september can't come soon enough
We're only halfway through August and already it's one of those months you couldn't pay me enough to live through again--I've spent it stressed, sad, and sick, and I haven't even gotten to the part that involves a surgeon cutting apart my face.
I'm scheduled to have reconstructive jaw surgery (round two) on Tuesday. The insurance process involved a nervewracking series of paperwork-hoops to jump through, leading to the kind of anxiety that causes sleepless nights, unwanted weight loss, sudden gray hairs, and bouts of blind rage at the state of the American healthcare system. And I've been lucky--the insurance approval finally came last week, although the out-of-pocket requirements wiped out my savings account and have obliged me to take on some extra freelance work.
The medical woes were compounded by some episodes of private distress, and topped off with a sudden bout of laryngitis on Monday. At least the loss of my voice saved my poor friends from having to listen to me cry and complain all week. I can finally talk again now, but apparently only in the voice of an elderly two-pack-a-day smoker who eats gravel for breakfast.
At this rate, I'm almost looking forward to post-surgical recovery; it might just turn out to be the most relaxing part of my summer. I am going to read a pile of books and watch TV on my laptop and play with the sweet stray kitty we're fostering on the deck. I may even get around to the long-awaited redesign/move of the blog. If you have any suggestions for distracting literature, cinema, music, etc, share away.
I'm scheduled to have reconstructive jaw surgery (round two) on Tuesday. The insurance process involved a nervewracking series of paperwork-hoops to jump through, leading to the kind of anxiety that causes sleepless nights, unwanted weight loss, sudden gray hairs, and bouts of blind rage at the state of the American healthcare system. And I've been lucky--the insurance approval finally came last week, although the out-of-pocket requirements wiped out my savings account and have obliged me to take on some extra freelance work.
The medical woes were compounded by some episodes of private distress, and topped off with a sudden bout of laryngitis on Monday. At least the loss of my voice saved my poor friends from having to listen to me cry and complain all week. I can finally talk again now, but apparently only in the voice of an elderly two-pack-a-day smoker who eats gravel for breakfast.
At this rate, I'm almost looking forward to post-surgical recovery; it might just turn out to be the most relaxing part of my summer. I am going to read a pile of books and watch TV on my laptop and play with the sweet stray kitty we're fostering on the deck. I may even get around to the long-awaited redesign/move of the blog. If you have any suggestions for distracting literature, cinema, music, etc, share away.
posted by kitabet at 7:00 PM
5 Comments:
god the surgery sounds awful :( Hope it goes well - geçmiş olsun!- and hope other things sort themselves out too...
I remember living with wisdom tooth pain for months because I didn't have the money to afford any treatment till I went back home...it's insane how much dentists charge for just touching your teeth!
I saw Iklimler last week and thought it was quite excellent...other than that the only movies I have seen recently have been generic Bollywood trash - which are very good time pass, I have to admit.
So sorry to hear this -- I'll be thinking of you and wishing you a fast and easy recovery and successful outcome. My &%$#!! teeth are actually a bit better after the last round of surgery, knock on wood, though the healing is still continuing and one implant may need more bone grafting. all of which is simply to say -- I sympathize, both with the pain and worry, and with how much it costs. Hope you can get this behind you soon!
Oh gosh, poor you! Sending you lots of love and sympathy and hoping you can indeed line up lots of enjoyable reading and pottering to do while your convalesce. I'm sure the cat will be therapeutic.
Sz, it's no fun but I've been through worse (a more extensive version) before, so I know I'll get through. Thanks--and now you've got me wondering about Singapore health care (on which I have read some interesting things)--are you eligible for it, or not, on account of citizenship? And I liked Iklimler very much, but will probably be laying of the brooding subtitled films for a bit, as the combination of pain/discomfort and medication for the same is probably going to render me unable to appreciate them fully. Have had to totally revise my Netflix queue, as brooding-subtitled is the usual fare!
Beth: thanks--so glad to hear your teeth seem to be doing better. When I've been frustrated at the amount of time and money it's taking to do this now, I've thought of how much trouble you've had over the years, and reminded myself that it's worth trying to fix this now before it gives me decades of trouble.
Jean: thanks too, and the cat is indeed marvelously therapeutic. I should post pictures.
Luckily (thank god!) I haven't had much experience with doctors or clinics in Singapore. Whatever little I have had has been mostly iffy in all honesty - it's been the same in the experience of a lot of my friends as well. In general its just been bad/ poor/ slow diagnosis. Though I guess it might just be specific to GP's and not true to the hospitals.
My wisdom tooth started acting up in my final year of school and at that time I didn't have any coverage/money to take care of it and the pain eventually subsided only to come back once I was working. Of course, I was still going through immigration procedures at that point and the insurance provided by my employers didn't cover dental though it did provide S$500 of unmarked medical funds. The doctor here made a big fuss and said I needed to get both teeth removed and that they weren't growing out straight etc. etc. The removal would have cost be some S$1,200. (It would have been cheaper for me to fly to Delhi, get them removed and then fly back!). In anycase, I took painkillers and the pain would appear for brief spells and then disappear so I lived with it till I went home. I went to my dad's dentist in Delhi and after an x-ray was told my teeth were growing out straight and the pain was there only because they were rupturing and as such there was no need for a surgical removal of the teeth. So basically all that was needed was for them to remove the skin around the wisdom teeth and give it enough space to grow out - it took all of fifteen minutes and I haven't had any trouble since and saved a lot of money. So basically, I prefer my doctors back in India.
Ok, this was very long and random comment.
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