Implant Surgery is Done!

The implant surgery is over!!! It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. For some reason I was REALLY dreading having this implant put in. I don't know why, I mean after all that has happened in my mouth, this was easy!

So for those of you that have an implant in your future, or are just curious, here's how it went for me. I have a great dentist who actually called me to let me know that they were running about 20 minutes behind. I wish all doctors did that! Much better then sitting in the waiting room for an extra 20 minutes. So I get there and they take me into the room. While he is numbing me up, he explains that when he gets in there, he may need to do a little more work then we had discussed previously. When he pulled this tooth, he did a bone graft so that I would have enough bone to place the implant. Well, my body did not like that idea, so it slowly got rid of all of the graft that he did originally (yeah, that was nice. Paid like a grand for that graft and it didn't even work).

While he is waiting for the novocain to set in, he takes off the wire that the ortho placed in that area to keep the teeth from shifting. If I need it back in, the dentist will replace it on Thursday when I have my follow up appointment. So, now that the wire is off and I'm all numb, he starts cutting. It was weird to hear the sound of your gums getting cut and pulled away from the bone. After a few minutes of cutting he tells me that I will need to have another bone graft placed in there and a membrane so that my body won't reject it again. This is to build up the outside part of the bone. If he didn't do this, then the implant won't fit nicely and food will get caught under it and could cause an infection. So this means more cutting, more stitches and having to keep my jaw opened longer (which was NOT fun when you still don't have full range back). Throughout the whole procedure he kept taking pictures so that he can show other patients that may need the same thing done what will happen.

Now comes time for the drilling of the hole to place the implant. He get the drill with the small drill bit on it. Since I still can't open too wide, he couldn't fit it in there, so he had to go to a smaller bit... still wouldn't fit. He had to use one of the smallest bits that he had because I just couldn't open any further. So he makes his first drill into the bone. Then he places a small stud in the hole. And off it is to get an x-ray with that in to make sure he has it in the right spot.

So I get the x-ray and he places it where he can see while he drills the hole larger. A few more larger bits and he is done drilling. It really didn't take long at all. Then he places the implant in and starts to ratchet it in place. It felt weird to have someone ratcheting something in to your bone. It didn't hurt, but just felt weird.

So the implant part of the whole procedure was VERY easy. It was the next part that took forever. Along with the incision that had to be made for the implant, he had to make two additional incisions. These went from where the implant incision was down the front of the jaw to the cheek. He then had to pull the gum away from the bone. Once again, it made a weird "ripping" sound. Kind of weird. Next he took the drill and "roughed" up the bone so that the implant would take better. He mixed some of my bone and blood with the bovine bone and placed that where he roughed up my bone. Next he had to measure and cut a membrane to build up the bone a little more. Then it was time to sew it all up. Originally, there was only supposed to be like 2 or 3 stitches. Yeah, that ended up not being the case. I think I have somewhere around 10 - 14. I lost count as he was putting them in. That was the part that took the longest.

After he had me all stitched up, it was off for another x-ray, just to make sure it was all in the correct place. The whole procedure took about 1.5 hours. He said if it was just the implant, it would have been only 1 hour, but the graft make it longer. I was told to take it easy for the rest of the day, ice it some, and avoid rinsing until Sunday or Monday because of the graft. I sort of listened to his instructions! I did go home after it and rest for a little while. Then it was out to party for the night!!! Luckily I didn't need any of the vicodin that he gave me, so I was still able to have a few drinks! We were out until about 2:30 in the morning. Yeah, that's me taking it easy! The original plan was to go to this country bar and ride the mechanical bull. Because of the weather, there weren't enough people out, so they didn't have the bull running :( I guess that's probably a good thing because that would NOT have been taking it easy!

Here are some pictures. I am actually a little swollen in that area. So I've been trying to take it easy the rest of the weekend and keep some ice on it. It really doesn't hurt except for where my lip rubs up against the incisions for the graft. And my jaw is pretty sore from forcing it open as wide as I could.

If you look at the chin and jaw line area, you can see the left side of the picture is a little swollen.

The stitches that come all the way down to the cheek

The other side of the stitches that come all the way down to the cheek.

Because I had to have the bone graft done, I wasn't able to have the "healing cap" placed on the implant (if you look at Brandy's that the "healing cap"). So the implant got all sewed up in there. This means that I will have to go back in a few months and he will have to cut the gum back open and place the healing cap on it then. It may take a few months longer before I can get the fake tooth put on, but this will make it last longer now that the bone is built back up.

Implant on Friday

It looks like I will be having implant "surgery" on Friday. I put surgery in quotes because I don't really consider it surgery, but that's what they call it. It's not like they are putting me under and doing other stuff like they did with Brandy and Mary. They are just numbing me locally and screwing that sucker into place! I make it sound like SOOO much fun!

I have mixed feelings about getting this done. I know that it's something that I have to have. And part of me just wants all of this over and done with. But the other part of me just wants a break. I was fine with it until I was reading my docs "post op" sheet. It says to stay away from hard foods for 2 MONTHS. So basically, if I were to follow that sheet completely, I would be on a soft food diet again for 2 more months. I don't think so!!! I did that whole soft food for 2 months already, and I really don't think I have another 18 pounds to lose. Once I looked more into it, it's just that they don't want you putting too much pressure on the jaw while the bone is healing, so I'll just go each on the bagels and crunchy stuff.

I had to go to my surgeon today to see if I was ready for Friday and for what we were hoping was my last check up (my surgeon isn't doing my implant, my regular dentist is because he's qualified and he takes my insurance whereas my surgeon doesn't. Not that I even really know how much will be covered. Lets hope most of it because these implants are NOT cheap!). He did say I was ready for Friday, but that he would like to see me again in August. This is because he was surprised at how much numbness I still have. He would have thought that at my age, the fact that I don't smoke and am relatively healthy, and since he didn't even come close to the nerves I would have full feeling back by now. But when he did his "poke" tests, I don't have much more then I did at 2 months post op. He still has complete confidence that I will get it back, but that it make take up to 1.5 year. To tell you the truth, if I don't get it back, it's really not that big of a deal. You kind of get used to the numbness, tingly, and biting chucks of your cheeks off! (trying to look at the positives!) But it was nice to see every one's face when they saw my "naked" teeth! They were all SO impressed with my bite and how my smile looks! I am VERY happy with my results, but it is always nice to hear it from people who deal with teeth all the time. It's a nice reassurance!

So, you can all tell me how crazy I am, but I actually have plans on going out and partying on Friday night for all of our friends who have February birthdays! I know, I'm nuts doing that right after getting an implant done. But the way I look at it is I won't need to drink anything to get a little loopy if I take the pain meds! Actually, my dentist thinks I will be fine with this. He said it will be less traumatic then when he pulled that tooth. He pulled it on a Friday and then on Saturday my husband and I had a house warming party. I never took anything for it, and I never took the pain meds he gave me when he pulled my wisdom teeth. I went back to work the next day too. So lets just hope that this follows in line with how those went.

I'll try to post on Friday to let you know how it goes!

Retainers

So I've had my Essix retainers for 2 weeks now. They haven't been too bad, after the first day that is. I was told that I had to wear the bottom one only at night (12 hours a day, do any of you get anywhere near 12 hours a sleep a day? I sure know I don't) and the top one all the time for 10 days, then just at night. Not too bad. I still wear the top one most of the time, but I went 8 hours once, and that HURT.

The first day was absolutely AWFUL. I go to the ortho and they have me put them in. The top one was a little hard to get in, but I eventually got it. The bottom one was made to only go over my teeth up to where the wire is (where the implant will go). Well, they had to use SO much glue to get it to stay, that they had to trim the retainer. So it only goes up to my K-9 tooth on that side.

I leave the ortho and go back to work. They weren't too bad, didn't really hurt, I could still talk pretty well with them in. I thought I was all fine... that is until I had to take them out. I go to the restroom to wash my hands and try to take these suckers out. The bottom was was a little tricky, but not too bad. I wish I could say the same for the top one. I am use to the older retainers that have the metal and there's a little "hook" that you can grab on to. Not so easy with these ones. I had asked the assistant at the ortho how to get them out. She said to use your nails to "pry" them off. Well, she must have never looked at my nail, or lack there of. I have to have some of the thinnest, softest, most brittle nails there are. I have psoriasis, and it effects my nails, so they are pretty bad. So there I am in the bathroom trying to get this top retainer out. I got some weird looks from some people who came in and saw me with my hands in my mouth.

Anyway, I spent about 10 minutes in there trying to get this thing out of my mouth. I even drew blood twice! Once on my gum and once when my nail pulled away from my skin (that's how soft they are, and it HURT!!!). I finally gave up and went back to my desk to calm down. I ended up having to take a paper clip, and after cleaning it, use it to pry this thing out of my mouth. Yeah, over 15 minutes and two places that I was bleeding, I FINALLY got it out.

I had to use the paper clip at dinner that night. I have since gotten the hang of it, but it is still tough to get out. I can only get one side lose and then I have to "wiggle" it out.

Other then that, they have been great. They don't hurt at all, and I can talk just fine with them in. Brandy asked if the bottom one made my teeth sore, like it did for her. But so far I have been fine. I will need a new bottom one when I get the implant put it.

I think the weirdest part so far is not being allowed to use toothpaste to brush them with. They seem to be pretty high maintenance, as far as retainers go. You can only drink water with them in because the stain easily, you can't use toothpaste because it will scratch them, and you can't use hot water because they will lose there shape. So I got some denture cleaner and soak them in that every morning, then just use my tooth brush without any toothpaste.

I don't go back to the ortho for another 8 weeks! On February 12 I go to my regular dentist for a checkup and to talk about my implant. Then on the 19th I go back to the surgeon so he can see how they look without the braces.

THEY ARE OFF!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, can you tell I'm excited??? Pictures first, since that's what I always look for, then the story!

In my car right after leaving the ortho!

Front view of the "NAKED" teeth!!!


Profile. It's hard NOT to smile today!



Close up of the bite

If you look closely, you can see a wire cemented to my teeth so that the gap doesn't fill in before I have a change to get the post and implant put in.

Ok, now for the story! I had a few concerns going into today. I was TRYING not to let myself get too excited about getting the braces off, but I knew that if they stayed on I would have been SOOO disappointed. But they weren't coming off until they were as close to perfect as they can get.

So I get to the ortho and managed to not tell anyone that they were coming off today except my husband. Boy, that was HARD. The hardest was probably my friend Rachel. If you watch Grey's Anatomy, well, Rachel's my "person". One of our friend's husband described Rachel and me as Meridith and Christina, and her as Izzy. Not our personalities, but you can't separate Rach and I! If you remember the post about my best friend and her absolutely adorable get well gift (one gift a day for 14 days)... well, that's my Rach!!!

Ok, so anyway... My ortho has a new ortho that just joined his practice. I bet as soon as the weather gets nice, he will be gone! I can't say I blame him. So I tell him that I want to ask him a few questions before we get to taking these braces off. I asked him about the "black triangle" between the two front teeth. He looked at it and explained that it's just the way my teeth are shaped. The only way to fix it would be to shave off the two front teeth where they meet to make them flat and then move them together. He would do it if I wanted him to. But it's not that bad, and I REALLY don't want to have my teeth shaved unless it's really necessary. I had to point it out to my husband, and he's known me for over 6 years and never noticed it, so I decided to leave it. My back teeth ARE meeting properly. I'm just not use to them actually touching, so I wanted to make sure. And as far as my right eye tooth coming out a little more, it's perfectly lined up with the rest. It's just in my head. And when he showed it to me, they are lined up. It might just be that my midlines aren't PERFECT, pretty close, just not dead on.

So now that fun starts! Time to get these suckers off. I really don't remember ANY pain or discomfort from the first time my braces were taken off. I think that the lower teeth were just amplified since I'm still getting feeling back and where I do have feeling it's SUPER sensitive. The part that hurt the worst were the bands... but that's to be expected. The one that REALLY hurt was the one I was afraid of. When I had braces the first time, they were on for over 4 years and under one of the bands was a HUGE cavity. Food got between the tooth and the band and there was NO way to know it was in there until it came off. So that tooth has a rather large filling and is REALLY sensitive. But the other bands didn't hurt nearly as bad.

So off to the sink to rinse. I was scared to look. I was SOOOO afraid of my teeth being stained and having these big white spots in the middle of each tooth where the bracket was. I'm a big coffee and tea drinker. I do try to use a straw when possible, but who knows if that actually helps. Well, to my surprise, there weren't BIG white spots! YEAH. Now came the FUN part (can you hear my sarcasm?). The scraping off of the cermet. I have very porous teeth, which is good for keeping the brackets on... not so good for getting the glue off. After about 10 minutes of scraping, and scraping, and scraping (which on the lower teeth felt like they were going to pop right out of my head), they decided to have the new ortho take the "drill" like tool to get it off. Man, that was SOOO much faster. Within 10 more minutes, it was ALL gone. The only part that wasn't good was the SMELL. YUCK. And I had dust all over my face. But then it was done.

So off to the sink yet once again to rinse. Next the new ortho says that he's going to FILE my teeth. The look on my face must have been priceless because he instantly said "Don't worry, it won't hurt." I tell him that I'm not worried about it hurting, I just don't want him to file my teeth and then my teeth be more likely to get cavities. He assured me that what he was doing was just what nature never did for me. You know how when teeth cut though they are jagged? Well, since I didn't use mine properly, some of those "jaggs" were still there. So he was just going to take them off, especially since the two upper eye teeth are slightly shorter, they will never get warn down on there own. So after that I decided to let him "file" my teeth. I still don't like that word, but he did offer to do my nails when he was done!!! (ok, so it was the assistant that said it, but it made me laugh, so that's all good!)

Off to the sink to rinse again! Now's time for the impressions for my retainers that I get on Wednesday. Since I'm only 3 months post op, I still can't open that wide. I can get about 2 fingers width, but that's REALLY stretching it. So she finds the smallest molds that will fit my teeth. The top one is first. Not too bad, other then not being able to breath. I'm a mouth breather because I have a deviated septum, so I HATE impressions. But the top one was pretty uneventful. Not so for the bottom. She had a hard time getting the mold in there without any "goop" in it. Yeah, that was a stretch to get that in once the "goop" was in place. So she holds it in place, and she kept pushing on the front of my lower lip to make sure the "goop" was all in place. Now that area is still SENSITIVE, so that hurt like HE-L. But if I thought that hurt, it was NOTHING compared to trying to get it OUT of my mouth. I literal had to use my hands to try to open my jaw further to get that thing out. I really don't know how the impression came out, but I'm sure it was awful since she had to do it at the weirdest angle since I just COULDN'T open any more. But it was done, so I was happy. So off to rinse and brush YET again!

Now that all of the glue is off and my teeth are all smooth, what do they do next? That's right, put MORE glue and MORE metal in my mouth. Man, just when I think it's all out, they put some more in. One of my lower right molars was pulled before the braces went on because of a root canal that was still bothering me. This new wire will insure that the teeth don't try to move closer to each other. This wire will stay in there when I get the stud and until the implant goes in. I already have some bone loss there, so they want to make sure that the space stays. For some reason the wire just didn't want to stick to my tooth. Probably from too much brushing in the last 60 minutes. The glue would stick, just not the wire. But they FINALLY got it to stay. Then... you guessed it... off to rinse again!

So that was my day at the ortho! I get to go back on Wednesday for my Essex retainers. The lower one will have to be cut because of the missing tooth, and they will give me a new one once I have the implant in place. The ortho did give me a little goodie "cup". I say cup because it's a travel coffee mug with lots of GOODIES in it! There is some candy, a Blow Pop and some laughy taffy! All stuff that I couldn't eat when the braces were on. Ok, I should say all stuff that I wasn't SUPPOSE to eat when the braces were on. But gum, man I haven't had that in over 10 years. I may have to give it a try. But not today. My jaw is KILLING me. It is actually giving me a headache from all of the stretching today.

I'll post again on Wednesday to let you know how the retainers go. (ok, maybe Thursday since Wednesday is volleyball night. No, I am not playing :( I have to wait until I am 6 months post-op, so I just go cheer them on and have bar food and beer before the game. Yeah, we drink BEFORE our games. It makes it more fun. We are told a lot that we are a fun team to play against. But that may just be because we usually loss) They told me today that I only have to wear them 24/7 for 10 days, then just at night. But I think that I will probably wear them longer then 10 days because I will be sacred that they will move back.

Until then...

Debracing Tomorrow!!!!

OMG, I can't believe that my braces are actually coming off tomorrow!!! I actually forget that in 24 hours from now I will be in the ortho's chair getting these things yanked off. I think that is because I don't actually believe it. There are a few things that I want to ask him before he takes them off, and if he can fix them, then they won't be coming off tomorrow :( So I am trying not to let myself get TOO excited just yet.

The first thing is that I have a small, as Amy described it, "black triangle" between the tops of my two front teeth. It has always been there, so there may be nothing that can be done about that, so I will just have to live with it (or get veneers or something, but I don't think it's THAT noticeable). Also, I want to make sure that my back teeth are touching properly. Before the braces, my back teeth didn't touch AT ALL, so I have no idea how they are suppose to touch. If they are touching as they should, then that's cool with me. The third, and final thing, is I want to make sure that they moved the "eye" teeth out far enough. When I bite down, my right side top and bottom eye teeth touch, but my left side don't. So I'm not sure if my upper right eye tooth should be moved out just a little further. As badly as I want these braces off, I have learned to live with them, and most of the time forget they are even there. I just want to make sure that EVERYTHING is PERFECT before they come off. I have not worn braces for a total of over 6 years, and gone though surgery for my teeth to be anything less then perfect. I'm sure you ALL know what I mean.

The OS said that he wouldn't start thinking about putting my stud in for my fake tooth until the braces came off (the position that it's in, he just wouldn't be able to get it in there, plus it's close to where the lower jaw was cut, so he wants to make sure it's completely healed). However, my ortho wants it put in ASAP since I have already had a lot of bone loss there. So I almost feel that he is rushing the braces just to get the implant in. But will a few more months REALLY make that big of a difference when I had the tooth pulled more then 2 years ago?

The worrying about teeth will NEVER end. So anyway, those are my thoughts about getting my braces off tomorrow. So I'm trying not to get too excited because I may convince the ortho to leave them on a little longer. Either way, I will be updating you all tomorrow with what happened!

NAKED

I bet that got your attention!!! Well, last week was a good one for me as far as braces go. I went to the ortho on Tuesday and I knew it would be good because I made my last payment for my braces. So they are now paid off!!! YEAH! My ortho is getting ready to retire (at least that's what I'm assuming) and he now has a new dentist in the office with him. So it was nice to get to meet him. I'm not sure when my current ortho will be done, but when I tell you the next part, it won't make a huge difference to me. I AM GETTING MY BRACES OFF!!!! Can you believe it? I'm only 2 months post op, and these braces are coming off already! I will be just past 3 months post-op when it happens. It originally was suppose to be January 9th, but when I got back to work I remembered that I would be in Seattle Washington that week giving a presentation at Boeing, so it will be the following Monday, the 14th! I so never thought that this would happen this soon. I am excited, but yet a little scared that the teeth aren't perfect. The ortho originally thought 6 - 9 months post-op was when the braces would come off... not 3! And going off of his original guess of 6 - 9 months of having them on before the surgery, which turned in to 19 months, I was not holding my breath for them coming off before I turned 30 (I'm only 28 now, so I really was not expecting this!). I'll talk to him again before he actually takes them off, so lets hope that all goes well. I am just still in shock that they are coming off.

So you're all probably wondering why I waited a week to tell you all. Well, I was going to try to keep it a secret, but I just couldn't do it. I still haven't told anyone other then my husband. I wanted to see how long before he noticed, but I SOOOO can not keep things from him. So, other then you all, he is the only one that knows! I want to see every ones face! I'm such a dork. So shhhh, don't tell anyone (ok, that really only goes to my non-ortho friends that read this!).

On the dizzy front... I went to yet another new neurologist last Monday. He was MUCH nicer. He too thinks that it is Basilar Migraines. He said that it may be board line Chari, but if it was, there isn't anything they can do about it. So he was going to get all of my records from all of my other doctors (primary, 3 other neurologists, cardiologist, and ENT) to see what tests they ran. He didn't want to put me though all of the tests if I had already had them and they were fine. I have to keep a record of my headaches and dizzy spells for the next 6 weeks and go back to see him. He is taking a VERY conservative approach because all of the meds that they would give you can't take when you are pregnant, and since we're trying, that would be no good.

That's about all that's new here. If I don't get a chance to write before the holidays (we do lots of traveling, first to my in-laws then to my parents), have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Surgeon and Neurologist

Well, this week has been full of appointments for me. Tuesday I had my 3rd post-op appointment with my surgeon. It was just a check up and to see if he would give me the "green light" to start chewing. HE DID!!!!! It's been just over 7 weeks without chewing. WOW, the time really did fly by. He told me that I am now on an "unrestricted" diet! But that I do have to slowly introduce things back in. Like, don't jump right to pizza crust or steak. Start off slowly and work the jaw muscles back up to it. But in a few weeks I should be back to eating what I was before. That's good, but it's also scary. I have lost 15 pounds, and I REALLY want to keep them off. So now that I am able to eat anything, I will have to be extra careful. I have switched to smaller plates. I'm the type that I will eat what is on my plate. So with a smaller plate it looks full with less food.

I also asked him about when I can get my implant for my fake tooth. He wants me to wait at least 6 months, and until the braces come off. So hopefully that will be at the same time. I'm still not sure if I will have my surgeon do the implant or my regular dentist. My ortho got me confused last time I was there. He said something about having less people in there, so I thought he meant having the surgeon do it. But then he made it sound like if the surgeon did it, my regular dentist would still be the one to make the implant. So I'm confused. But I have time to decide on that. And it's just an office procedure with local numbing, so it's not that big of a deal. I also had to ask when I could play volleyball again. He said he wants me to wait until I'm 4 - 6 months post-op. So that's only another 2 - 4 months. He said that the first surgery went so well; he would like to leave it that way! But I'm hoping that I will be pregnant by then, so I won't be able to go back anyway!!! We'll see though.

So I went to Wendy's tonight with my husband for dinner. I got a Jr. Cheeseburger. It was quiet disappointing. It wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I thought it would be. I still can only open less than an inch, so I had to squish it first. Then because I can't fit much in the back teeth I had to take the tiniest bites. I was actually missing my soup and mushy foods. This will definitely take some time to get use to. I was also noticing that I kept biting my cheeks. Has any one else had this problem?

Today I went to the new neurologist about my headaches and dizziness. WOW, he has to be the worst doctor I have EVER been to. First his "assistant" comes in. I HATE that. They ask all of these questions, and then the doc comes in and asks the SAME questions. Why are they wasting our time? But anyway... she asks me all of these questions and is mainly concentrating on my headaches. I have a constant headache. I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't have a headache. They are just ALWAYS there, granted, some days are worst then others, but it's always there. I can deal with those. It's sad to say, but I've dealt with them for so long, that I sometimes forget it's even there.

My main concern is the dizziness. Oh, which by the way was accompanied this weekend with total loss of short-term memory. I kept asking the same questions over and over and over and over. I finally just quite talking because I was afraid that I would just be repeating myself, and honestly, it scared me. Back to the doc (who I think got his degree out of a Cracker Jack Box)… The assistant keeps asking me the same question, just worded differently. I finally say to her "You just asked me that and my answer was ....." She gave me a dirty look. Well, then stop asking me the same question. It felt like she was trying to trick me. So I am trying to tell her about all of the different doctors and there diagnosis over the past 6 years. She doesn't really seem to care and keeps interrupting me and asking me different questions.

So she leaves and fills the doctor in. He comes in and asks me the SAME questions she just asked me multiple times. Ummm, hello, I'm going to keep giving you the same answer. He too seems to be more concerned with the headaches then with the dizziness. I tell him how I use to be on Depakote, but that I had to go off since we want to start trying to get pregnant. He tells me that I have migraines. NO SHIT, I told you that!!! He tells me that he would give me medicine for it, but that all of them are known to cause birth defects. I tell him that I don't want medicine, I want a diagnosis. And I don't feel that this is a correct and accurate diagnosis. By this time, I am starting to get a little emotional. I cry at the drop of a hat, and today was just not a good day. He asks me what I want him to do. I tell him that I have been dealing with this for over 6 years and it is starting to have a huge effect on my life. I just want to know what is wrong with me, is that too much to ask for? He has me walk over to the wall where there is a poster, and he shows me the signs of Basilar Migraines. I fit some of the signs. But the only way to diagnosis this is pretty much by eliminating other things. He again asks me "What do you want me to do?" I say, "I want you to care. Every other doctor I have been to just wants to shove medicine down my throat. As soon as I tell you I am not going to take any meds, you seem to want to brush me off." "Well what do you expect me to do?" is his response. I asked him "Don't you want to run any tests to make sure it's not something more serious, rather then just giving me a blanket diagnosis?" So he goes "Well, I can order you an MRI. You tell me what tests you want and what you want to be tested for, and I can order them." ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! Ummm, last time I checked my degree was in Computer/Electrical Engineering, NOT medicine. Isn't that HIS job to figure out what tests to run and what to test for? Both him and his assistant asked if my thyroid was ever tested, and they were both surprised when I said no. But do you think that he wanted to test that? No. So I grab my coat and my purse and tell him that I am leaving. That I will find a different doctor that is actually willing to figure out what is wrong with me. So I go to check out (why I have to pay the co-pay for nothing is beyond me) and he wrote on my chart that he wanted to see me again in 3 months and he had an order for an MRI. SERIOUSLY? I told the receptionist that I didn't need another appointment; there was NO way I was coming back. I didn't care that there were other patients there that could hear me. They deserved to know that he sucked.

So I left his office crying and got to the car to call my mother. She was in shock. She has had some neurological problems since a fall several years ago, and she really likes her neurologist. I am tempted to drive over 2 hours to see hers. At least he is willing to figure out what is wrong with you, and not just brush you off. At one point he even said that my worrying about it is just making it worst. Basically that it was just in my head (um yeah, that's why it's called a headache!). And he told me to make sure that I get enough sleep and don't skip meals. Well, if he were to have read my record he would see that I am hypoglycemic, so there is NO way that I skip meals. I'll get shaky before I get a headache from not eating.

So, that was my lovely day! I now get to try to find yet another neurologist in my area. Everyone that I know has only gone to Neurosurgeons, and not neurologists. So I'm going blindly here. That pretty much ruined my day and put me in a down mood. I was so looking forward to finally figuring what was wrong with me... and I get this guy.

But on a happier note, if anyone is still reading this since I have written a book... Brandy gets her braces off tomorrow!!!!! Are all of us brace-faces jealous? I know I am. But she deserves it. She has been though a lot. I can't wait until I join her!