Heads or Tails?

Ok, I guess if you are going to write a blog about retirement, you have to include some aging and health related stuff.  So for some of you, that probably means closing the browser now...

Generally I try to keep up on all my checkups and physicals.  I guess a scare with cancer causes some paranoia here.  So, in December I  decided that January would be a good time to get some of this stuff out of the way because what else can you do when it's cold and snowy, right?   And then of course I got to January and began to question that decision.


So it's halfway through the month, and I've already been through a couple of "harrowing" appointments.  First was some dental work; my new dentist said I needed 2 new crowns.  So, lucky me,  I got to spend $1400 out of pocket for the lovely 2.5 hour experience of shots, drilling, building up the teeth, creating impressions for temporary and permanent crowns and installing temporary crowns.

I was so tense through the entire appointment that my body was stiff when I finally got out of the chair.  My favorite line was when the dentist asked "did anyone ever tell you that you have a small mouth?".  I guess it must have been difficult to get all of his "instruments of torture"in there.  And no, I don't recall anyone ever saying I had a small mouth before...

So, in a couple more weeks I get the pleasure of having the permanent crowns installed.  Hard to imagine why it would take 3 weeks to make them.  Must be made in France or something. I'm sure they will be BEAUTIFUL!

And for those of you over 50 who have experienced  a colonoscopy, you will remember the next experience.

Ok, I won't go into all the details here. Suffice it to say the prep day wasn't much fun. What with a liquid diet (this is the only time I eat jello) and drinking toxic solutions at 6 pm and again at 3 am that cause more than a few trips to the bathroom, I was ready for the procedure to be over.

And actually the procedure itself is the easy part.  They give you some good drugs like Versed and Demerol, and then you wake up like nothing happened.  Afterwards Mike helped me out to the car because I was stumbling about like a drunk.  And then it was  home for breakfast, and  I vaguely recall how difficult it was to put cream cheese on my bagel so I guess it's good advice when they tell you not to drive or make important decisions the day of the procedure.  After a whole day of napping, I feel normal again today.  The good news is that the procedure went well with no problems, and I don't have to think about it again for 5 years.

Wendy 

So I've been the "butt" of lots of jokes lately. From Mike saying it's a good "heads or tails" month, to Kevin asking "how my rear end procedure" went (sounds like I'm a car),  I just relied on my favorite black cat to stick with me (and read me all the big words).

Take care and stay healthy!
Diane