hqueen's collection of Far From the Usual stuff.

[hqueen13]

Well, if winter would quit threatening, spring might get here. The winter storm projected yesterday was a total flop. We had wet snow for a few hours, but it didn't stick, and the rain melted it all anyway. It was plain gross outside, but made for easy feeding of the horses since they were all in last night anyway.
I think I will finally get the rest of the pruning done this weekend. Its supposed to be sunny and 55 on Saturday! WAHOOO!!!!! I'm THRILLED and SO ready for it. I have quite a few more trees to trim up, and I'm going to attempt to try to prune the arborvitaes this year. The deer chowing down on the bottom of them means that the tops are thicker than the bottom and they look rather, um, rude shaped. We'll see if I can get that far or not. I already got most of the crepe myrtles trimmed, only the largest one needs a little more touch up. I've got to finish the Rose of Sharon, and hack back the butterfly bush. If I can reach some of the cigar tree and the mullberry tree I'll trim those down. Plus the 3 trees behind the fence, and the beautiful Lacy Leaf Maple that I am so in love with (its thriving now that I am pruning it every year!!). I need to prune the trees behind the barn, which will take all of two minutes, and that should be it. Then the next question becomes whether or not I can manage to prune the azaleas and the rhodies this year after they bloom to help them along for next year. They've been rather neglected and have suffered quite a bit of damage from the winter storms a few years back.
Other than that, I'm trying to work on cleaning things out in the house. I'm tired of the crap lying around, and with E living with us its one more person and one more person's stuff in the house. It has shown me how much stuff I really don't need to have and should get rid of. With a possible pending move before the end of the year, I really need to focus on getting things done and being prepared for whatever happens. That's a scary prospect, but I know it will be really positive in the long run. The challenge is just going to be getting momentum to get it done before things start to swiftly change and I am under a time crunch. I've always been better at being a procrastinator rather than proactive.... :/

 

[hqueen13]

Geesh, things have been moving fast around here!
The Other Half is about to change jobs, and the new job doesn't have allowance for Significant Others to be included on the insurance policies. Bummer. So that means I'm losing the insurance, which I am mostly upset about because I'll be losing the dental and vision plans. And I'm RIGHT in the middle of trying to finish getting my dental work done to get the crown for the gap that I have where there has never been a tooth.
I went to the surgeon yesterday that did the implant, and he cleared me to get the crown (hopefully it will be stable enough... but that's another story), and so now I have ~2 weeks to get the crown done and billed under the current insurance. I frantically called the office this morning, and they were super helpful, and I'll be headed up there this afternoon for the impression, and then I'll get the crown on the 4th of April. Have I mentioned how much I H.A.T.E. dental impressions?! I just keep trying to tell myself that this is the last one and it'll be over.
I was worried about the financial stuff, but at <$800.00 it was definitely worth stretching the budget in order to get this DONE and not have to pay full price without the insurance. I was going to put it off for a little while longer, but oh well! As it works out I've got the Care Credit financing available, which will cover $600.00 of it, and then I can handle the other $200.00 without too much strain. I hate pulling it out of savings, but it is what it is. Once I pay off the current balance on my Care Credit, I'll have another 10 months, no interest, to pay off the $600.00. I think I can handle that!
Other than that, I'm still dying for spring... it just can't come fast enough!

 

[hqueen13]

SOooooo my afternoon dissolved into insanity....
I got to the Dr F's and they took the lower impression and then did a bite impression (that was WEIRD!) which were both fairly easy. Then Dr F came in and was getting everything set up to remove the healing cap on the implant so that she could put in the other hardware to take the impression on the top. She gets all set up, and puts the wrench on the healing cap and torques. It didn't budge. She pushes and pushes on it, and it won't move at all. I'm laughing by this time because the visit to Dr. H's the day before was interesting because he said the healing cap was loose, and then wasn't sure if the healing cap was moving or if the implant was moving. He cleared me to get the crown anyway, and now they couldn't get the healing cap off! She called him on the phone and he was in disbelief that it was stuck, and since he was in another location, she sent me back up to the office to see someone else to try to get it off since they have more specialized tools. So I had to drive up the road a ways to their office, then wait a little while so they could work me in (I think they were close to closing anyway), and Dr. S attempted to get the healing cap off. He and the assistant were standing on either side of the chair, and he started torquing, and torqued and torqued, and it wouldn't budge, and he and the assistant are looking at each other over my head, and I knew this wasn't exactly routine... FINALLY after much pushing and a little grumbling about Dr. H, it loosened and so he put on a NEW one to make sure that it would be fine for Dr F and I headed back down the road....
Got back to Dr. F's and they took off the cap and put in the little parts they needed to take the impression, which was GROSS, I struggled with that one! Finally got done, and got ready to make the payment. I had scrambled to be prepared to pay the amount that they quoted me a week earlier when I was in the office for my cleaning today since I wasn't expecting to go to the dentist at all that quickly, and then they get ready and tell me the total is $1300.00 instead of $800. I asked them why it was different and they said that Dr. H had done a different kind of implant than they thought, so it was going to have to be billed differently and it cost more. I asked them why the heck they didn't know that since I had the implant done back in December, and I'm SURE Dr. H sent the report over, and there is no way I, as a patient, would be able to know the difference. They allowed me to pay just the $800.00, and then they'll bill for it once the crown is done and see what the insurance company comes back with. That'll give me time to get the extra $500.00 together. I was a bit irritated that they didn't have their crap together to know what the heck was really going on, I guess someone just assumed it was "normal" (they failed to realize NOTHING is "normal" with me...) and didn't bother to look at the report and connect that with what I would need to have done for the crown at their office. But they have handled it well, despite the fact that it is their mistake, so hopefully I won't owe any more once this is all said and done.
So in 2 weeks I'll have a crown and a full set of teeth for the first time since I was really young (probably 20 years ago!!)

 

[~gd]

SOooooo my afternoon dissolved into insanity....
I got to the Dr F's and they took the lower impression and then did a bite impression (that was WEIRD!) which were both fairly easy. Then Dr F came in and was getting everything set up to remove the healing cap on the implant so that she could put in the other hardware to take the impression on the top. She gets all set up, and puts the wrench on the healing cap and torques. It didn't budge. She pushes and pushes on it, and it won't move at all. I'm laughing by this time because the visit to Dr. H's the day before was interesting because he said the healing cap was loose, and then wasn't sure if the healing cap was moving or if the implant was moving. He cleared me to get the crown anyway, and now they couldn't get the healing cap off! She called him on the phone and he was in disbelief that it was stuck, and since he was in another location, she sent me back up to the office to see someone else to try to get it off since they have more specialized tools. So I had to drive up the road a ways to their office, then wait a little while so they could work me in (I think they were close to closing anyway), and Dr. S attempted to get the healing cap off. He and the assistant were standing on either side of the chair, and he started torquing, and torqued and torqued, and it wouldn't budge, and he and the assistant are looking at each other over my head, and I knew this wasn't exactly routine... FINALLY after much pushing and a little grumbling about Dr. H, it loosened and so he put on a NEW one to make sure that it would be fine for Dr F and I headed back down the road....
Got back to Dr. F's and they took off the cap and put in the little parts they needed to take the impression, which was GROSS, I struggled with that one! Finally got done, and got ready to make the payment. I had scrambled to be prepared to pay the amount that they quoted me a week earlier when I was in the office for my cleaning today since I wasn't expecting to go to the dentist at all that quickly, and then they get ready and tell me the total is $1300.00 instead of $800. I asked them why it was different and they said that Dr. H had done a different kind of implant than they thought, so it was going to have to be billed differently and it cost more. I asked them why the heck they didn't know that since I had the implant done back in December, an[wad I'm SURE Dr. H sent the report over, and there is no way I, as a patient, would be able to know the difference. They allowed me to pay just the $800.00, and then they'll bill for it once the crown is done and see what the insurance company comes back with. That'll give me time to get the extra $500.00 together. I was a bit irritated that they didn't have their crap together to know what the heck was really going on, I guess someone just assumed it was "normal" (they failed to realize NOTHING is "normal" with me...) and didn't bother to look at the report and connect that with what I would need to have done for the crown at their office. But they have handled it well, despite the fact that it is their mistake, so hopefully I won't owe any more once this is all said and done.
So in 2 weeks I'll have a crown and a full set of teeth for the first time since I was really young (probably 20 years ago!!)

I wish I had read this sooner! I had all my upper teeth [what remained,that is] extracted a week ago and 4 implants placed to support my new dentures. They gave me a temp. upper plate and THEN told me that I would heal faster without it so it sits in my bathroom because I can't Stand to try to use it to chew with. The original plan called for 5 implants but could not find sound bone for the 5th. Funny the charge for 4 was the same as quoted for 5. They make it sound so simple and now I know from your post that it isn't. My broker keeps telling me that" i can't take it with me" and I tell him that I will because I am investing in my mouth not stocks.
Before I had to be carefull wher I chewed, now I can't chew at all! I am thinking I made a big mistake.

 

[hqueen13]

Naa, its not simple, gd, and for me, personally, I'm the quirk that always has more challenges. It took them 3 hours to do an acl/pcl install on my knee because I was born without them, where as traditional acl/pcl repair surgery takes no more than an hour.
I'm grateful that they are absolutely confident that the implant is secure now. There is no doubt in my mind since I had it tugged on no less than 3 times hard by a few different people! I hope that means it'll be suck in there for a LONG time.
I can understand people commenting on not wanting to make body improvements as they age because of their "expiration date" but wouldn't you want to be comfortable and happy rather than uncomfortable and grumpy?? I sure would!
I hope your work progresses easy and smooth and that you're able to chew again soon!! How long do you have to wait until the next step happens?

 

[hqueen13]

So apparently we have lice in the house.... I suspect that they came from the dogs somehow... I haven't been in contact with anything close enough to GET lice. Working on getting rid of them FAST. Now I just have to do a lot of cleaning this weekend....
I'm covering for one of the girls in one of our satellite offices, and she has some sort of air freshener in here that is giving me a headache! This is why I don't use fake crap anymore! Its awful... I could open the window but its COLD out there... I did turn up the heat, and I don't know that it really helped. I wish it were warmer outside because I would seriously open the window WIDE here... because I can!
At least my consolation is that I get to sit here all day and do nothing.... No patients, no doctor to deal with, no nothing!

 

[~gd]

Naa, its not simple, gd, and for me, personally, I'm the quirk that always has more challenges. It took them 3 hours to do an acl/pcl install on my knee because I was born without them, where as traditional acl/pcl repair surgery takes no more than an hour.
I'm grateful that they are absolutely confident that the implant is secure now. There is no doubt in my mind since I had it tugged on no less than 3 times hard by a few different people! I hope that means it'll be suck in there for a LONG time.
I can understand people commenting on not wanting to make body improvements as they age because of their "expiration date" but wouldn't you want to be comfortable and happy rather than uncomfortable and grumpy?? I sure would!
I hope your work progresses easy and smooth and that you're able to chew again soon!! How long do you have to wait until the next step happens?

I am 75 but I am shooting for at least another 20. I don't know when the next step happens I am a week behind where I should be already. they were supposed to take out the stiches yeaterday but asked me to come back next Wed "just to be on the safe side" translation I am not healing as fast as expected. They like to wait 3-4 months for the jaw bone to regrow around the implants, and then they are supposed to cut back down to the tops of the implants and install a plate of false teeth. I had planned to have the lower jaw done also but as of today I am chicken and going to wait to see how the upper jaw works before I go through that again. The change in diet is having other effects as I cook everything so it is soft. I am grumpy! ~gd

 

[Denim Deb]

Are the lice on you, or on the dogs or what? Lice are host specific, so if they're not human head lice, you don't need to worry about getting them.

 

[hqueen13]

Oh yeah, Deb... on my head and I was ITCHY!!! Plus I had the "rash" around my neck and upper shoulders that I saw listed as a symptom. I have NO idea how I could have gotten them, I've gone over everything I could think of, and just can't come up with anything. No one else in the house has them, not the other half or E. The other half shaves his head anyway, and E has short hair and hasn't been itchy. Crazy!!
I'm just glad that my head isn't itchy anymore. I don't think I had a bad case at all, really, I think it could have been MUCH worse. It probably helped that I rinse my hair with vinegar instead of conditioner, so that is probably part of what kept it from getting really bad. Yay for natural remedies!!!

Other news is that the other half and I have decided that we have both grown and changed in different directions and our lives are no longer meant to run parallel together. Its very mutual, and we're both really being supportive of each other. He's about to get a nice promotion and/or a new job (depends on the counter offer at this point...), which is fantastic for him, and while I can't support myself on my own right now, I'm searching for a better job. Once we get our finances individually under control then we'll move out at the same time. Since E has been staying with us, he'll probably end up helping me for a while until I can really get on my feet. He and I get along really well and have become good friends.

So lots of change coming, but it will be good.

And Thursday I go to get my crown, its going to be strange having a full set of teeth for the first time in 10+ years...

 

[Denim Deb]

Are you still looking to move out of that area, or are you planning on staying now?