Doctor, Doctor

This past week was not much fun for us. Doctor, dentist, and physical therapy appointments dominated our time. Here, in chronological order, is how the events of the week went down.

Monday.

I had an appointment with my oral surgeon (in Mason City) to check if I could proceed to the next step in getting an implant for a broken front tooth. The surgeon had removed the broken tooth a few months back, and it was a painful process, mostly because of where the novacane had to be injected. Monday’s appointment did not include any procedures, just an exam. I was cleared for the next procedure, actually implanting the “post” in my jaw. The implant appointment was scheduled for Thursday.

I combined a few other tasks during Monday’s trip. After leaving the oral surgery office I stopped at Great Clips for a haircut. The last one had been in early December so I was getting rather shaggy. A stop at the Mason City Walmart was in order to pick up some supplies. The car needed gas so I filled it up [at $3.099 per gallon], then headed home.

Tuesday.

Pam had been having some intermittent pain in her side. A trip to the Decorah clinic for a CT scan had been scheduled for Tuesday, so off we went. (Pam’s sister, Becky, came up from her home in Greene to watch the dogs and meet Nati the cat. We thank her for that.)

The CT scan revealed a kidney stone as the cause of Pam’s pain. She was prescribed a drug that will hopefully relax the duct and allow the stone to pass. Pam feels better at present, but can’t tell if the stone has actually passed. This is an ongoing situation that will require attention and follow-up.

Wednesday.

I went to my first physical therapy session in Cresco at the clinic. This first visit was to establish a baseline from which to judge improvement in my range of motion. After improving that aspect, strength improvement will be addressed.

The PT therapist indicated my arm was more “loose” than many that had spent 6 weeks in a sling. He seemed to know his stuff and moved my arm through a variety of motions to judge my current range of motion. He prescribed a few exercises I could get started on and all were passive, no lifting weights or pulling, just trying to extend my arm in different directions. Here is one of my exercises:

Thursday.

Back to the oral surgeon in Mason City; I was dreading this day, oral surgery to install the post for my implant. The extraction had been painful due to where the novacane had to be injected, above the front of my jaw and under the nose. This time it was not as bad, but still painful.

The post has a “healing cap” on it so I have to be careful not to disturb the area. The cap will be removed when the tooth is built on top of the post. Below is an internet photo of a screw in place with a tooth built on top.

I needed to stop at Walmart to pick up two prescriptions to be used during the next week, an oral rinse and some Amoxicillin. When I got home I took a couple of Ibuprofen to help ease the discomfort, and another dose on Friday so I could get some sleep.

Friday.

My second PT was scheduled for Friday. This session began a series of stretching exercises aimed at improving my range of motion. I can’t lift very high with my right arm which makes washing my hair a one-handed job, and getting stuff down from second-level shelving is a left-hand task. I hope the exercises done at home and the PT will result in better reaching capabilities.

So that was the week. Doctors every day, and none of it fun.

Pam accomplished several other tasks during the week. The storage shelves were rolled out of the guest bedroom, two coats of paint put on the walls, and Nati the cat was moved into the room and given more area to run around in and explore. Here are photos of the room and Nati.

Speaking of cats, here are a couple images of the “terrible two” – Stirling and Vienna.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Rural healthcare in NE Iowa is a patchwork of frustration. Since we moved to Iowa in 2019-2020, Himself and I have scheduled appointments at six providers – clinics, specialists, hospitals. Their locations are anywhere from blocks away to 75+ miles away. Of the six providers, only three of them are on the same medical records system and can “communicate” with each other. The other three need to have paper copies of records FAXed back and forth. This is the real “pain,” putting responsibility for records transfer on the patient rather than the institution(s). Not to mention filling out endless forms and medical history at each location.

I was pleased the facility administering the CT scan on Tuesday was part of the medical records network. And also that pertinent medical information was actually reviewed prior to the scan. The wonders of technology.

Happy Trails.