Lots of stuff going on, but this week in particular has been really bad for my head.
Monday, I went to my dentist because of considerable pain in my upper right jaw the week before, and I had noticed last weekend that the tooth that was causing all the pain was loose. First my dentist says, "Ok, I need to replace the crown on that tooth as well as the one next to it." The right side of my mouth is numbed. About 15 minutes later the drilling starts. Next thing I know, he is telling me, "I am sorry, Florida, one of the roots of that tooth is broken....I will have to extract it."
Ugh. Then he says, "I need to put a bridge in."
Huh?!? The only thing I could say in reply was, "I don't think I've had one of those before, what does that mean?" "No, you have not. Let me show you...." So I have a lovely temporary bridge in there now, and an appt in two weeks to have the bridge set. And why is this all happening? Because my teeth are shifting. Why are my teeth shifting? Because I still grind, but probably more so whenever I take a nap and I don't have my night guard in. Crud.
Thursday, I had an appt with the eye doc I saw earlier this month about my teary left eye. All the doc said at that appt was "I need to go in and find out where the blockages are in both of your eyes." I'm thinking to myself, "Sure, that's what the guy I was referred to last January did, so this should be a breeze." But when I left his PA gave me a sheet of paper titled "Eye Surgery". So, I was a bit confused what was going to happen because the only other thing he said was "Yes, you can drive yourself home, although there might be a little discomfort after the procedure."
Hmph. So Thursday, they called me back 45 minutes after my appt time - he was doing the same procedure on someone else right before me. Anyway, I am sitting there in this bigger than usual exam chair, and the PA hands me the consent form for a '4 lid punctoplasty'. Didn't even know this thing had a name, but now this is starting to sound serious. She leans the chair back and starts to explain that my eyes will be closed the whole time, she'll swab on an anesthetic, then he'll inject more and start the procedure. Before he starts, my eye doc tells me I might have bruising at the areas where he injected the anesthetic - Yes, I do have that today, and now the green goo coming out of my left eye today is starting to cloud my vision.
The results were, my cannicula on the left side are clear, however my left tear duct is completely blocked. The right side is completely clear, but if there were any kind of blockage, he just cleared it out for me.
Super. The recommendation, of course, is to have a DCR done, same procedure the eye doc last year recommended. But this eye doc at least explained it a little less violently: "I will drill a hole in the bone on the left side of your nose close to the inner corner of your left eye...a passage way will be made so your tears will be re-routed...a tube will be left in there for three months...a string will keep the opening open at the top...I will use stitches that dissolve to cover the area where the incision in your nose bone is made." Ok, not happy he also breaks the bone and doesn't go through the nose. So I ask if there are any problems with this tube that will be stuck in my nose for three months. "No, it will not be visible (in my nostril?), but it needs to stay there so the new opening will not heal itself closed." "Will I be able to feel it?, like will it be itchy?" "No, most people can feel it for the first week, but not so much after that. I did have one case where it made the patient sneeze all the time, so it had to be removed a few weeks earlier."
Interesting. "Am I going to look like I was punched in my left eye for two weeks?" "No, most people look fine the following week when they come back for their post-op appt., and the procedure is done on a Thursday, so you have the whole weekend to relax, and you could work from home the next day." The surgery takes 40 minutes!, and is done as an outpatient procedure. I will need someone to drive me home afterward, and I should not do anything too strenuous the rest of that day. I will be able to wear my glasses and contacts - the pads from my eyeglasses won't hit that area (not sure if he is accounting for the Asian nose or not), and the string in the inner corner of my eye will not be bothered by my contact lenses. "You can think about it and let us know." Are you kidding me? "No need to, I'll take your first open date, I want this thing fixed already. I am so tired of having to blot my left, teary, eye." So my appt is on May 10. Oddly enough, that date is the week between my two thyroid surgery two years ago.
Now we start the weekend before my mom's lung surgery. The mass on her left lung is almost 100% cancer based on the CT and PET scans. Luckily, the two lymph nodes involved can be removed with the upper left lobe. My mom seems to be at peace with all of this. She too understands that things happen for a reason, something I had to accept myself when I found out that my FNA had what looked like hurthle cells. I was hoping I would never have to accept a member of my own family into my 'cancer club', but I am no longer alone in this club of certain unpleasantness. I at least know what she is going through - the feelings, the anxiety, all the 'what ifs' that go through your mind every single day because I have been there. So the rough week for parts of my head is to be followed by a rough week for my heart as I have to see my mom begin her own cancer journey on Monday morning.
