Warning: No Longer Medicated For Your Protection

December 2, 2013 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

toothache I was medicated for your protection (and my pain). For 3 days. Like bone graft surgery on your jaw is all done and happy after a mere three days. The instructions tell you to only eat soft foods for 7-10 days. That should have given me a clue that my oral surgeon was skimping on me. Big Time.

With only 3-days worth of pain killers you do not want to eat anything on day 4 – except a whole bottle of Advil. The swelling alone took ice-packs, Advil, and 7-days to subside. I can barely open my mouth to get a spoonful of yogurt or jello down my throat. Chewing is a fond memory. Oh sure, ‘just chew on the opposite side’ you say. Unfortunately, you can put food in the opposite side, but chewing involves the entire jaw. Which, by the way, HURTS LIKE AN SOB.

[Sorry for yelling. If it makes you feel any better, it was painful to do so.]

I have bummed narcotics from family and friends, like a junkie. I am not proud of this, but it is what it is.

When it comes to pain, I’m not a weenie. Yet hour upon hour, turning day after day of throbbing pain, wears my patience and bravado down to a wispy, thin thread that stretches between insanity and homicide.

And life in general is not taking it easy on me during my time of need, either. Today in the mail I got another ‘delinquent bill’ for hubby’s lab tests done in July. JULY! I believed that my calling, emailing, and finally going to the hospital, had straightened out the error, because an entire month went by without a bill, statement, or phone call.

I can really be naïve. The scary thing is that hubby has had other lab tests ordered and done in August and October. I have not gotten any statements for these, but I know they will be coming along, pissing me off all over again, because our insurance has not been billed. This same hospital lab has no problem billing my lab work. It is only hubby’s account that is in some way screwed up.

I almost feel sorry for whoever works in the billing department of a certain hospital. The chances of me waking up pain-free tomorrow are not good… 😦
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photo credit: Bosc d’Anjou via photopin cc

What I am Thankful For

November 29, 2013 ~ JodiLea

For the modern medicines that keep me alive

That I do not live in Iraq, Iran, or any of those disgruntled terrorist countries

That my alarm clock no longer wakes me up at 3AM Mom – Fri

That my job no longer interferes with all my doctor appointments

Hubby has agreed to me rescuing a dog

For internet shopping

For the teeth that remain in my head

For my Guardian Angel, who really should get a raise

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride Road

November 22, 2013November 21, 2013 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Between Angel’s Camp and Farmington there is a stretch of road that must have been the Mr.ToadsWildRide inspiration for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I have driven that road a lot lately, going to my new endocrinologist’s office. On the way home today I had an epiphany and made the connection. No where else but Disneyland is there such a road.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is exhausting. As is his road. Most of it is a long ribbon of hills that go sharply up and down. The crew who originally paved the road did not bother to grade or otherwise engineer said road. So.., when you drive on it you feel like an ant going across a piece of ribbon hard candy. Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up Down. Sometimes there is a row of small hills close together, these are often in between really big-ass hills.

Picture yourself on a roller-coaster. You know that part where the cars are pulled up and up to the very (horribly high) top? You can’t see what the track is like on the other side, so you are blindly going to plummet down, and you know that there will be a sharp turn very soon, but until you go over the hump and can see the tracks you have no clue what direction the turn takes.

This section of highway 4 is just like that. Over and Over again. Until you come to the wacky part of the ride where the road is flat and curves for no apparent reason. The road does not have to go around trees, or bypass homes. It just randomly turns and continues on. An aerial view would be interesting.

If the road isn’t wild enough for you, it’s because I have not told you about the whoop-tee-do section yet. This part is a calm and deceivingly peaceful, 65-miles per hour stretch, laced with 30-mile an hour curves. If you weren’t already car-sick, you are now. They say the driver doesn’t get car-sick – Ha! Yours truly was feeling pretty nauseous there, until we got closer to Angel’s Camp.

Anyway, if you happen to be traveling up to the Big Trees, or Murphys area, I dare you to take Highway 4 East from Farmington.

Wait!! I DOUBLE DARE YOU!

Those of you who decide to accept this mission (or already completed it) – Please send me your ‘take’ on the experience. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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photo credit: Loren Javier via photopin cc