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Mar 3, 2021

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Look at those big teeth! 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly-
This title best sums up my last two weeks! They're not in any particular order as far as how things have been going, and why I have not been posting until today. Hopefully this post will make sense since I am currently on painkillers! Weather has been great, 60 degrees today! So...



I was having trouble sleeping starting about 2 weeks ago and was getting more and more tired. I have sleep apnea but it is very well controlled with a dental device. I started waking up more at night, tossing and turning, and was thinking maybe I needed to get a replacement dental device? That was the ugly part. I then realized what was really keeping me awake with my IT band along my left thigh. I did some stretching and heat and a few other things. Went to bed that night and slept really great! I did a couple more nights in a row and problem solved, got my energy back.


I decided to bite the bullet and bought a nice L.L. Bean down parka online. Mine was toast from 25+ years of use.  It arrived and it was too big, which was pretty aggravating. So I shipped it back for a smaller size and called to follow up a week later. I was told it was out of stock. Bummer! The next day I found the exact same parka new on eBay for about $120 less. That's a lot of money but I wanted one that was going to last. The reason this one was so inexpensive is there was a small repair done on it, done very professionally, doesn't really show. Beautiful! I called L.L.Bean the next day after getting an email saying my replacement had shipped. I told them I had said to cancel my order and they said oh it's already shipped. I was not happy since I told them the day before to cancel the order. Luckily it turned out it actually had not shipped and they were able to cancel it. I got the eBay new parka really cheap, in the right size. It arrived yesterday and fits great!

Sunday night we were having dinner and I noticed my bottom rear molar was a little sensitive. The next morning not much. Mid-morning yesterday I was speaking and it felt like an ice pick went through my jaw! It only went downhill from there. Luckily I had called in first thing in the morning to get an appointment with my dentist but it was at 5 p.m.. I didn't want to wait with this excruciating pain the whole day, so I called back and they got me in at 9:30 a.m. today. I visited with the dentist and the first thing he did was give me a shot of Novocaine, since I had only gotten about 2 or 3 hours of sleep from the constant throbbing all night. The Novocain kicked in and suddenly my mouth felt fairly normal. I'd had a root canal done about 20 or more years ago and they felt there was possibly an infection down in there. They gave me a referral to a root canal specialist down the street. Part of me was thinking how much is this going to cost! I went to my car after the exam with my prescriptions for pain pills and antibiotics and I called the other dentist's office. They said miraculously they had just had a cancellation and could I come over right away? I said I will be there in 5 minutes and I was. The short version was they felt it was either an infection in the root canal or the tooth was cracked.  They asked me if I wanted to do a 3D Dental x-ray before I left or at the appointment? For some reason I thought we should do it right then. The Dentist came back in and said well we have a big change. He showed me the X-ray and there was a big infection down in there and looked like the tooth is cracked. He said we were lucky that we did the 3D x-ray then to catch it. So I called my other Dentist back and have surgery set up for next Saturday morning. So as much as I don't like having a tooth removed there's not any other option. The good news is I have really good dental coverage! 0% copay. I can see how I do further down the line and maybe can get a dental implant if needed, to help my chewing. My wonderful dentist actually offered to do the surgery today but I said no, not on 2 or 3 hours sleep thanks. So I started my antibiotics which should help a lot in the next 24 hours or so and some pain meds so I can sleep. I will say it was one of the more whirlwind dental experiences I have ever had, and definitely the worst dental pain I have ever had, a strong 10 +. OMG.



Next Dave and I decided to get a exercise bike after I found out I have arthritis in both knees. My ortho doctor recommended an exercise bike since it's non-weight-bearing instead of the treadmill we were thinking about getting. We did a lot of research through Consumerreports.org, only $10.00 a month to subscribe. We found a Schwinn A10 exercise bike at a store that we liked that was $400. We figured it would be a good investment in our health since we both need to lose weight. While we were there looking at it I noticed another exercise bike in the other row across from it with a little tiny price tag on it. It was $250. We both tried it it worked great, it's smaller and easier to move around the house. It's also nice and quiet. The other day on my lunch break I got on the exercise bike and did 10 minutes and it works great! 




When my TV kept dropping the internet signal, it turned into a router issue with my work computer. Short version, after multiple phones calls and a visits from a tech it's all now working fine. Zero cost, just a few hours of my time lost. So those are the highlights of my 2 weeks. How is your week going?


11 comments:

Judy said...

So sorry to hear of all your pain. I hope your surgery goes well. My husband and I bought an exercise bike at Christmas time. I was really enjoying it up until last month. I put my back out. My sciatic nerve made my hip and leg numb and very painful. Ive been feeling some relief the last two days.
Hope things will look up for you from here on in.

Wendy said...

So looks like a busy week! Hope your tooth surgery goes well. Toothpain can be awfull (as pain in your ear, ah well any "too much" pain is awfull). My HB needs a new exercise bike. Want to give him one for his upcoming birthday but the choice is just too big.

Leigh said...

Wow, Nancy, I can't top your week for problems. I hope it gets better!

I agree that good warm winter garments are worth the investment. Nice that you got such a good savings!

Mama Pea said...

How's my week going? Well, A LOT better than yours! Ooof, what a calamity (except for the exercise machine) of happenings to knock one flat. Thank goodness for good dentists as you'd have been in sad shape without them. Here's hoping all will be under control shortly and your life returns to a more normal, uneventful, much more pleasurable time!

Nancy In Boise said...

Thanks Judy! I did sleep well last night which really helped. I had really good luck with my sciatica with Chiropractic and acupuncture I don't know if you tried that?

Nancy In Boise said...

Yes I hear you there are a lot of bikes out there just depends on the size and your budget but it definitely pays to read the reviews to

Nancy In Boise said...

Thanks Leigh but I di sleep well last night so that helps a lot!

Nancy In Boise said...

Thanks Mama yes it always pays to have good providers. The pain meds helped a lot last night I did sleep finally. I tried to take a nap yesterday afternoon but really tossed and turned

Cockeyed Jo said...

Thank God for good dental insurance! After living through a fractured molar (years after a root canal), I now just tell them to pull the tooth.

You had a very bust week!

Nancy In Boise said...

Yes and only $5 a month through my employer!

freshvintagebylisas said...

Nancy,
I am right with you on the dental pain. I will be having my molar pulled on Thursday. Don't you love that 3-D technology? I have been taking the antibiotics too- very important. My infection came after a vigorous cleaning.
I'm so glad you have insurance! It has been pricey- Of course I am at a new dentist now and she is awesome.
Please take care my friend!
xo Lisa S

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