A First For Me

I've managed to live for almost 62 years without having to have any of my teeth pulled and I was hoping to continue that record for many years to come. Unfortunately, in Feb. of this year I began to have some problems with one of my upper molars. I had a couple of visits to my dentist in which he tried to adjust my bite by filing the tooth down but when that didn't work he sent me to a specialist that just does root canals. He did a root canal and I must say that it was no worse than getting a cavity filled (as far as the physical aspect) but it did hurt in the pocket book cause the cost was $1,065. Ouch!!

Of course, I was hoping that the root canal would take care of my problem but after a few weeks the tooth felt the same and the specialist decided he would re-do the root canal.... ugh!! No additional cost but no fun having another root canal either. We were all hoping that this would finally do the trick and I could save the tooth. He told me that if this didn't work then the tooth was probably cracked and would have to be removed.

I waited at least another couple of weeks ..... but...... you guessed it......it was no better so ..... IT HAD TO COME OUT.

So I had my first tooth pulled last week and although I was dreading it because I didn't know what to expect, it went quite smoothly with no problems whatsoever. Of course the two or three days after the extraction I felt like a mule had kicked me in the jaw.

Now I have to wait for 3 months and let the area heal completely before getting some bridgework done..... another $3,500 (more pain in the pocketbook). Oh, BTW, when my dentist got the tooth out he said he couldn't see any cracks. He said there could still be a crack that you couldn't see with the naked eye but that sure got me to thinking.... I hope I didn't get a tooth pulled for nothing. Oh well, it's done now but a word to the wise, "Take care of your teeth."

Had a very nice Mother's Day. I received cards as well as phone calls from Neil & Glen. John and I spent a quiet afternoon (just the two of us) relaxing.

Of course, I'm always reminded of my own mother and how very much I miss her. And I miss my sweet mother-in-law who always treated me like her very own daughter. Two wonderful women who had tremendous influence on my life.

Sad to see him go

On Feb. 28th my brother-in-law, Mack (married to my sister Doris) went home to be with the Lord. He had been fighting lung cancer for more than a year. Doris and Mack were married for 51 years on Feb. 13, 2011. My heart is breaking for my sister as she has lost the love of her life and for their grown children Hollis and Wanda.

I've known Mack since I was 10 yrs. old and he was a big influence as I grew up. He was a man of integrity and wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed.

We will all miss him so much.

A Rough Winter

We had a pretty rough winter this year. In Feb. we had a HUGE Ice Storm. We haven't had one like it for many years. I know we'll ALL be glad for Spring to get here.... the sooner the better.

Happy Birthday to Our First Born--Neil

This birthday I had such high hopes that we would be in California to help Neil celebrate his birthday in person but I'm having such pain with my back we've decided to postpone our trip.

I spoke with Neil and he was very gracious about it but it is a VERY GREAT disappointment to John and me.

Hopefully soon we'll be able to make the trip.

The Bugman Buys a New Transit

It's that time again for another new vehicle for The Bug Man. John really likes the new Ford Transits and found one reasonable priced and purchased it right before the new year. It is not painted green with the lettering on it yet but this picture will let you know what it will look like when it's ready to be used..... probably in the spring.

It's Official--Herniated Disk

I've been dealing with lower back pain/sciatica for the last 18 months or so. I've gone to Chiropractors, physical therapists and pain management doctors.

Right before Thanksgiving I finally went and had an MRI done and the results show a herniated (also referred to as a ruptured) disk.

I was hoping it would get better on it's own but .... guess not.

I am going to have cortisone injections done on Dec. 10th and hopefully that will give me some relief but it looks like some back surgery is in my future. Ugh!