Teeth

Here's the (long) story:

Monday night after small groups, my husband and I were talking to our friend, who's a dentist. We were asking him about dental insurance and how good mine was. He said he would take a look at our teeth, if we wanted, to see what kind of work we might need in the next year, so we'd know what kind of plan to get. I said that I haven't been to the dentist in like seven years (sorry Mom and Dad!) but I would like to know. So, he fit us in today, Wednesday (it's very nice to have a friend who's a dentist).

He took a look this afternoon and said, "Well, you're making up for lost time."

Seven cavities. One of which looks dead and will probably need a root canal and to be rebuilt (crown, etc.). Four wisdom teeth need to be removed.

Start the panic.

As some people who read this blog know, I have a little problem with dentists. I freaked out at the dentist for many years growing up (like, three hygenists holding me down every time, just for teeth cleaning). I was probably in middle school before I settled down. I've only been to one dentist in my life until today, partly because I. Hate. Going. To. The. Dentist.

And now I'm making up for lost time. Yes, I'm freaking out. You know me! But I know that it will be okay, once I get over this hump. And if I take care of my teeth, I probably won't have to worry about this magnitude of work for a long time after all this work gets done.

He asked me when I can come in. I said, "How about January 1, when my insurance kicks in?" He said, how about tomorrow? Yup. He said I cannot wait much longer to take care of especially one of my teeth. It's that bad. So, I'm going in on Saturday.

I write this on my Crohn's blog because (1) it relates to my health and the way I deal with health problems, (2) I want to update my family and friends all at once so you can be praying hard, and (3) my Crohn's adds some difficulty to this situation. If I didn't have Crohn's, I could just sign up for an appointment, get some valium (tee, hee), and get started. Because I have Crohn's and am taking a heavy-duty immunosuppresant drug, I have to get clearance from my doctor, which might mean some preventative medicine before or after the appointment. And I won't be able to take Advil for the exam or for afterwards. And if I want to take Valium (which I do), I need my doctor to okay it.

So, needless to say, please pray. Please pray that I can deal with all this panic as it comes up without repressing it (b/c that flares my Crohn's), but also pray that I can find a way to give it to God and be able to relax during the procedure this Saturday morning (provided my doctor clears me) without ignoring what's going on. There has to be a healthy way to divert my attention, don't you think?

Pray, pray, pray. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Lord Jesus, have mercy.