Dental Day One

Our first day at Algodones.

   Our appointment was at 9am so not knowing the route and layout, we left our Yuma motel at 7:45.  Got on I-8 and drove west about 6 miles to the Algodones Road exit which is the same exit for the Quesan Casino.  Three miles south on the paved street puts youo at the US/Mexico border.  There is an RV park there if you need hook-ups otherwise there are spaces in the desert to park your rig for free.  Right on the border is a parking lot owned by the local Indian Tribe that charges $5 to park for the day.
    We parked and walked into Mexico.  It was 8:15 so it was fairly quiet.  The shops were starting to open up and a few other folks were slowly starting to enter Mexico, probably because they had early dental appointments also.  At the appointed time our dentist picked us up in front of the Purple Pharmacy and drove us severl blocks to our dentist's office.  There must be 40-50 dentists in this small town.  Also there are a dozen pharmacies and two dozen optical places as well.  Put all those together and fill up the other stores with jewelry, pots, knick knacks, etc. and you get an idea of Algondones.  Narrow streets, brightly painted buildings, some vehicle traffic, a few visible police and federalies.  Now add several hundred Americans every day to complete the picture.
   Our driver, Hector, who is the bookkeeper for the business, delivered us, in a few minutes to the office, which is a new building a few blocks away from the downtown hussle.  Like I said, very new and very nice.
   A few minutes and both os us were in chairs being examined.  After x-ray s I found out that I had a badly cracked tooth that will need to be pulled and a broken tooth that needed a root canal before it could get a crown.  R had similar extensive and expensive news. 
   Bottom line, I had my root canal, not painful but certainly not fun.  R had prep work done for a crown.  Tomorrow my cracked tooth will be extracted and the other will get a temporary crown.  R will also get an extraction (the same tooth number as mine but on the other side) and then get a permanent crown on her prepped tooth.  We will both have sore mouths for a while.
   We also have an appointment for next Friday to get the permanent crown on my tooth and to have our extractions areas checked. 

Dental work is so much fun...

Medical Report

Actually, there is no medical news.  Even with all the testing, they have not found anything that would explain what happened to me.  I have having another EEG this morning before we leave, to see if anything is different from the first one.  At least it is not a "sleep deprived" test like the last one.

   And so we wait.......

Two Weeks in Arizona

Today we jump in the Prius and drive to Arizona for two weeks.  It is part vacation, part medical ( dental) for you see we are going to go Mexico for our dental work.  Algodones is right on the border of Arizona and caters to Americans who don't have insurance and need dental work, prescriptions, or glasses.  We have never been there, but have talked to many people who have.  Both of us need to have two crowns made so the savings over using our Eugene dentist is several thousand dollars.  Well worth the trip.  Our appoinment is for Friday Feb, 22nd when we get our teeth prepped and the next day, Saturday, the 23rd, we will get our crowns.  I am really loooking forward to not having to chew and just the left side of my mouth.   To top it off, yesterday I broke a tooth on the right side, so I really have to be careful for a few days.  I am not happy about another tooth breaking, but the timing is just right.  I will give you a report on Algodones and how it went.

  The second week of our trip will be spent visiting friends in the Phoenix area.  That will be fun.

  We are not taking the laptop to Arizona, so this is the last report for two weeks.  See yo when we get back.

I Watched my Heart

Today was the day for two Ultrasounds.  Riverbend Hospital has a Heart and Vascular wing and that was my destination. 

   First the Heart test.  I watched my heart beat.  I watched my valves open and close, open and close.  I watched it move rhythmically to it's own beat.  I listened to the sound of that the ultrasound broadcasted in the room.  It was humbling and fastinating.  I asked many questions and learned a great deal, but will only remember a fraction of the info. 

 Another room, another ultrasound, this one of the arteries of the neck.  Again, I watched the screen.  I asked lots of questions.  I learned a great deal.  The Tech was looking for plaque.  Plaque is the bad guy.  It forms up on the walls of the arteries and inhibits blood flow.  What are the causes of plaque?  Life style choices;  excercise, diet, smoking.  Add that to any family history and trouble is around the corner.  Smoking is the worst!   Don't do it!  

   Test results hopefully soon.

The tests continue

Since my last post.  I have spent several hours in several offices, getting several tests, with the bottom line being nothing is new.

   I met with the neurologist.  The news from him is that just because the blood test showed elevated prolactin levels does not, automatically mean a seizure happened.  Fainting of any kind would also produce a similar occurance.  This meant further testing to find out more (or to e.iminate other causes).

   Monday I had a fasting blood sugar test.  No breakfast, drink sugar solution, blood sample at 0, 30, 60, and 120 minutes.  Test results yet to be revealed.