Crowning Achievement

I worked in my home office today since I had a very special event this afternoon. See if you can guess...

Yup, I got the royal treatment alright. Temporary, though. Apparently when I go back in 10 days for the permanent crown, they will roll out the red carpet and have the formal ceremony.

It's the least they could do for the price I paid for it. And that was only the half insurance didn't cover. Wow. I no longer can snub my nose at beauty queens and pageant monsters, er, moms.

But I probably still will.

I had to go through more pain than them. Actually, the crown isn't bad. It's the root canal beforehand that requires the crown that is not for sissies. Mine was long overdue, but when does a person have $500 just laying around to give to the dentist? I finally bit the bullet, even though I would rather have used that money for a plane trip down South.

This way, I can at least play up the princess card a few days. Until the other princess in the house finds out and/or the clock strikes 12 and I am Cinderella again.

Still going to work on my "wave" just in case. Elbow... elbow... wrist... wrist....

Manic Monday

Hump (or Lump) Day: Bravery can take on many different faces. There are those like my brother and two of my nephews who are willing to serve the country in the military. There are others who find courage to fight cancer or leave an abusive relationship. There are children who "have to be brave" and get their immunization shots.

Then there's me, a certifiable wimp who isn't brave enough to go to the doctor when something's wrong.

Two years after my initial visit with my doctor about a lump on my head, I finally got the courage to go have it removed. I knew all along it wasn't life-threatening, only a bit bothersome with certain hairstyles and wearing certain hats.

My doctor has been ready and willing to cut me open. I just haven't been ready and willing to let him. Finally the other day when my friend was in labor, I said, "If Jana can go through labor then I can get this stupid lump cut off." So I made the appointment and my Monday morning was set.

I won't talk you through the procedure, because I get queasy just thinking about it, but I now have "a sizable divot," 5 stitches and no lump! I managed to get to work and that went OK until the anesthetic started wearing off. Ouch! Good thing I have some pain meds left from my root canal last month (wait, that's twice I've been brave in 2008!).

Special Guest: On Mother's Day, we added another child to our household roster -- but not in the way you'd think. My stepson Clay has moved in and will be living with us through the end of the school year. Our primary goal is to get him to school, where he's missed an average of two days a week this year. We'll also be focusing on homework to get some grades up to passing level. It will be a challenge this late in the game, but that's part of what parenting is all about, right? We love him too much to give up on him. (Prayers are appreciated.)

It's 5 o'clock somewhere: This morning Carter and Daddy were watching sports on TV when a commercial came on. Daddy says: "Wow, 7:30 is a little early for a beer commercial." Carter says: "Maybe that's for the people in New York." (I'll stick with my shredded wheat!)

The root (canal) of all evil

Ever heard that expression "That strikes a nerve"? You know what? When someone does strike a nerve, like say, a dentist, it hurts like hell (and I am willing to pay the dime to say that!).

It started on Wednesday. I had a little pain in my mouth and I gargled with hydrogen peroxide because I figured it was a canker sore. That seemed to do the trick until a few hours later shooting pain blindsided me. And when I say shooting pain, it's the kind that shoots through all the nerves in your mouth and cheek and, in this case, the left side of my head, making me want to rip the side of my face off. That kind of shooting pain.

As it turns out, I experienced this kind of pain about 8 or 9 years ago, when I let myself suffer through it for weeks, thinking maybe I had migraines or something. I later learned it was an abscessed tooth. Trust me, if you haven't experienced that before, consider yourself lucky. If you have experienced childbirth, though, then you kind of get the gist of the type of mind-numbing pain I'm talking about here.

The good news is that as soon I started getting these symptoms Wednesday night I knew it was likely tooth related and called my dentist yesterday morning. Everyone knows it can take months to get a dental appointment. I told the receptionist I had to see the dentist Thursday or Friday because I was leaving for Spring Break this weekend. (Priorities, right?) She informed me my dentist doesn't do Friday office hours, but later called back said he'd come in to take care of me Friday.

If by taking care of me, it means he performed a root canal and struck a few raw nerves, then yes, he took care of me. Don't get me wrong. I honestly really like my dentist and he is always conscientious about how I'm feeling when he's working on me. But saying "I'm sorry" after poking a nerve, doesn't seem to be enough. To make up for it, he did prescribe some antibiotics and a good painkiller so I can still enjoy Spring Break (and hopefully remember it!).

Ever since I arrived at work today, I have felt like a resident in a nursing home, sipping through a straw, mashing my crackers and eating soup with a bib on. As my novocaine wears off, I figure I better blog while I can. (In case I do need some pain relief, I'm not supposed to operate heavy equipment like a mouse or phone).

My hope is to feel normal enough in 24 hours to pack my bags with some enthusiasm. Good thing I really won't need much energy to lay around the pool or on the beach, soaking up the sun... Oooh, I better check to make sure my meds don't say I can't sit in the sun! Then I'd have some tough decisions to make!