Teeth and Eyes -- Fri., Oct. 19

How often do you think about your teeth, tongue and jaws? Maybe when you have a dentist appointment, or if your teeth are sensitive to cold, or if you bite down on something hard that shouldn't have been in your food, or if you have pain when you chew.

I took my teeth for granted. Granted, I brushed and flossed every day, went to the dentist regularly for checkups, and used mouthwash from time to time. But on a normal day, I didn't think about my teeth, tongue and jaws much. I was able to bite, eat, talk, chew, sneeze, yawn, gnash, grind, lick my lips, and run my tongue around the crevices in my teeth looking for little orts that got stuck after a meal.

That all changed with the fall. Bob told me that on the way to the emergency room, I kept repeating, "My teeth are broken. What are we going to do about my teeth?" He said I kept repeating it and repeating it the whole way to the hospital. I was in shock. I don't remember repeating it like that. I do remember saying it a couple of times. I am happy I was lucid, but I was in shock. A concussion and major face plant will do that to you.

I think about my teeth and jaws all day now. I know two are broken and the one between the two broken ones is loose and very sensitive to cold. Two dentists have told me that they can't make any recommendations until the wires are out. Yesterday, the maxillofacial surgeon's office called to change my appointment for wire removal from Tuesday to Wednesday of next week. That necessitated calling the dentist's office and rescheduling my consultation from Wednesday to Thursday.

The second dentist I am going to see next week came highly recommended from a lady who worked in San Antonio as a dental hygienist. Their office has a great website. When I read it, I cried. There is a write up on the dentist who is going to do my consult and it really touched my heart. Not only that, but he has quite the credentials. His office is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and can make crowns right there while you wait. Their web site actually gave me a glimmer of hope that they may be able to help me get my teeth fixed in the four business days we have before our trip. I'll know more after X-rays and the consult next Wednesday.

The eyes have it. I have been without my glasses since the fall. Because of the broken nose, I could not go to the optometrist right away. But I'm happy to report, I had my eye exam last week and my glasses came in to Costco today! Yay, I can see again. Now I can drive!

Slowly but surely I am taking care of my needs. Bob has been very helpful in driving me to all my appointments. Once I get the wires out of my jaw, I'll start driving myself to the remaining appointments.

This weekend we will most likely go to another movie (Searching for Sugarman) and do laundry. I can't wait to get out and about more. And I especially can't wait to write about travel again! You're probably sayin', "We can't wait either."

Thanks for being patient during this time of healing. I appreciate your concern and compassion.

Welcome to Donna and Russ from Travels in Therapy who travel in their Lazy Daze motor home. We follow you, you follow us and one of these days maybe we'll get the chance to meet each other in person!

Travel Bug out.