June 8, 2003 ~ Beware Your Toothbrush
Sunday.
Did you know that a "medium" or "hard" bristle toothbrush can cut right through a tooth? I didn't until I went to the dentist last week.
Yep. Finally got to the dentist, after four years of not going and two years of some pain and sensitivity in a molar that I feared was a cavity. It wasn't. It was where my toothbrush had apparently savagely gorged into my tooth, creating a grove that was making the tooth pained. She gave me a "soft" toothbrush and forbid me to ever use my "medium" one again. Yes Ma'am.
Going to have to get the groove filled anyway. Damn. I've got to get a filling in a hole caused by my toothbrush. That strikes me as deeply unfair. That and the place where one of my front teeth is chipped in a way that is apparently asking for a cavity to form. So it looks like I have some drilling in my future, even though I've taken good care of my teeth.
And no, we still don't know what we're going to do about Morgan's dental work that is supposed to cost several thousand dollars. Right now, we're using the "ignore it and it will go away" tactic and the "I don't want to talk about it" maneuver. (Shhh!)
In other medical news, though, Morgan's been having repeated dizzy spells. Vertigo. He says inside his head it feels like a giant has picked him up and shaken him. He says it feels just like right before you pass out, except his vision has never blacked out from it. It apparently happens several times a day.
He wants to wait and see if it stops happening, but I think he should see a doctor about it, since he's at least five years overdue for a physical anyway. It could be nothing, it could be a small nutritional deficiency, but then again it could be a warning sign of something serious. While I don't have a great deal of faith in doctors after the last several years of my medical history, I do think that some medical advice would be pretty valuable in this. We've been meaning to find a regular doctor in town now that we have insurance, and this, I think, is a good excuse to get moving on that.
To convince Morgan of that, however...
Today is a great day, my friends. I did something that I haven't done in months and months. I bought a book. You know what that means? That means that I had ten extra dollars to spend on something that I wanted rather than needed. That means that last month we had enough to pay our bills, buy our groceries, sock away a little for the Pokey Re-Tiring Project (not to be confused with the Pokey Retiring project) and a little money left over. I can't remember the last time that I had a little spending money.
A book! My very own book, from my favorite used bookstore downtown. It's a collection of Roald Dahl's short stories. Delicious. I plan to start in soon and savor every last word. One little ten-dollar book might not seem anything to talk about for some, but for me it is a great and precious treasure, a tangible manifestation of the financial progress we have made in the last few months. Not only are we breaking even, but we had $10 extra.
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