You know how sometimes you might watch a bad downloaded movie where the audio doesn't match the video? Well, it's kind of like that - except with sight. I couldn't tell if the world was moving faster or slower than my movement and sight, but it felt like it was spinning. I was clumsy, forgetful, and racing around or felt like I was. I felt light-headed and my head started to ache a bit. It moved into an anxiety attack and my eyes began to feel bleary, as if I had cried a lot or it was late at night and I was just tired, but my sight soon became blurry. Blurriness changed into minor double-vision, as if I had rubbed my eyes, so I did it anyways and blinked a few times to see if it would clear up. It only made it worse; I was getting more worried, my heart began race and I felt shaky. Just when I thought it was improving, the double-vision became triple-vision and when I'm describing all of this, I swear I am not exaggerating. This has happened before, but I think it gets progressively worse each time. Triple-vision in the sense that it wouldn't be safe for me to climb stairs or hold something properly. The ability to read and write had vanished a long time ago, but I had a hard time putting cash into an envelope. When my uncle arrived, I had to walk between two parked cars in my garage and that made me dizzy.
Of course, by the time I got to my GP's office, I thought it was gone for good, as usual. It actually started to come back and my arm was visibly shaking on the arm rest while I was talking to her. It didn't get much worse though. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the left side of my head was feeling numb, as was everything else on the left side. I believe it's getting worse in the extremities - my hand, foot and ear. I don't know if my scalp and ear of the left side have always been numb or whether it started recently. I had mentioned this, as well as the panic attack, when I first experienced it, but there wasn't really anything she could do about it for me. This time was different, especially with the lower back that is stubbornly aching, despite the Celebrex and Oxycontin that I took one time - actually, I don't know why but I've never really felt any effect from Oxycontin, but I think Celebrex is losing its potency on my aches. I was blaming my medications for everything, because that was what I was studying and taking notes on the night before, so those side effects were the first things that came to mind.
While nobody else I know believes it's possible for someone of my age, let alone anyone at all, to have fibromyalgia, it is a condition that exists and I meet the criteria. She asked me several questions about whether something felt abnormal and unfortunately most of them did. Despite all of this, she still wants me to do physiotherapy because the pain and stiffness will only get worse if I don't. There's a possibility that I may have fractured something else or shifted it, so I had to get an x-ray done today, as well as a blood test for everything on the checklist for my other symptoms. She recommends that I take Glucosamine with Chondroitin and a multi-vitamin. We have huge stocks of Glucosamine, because my dad needs it for his joints, and he was told not to take his multi-vitamins anymore as he doesn't actually need the supplement, so I get to have both without making an additional purchase. The multi-vitamins are Centrum - for those of ages 50+. There's nothing wrong with taking them as they just have higher dosages of certain vitamins and minerals, which I would benefit from - except it pretty much makes my body officially 50+, too. My dad takes Glucosamine as do people of his age. Tell me again that I don't have any chance of having fibromyalgia? I don't think I've really gotten a diagnosis aside from fibromyalgia, but I suppose I should settle for rheumatoid arthritis, which is what Celebrex is supposed to treat. Maybe I should switch to Mobicox like my mom, she's not quite 50+ but she's getting there. I don't think I'll discuss the illness much further, but I just wanted to point out that I can check off all the symptoms...except literally being 50+.
I have a headache now, just like my GP had asked, but they've been present fairly consistently for a while now. I don't take notice of it, but I know it's there, along with all the other aches and pains that come and go whenever they please. The headache is pretty bad today, instead of the usual dull ache, and extends down my neck and I've had it for a good portion of the day, which is why I mention it. My eyes are tired, but it's nothing like what I had described above. Just fatigue.
In conclusion, this is why I haven't been online very much or long enough to post or feel motivated to. It hurts more when I sit, especially on a stiff chair. It was horrible when I had to lie on the cold x-ray table today while I had a number of sets done from several angles for different areas. I haven't done that before, but now I know it's worse than anything else. I've been feeling a lot of pain throughout the duration of writing these posts which took me a long time to work on. I apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes and I hope you can make sense of what I am trying to convey. I thought I was going to feel better as the weather clears up, but it improved for maybe one day and I'm pretty sure it's worse than before now, especially with my slip.
Update: I think I've lost my iPod. Great.
I was "taking a break" when I fell down the last few steps of my staircase one morning and landed flat on my ass and hit my arms on the edge in a feeble, natural instinct attempt to brace myself for the fall, more on the right side - the (more) messed up, lop-sided side, but both sides of the parts around my spine/tailbone are giving me a hard time. It's a strange coincidence that I had made a post about that not too long ago as well, so you would know exactly what I'm talking about. My hip is not only higher, but pushed inwards. I forgot to mention that it protrudes, as you might imagine it probably would. It's not very pleasant at times with most jeans and/or a belt.
Contrary to the phenomenon described in the previous post, where my symptoms disappear the moment I seek medical attention, it didn't happen this time. Unfortunately, not only did I have to endure the ache for the days before my visit yesterday, but I had to have very bizarre panic attack right before it. I've had it before a couple times, but we never thought much of it. You know how sometimes you might watch a bad downloaded movie where the audio doesn't match the video? Well, it's kind of like that - except with sight. I couldn't tell if the world was moving faster or slower than my movement and sight, but it felt like it was spinning. I was clumsy, forgetful, and racing around or felt like I was. I felt light-headed and my head started to ache a bit. It moved into an anxiety attack and my eyes began to feel bleary, as if I had cried a lot or it was late at night and I was just tired, but my sight soon became blurry. Blurriness changed into minor double-vision, as if I had rubbed my eyes, so I did it anyways and blinked a few times to see if it would clear up. It only made it worse; I was getting more worried, my heart began race and I felt shaky. Just when I thought it was improving, the double-vision became triple-vision and when I'm describing all of this, I swear I am not exaggerating. This has happened before, but I think it gets progressively worse each time. Triple-vision in the sense that it wouldn't be safe for me to climb stairs or hold something properly. The ability to read and write had vanished a long time ago, but I had a hard time putting cash into an envelope. When my uncle arrived, I had to walk between two parked cars in my garage and that made me dizzy.
Of course, by the time I got to my GP's office, I thought it was gone for good, as usual. It actually started to come back and my arm was visibly shaking on the arm rest while I was talking to her. It didn't get much worse though. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the left side of my head was feeling numb, as was everything else on the left side. I believe it's getting worse in the extremities - my hand, foot and ear. I don't know if my scalp and ear of the left side have always been numb or whether it started recently. I had mentioned this, as well as the panic attack, when I first experienced it, but there wasn't really anything she could do about it for me. This time was different, especially with the lower back that is stubbornly aching, despite the Celebrex and Oxycontin that I took one time - actually, I don't know why but I've never really felt any effect from Oxycontin, but I think Celebrex is losing its potency on my aches. I was blaming my medications for everything, because that was what I was studying and taking notes on the night before, so those side effects were the first things that came to mind.
While nobody else I know believes it's possible for someone of my age, let alone anyone at all, to have fibromyalgia, it is a condition that exists and I meet the criteria. She asked me several questions about whether something felt abnormal and unfortunately most of them did. Despite all of this, she still wants me to do physiotherapy because the pain and stiffness will only get worse if I don't. There's a possibility that I may have fractured something else or shifted it, so I had to get an x-ray done today, as well as a blood test for everything on the checklist for my other symptoms. She recommends that I take Glucosamine with Chondroitin and a multi-vitamin. We have huge stocks of Glucosamine, because my dad needs it for his joints, and he was told not to take his multi-vitamins anymore as he doesn't actually need the supplement, so I get to have both without making an additional purchase. The multi-vitamins are Centrum - for those of ages 50+. There's nothing wrong with taking them as they just have higher dosages of certain vitamins and minerals, which I would benefit from - except it pretty much makes my body officially 50+, too. My dad takes Glucosamine as do people of his age. Tell me again that I don't have any chance of having fibromyalgia? I don't think I've really gotten a diagnosis aside from fibromyalgia, but I suppose I should settle for rheumatoid arthritis, which is what Celebrex is supposed to treat. Maybe I should switch to Mobicox like my mom, she's not quite 50+ but she's getting there. I don't think I'll discuss the illness much further, but I just wanted to point out that I can check off all the symptoms...except literally being 50+.
I have a headache now, just like my GP had asked, but they've been present fairly consistently for a while now. I don't take notice of it, but I know it's there, along with all the other aches and pains that come and go whenever they please. The headache is pretty bad today, instead of the usual dull ache, and extends down my neck and I've had it for a good portion of the day, which is why I mention it. My eyes are tired, but it's nothing like what I had described above. Just fatigue.
In conclusion, this is why I haven't been online very much or long enough to post or feel motivated to. It hurts more when I sit, especially on a stiff chair. It was horrible when I had to lie on the cold x-ray table today while I had a number of sets done from several angles for different areas. I haven't done that before, but now I know it's worse than anything else. I've been feeling a lot of pain throughout the duration of writing these posts which took me a long time to work on. I apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes and I hope you can make sense of what I am trying to convey. I thought I was going to feel better as the weather clears up, but it improved for maybe one day and I'm pretty sure it's worse than before now, especially with my slip.
Update: I think I've lost my iPod. Great.
Dental Procedures
Yesterday, I finally went to get my veneers finished and I've been procrastinating for months, because it really is a hassle. I had to make two visits for making moulds, reducing the size of my teeth, making moulds again, then installing temporary crowns so I can still bite, bleach the rest of my teeth because they'd be very sensitive without them, but also with a more normal appearance. Nobody wants to be seen with two miniature, baby teeth-sized front teeth.
When he was working on the two front teeth that I needed to have fixed for both aesthetic and repairing purposes, he kept asking if I needed local anesthetics, but I had already taken my own painkillers in the morning for other reasons. I asked to see more information on it, while I was waiting during the second visit, just for educational purposes and the nurse actually gave me a PI sheet. Lidocaine HCl 2% and Epinephrine 1:50,000 or 1:100,000 injections. While it seems harmless enough in most websites, the PI sheet does warn against using it with those using is with a bunch of conditions, but also "patients receiving drugs known to produce blood pressure alterations (MAO Inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, etc.)" and after the whole list of Adverse Reaction, "In psychoneurotic individuals, existing symptoms mat be aggravated." Patients fill out the form for their conditions and, on that first visit, I was actually required to fill out another one, a more specific one with a list of current medications. Mine was filled up to the margin, but the writing was big, don't worry. I think I qualify for both contraindications, but he really didn't ask at all. What if some of my medications were in the category of "etc." I mentioned it and he said that it wouldn't matter because it would only be an extremely diminutive dose. It ended up being a little bit like an argument/discussion, I think because I was annoyed that I kept having to come in, but I think he was somewhat offended. I'm also paranoid with some OCD tendencies, I can't help it. I wish I had just stopped before it started making me uncomfortable, but I don't know, it just kind of persisted, maybe because he might have still been asking me whether I wanted it or not. I can't remember.
After bleaching, which is a literal and a metaphorical pain, I had to get the shading matched. I was really irritated in that last visit and was arguing about just estimating so I wouldn't have to make another trip, etc. I tried to arrange it on the same day, of course, so I got it at 4 PM with sufficient time for me to get from my GP's appointment and to find the place, if it wasn't quite as simple as described. I got a call when I was away the two days before saying that there was a "problem" with that appointment time. I called and they were already closed for the night, so I left a message insisting that I had to have that time. She called back and said fine, but try to be early or at least on time. We had a couple of small but nevertheless time-consuming tasks to complete after the first appointment, such as picking up my aunt for her visit and getting stuck talking to another aunt. We got there at exactly 3 PM. They made me wait a bit before working on it.
The new temporary fillers were supposed to be easily removable by the veneer specialists, but they weren't. They refused to come off with every prying effort. The specialists wanted me to come another day or get it removed and back by 4 PM. *palm to forehead" It was rush hour. We'd have to traffic jam our way to my cousin's office and hope that he's there to pull it off. Utter insanity, but we made it, without any other patients there, oddly enough. Usually the waiting room is full and people are walking in and out, so I got immediate service - me running in, talking very rapidly, then taking a seat. Again, that same question...Do I want the anesthesia? I had a feeling that he might have taken a glance at my file after the last visit, but I don't know what's up with him. Maybe he bought too much and it was close to the expiry date, which is highly unlikely. Had I already taken my own painkillers? Nope, but this time it didn't bother me nearly as much for some reason. He had to file it off again.
Then, it was the rush back. I think it was already 3:40 PM. I had to endure the sting even while inhaling throughout the trip. I ran in at 4:02PM and had to take another seat in the waiting room. By the time the specialist came out, she didn't really seem like she wanted to do it, because she had to go to present at a seminar at 5 PM. I kind of blurted out that I did arrive by 4 PM and it wasn't my fault, but yet again, I managed to offend her or something. Maybe she was just thinking about her presentation ahead? I don't know, but it's definitely a symptom of social anxiety - simply over-analyzing what I said and my impression and how she responded, etc. It's true, it's in the workbook I got assigned.
I asked if she could make it just a touch whiter than my other teeth and they were strongly against it. They said it would last for a very long time and would be difficult to match again. Nevertheless, I tried to squeeze in that, if at all possible, maybe just a little on the brighter side? I think she was confused. I sat there staring at the laminated sign on the wall informing me that all the instruments I will be in contact with in have been carefully sterilized. I couldn't help but stare at her paint palette that actually had several other colours than just shades of white. What about the paint? It certainly didn't look new and she'd be dipping the brush as she painted them the proper shade with a "touch of blue with some highlights". I kept thinking about it, but I was so relieved when they fit perfectly and didn't have to be fixed or remade altogether. After she put it in the kiln for about 25 minutes, they turned out a little bit speckled, so she filled them in with the paint and baked them again. It ended up exceeding the 5 PM deadline, but she said it was fine. I'll bet the seminar was later and she needed time to prepare for it. In conclusion, they turned out brighter than the others, exactly what I had wanted :]
We had to get back so I could have my cousin attach them, rush hour persisting. We weaved around this time to see if we could get there faster and I think we succeeded. Here's where it gets to be troublesome again. Of course, another delay in the waiting room. My cousin thought they didn't fit so well and started drilling away at it - the veneers and some of my teeth, even the ones next to the area. Do I want anesthetics? No, I don't. How very courageous of me, he said. I told him I was getting used to it. I was just tired. That was one stressful hour. I had to make two other moulds with another unsuccessful attempt, because my veneers would break very quickly if I didn't have a night guard. I had to do it to make the trays for bleaching and I'm losing of the times I've had to make moulds. I've had a night guard before and I hated it, so I stopped. I understand the necessity of using one because I've actually stuck a device on my jaw for a night to count the number of times I ground or clenched my teeth in one night. I think I had around 75 or so, but my dad had over a hundred. Either way, we both need night guards and he was telling me to remind my dad to come in to make moulds. I think my dad is avoiding it, but I wouldn't blame him for it at all. I'll use it because I definitely don't want to go through the hassle of making a new pair of veneers.
I finally got home at 8 PM. My teeth were feeling sensitive, with a persistent sharpness of pain in both teeth on the right side, counting from the middle. Since I didn't have my night guards yet, which means another trip in about a week, I actually put on the bleaching trays willingly because my teeth were hurting that much and I really don't want to grind them any further. My jaw is sore every morning, so I know I do it for sure. I'll keep wearing those flimsy plastic trays. Better than nothing.
My mom encouraged me to call him today to ask him why my teeth were still hurting, but he had just left the office and would be back shortly to return my call. Thanks. It's 7:30 PM and he's not going to call. Does it happen to anyone else? Almost the moment after I hung up, they stopped hurting. They aren't hurting now either. That sort of thing always happens to me. I show up at a doctor's office and the pain instantly stops or a problem like a bruise or cold disappears overnight. I'm starting to question whether it's psychological.
My family doctor (GP) and my dentist know each other for some reason. He told me to say "Hi" to her when I made a visit about a week a go, which I did yesterday and she said it was "a small world," while my cousin wouldn't tell me why. He said they've known each other for 7 or 8 years, since "the old student days". Were they classmates? No, but "these things aren't brought up for discussion anymore". Hmm, endless possibilities.
As usual, I organized my appointments so I can get them done in one day, with one car ride from my uncle. I went to see my GP first, which is how all of that was "brought up", but it was he, who suddenly checked my file or whatever and asked me if I was still seeing her. I don't think I told him, but, yes, in fact, twice a week and almost always on Thursdays and Saturdays. I've had them all booked since March through July.
I was told they have a site and here are some of their policies:
I'll save the details for the next post, because they're somewhat out of chronological order and this one is long enough as it is.
When he was working on the two front teeth that I needed to have fixed for both aesthetic and repairing purposes, he kept asking if I needed local anesthetics, but I had already taken my own painkillers in the morning for other reasons. I asked to see more information on it, while I was waiting during the second visit, just for educational purposes and the nurse actually gave me a PI sheet. Lidocaine HCl 2% and Epinephrine 1:50,000 or 1:100,000 injections. While it seems harmless enough in most websites, the PI sheet does warn against using it with those using is with a bunch of conditions, but also "patients receiving drugs known to produce blood pressure alterations (MAO Inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, etc.)" and after the whole list of Adverse Reaction, "In psychoneurotic individuals, existing symptoms mat be aggravated." Patients fill out the form for their conditions and, on that first visit, I was actually required to fill out another one, a more specific one with a list of current medications. Mine was filled up to the margin, but the writing was big, don't worry. I think I qualify for both contraindications, but he really didn't ask at all. What if some of my medications were in the category of "etc." I mentioned it and he said that it wouldn't matter because it would only be an extremely diminutive dose. It ended up being a little bit like an argument/discussion, I think because I was annoyed that I kept having to come in, but I think he was somewhat offended. I'm also paranoid with some OCD tendencies, I can't help it. I wish I had just stopped before it started making me uncomfortable, but I don't know, it just kind of persisted, maybe because he might have still been asking me whether I wanted it or not. I can't remember.
After bleaching, which is a literal and a metaphorical pain, I had to get the shading matched. I was really irritated in that last visit and was arguing about just estimating so I wouldn't have to make another trip, etc. I tried to arrange it on the same day, of course, so I got it at 4 PM with sufficient time for me to get from my GP's appointment and to find the place, if it wasn't quite as simple as described. I got a call when I was away the two days before saying that there was a "problem" with that appointment time. I called and they were already closed for the night, so I left a message insisting that I had to have that time. She called back and said fine, but try to be early or at least on time. We had a couple of small but nevertheless time-consuming tasks to complete after the first appointment, such as picking up my aunt for her visit and getting stuck talking to another aunt. We got there at exactly 3 PM. They made me wait a bit before working on it.
The new temporary fillers were supposed to be easily removable by the veneer specialists, but they weren't. They refused to come off with every prying effort. The specialists wanted me to come another day or get it removed and back by 4 PM. *palm to forehead" It was rush hour. We'd have to traffic jam our way to my cousin's office and hope that he's there to pull it off. Utter insanity, but we made it, without any other patients there, oddly enough. Usually the waiting room is full and people are walking in and out, so I got immediate service - me running in, talking very rapidly, then taking a seat. Again, that same question...Do I want the anesthesia? I had a feeling that he might have taken a glance at my file after the last visit, but I don't know what's up with him. Maybe he bought too much and it was close to the expiry date, which is highly unlikely. Had I already taken my own painkillers? Nope, but this time it didn't bother me nearly as much for some reason. He had to file it off again.
Then, it was the rush back. I think it was already 3:40 PM. I had to endure the sting even while inhaling throughout the trip. I ran in at 4:02PM and had to take another seat in the waiting room. By the time the specialist came out, she didn't really seem like she wanted to do it, because she had to go to present at a seminar at 5 PM. I kind of blurted out that I did arrive by 4 PM and it wasn't my fault, but yet again, I managed to offend her or something. Maybe she was just thinking about her presentation ahead? I don't know, but it's definitely a symptom of social anxiety - simply over-analyzing what I said and my impression and how she responded, etc. It's true, it's in the workbook I got assigned.
I asked if she could make it just a touch whiter than my other teeth and they were strongly against it. They said it would last for a very long time and would be difficult to match again. Nevertheless, I tried to squeeze in that, if at all possible, maybe just a little on the brighter side? I think she was confused. I sat there staring at the laminated sign on the wall informing me that all the instruments I will be in contact with in have been carefully sterilized. I couldn't help but stare at her paint palette that actually had several other colours than just shades of white. What about the paint? It certainly didn't look new and she'd be dipping the brush as she painted them the proper shade with a "touch of blue with some highlights". I kept thinking about it, but I was so relieved when they fit perfectly and didn't have to be fixed or remade altogether. After she put it in the kiln for about 25 minutes, they turned out a little bit speckled, so she filled them in with the paint and baked them again. It ended up exceeding the 5 PM deadline, but she said it was fine. I'll bet the seminar was later and she needed time to prepare for it. In conclusion, they turned out brighter than the others, exactly what I had wanted :]
We had to get back so I could have my cousin attach them, rush hour persisting. We weaved around this time to see if we could get there faster and I think we succeeded. Here's where it gets to be troublesome again. Of course, another delay in the waiting room. My cousin thought they didn't fit so well and started drilling away at it - the veneers and some of my teeth, even the ones next to the area. Do I want anesthetics? No, I don't. How very courageous of me, he said. I told him I was getting used to it. I was just tired. That was one stressful hour. I had to make two other moulds with another unsuccessful attempt, because my veneers would break very quickly if I didn't have a night guard. I had to do it to make the trays for bleaching and I'm losing of the times I've had to make moulds. I've had a night guard before and I hated it, so I stopped. I understand the necessity of using one because I've actually stuck a device on my jaw for a night to count the number of times I ground or clenched my teeth in one night. I think I had around 75 or so, but my dad had over a hundred. Either way, we both need night guards and he was telling me to remind my dad to come in to make moulds. I think my dad is avoiding it, but I wouldn't blame him for it at all. I'll use it because I definitely don't want to go through the hassle of making a new pair of veneers.
I finally got home at 8 PM. My teeth were feeling sensitive, with a persistent sharpness of pain in both teeth on the right side, counting from the middle. Since I didn't have my night guards yet, which means another trip in about a week, I actually put on the bleaching trays willingly because my teeth were hurting that much and I really don't want to grind them any further. My jaw is sore every morning, so I know I do it for sure. I'll keep wearing those flimsy plastic trays. Better than nothing.
My mom encouraged me to call him today to ask him why my teeth were still hurting, but he had just left the office and would be back shortly to return my call. Thanks. It's 7:30 PM and he's not going to call. Does it happen to anyone else? Almost the moment after I hung up, they stopped hurting. They aren't hurting now either. That sort of thing always happens to me. I show up at a doctor's office and the pain instantly stops or a problem like a bruise or cold disappears overnight. I'm starting to question whether it's psychological.
My family doctor (GP) and my dentist know each other for some reason. He told me to say "Hi" to her when I made a visit about a week a go, which I did yesterday and she said it was "a small world," while my cousin wouldn't tell me why. He said they've known each other for 7 or 8 years, since "the old student days". Were they classmates? No, but "these things aren't brought up for discussion anymore". Hmm, endless possibilities.
As usual, I organized my appointments so I can get them done in one day, with one car ride from my uncle. I went to see my GP first, which is how all of that was "brought up", but it was he, who suddenly checked my file or whatever and asked me if I was still seeing her. I don't think I told him, but, yes, in fact, twice a week and almost always on Thursdays and Saturdays. I've had them all booked since March through July.
I was told they have a site and here are some of their policies:
- Regular appointments are only 15 minutes in length. Please focus on 1 or 2 issues. Please book another appointment for further issues.
- If you need counseling or a longer time period to discuss your issues, you can book 30-minute appointments.
I'll save the details for the next post, because they're somewhat out of chronological order and this one is long enough as it is.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
My Humps
I was reminded to make this post by the song "My Humps" by Black Eyed Peas. It's really quite an absurd song with a lame video, but it came to mind when I was looking at myself in the mirror.
I think you could say I have the one in the first picture, the "Average" waistline. However, I'm not exactly Average anymore:
I've got something of a lump on the right side and my left side is just a little bit turned inwards but it's not noticeable. When I lie down, I can feel my left pelvic bone protrudes in the right position or at least how I remembered it, but the right side is flat, does not protrude and feels some what dislocated. It's all very subtle and it seems normal to the unsuspecting eye, but that's what it looks like in the mirror. I think my jeans aren't fitting quite right at the waistline because of it. I wonder if it'll show if I wore a clingy dress. Of course, if you were to check my x-rays it's position would not only be much more obvious, but you'd even see the fractures. The right leg was in traction for about eight weeks and that was the best it could do. I think it made my right leg a little bit longer than the left, but that's adjustable and I think the physiotherapist I was seeing did something to align them, but I'm not sure. My right leg bothers me from time to time when I'm walking, but it's tolerable, albeit a discomfort.
Nevertheless!
I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk/ Get you love drunk off my hump./ My hump, my hump, my hump, (etc) / My lovely little lumps. (Check it out!).
Damn those stupid, catchy lyrics. See, if I were to dress like Fergie, I'd have uneven camel lumps XD
I was looking for silhouettes to help demonstrate my point and I thought I might as well include the following as well; although, I'm not sure if it'll be useful to my male readers:
Check the one that looks most like you.
Average hip. No excessive roundness directly below the waist at sides or back. There is no great sidethigh prominence. The greatest circumference measurement is at the seat level, usually 7-9" below waist.
Little difference. Little difference between hip and waist measurement; generally doesn't have curves below the waist.
Heart hip. Great roundness just below the waist. The upper hip measurement taken 3-4" below the waist will be larger than the measurement at the seat level.
Semi-heart hip. Curves below the waistline may not appear to be as extreme as the heart shape. The lower hip circumference may be the same or up to 1 1/2" more than the measurements taken 3-4" below the waistline. There is no thigh prominence.
Diamond hip. Great thigh prominence at the side. The difference between the waist and lower hip measurements is 11 1/2" or more.
Rounded diamond hip. Great prominence at the sides as well as curves just below the waistline. This sometimes makes the difference between the waist and hip much less than a standard diamond.
I think you could say I have the one in the first picture, the "Average" waistline. However, I'm not exactly Average anymore:
I've got something of a lump on the right side and my left side is just a little bit turned inwards but it's not noticeable. When I lie down, I can feel my left pelvic bone protrudes in the right position or at least how I remembered it, but the right side is flat, does not protrude and feels some what dislocated. It's all very subtle and it seems normal to the unsuspecting eye, but that's what it looks like in the mirror. I think my jeans aren't fitting quite right at the waistline because of it. I wonder if it'll show if I wore a clingy dress. Of course, if you were to check my x-rays it's position would not only be much more obvious, but you'd even see the fractures. The right leg was in traction for about eight weeks and that was the best it could do. I think it made my right leg a little bit longer than the left, but that's adjustable and I think the physiotherapist I was seeing did something to align them, but I'm not sure. My right leg bothers me from time to time when I'm walking, but it's tolerable, albeit a discomfort.Nevertheless!
I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk/ Get you love drunk off my hump./ My hump, my hump, my hump, (etc) / My lovely little lumps. (Check it out!).
Damn those stupid, catchy lyrics. See, if I were to dress like Fergie, I'd have uneven camel lumps XD
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Pillmatic
This was how my laptop started its life that was soon to be abused.
I thought I'd make a three dimensional collage of some of things that surround my desk and laptop. The front of my laptop is very scratched up, so I decided to paint wings on them. They couldn't be facing in the same direction, because then it would be upside down when it was either opened or closed. From all the capsules that I get from the vending machines, I use them to hold my medications for me, because they have a transparent half and it's also easier for me to pick out the amount I need. There are some that I don't really take very frequently so I just keep them in their original tubes.
There's my diamond-studded mouse that I keep with it. However, some of its diamonds have fallen out, but I don't have any clear ones, so I had to replace them with blue crystals. It always reminds me of a ladybug. There's a story behind the pen, but I'll discuss that in another post.
These are some other medications that I happen to have on hand, but don't take regularly. I only take the ones on the left as needed and I haven't been taking the ones on the right at all anymore.
The green and white ones are fluoxetine capsules, which are just about internationally recognized under the name Prozac.
In Hong Kong, they use the name Seroxat for what we know as Paxil, which are all just brand names for paroxetine. The pink one is a Paxil/Seroxat 20mg pill. I find the sticky notes that the psychiatrists get to be a little ironic. There is a collection of users who are currently launching a lawsuit against SmithKline Beecham (dba GlaxoSmithKline). While the notepad simply commands the reader to "Be Happy!" like the little person looking at the rainbow in the illustration, these people are obviously very unsatisfied and not happy at all.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Bleaching Teeth
Today was the day that I thought I should adapt part of the email I wrote to Intensecure and write about the bleaching of my teeth. It's rather complicated as to why I need to get it done, but it's not entirely for simple aesthetic reasons. I thought that I'd get organized for once, take pictures, take my medications, then start bleaching. I forgot to take my medications first, and I've tried to do it during the process before, but it's tricky.The bleaching is a customized-style, where I had to get a mould done for my front and bottom set of teeth, which I have to fill with a syringe containing a bleaching serum. This is very strong stuff. Forget using Sensodyne, because it's not going to help with the sharp pains with chewing, cold or hot water, inhaling, sometimes even when I'm just sitting there and leaving it alone. It also squeezes out, gets mixed with saliva and I have to spit it out every minute or so. A lot of it gets swallowed inadvertently. The moulds aren't quite deep enough to cover the top of the teeth, which is where it's most discoloured, but on the whole, it gets instantly noticeably white very quickly.
The trays, as they're called, come in the lovely green case and the syringes are neatly packaged in packs of four in the box to the right.
The contents:
I started with eight beautifully designed syringes with metallic lettering and accents, etc. It did not come with many instructions, except something like "Remove cap. Fill container with a line of the syringe contents. Fit securely on teeth." No comments on how long I should use it, whether it can be used overnight, how much should be used, etc. I finished two treatments with one full syringe at a time, because it was a waste (and inconvenient) for it to be constantly gushing out, but that was still a bit too much, so I ended up using about a quarter of it per treatment. I finished the first set of four syringes and my cousin, who is my dentist, said that my teeth still weren't white enough. The assistant said to use about half a syringe each time, leave it on for at least four hours and avoid drinks that may cause discolouring, like orange or cranberry juice and artificial drinks. Otherwise, I could use a straw and try my best not to touch the teeth. I have stayed away for anything that could remotely cause discolouration, because this bleaching is tough work.Here I am, dutifully working away at it. I think the four hours are almost over. I have a problem with grinding my teeth and I'm starting to worry that I'd bite through the trays. My jaws are stiff from trying to clench while simultaneously trying to control myself. The excess isn't so bad today. It wasn't entirely necessary for me to have to keep getting up to spit it out in the sink, but I think I've probably swallowed a lot of the half portion of the syringe. The syringe has a suction feature to it, so it's impossible to reuse it for anything else once it's empty. I think I should go spit out now.
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