Highs and Lows

Yesterday was one of those days that had very high highs and very low lows.  I shall explain!

The high was the first half of the day.  We went to breakfast with Barb and Al at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort.  The breakfast menu there is truly spectacular with its signature dish of Tonga Toast and the beyond delicious Macadamia and Pineapple Pancakes.  Barb had never had Tonga Toast, so she ordered that and was not disappointed.  The rest of us all had the pancakes.  Mark was determined to finish them, but Al and I had more sense!  It's a huge portion.

At least when we were done, we walked some of it off at the Magic Kingdom.  Despite the heat and crowds, we took the monorail over and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Peter Pan.  Three of my favorites!  On the way out we stopped into the Sorcerer's area and got four packs of cards.  Barb and Al are collecting them, but you can only get one pack per day per person.  Mark and I aren't collecting, but we got our packs and that gave Barb and Al five or six new cards for their set. It was a pretty good day for them because they already have most of the set, so to get that many new ones out of these four sets was pretty rare.

It was National Chili Dog Day, so Mark and I went home and had low fat kosher dogs with vegetarian chili on them for lunch.  Delicious!

That was the end of the good part of the day.

At 4 p.m. I had a dentist appointment. It was for a check up and cleaning.  My dental insurance pays for that twice a year, and I'm usually pretty good about it.  Somehow I missed going in December, so it was a year and one month since my last visit.  In the meantime I knew I was having some odd feelings in the tooth that got its root canal last summer. The endodontist had warned me that it wasn't going to last long, so I was expecting trouble.

Well, I got there at 3:50 and signed in and took my seat, like the sign said.  At 4:45 when I had never been called, I went to the desk.  I could tell the girl was shocked to see me.  She had been on the phone making appointments the entire time.  She had never seen me sign in. She picked up the clipboard and looked shock to see a name on there.  She apologized profusely and said she'd get me in.  I went to the dentist's office for the check up part at 5 p.m., but I didn't get out until 6 p.m.  Then I didn't even have time for the cleaning, so it got rescheduled for August 7.  Ridiculous. Two hours just for a check up.

As if that wasn't bad enough, of course the tooth was bad.  It has a cavity and an abscess in it, which causes the pain when I chew on that side too much. It has to be pulled.  Unfortunately, the far back molar on that side (lower left) also has a cavity in it and is starting to get bad. It's also got a root canal in it already.  Both of these teeth are under a bridge.  So I need the bridge removed and both teeth pulled, leaving me with no molars on the left.  Dental implants are the best solution, but they are not covered by insurance (considered cosmetic surgery) and cost thousands.  Instead I will have a partial removable denture plate made.  Fun times.  I don't have time do do any of this now before our trip to California, so the fall will now be filled up with many dental appointments. 
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I need to go see an endodontist for the final say so on the fact that the teeth need to be pulled. Then I have to go to the oral surgeon to have them pulled.  God only knows who makes the false teeth!  It will take a long time for this to be over.

But WAIT!  That's not all.  I have calcification below the gum line, so I'm being told a regular cleaning (meaning free!) isn't an option.  I now need a "medium" cleaning for $30, and then two deep cleanings (left side upper and lower one day and right side upper and lower another day) for $120.  This deep cleaning is the same thing Mark needs.  I was told I need this done every three months. I said NO WAY!  My cost of  $120 is MY PORTION. I told them I'm going to do it only as often as my insurance SAYS they will pay some of it.  Then I need "maintenance" cleanings in between at $20 each.  This is just too many times to go to the dentist and too much money to spend on teeth! 

Well, by then it was 6 p.m.  Mark and I had plans to go to dinner at the Bistro and then walk across the street to see the movie "The Artist," which started at 7.  If I did the cleaning at that point, there was going to be no going out. I said no to the cleaning and rescheduled.  But on the way home I just got so angry about the money and the time and the loss of two teeth and the possibility of pain in California and a trip to an emergency dentist (that probably would not be covered by my dental HMO insurance), that I just wanted to cry. I was talking to Mark on the phone and asked him to have a shot of whiskey ready for me when I got home.  HE DID!

When I got home, I just couldn't go out again. I drank the whiskey and Mark made us the rest of the chili and hot dogs for a quick and easy and light dinner.  I had a tossed salad and a banana and called it a day for eating.  The whiskey calmed me down, and Mark paid $5 for "The Artist" On Demand, so we still saw the movie. 

And to top it all off, my new shoes rubbed a blister on my right big toe!  AARRGGH!!

Highs and Lows.

I promise next time I will talk about the great trip to Gatorland and put up some pictures. I also have some pictures of our MK fun with Barb and Al.  I just don't have the time right now to post them. I have to take Mark to WalMart for an eye exam appointment at 10 a.m.