Let's Do A Procedure!

Twice this week my body has taken a scalpel at the hands of a specialist. Considering I have only one time in my life prior to Saturday seen a doctor for anything besides a check-up and a baby, this is a big deal to me.

I was struck both times by how quickly I had to make a decision about my health care and how speedily I put my life in another's trust without much care.

I guess this is what a specialist does.

On Saturday I took my daughter to a dermatologist for some scalp problems(which are minor and easily treatable) and he looked me square in the eye and asked if any of the four of us (had the three girls with me) had ANY skin issues he could treat or look at while we were there with him. Suddenly I said "oh yeah I have had this little thing on the back of my head for years, you want to see it?" So I hop up in the chair and ten seconds later (no exaggeration) he is scalping me. Literally, I believe, that is the origin of the word scalpel. He told me it was headed to the lab for a biopsy but he believed it was totally harmless and wouldn't see me again.

Great, I have no time for it.

I wish I could say it was painless but immediately following I had a headache and it has stayed with me all week.

Enter tooth abscess from last week.

Anyone who saw my report on facebook knows that I had an abscess and that I got some meds from the emergency room for a swollen tooth while I was in Napa last week for work. I had a follow-up dental yesterday just to make sure it was okay and it turns out that I had a huge infection in a tooth where I have had a root canal previously.

The dentist tells me I need to either see an oral surgeon to have the tooth removed and replaced with some invasive implant or bridge, OR I can SAVE the tooth and go to an Endodontist.

I weigh my options and decide to go for the one that I believed required fewer appointments and go for the Endodontist who happens to have time right this second to see me.

I hop across town, jump in the chair and after 10 minutes of some fancy x-ray, he proclaims that I have an infection eating into my jaw and sinus cavity and if I don't clean out the tooth with surgery, I had better have the tooth removed or I am looking at serious damage as soon as I run out of the meds and the penicillin is no longer fighting it. And by the way, he has time right now to take care of it.

So what do I do? Cancel my phone calls for the afternoon and put on some really fancy glasses to watch a movie while he slices up my gum and heads into the tooth through the side.

12 hours later I am up early with a swollen, tender jaw icing my wounds.

Is this what millions of Americans do each day? Hop into a chair and submit to an man with more education and likely more debt and trust him with your life?

Assume that the pills they put in a little cup are going to help you rather than hurt you? Trust that his gentle guiding hand is skilled with a blade aimed at your fleshy parts and that his experience is enough to allow you to live through it?

Yet here I sit healing, living proof that indeed you may trust a stranger with your life and if the x-ray is any indicator, I am on my way to recovery without the black spot in my jawbone.

I really wanted to link a video clip that I ran across last night to show you the procedure so you could feel sorry for me, but it was a bit graphic and I like to keep this site family friendly.