#my dentist appointment was fine. just xrays and cleaning

[iridescentides]

happy dentist appointment day! I love you dia you have made my life better i’m happy to have had you in it for this last year of your life I hope I have in my life for many more of your years!!!!!! I hope you have the best day 💖💗💚💜🧡💟

okay this literally made me tear up wtf miranda 😭💙 thank you youre so special to me

[salted-cushions]

any adhd people have any advice on habit forming?

like, I can only really seem to have one Project in my life at a time. that can be study, work, a hobby, whatever. and that’s fine, because I’ll work on my Project real hard for a bit and then that work is done and the Project has progressed, and it remains there when I come back to it later. And it’s not all-or-nothing, when study is my Project I can still show up for shifts and get paid, and I can still play some videogames in the evenings (sometimes).

But unfortunately it seems that one of my Projects is ‘myself’ which includes diet, exercise, sleep, drinking water, grooming, skincare, hygiene, doing laundry and cleaning my house... and the little bits that I can keep doing while I have a different Project aren’t enough. Like, I had a dentist’s appointment a week ago, my first in ten years, and I need eight fillings. I told her that I brush one a day and don’t floss, and she was like ‘yeah twice a day and start flossing or it’ll get worse’ which obviously I already knew but now I was staring at the xrays and I felt it become Real.

But my Project, at the moment, is ‘house’ which is endless deep cleaning, furniture shopping, and planning of minor renovations (and of major ones, but I’ve been pretty damn good about putting those in a box that says ‘this would be nice someday!’ and I haven’t broken my own heart once). And I don’t think that one’s going on the backburner any time soon because until I make enough progress I don’t feel fully comfortable here, like the spaces aren’t mine yet.

So... over a week later, today is the first day that I’ve brushed and flossed before going to bed, instead of just brushing when I shower in the morning. I really, really want to be able to build routines of, like, in the morning going run-breakfast-shower-teeth-shave-skincare, and yet I don’t seem to be able to take that step of actually going running when I wake up, or I’ll get bored after my shower and skip the rest of it. I can never be bothered cooking and am wasting loads of money on takeaway (although I think this will get better when I make my kitchen nice to be in and use). When it’s getting to bedtime and my meds have worn off it’s almost always ‘meh just fall asleep in my clothes’ or ‘I feel gross so I’m just gonna wash my face and gargle some water’.

And... I’ve had routines like these in the past. Consistently for months at a time. But they seem to disappear entirely if I slip for even a day, and then I’m trying to rebuild from square one. The whole thing’s been torn down and leveled to grade and I need to start sinking foundations again, where it seems like other people just need to spend a couple days dusting and patching holes and they’re back to where they started. And I look at it and go ‘why bother? the demo guys will be back next week, they’ve even left the backhoe on the lot.’

Now if I make myself my Project, which I can probably do once my house is a bit nicer (a month?), I reckon I can get this routine of mine going pretty well. I’ll need some external motivation, which is probably going to be flirting with cute girls on campus or at some social-ish hobby because I don’t really know any other way. But that works - what I’m worried about is when assignments start coming in and I need to switch Projects. Or when I start getting really into a hobby, or decide what the next room to be redecorated is. Because whenever that happens in my life I tend to slip back into doing the bare minimum - although if I’m in contact with other people (especially cute girls) that minimum is at a higher standard because I’d be embarrassed. But still, it’s not enough.

So... yeah. How do I make it stick? How do I make flossing and running and manscaping stuff that happens automatically every day, without having to expend extra brainpower just thinking about them? I have everything I need to become the person I want to be... but crossing that threshold just seems impossible

[pbandjesse]

Today was not what I had planned. I woke up a 8 to a text from the dentist reminding me about my appointment. That I didnt realize was today. I thought it was thursday. So I am very glad I got up! I had about an hour until I needed to leave though. I had plenty of time to get washed and dressed. James wold soon leave for work and I would get all cute. 

I didnt have high hopes for the dentist. But it ended up being fine. I parked in the parking garage. Forgot the ticket in the car, would go back for it later. And I didnt get lost finding the office this time. 

I did not see the main dentist, I saw an associate. But I loved her. She was so sweet. And while she understood why I wanted the tooth removed, she thinks its salvageable and that insurance should cover it. I got all the xrays and now that I have this insurance I was like. Okay. Im willing to get this fixed, with the caveat that if they get in there and the took is broken (which is what I think), they will pull it. So I felt like things were good. The woman at the desk even called the other office to make me an appointment so I wouldnt have to call and it was so kind. 

I left there in a good mood. I went back to the car to grab that parking ticket, and then went to the fancy grocery store. I got some stuff thats hard to get at the regular stores. And just had a nice time looking around. 

I headed home after that. High spirits. But almost as soon as I got home I get a call from the dentist that they called the insurance and they wont cover anything. At all. Because I hadnt had the insurance for a year?? I have never heard of this before. Like the whole reason I got this plan was because it covered so much of the root canal procedure. And so I started crying. And they the woman tells me that the first of the three appointments I have would cost $1500. So I was just like. I guess. Cancel it. She apologized but I was just like. I did the thing I was supposed to do. I got the insurance. I pay it on time. But I just felt so stupid.

So I was a bit hysterical and I called the insurance with the plan to yell and then cancel the insurance. But once I got through the robot voices I was mostly just very very sad. I knew the person on the phone wasnt at fault. So thats what I said. I was just like. Hey, Im going to start sobbing in a second, I am not mad at you, I know you just work there, but I dont know what to do. I did the thing I was supposed to do but I cant get the help I need now. And she was so kind and right away put in a request to override the year waiting period.  So I have to wait until wednesday to find out if that is approved. But it was a little bit of hope I guess? I called back the dentist and explained what happened and she said to call her back when I get word and that the dentist will see what can be done on their end too. 

Its wild though. Why is that a thing?? I would have gotten the cheaper plan if I knew I wouldnt be able to use any of the coverage for a year?? Like I get its probably my fault but I have never heard of anything like that before. It wasnt even like I hadnt met a minimum for the year, they were just like oh you literally do not have any coverage on procedures until next January. Because you havent had the insurance before. If I knew that I wouldnt have waited for the open market. I would have just. Gotten a plan before that. Its such a shit show. 

It took a while for me to calm down. I was just so drained and upset. 

But I didnt want to lose the whole day. 

James would go out for a long bike ride soon after that. They waited until I was alright before they left. I needed to be alone for a bit though. 

So I cleaned a little. I hung a tapestry. I cleaned the fish tank. I thought about what I will pack for camp. I had snacks. I played video games. I finished making the bed. I changed all the sheets and the took off the velvet duvet cover. I also refolded and sorted out the winter coats and sweaters I shoved under the bed. They are all folded and nice now. 

James would get home before 230. I was laying in bed but once they were washed and dressed again we headed out into the world. 

We walked to the art store. And I got all the new paint I wanted. I got the highlighter colors and a few secondaries I thought would be hard to mix. I am very happy with the colors I got. I may go back to buy some medium. But I am very pleased. 

And it was so nice going out with James. The weather was warm. And It was just a lovely day to be out. We stopped to take pictures with the knock out roses. And I was just really happy. 

Not to long after we got home James got to work making us dinner. And I laid down for a bit. But I never actually slept. Thats alright. I did a little work stuff but tomorrow I will really get into that. 

After dinner I got to work on the painted stool project. I was going to do sprinkles but I decided to do Matiesse inspired shapes instead. I am pretty happy with them!! The highligher/neon colors are a little thin, so I will have to do more layers to cover the sharpie I drew first. I wouldnt have used the sharpies if I knew it would do that. Live and learn. But so far so good. One or two more layers of paint and then I will outline and add texture details using paint markers. But I am very pleased with the project. Next will be the little heart shelf. 

I have been hanging out in bed with sweetP since then. I am very tired. But I am going to go rinse off and put on soft clothes. Tomorrow I am going to do work and art and try to make myself work on store stuff. Because I have been so bad about that. But I have the pictures so I will get it done. 

I hope you all sleep well. Take care of eachother. Goodnight!

[sofftpaw]

talking about my dentist appointment below the cut. idk how 2 really tag this so i'll just tag it as medical

my very first ever dentist appointment went ok...... it wasn't very good at first bc they had to do a bunch of xrays of my mouth and i'm rather small so they had 2 keep repositioning the camera bc it wouldn't fit very good and it was v uncomfortable. then i had 2 do a different kind of xray bc they couldn't get images of my entire mouth, bc i'm small and the camera kept slipping out of place. and then after that they started cleaning my teeth and that started out rather unpleasant, but they asked me if i was okay and i said that i was actually a bit terrified and in pain so they gave me a stronger topical numbing agent bc i refused a shot of local anaesthetic and it was a little better after that. i didn't like the feeling of whatever tool they had been using for the first half of the cleaning, it was really loud and felt so cold and it hurt. but they switched 2 hand tools after that and it was SO much better. much less scary. my next appointment is in a couple of weeks and next time i think i will bring music 2 listen to also bc they'll be cleaning them again and filling in a cavity for me and that'll require a shot and i am a little scared but emmett told me i was being v brave and elli said she was proud of me and it helpsed a lot

oH but my teeth don't really hurt much at all after that even though the dentist said my gums might be a little sore. but i feel completely fine!! the numbing stuff has already worn off and i've eaten and drank cold water and it's all okay!!!

also right after i was all done, i went 2 the antique store down the street and they had lots of nice stuff, i wish i had brought more cash w me..... and also that i had a vehicle 2 transport furniture in bc there were a couple of things that really stuck out to me. i think whenever i manage to get my own place, i will hit up that store again and see what i can fill my space with. i really enjoy the idea of decorating with baskets and there were so so many - i actually bought one!!! for picnics, not decoration - and there were lots of dark wood furniture items which i looooove. also saw a couple of glasbake pieces, my beloved,,

i also!!!! got a little.. purse? handbag? big wallet??? thing and i am over the moon about it. it has a patchwork design and the strap for it can be removed 2 turn it into a clutch if i so wish (which i dont!! but the option is nice) and there's lots of space for cards and change and cash and i can even put pictures inside!!!! its rlly so cute, i cant wait 2 use it when i wear things w/o pockets

[buttersmd]

My teeth are weird.

Today has been full of unwanted dental shenanigans (nothing too horrible, and it all ended up fine before you ask, it was just Stressful).

Yesterday I had my regular orthodontist appointment. I had thought to myself early in the appointment “Man, these repeated, short exposures have been really good for my dental anxiety. See, I’ve been coming frequently, nothing terrible has happened, no Extreme Pain. It’s fine!”

Then the orthodontist came over and cheerfully informed me he’s going to write me an extraction prescription for the tooth I have hanging out in the back behind my bottom front teeth.

Teach me to get comfortable.

ANYWAY today I had my regularly scheduled cleaning with my dentist. I scheduled the extraction for next week, just doing my regular cleaning today. But the dentist pulled me in first because conversely he was free while all the hygienists were busy. He made a crack about “Did you tell your orthodontist you’re rather attached to your tooth?” (this is why i love my dentist; he’s the only guy whose ever made me laugh while sitting in a chair, even mid panic attack)

He has the tech take an x-ray to prep for next week. She does that, her little shadow apprentice tagging along behind her, and they’re just about getting set up to start cleaning my teeth, when the dentist comes back in, informs them he sees something concerning in the x-ray, and asks them to do a pan x-ray on me, but not charge me for it since I just had a full set of xrays done in October (seriously the nicest man).

Apparently there were black spots that indicate holes lower on my jaw below my teeth. The pan didn’t show them because they lined up perfectly with my spinal column and blocked the shot, but he was concerned they might be cysts and took a picture and sent them to his son who is an oral surgeon.

The techs leave, I get shuffled off to a different room with an actual hygenist who cleans my teeth with a tool I’ve never seen before (which makes sense; cleaning around braces takes different stuff than just regularly cleaning), but this thing feels like a needle stabbed into my gums and I Don’t Like It.

Anyways I survive the visit, which took an hour (longer than normal, HOORAY), and drive the 45 minutes to work.

After being there for half an hour, I get a call from my dentist’s office. The oral surgeon would like me to come in so he can check me out, can I call this number, blah blah blah. So I call the number, and they ask if I can come in in an hour!

Back up to the north end, silently panicking the whole time. Look, it’s never a Good Thing to be interesting to a medical professional, okay?

They do a cat scan, shown above, and look it over. The tooth I’m having pulled is so far in the back that you can’t even really see it in this scan, isn’t that awesome? You can kinda see the shadow of it peaking over the front teeth in the bottom, just left of center. Oh and as I looked at this, I have an impacted molar. Technically two, but only one is completely sideways. Hip hip hooray.

The oral surgeon said what the dentist saw was probably just bone marrow deformity in my mandible, no big deal, nothing to be done about it, but it was good of me to come and get it checked out. Also thankfully they didn’t charge me either.

I mean, I’m glad I didn’t pay an arm and a leg, and I’m glad I don’t have cysts or something worse to deal with, but god damn body, can’t you just be normal for once and stop giving me a fucking heart attack?

[lydah]

my entire holiday bonus is fucking gone after wasting my time on a dentists appointment i didnt even need (i wanted to get my teeth cleaned and instead they ran xrays for an hour to tell me my mouth is fine, shocking, thanks for telling me what i already know) 

went to the clinic to pick up my gender change form only to find they fucked my name up entirely, its supposed to have my deadname on it and it didnt have my deadname or my correct name spelled properly 

as if i’ve got money to just be throwing around like this for no reason 

trying to fucking get out of this hell house and they’re not making any of this easy on me

still gotta take care of my last doctors visit before i move, the appointment i had was on the same day as my name change court date and they couldnt let me reschedule, so i just had to fucking cancel and now i just gotta wait til god knows when to take care of that 

[momentsunheardof-blog]

Tumblr has kinda become wack af since they took off the good shit. 

I wasn’t a sex person on here, but it spiced up my timeline every now and then. 

But anyways.....

Today was crazy though. I had my first dentist appointment in years.  They found a lot of problems with my teeth so I am ready to like...get things fixed. It feels so great to have insurance and be able to get care that I needed. I feel so bad for those who are unable to get simple care as teeth cleaning and xrays to see how their health is. 

And then my anxiety was bad af. I have no clue why. School is fine, work isn’t that stressful, but I guess with all the hormones of me being pregnant going on....my emotions are just everywhere. I have a psychiatric appointment coming up. So I am so ready for that. I need something to stabilize my moods. I am tired of being mentally exhausted from thinking and forcing myself to be ok. It’s so so hard and has been getting harder. Especially with the anxieties that happen in my life with my daughter and finances and work. IDK, it’s a lot going on in my mind right now and I just want to cry. 

[ozsaill]

Facing up to health care

Keeping up with routine health care needs isn’t a problem when cruising. It’s rare to be in a place where quality care cannot be found, or reached quickly should an emergency arise. In Puerto Rico we played catch up with dentist and dermatology checkups.

We arrived in Puerto Rico expecting to hop-skip-jump across the south coast, continuing (we hoped) to blast our way east to the BVIs, then make southbound tracks to Grenada. In the landfall of Puerto Real, Marina Pescadería’s owner/manager, Jose Mendez, welcomed us like old friends. He had already arranged service from an outboard mechanic we asked after via email, and walked us through extensive recommendations to make the most of a short stay: beaches, restaurants, shops, services. Goodbyes with the Akira crew (their kids with our girls, above) was the only down side of our stop. Everything was easy with Jose’s help, and any concern we had about muddling through a few tasks with our lapsed Spanish evaporated.

Dental checkups

But even just a few days is enough to work in a dental checkup, and the whole crew was overdue; Jose booked us an appointment with a recommended dentist in nearby Mayaguez. Dental care has been particularly easy to meet while cruising: Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, is the latest on our Dentist Around the World tour (Mexico…Australia…Malaysia…Seychelles…St. Martin…Puerto Rico).

All five Totem crew had teeth cleaned by a hygienist and checked by the dentist; two earned bonus sealant treatment, and xrays confirmed Niall’s wisdom teeth have to go…that comes later. Excellent care, nice facility, US board certified dentist…total bill, $300. A bargain, yet at the higher end of what we’ve paid along the way for routine dental care (the exception was Australia, which had prices similar to the US mainland).

Eastbound along Puerto Rico’s south coast, Totem’s engine overheated: the first sign that plans for a speedy trip to the Virgin Islands would be thwarted. Diverting to the port of Ponce, we called Jose for a recommendation. No problem! Despite the fact it was late afternoon on Friday, a couple of hours later Jose’s preferred diesel mechanic, Cesar, was sitting in Totem’s cockpit at 5:30pm sharing his ideas for troubleshooting.

Dermatology checkups

Anticipating a week to deal with what we presumed to be a failing heat exchanger meant enough time to tick another health care item off the list – Jamie and I were due to see a derm, something we try to do annually. A few days later what we hoped to be a routine pass through a highly recommended clinic in Ponce…wasn’t so routine after all.

Jamie’s had a couple of troublesome spots on his face (treated by derms in Malaysia and South Africa); Drs. Villa and Sanchez didn’t like them a bit. My galaxy of freckles and moles turned up a few more suspect spots. Five biopsies, dozens of stitches, and a skin graft later: we are fine, but Jamie had both basal cell and squamous carcinomas on his face (my dysplastic nevi were just that: misbehaving cells, nipped before becoming problematic).

Dr Santaliz sutures Jamie while Dr Villa looks on

Most were done in Dr Villa’s clinic, but he felt the carcinoma on Jamie’s nose was best handled by Mohs surgery. With a phone call to his friend in San Juan, we were fit in for 10:00 the following morning—the doctor’s last day in the office before a family vacation (to go sailing in the BVIs, as it happened!).

All told, we had four office appointments; these appointments ran as long as Jamie’s three-hour adventure in the Mohs clinic, which required three passes (and an olive-sized divot) at tissue on his nose before the cell margins were pronounced clean. And then, there was a “house call” when Dr Villa came see us in Salinas (we moved to this sweet little anchorage, more cruiser-friendly and affordable than Ponce) and removed his stitches en plein air…and bring us mangoes from the tree in his garden. When was the last time you heard of a doctor doing house calls?

Healing well, one week after the skin graft

All told, the dermatology adventure took a few weeks and cost a freckle under $4,000. It’s a chunk but we can deal (hey, anybody need a quote for a new sail from Jamie?). If you’d like to know more, this post details how we approach medical costs and insurance (cliff notes: catastrophic coverage to avoid financial devastation from a major event, and all routine care paid out of pocket).

Kids, wear your sunscreen!

The sun exposure we get from cruising clearly doesn’t help our situation here, but everyday exposure now isn’t the primary problem. The reality is that Jamie and I are experiencing this not so much because of cruising, but because of a combination of genetic factors and childhood sun exposure. OUR kids benefit from sunscreen; we spent our childhood summers outside before SPF was an acronym anyone knew. A dermatologist checking me, years ago, said we should give up on plans to take off on a sailboat. Well, no. But we can be careful and thoughtful about protecting ourselves from the sun. I’ve written about sun protection while cruising, and the advice is unchanged.

If you take away one point

If there is a single takeaway from our health care adventures in Puerto Rico, it’s this: that quality care is available away from the comfortable range of home. If I can press a second point, it’s that care is generally quite affordable. It may not always be cheap, but along our travels–and a working annual budget that puts us below the poverty line in the USA–it is manageable, and strengthened a sidelong view on the insanity of insurance rates and medical costs in the US.

Meanwhile, our quick pass through Puerto Rico easily became a month. That’s fine. Sure, it’s added some stress as the hurricane season heats up, and a progressively growing series of “waves” off Africa trying to spin up into Caribbean hurricanes. That, too, has slowed progress as we take the prudent steps to remain near hurricane holes instead of pressing forward regardless. But taking care of health was the priority, and along the way it enabled myriad experiences by spending more time in Puerto Rico…

…like enjoying beautiful vistas from the mountains to the sea while driving to the dermatologist outside San Juan.

A rental car to get to doctor’s appointments provided easier day tripping to explore the history in Old San Juan…

Niall offers scale for the fort’s walls

…to visit the breathtaking, and imminently approachable, Ponce museum…

Shoes required

…to find out of the way cafés, and indulge in a survey of pressed sandwiches (the best: at El Balcon del Coliseo in Ponce…WOW); recommendations from the doctors for the best roast pork, and a detour through the central ridge to find the perfect place to enjoy it.

Meanwhile, here we are about a month later, and you have to look up close to know Jamie’s had a hunk taken out of his nose.

Come meet up at the Annapolis Boat Show!

Want to learn more about health care or other hot topics for cruising? In October, I’ll be at the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis—talking formally and informally to anyone with interest and time about their cruising questions! One of my six seminars at Cruisers U is specifically about health care, and will dive into much more detail than this post can cover.

October 5-8: staffing the booth at L&L Pardey Books, signing copies of Voyaging With Kids and telling anyone who will listen how inspiring Lin’s books are.

October 6: Cruising World Workshop: Prepare to Cast Off (register here)

October 9-10: Cruising Women seminar (part of Cruisers U): two full days, including a morning spent aboard a boat.

October 11-12: Cruisers U: delivering seminars on a half dozen topics –including health care! Also: on-board communication tools (satellite and radio), passagemaking, common new cruiser errors, dollars & sense (cruise budgeting), and more.

Fee for show entry; additional fees/registration for seminars. For more information see the Annapolis Boat Show website. Let me know if I’ll see you there!

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