April chitchat thread

[agate]

Dewey, Pullham, and Howe were closed, so I saw my fabulous dentist yesterday. The tooth is GONE! Yay! Sorry, Howie, you missed your opportunity! Sam, you can put the pliers back in the tool box.

Maybe I got that dental clinic's name wrong. It must have been Dewey, Pullham, and Howie. Heh.

[agate]

Rose, I'm sure you're very relieved that that tooth is out and you can just sit back and apply the icepacks and keep up the warm salt-water rinses and feel better soon. Eating may be different without the tooth but you do get used to it. I've been missing a tooth for years. Replacing it just didn't seem worth the nuisance and expense. Dentists often want to put in a replacement tooth because the remaining teeth in the vicinity will drift with time but you can worry about that much later, usually.

How nice that the dentist and John found things to talk about. It must have made the whole occasion seem more sociable and less of an ordeal.

[SuzE-Q]

Thanks anyway, Howie. Do you still have your pink car? Haven't heard you mention it for a while. Guess I'll have to suck it up and just take mine back to the mechanics then, have a closer look under the hood, or on the computer, as you say. I really miss not having the sense that I can just get in my car and go whenever I like and not worry about it. Here I thought this was going to be an easy, quick fix...

That looks like a good air purifier, Virginia. All filters are expensive, unfortunately. I buy a few so I always have them ready, it feels less painful to have a few in my storage room. The pandemic changed me in that way, I buy more in bulk now.

[Howie]

I still have Pinky, still pay insurance on it, but haven't driven it in years. It's a long story why, that I will tell some other time.

[SuzE-Q]

It must be worth a small fortune now, as my vehicle quickly devolves down to scrap
parts value! $$$

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

SuzE-Q ~

Have you tried Googling your car's problem to see if there are any websites with advice, or YouTube videos about car repairs? You never know, there might be something helpful on the internet. How about asking friends or neighbors for a recommendation to a good repair shop? Or Google repair shops and read Yelp reviews. If you lived near me, I could recommend the one Jim discovered. Fair, reasonable and very nice.

I hear you about older cars needing repairs. John's former work car has over 200k miles on it, but it runs well, as he maintained it properly. I didn't want a new car with all of the computer gadgetry on it. I knew that would just distract me from driving. This is just a basic Toyota, without fancy geegaws. Someday, I may actually drive it. After my teeth are sorted out, I will get my eyes checked and new glasses.

That reminds me ... before I saw the doctor, the nurse asked me a thousand questions about my own and family medical history. She asked me if I had cataracts or glaucoma. I replied, "I have no idea. I haven't had an eye exam for 15 years."

Another question: any family members with developmental disabilities? Really? I just told her my life story, including everything about my sons. I replied, "Yes, my two sons." She apologized.

I am keeping a chart of my BP, heart rate and SATS. I am an expert at charting! My BP has been excellent since Thursday evening, so I am certain that the anxiety associated with my two appointments caused the increases. I love and trust implicitly my doctor and dentist. It isn't them, it's what they might tell me or do to me. Who enjoys going to the dentist? She makes it as easy and pleasant as possible. But, it still isn't something anyone wants to endure.

I hope you're able to get your car repaired soon.

Howie ~

What do you eat with coleslaw now that you don't make spaghetti? What kind of protein is in your diet? Do you eat fruit? I hope that you have a balanced diet.

Pinky must be valuable now, as a classic automobile. Have you ever checked on line to see what she's worth these days? You might be surprised. Some of Jim's favorite TV shows were about fabrication of older vehicles. The fabricators paid a lot of money for some of these cars/trucks, but they made a lot of money, when they were sold.

I know you don't want to let her go. On the other hand, you and Sam might end up living on a yacht, with a full time staff, including a chef.

agate ~

Yes, it is different with my tooth gone. Now, I'm noticing that the front tooth adjacent to it seems out of place. My dentist said that it was also a bit loose. I have a partial denture, so my lost tooth (or teeth) will be added to that denture. We will discuss this at my appointment next week.

I only applied an ice pack at the dentist's office and on the way home. My tote from the dentist included 3 ice bags and a package of gauze pads to apply to the site. I have had no pain or soreness at the site. There is at least one dissolvable suture on the site. So, I feel blessed that I haven't had any problems with the extraction. She has a 5 star rating for a reason.

Actually, I wouldn't mind having full dentures, which Jim had and served him well for many years. It certainly reduced his dental visits, tooth extractions, fillings, cleanings, etc. In turn, that saved a lot of money for dental care, when we didn't have dental insurance.

Sending prayers, and healing, positive energy to all ~ Stay safe and be well ~

Love & Light,

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Rose

[SuzE-Q]

Hi Rose, yes, I Googled this issue after friends told me it was the brake switch and a known issue in VWs, someone in their business had the same issue with their VW. Google confirmed it, said to jam the brakes a few times hard to reset it, and replace the brake switch, which I did. Still the same problem though. But it does start if I jam the brakes. I'd just like it to start normally. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

We've had the same mechanic for the life of my car and earlier, for my last car too.I do trust him, he owns the shop and never pushes me to get added work done. We knew the prior owner too. I guess if it's an issue with the car or model, a new brake switch might still not be making the connection properly. I will take it back in, see what he thinks.

With teeth fixes being so expensive as our teeth begin to age, I think dentures are not a bad way to go. With the missing tooth, it is amazing how quickly teeth move to take up the empty space! Glad you're healing nicely! If your BP seems good, are you thinking you may not need the BP med?

I should get up on all my appointments too, I should really have a colonoscopy and an MRI.

[Virginia]

I have a couple dental bridges on each side. They have been there many years and I am always afraid something will happen to them or the teeth they are hooked onto. When I was very young my teeth were soft and I think a Dentist in Atlanta didn't try to save them. It was just easier to pull them and I was so young and dumb at the time that I just went along with what he said. It would be highly expensive to replace a bridge now and that concerns me. I do not have any dental insurance. I have been going to the same Dentist office since we moved back to Raleigh. I truly would hate to change. Everyone there knows me so well and I know them. However, they don't take any insurance other than a plan of their own. I thought it was rather expensive and I didn't find that it paid anything on bridges. I am going back and look again. I can pay for my own cleaning. I want something that pays the big things, but I don't want to leave them.

Rose, I hope you are healing well. Maybe you will be able to cut back on your blood pressure medicine when everything settles down for you. I don't think I would until the Doctor said it was alright to do it. I stopped checking mine much here at home, since the cardiologist wants me on it regardless, due to the A-fib. I return to my PCP the end of this month and I am interested to see how it checks out there since doubling the dose I was taking.

Suze-Q, they tell me my car would bring quite a bit because of the low mileage. A man I worked for called me a couple of nights ago just to check on me. He had kind of retired, but then got into the used car business. He says they are selling real fast, that he has a hard time keeping them in stock. He also says they cost him more but they are selling for so much more that it doesn't matter. He said if I ever did have to sell mine for any reason that I should let him know and he would sell it and just give me all the money. He was always nice to me.

Agate, thanks for letting me know it is May. I didn't even realize it is the first. Now I have typed all this in April. I wonder if there is a way to transfer it.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

SuzE-Q ~

That's great that you have a mechanic you know and trust. Surely, he will be able to figure out the problem. Generally speaking, VW is a long lasting, reliable car.

It's unlikely that I will stop taking the lisinopril. My BP was outrageously high, which is how I ended up on this journey. I am taking the smallest dose in the morning, and my BP is in the normal range morning, noon, and evening. While I'm not keen on taking any pharmaceutical, I know that they are necessary to manage severe diseases. I'd rather stay on it and be protected from a stroke or heart attack than stop taking it. Evidently, it takes a couple of weeks for it to work, and I'm at that point now.

My dentist has mentioned that teeth move to fill up the space. She was concerned that my partial denture wouldn't fit, as I had not worn it for a couple of weeks, after my tooth loosened. Fortunately, it does still fit.

I'm surprised that you haven't rushed into getting a colonoscopy. After all, like going to the dentist, who doesn't want to have a colonoscopy? That is on my long To Do list. I dread that much more than having my tooth pulled!

Virginia ~

Thanks to agate's recommendation, I have Delta Dental with AARP. The rate is reasonable, and I have the PPO plan, so I can choose my dentist. I didn't think that my dentist would take Delta Dental, but she does. Perhaps you could phone your dentist's office to ask if they accept Delta Dental now.

Some major dental work isn't covered initially and require a year on the Delta Dental plan for coverage. That may be the case for me. But whatever it covers, I am saving money by not paying the entire bill privately.

I also have a bridge on my bottom teeth, which is holding up quite well. My dentist was pleased to see that it was in place, especially since she's the one, who installed it! On your next visit to the dentist, ask him about your bridges, so you can be reassured that they are in tact.

I hope that you receive good news at your PCP appointment this month. For now, I will continue to take my BP 3 times a day, possibly for perpetuity. I learned my lesson in never taking my BP, which means I have no idea how long it has been elevated. High blood pressure doesn't have any noticeable symptoms, so many people are unaware that their BP is elevated. Raising my hand as one of those people.

Prayers and healing, positive energy to all ~

Love & Light,

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Rose

[agate]

I'm not one to recommend Delta Dental, really. It's the only dental insurance plan I've had experience with recently, and it hasn't been a problem so far. There may be far better plans out there.