The Good, The Bad, and the Frustrating

As of late I have been turning off the air conditioner at night to conserve energy and because it had been cooling down. Then suddenly we were back in the middle of a heat wave. I must say that I also rediscovered just how much Azrael does not like the air conditioner. As soon as I turned it off he went back to sleeping on my bed. Thursday night I had turned it off but it was so warm that I wound up not being able to sleep. Ordinarily that wouldn't be a big deal since I don't have to be up in the morning. But Friday I was going out to lunch with Suzanne so I had to be up. Ever notice that when you have to be up it becomes harder to fall asleep and stay asleep? It's like you are subconsciously pressuring yourself to sleep and it's counter productive.

So by the time Suzanne got there I was tired. It was a very nice lunch at Montana's. I do typically enjoy seeing my sister. And she brought with her good news. Then it was off to a couple of stores and over to pick up Nixie. I'm not sure what was with mom but she seemed to be on the attack with me. It was a short visit and then Nixie wanted to see Azrael. So the visit was good overall.

After they left it dawned on me that I needed to pick up a few things. Thursday night I also discovered that there is a leak in the pipes in the kitchen. The good news is that I had a bucket underneath the sink that caught most of the water. The bad news is that the bucket was also filled with cleaning supplies. Not everything could be salvaged. I also wanted to pick up some hangers after my shopping spree at Valu Village. So I head out. Now it is incredibly windy and I am in pain since I have been doing a lot of walking all week... and lately I really haven't gotten out much. But I go out any ways. When I get near Zellers I discover that the power is out and all the stores are closed. So Zellers is closed. By this point I am cursing. I don't want to just turn around and leave empty handed. So I trek on. Shoppers Drug Mart was also closed. Then I got to the mall which had reopened. Couldn't find most of what I was looking for there. So I had to go back to Zellers any ways. By then it was re-opened. Definitely a frustrating experience.

There was also a big meeting on Friday and I was hoping to find out what the outcome was.... but as of right now still no word. I am in limbo at the moment and really want an answer. I guess God is really teaching me patience at the moment.

Drugs, Glorious Drugs

The other day I was suffering from a toothache. Considering I have a tooth that is slowly disintegrating that really isn't a surprise. I had managed to cut my tongue on the tooth and it was sensitive to cold drinks. Plus there was pain in the sinuses right above the tooth. So on Thursday I decided that I would be heading to the ER on Friday. I have no dental coverage (or drug coverage for that matter) and while I figured they would just wind up referring me to a dentist I know that there is some dental coverage for emergencies with OHIP so I wanted to try my luck. I knew that if nothing else I would get drugs. So when I was talking to Steve I arranged for him to pick me up.

By Thursday evening I was sick as a dog. No wonder my tooth was hurting. I was congested beyond belief and my throat was sore. In 2 hours I think I went through half a box of Kleenex. I still went to the hospital on Friday. Always a great way to spend the afternoon. It was a shorter visit then usual. I was only there for 2.5 hours instead of the usual 4. Sure enough he recommended that I go see a dentist about the tooth. The dilemma there is two-fold. The main reason for not going is that it will cost me about $150 to see the dentist and then go back to have the tooth extracted. If I had the money I would do it. But the other dilemma is that I don't want to lose the tooth if I don't have to. There is no way I can afford to get it capped if that's the other option. The doctor also gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. He offered a pain reliever but I turned it down. I still have T3s if it comes to that.

I'm not so crazy about medications... especially ones that you have to take with food 3x a day. It also leads you to be dehydrated so I have to drink more water then I normally would... Water that is not in a pretty red can, with flavouring. *lol* At least the side effects aren't like being on penicillin. I told them I was allergic so that I would get something else. I'm already starting to feel better, not so congested. Don't get me wrong I am still congested. It's just not as bad. I'm guessing that means it wasn't just a virus that I had.

You know I am sick when I am eating soup. I don't eat soup as a general rule. I'm also making sure I rest and take it easy so that I will get better quickly. I figure there is no point in overdoing it and trying to do too much since it will just end up taking longer to heal and get better. But right now I am all about the medication.

Dental Work

A year ago I went to the dentist because I was in a lot of pain. I thought I might have an infected tooth. Turns out it was the TMJ in my jaw that had been aggravated. I knew I had a LOT of cavities since I had not been to a dentist in a long time and am prone to them. I also knew that 2 teeth were sensitive and really needed the work done. Skip ahead a year.... I have now spent about $3300 on dental work. Both problem teeth had cavities filled and one had a pin put in. Both of them are still bothering me. And the one that had a pin put in is now disintegrating, literally. There is a crevice in the back of the tooth and it is getting worse all the time. I am waiting for the tooth to split in half.

I know I need to go back to the dentist but it is so expensive... I do have 100% coverage through work (50% for major work... like crowns) but it's not always 100% that is covered. And I feel like it should've been right the first time. Now I am paying for it again... or will be. There is also a lot of pain, even up into my sinuses as a result. I am really scared that they are going to need to crown the tooth since that will cost me about $400. I don't have $400 at the moment... especially with the government hassling me over my student loan.

I truly believe that dental work should be considered part of health care and should have more coverage. After all a lot of people prolong getting work done until it becomes an emergency and then it ends up costing more and they are worse off. Of course I would also like to see dental implants become a viable option... but right now they are considered cosmetic and cost something like $8000 a tooth. Because I am prone to cavities and my teeth didn't really form properly I would gladly have all my teeth taken out and new teeth be surgically implanted (we're not talking dentures here... we're talking grafted in). Then I wouldn't have to worry about them any more and would only have to pay once.... not constantly be putting out more money. Of course I would have to be really rich in order to afford it... but I can dream.

Toothache

I do have some good news to report today. So far the toothache has not returned. From the look of it when they filled the cavity they finally got rid of the pain. It seems like whenever they do work on my lower teeth they end up causing pain from the injections. This time they were working on the left hand side which isn't as bad but it still hurts to open my jaw. That should go away in a few days since I don't think there is any nerve damage.

Dental Work

I went to the dentist today to get the cavities filled and a pin put in my tooth. There's a big groove in the back of one of my teeth but apparantly they didn't feel the need to fill that in while they were at it. It had been bothering me for quite some time. All day there has been a great deal of pain from the freezing and the work that was being done. I've been popping Advil all day. So I can't tell if that pain will be gone and only time will tell. So far it has cost me $16 for the work... If I had've known that this much of it would've been covered I wouldn't have waited so long. But there is still some work to be done... I am back in on Monday to have the scaling done. Then in January I am in having a new night guard made. I also have to have surgery done on the gum lines... and it's already time for my next check up. So I am pretty sure I'll be using up the $2000 again this year.

I was reminded today why Azrael is my baby. He has been a big suck all day. He gets like this when I am sick... or in pain. Okay truth be told he's a big suck any time I am home all day... He just loves the attention. Right now he is curled up on the futon beside me. In fact it's almost time to curl up with him again.

Dentist

The countdown continues until I will be at the dentist. I never thought I would see the day when I am looking forward to seeing a dentist. I am not looking forward to being up first thing in the morning on Thursday but then I hate mornings. And I am not looking forward to being up in the morning on my day off. But I really want to get this work done. It has been a long time in coming. I'm not sure I want to know what it's going to cost me since I don't have the estimate here but it's worth it. The last time I really had any work done was back in 2002 when I had my wisdom teeth out. And I don't think I had any cavities filled back then. So this really is long overdue. I also just found out the insurance company is going to cover my nightguard. That is fantastic news. I didn't think they were going to. Once I get that replaced I'll stop grinding my teeth as much, especially when I sleep and should notice less pain in my jaw and neck. Only 4 days to go.... And at least the day I have the major work done I will be off work. So I won't have to worry about the freezing being in or the pain... well I will... but I won't be at work at the time. I might be sleeping it off at home or something but I won't be taking it out on anyone.

10 Days + 1

Now that I have the money from my RRSP I finally called the dentist. At the end of last week there was suddenly a great deal of pain. I had a canker sore and cut my tongue on the rough edge of my tooth. I'm not sure if I chipped the tooth or cracked it, or what. Either way it is making me miserable. That much pain is causing me to be in agony. I just want it to stop. I got an appointment in 10 days but that is for the smaller cavity. The other one is for the next day. I could've made one sooner but it would make me late for work. Tomorrow I am going to call them back and see if it is still available. Either I will be making up the time later or will call in sick if necessary. I really need to get this taken care of. I'm not doing anyone any favours by coming into work like this. I'm almost at the point of taking T3s. And that is something I never do. I really don't like the idea of living with this for 11 more days. The only reason it took me this long to get it taken care of was money. I had to wait until at least August before my insurance kicked in again. But then with interest relief and my fight with them I didn't have any money. So now I have the money to get it taken care of. I am also going to see about getting my nightguard replaced. It's going to depend on how much (if any) the insurance will cover and how much is left outstanding. I think I should be okay but we'll see. The other advantage is tax time. If I spend over $700 on medical expenses I can claim it on my taxes. Between the chiropractor, prescriptions and the dentist I will be over that amount. But step one is to get the appointment and get my tooth fixed.

In Sickness and in Health

Okay so I'm not taking wedding vows. That would require having someone to marry. *lol* But I am currently feeling under the weather. I called in sick on Friday and slept for 13 hours. Today I got up but really did not have any energy. I almost fell asleep watching TV earlier today. I'm hoping tomorrow I feel better. I can't afford to be sick. And I really don't want to be visiting the doctor at all.

As a side note my tooth is also really bothering me now. It's either chipped or cracked. I cut my tongue on it already. I called the dentist yesterday but they were off until Monday. Not like I really want to be spending that kind of money at the dentists either... but I don't have a choice. Why is going to the dentist so expensive? Even with 100% coverage I still wind up paying a pretty penny for it. Too bad dental implants are even more expensive.... Otherwise I'd consider just getting implants. In the long run I wonder how it compares... $25000 (approximately) for the implants.. but hey you're pretty much set for life. Not surprisingly, it is not covered by insurance. But hey if I ever win the lottery and am wondering what to spend my money on... I just might consider it.

RRSP

Last week I finally decided to take some money out of my RRSPs. It was definitely not an easy decision for many reasons. For one, that money is supposed to be going towards my future. Once you take the money out it also becomes taxable income. But I really didn't feel like I had much of a choice. While I was finally making some headway and was able to start paying bills on time I still wasn't getting ahead at all. The main reason though is the dental work that is becoming more and more important every day. I think the nerve is exposed or something. Either way the pain is increasing and I really need to get it taken care of. As a result of leaving it this long there is a possibility I will not be able to save the tooth. But we'll see. It could've been worse... I couldn't been in this deep and not had any savings to draw on. By December 1 I should have the money and tomorrow am calling the dentist to see when they can fit me in.

Affordable Dental Care

I am really beginning to think that dental care should be more affordable. It would be really nice if it was free like the health care. But then with the issues getting quality health care maybe the goal should be affordable. To get half the dental work done that I needed cost approximately $2400. Now $2000 was paid for by the company but still. Right now I have a really bad cavity that will eventually become an infection if not treated. The problem is that I can't afford to get it fixed. Other bills have taken priority. But the pain is increasing and is causing other issues. More pain actually means I am grinding my teeth more and it is aggravating my TMJ. I have 100% coverage at work... but it only covers up to the fee guide (and not everything s covered). I can't afford the out of pocket costs. I know I need to get them fixed. But what am I supposed to do? Why is dental care so expensive? People keep telling me I need to get the work done... which is true. I really need to get the cavities filled. And I need to get a new mouthguard made. But unless I miraculously come up with about $400 to get the work done it's just not going to happen. I move for affordable dental care.

Almost the End

I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. It seems like the nightmare might almost be over. Of course this is still assuming that my application for interest relief is finally approved. I should find out at some point this week. And if it goes through then I will be getting caught up on my bills. I'm also seeing the end of my long hours as well... and am looking forward to that. I could really use the sleep. I could also use the vacation that comes at the end of that.

But the hits just keep on coming. Today I bounced a payment to Dell. It's the downside to automatic payments... I have a tendency to forget about them. I decided to pick up a few groceries so I could make lunch... and wound up not having enough to cover the payment. Right after they took out the payment then I got the money back from the chiropractor. Unfortunately for me I think it was too little too late. It was also partially because the bank was closed on Monday with the holiday. So the $25 payment is about to become a $75 payment. *Sigh* Not exactly what I wanted.

Have I mentioned it really is an emotional rollercoaster? Just when I think I'm getting ahead something happens. I would really like to finish getting my dental work done as well. I still have a chipped tooth and it's becoming more and more painful. At this point I would just like to have the tooth removed... or get the cavities filled. But it's not exactly cheap... even with the 100% coverage from work. I got a lot of the work done before, just not the upper right hand side. So somehow... when I get done bringing my bills up to date I also have to pay the $200-$300 to the dentist. It's a never ending cycle. I guess that's why they say no matter how much you make it will never be enough.

Dental Reform

I am beginning to believe that there needs to be a dental reform. Now I know I am being an idealist. The reform will never happen. What we need to do is incorporate dental into the medical system. The government would rather cut services then add them and the dentists won't give up the lucrative practice. The average salary after one year in private practice is $100,000 CAN. I'd like to be making some of that. Now it doesn't have to be $100,000 but I'd like a small piece of that.

So why do I think it should be a combined service? If it was then I might not have waited 4.5 years to see a dentist. And it's currently bankrupting me to have the work done. My insurance company pays 100% sort of. They only pay up to last years fee guide... and only up to $2000. I've already paid about $300 in dental fees for services that were not covered. Plus to get the $2000 coverage I have to pay $20 a month through work. So there is another $240. Needless to say it's not exactly cheap.

The last time I was there I had 4 cavities filled in my front teeth. The total for that was $1100. So that's $275 per tooth. You can't tell me that the materials to fill the cavities and the hour that it took really cost anywhere near $1100.

To be continued...