So I recently went back to the dentist for the first time in a long time, and as I figured, I have a lot of work to be done.
I need a root canal, two crowns, a filling, and a jaw surgery/physical therapy because of my bite being really messed up and causing me to have migraines. I’m really excited that after 12 years of headaches I have a cause for it all, and can have it corrected. I have an infection in my jaw, which I am finishing up antibiotics for now. I have an appointment on Friday to get the root canal done. That’s going to cost us $1200, since it is so far gone, and has been broken for about 4 years now.
I also have crooked teeth, and have been planning to get Lumineers, and I have already gotten 2 consultations and I am a good candidate for them. My dentist is a cosmetic dentist who also does general dentistry, and since I am having a few thousand in other work done, he offered me 2 free Lumineers to have the procedure done. My issue is that either way, I have to get the work financed–and it needs to be done, or I will end up with an even worse infection than I already have, and be in so much pain, again.
Now here’s where the tricky part comes in. My husband is in the Marine Corps, and he is currently deployed. I got to talk to him for a few minutes, and told him about the root canal, but the phone was cut off before I was able to tell him about the rest. I told him it was a few thousand and it would be financed in our names. He said to make sure what the payment would be and that we could afford it. I’m just going back and forth with it because I did not get the chance to tell him about the Lumineers… But if I do the rest now and the Lumineers later, I won’t get the 2 free ones, plus I will have to have 2 loans financed for it, instead of all at one shot, so it will be 2 payments, and about 2400$ more. We can afford the payments, as he just got a promotion and military’s yearly pay and BAH raise, and I also work for a pharmacy.
I really want to surprise him with having my teeth done and them be all pretty when I finally get to see him again in March. But I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to do. I only have until Friday to finance it, and I’m not sure when I will be able to talk to him again. I can’t reschedule the appointment because of the infection.. It has to be done the day I finish antibiotics, otherwise I’ll have to keep getting more antibiotics, and that’s not so good for you.
So I’m stuck. I don’t want to make him upset.. And I do plan to pay it out of my own paycheck, it will just be jointly financed in both our names (like our cars are)…. And I really want to surprise him and get it done. And I want it done for myself. It’s been forever that I wanted nice teeth and my family never had the money, plus my parents were meth heads. Any advice?? I’m so torn!
Posts Tagged Procedure
So, when I was 16, I began having a hard time walking. I’d have pain in my sciatica, running from my butt down my right leg. I eventually had to have surgery after physical therapy and pain pills didn’t work.
I don’t know what the procedure was called because I was young and didn’t care. Now I care.
Can anyone tell me what the correct name for the procedure is called?
The doctor operated on my lower back, scar is about 3 inches long, in middle of back. I believe he went in and drilled away some stuff (don’t know if was tissue or bone or what) that was pinching my nerves within my spinal column. Nothing was put in my back, like rods or anything.
I’m now 25 and have no problems!
Over the last 5-6 years I’ve developed pain in several areas of my body; upper & lower back, neck, sit-bones, wrists, etc. To be more specific…
a. chronic pain between shoulder blades
b. frequent low back throbbing
c. constant pain at sit-bone area that spreads down back of thighs (this is the worst one, daily pain 2+ years)
d. cramping in both wrists, up to elbows sometimes
e. tendonitis on top of left foot
I’ve sought medical help for all, and only saw minimal relief upfront, but pain always returned and meds or treatments no longer worked. Here were the treatments for each…
a. initial treatment was 4 months of chiropractic (some relief, hard on pocket-book) – then 3 years worth of physical therapy (on and off roughly 2-3 months at a crack)
b. same as “a”
c. naproxen, something stronger than naproxen, 4 steroid injections by Ortho, 2 months physical therapy, iontophoresis (electro-therapy), x-ray guided steroid injections into ischial bursa, coidal epidural steroid injections, Facet joint block injection testing; which worked to prove I needed a Lumbar Radiofreqency Neurotomy (that didn’t work)
d. anti-inflamitory and wrist support
e. naproxen, worked for the first flare up, but never again.
In addition to the above treatments I’ve also been given the following pain meds: Tylenol-3 (gives me a 12 minute rush, but never touches the pain), Valium (no “woozy”, no relaxation, no pain killer), 3 other “azepam” muscle relaxers (all worked once or twice, but not again), Skelaxin (no relief). The only thing I’ve gotten from any treatment has been sore muscles from PT, sore injection sites, and one time frostbite from sitting on an ice pack too long out of desperation.
Notable facts: I am a “super” narcoleptic, according to my sleep doctor. Have the ability to fall asleep in less than 2 minutes and do directly into REM sleep – even after 8+ hours of quality sleep (per sleep study results). Take double dose of Provigil daily to stay awake, Ritalin is a backup just in case. Also, I suffer from TMJ disorder, which causes neck and jaw pain.
When I have a headache I take advil or tylenol and the pain goes away in like 20 minutes. When I have a cold I take alkaseltzer or other OTC’s and feel relief to make it through the day. It’s like only certain types of pain/discomfort are receptive to treatments.
The worst one is the pain in the butt – I know sounds funny right. It started a little more than 2 years ago. For the first couple months I experienced discomfort when sitting for more than 10 minutes; which i wrote off to gaining 10lbs and my body was mad at me for having to support it. The discomfort though caused more back pain as I seemed to compensate for it and soon became restless enough to stop whatever activity I was doing and go home. The docs original thought was hip bursitis, or ischial bursitis; which is common on both sides of the buttocks in people who sit on hard surface ( ie, bleachers at a football game, also called weavers’ bottom). Now I’ve been through 3 specialists + yoga + PT + massage + heat/ice, blah blah blah. I’m sick of it.
I swear my brain is telling my body to keep the pain despite what I put into it. Fyi, drinking and weed also don’t relieve it – trust me i’ve tried.
Anyone else experiencing this dilemma? Not necessarily the same issue, but same reaction to pain relieving measures being an absolute waist. I’m going broke here constantly in and out of ambulatory operating rooms.
Any guidance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Always hurting
Ive been dealing w/ whiplash pain for 4 mnths. I’ve been on multiple migraine meds, abortive & preventative. Ive already had 1 series of occipital nerve blocks from the neurologist, who also said I have muscle spasms as a result of accident
Ive seen a chiropractor since February. X-rays show loss of my cervical curve. I recently had an MRI which oddly came out normal, yet I am still in lots of pain. I still get the migraines, & my neck is killing me on a daily basis.
I also go to physical therapy. They have tried many different types of therapy, light therapy, massage therapy, and others to no avail. My headaches have gone down in severity, but I still have them, along with the neck pain daily. They have about given up on me. We are now working on strengthening my neck muscles.
This week I get a cortisone shot to the back of my neck, & the Dr thinks it will help, but if not, next step is a nerve block in the spine. Anyone have experience with this treatment? I am quite nervous
I have had two herniated discs in my lower back for nearly two years now. In the beginning, my MD just ordered an X-ray and said “it doesn’t look too bad…it should heal on its own in about 6-12 months”. Well, he was dead wrong. I insisted on an MRI, which he eventually complied with. It was a good idea on my part. It showed much more clearly the pretty serious damage to the discs, especially one of them. When the MD saw the films, he referred me to a pain management specialist for further treatment. Well I have been with this man for about 9 months, with, I am very sorry to say, NO improvement in my condition. I have had three injection procedures done. The first was a ‘trigger point injection’, the second was a ’steroidal injection’ and the one I just had about 6 weeks ago, was called a ‘facet injection’. Of all of them the facet injection offered me ’some relief’ for about two weeks, but then it went away completely, and back to the way it always has been…very painful and limiting. I am getting very frustrated and concerned. Now he wants to do a procedure on me called a ‘discogram’. I have done some research on this, and don’t really like what I read. There are more risks with this than the injections, it is more invasive, and I am not sure if I should go ahead with it. He seems to think it is the logical next step. I DO NOT want surgery, if I can avoid it, as even though there are people who DO come out of back surgeries well, a lot DO NOT. I am not on any painkillers, because my MD is very gun shy about prescribing them, even though I feel my condition(and pain) warrants it. I have never had any problems with addiction issues, but he is worried about that, maybe too much so.
So what do you think about this ‘discogram’ procedure, for those who know what it is, and especially those who have gone through it. Was it worth it? What was the next step after you had the discogram? Surgery? Or other procedures? Is there anything else left? I have gone through physical rehab, but it helps little. I am only 46 and I am really getting sick of it, and want relief, even a little.
Please give me your thoughts about this procedure, risks vs. rewards, what you might do if in my situation, and any other thoughts you may have about herniated disc issues. Thank you.
I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I have been to three neurosurgeons and they all said that the only way to relieve my severe back pain due to degenerative disk disease is to have one spinal fusion and one artificial disk put in. I have been through EVERY alternative to surgery…physical therapy, steroid injections, chiropractic care, etc. My insurance won’t approve it because they consider it “investigational” even though the US has been doing this procedure for more than 20 years. The doctors appealed the decision but it did no good, the insurance just refuses to cover the artificial disk…even if they did approve the hospital stay and the fusion part of the surgery. Is there any thing else I can do? Are there any organizations that would be able to help me financially for the procedure ($13,000)? I’m only 28 and am now considered disabled, this surgery is my only hope of becoming mobile again.
Initially, the surgery ( spinal fusion ) stopped the sciatic pain I was experiencing and it helped quite a bit for the last 6 years. In the last 6 months or so I have developed severe muscle spasms. I have undergone physical therapy treatment, and am now going to a pain clinic where I am receiving trigger point injections which only help temporarily. I cannot have nerve blocks because of the metal in my back. Any suggestions?