Homeoblock

A few years ago I noticed that my bite had changed. I couldn't chew with my front teeth, but I didn't think very much about it. While at a dental cleaning a few months ago my dentist told me that if I didn't change my bite, I would probably have to have surgery to fix my mouth. Well, who wants surgery? He told me that an alternative would be to be fitted for a homeoblock appliance - sort of a retainer on steroids. One for the top teeth, one for the bottom. 

The upside, besides fixing my bite, is that it might actually straighten my teeth, and, at least straighten and strengthen my facial muscles. I will probably wear this device at night for the rest of my life. Today I got the device, tried it on in the office, and brought it home with a list of instructions. I can tell that it is going to take at least a few weeks to get used to it. Time will tell.

Unexpected Spring Break Activity

When people asked me last week what I might be doing for spring break, I told them I planned on just hanging out at home, reading and relaxing.

Then the dentist had another idea for me. I had scheduled a teeth cleaning, and the hygienist told me that it had been 5 years since my full-mouth x-rays. In the past 5 years, Dr. Valdez has gotten new toys in his office, so I actually took a few new tests to go along with the x-rays, including a full-head, 3-D scan. Pretty soon I was handed a referral to an endodontist for a root canal. Having heard horror stories about this procedure, my heart started beating fast. However, I am such a good patient, that I followed through immediately.

Yesterday I went in for a consultation with Dr. Shimazu and he asked me how my afternoon schedule looked, so without much time to get too worked up about it, I went home for lunch and went back for the 2-hour torture procedure.

I have to say, I had no pain whatsoever. I did not enjoy having to spend 2 hours with my mouth open, and I really did not like how much it cost (and I still need to get a crown on that tooth), but I found Dr. Shimazu very kind with clear communication about what he was going to do, and why it is crucial to take care of this problem.

I went home and gave myself the rest of the afternoon to just vegetate in front of the tv and eat yogurt and a smoothie. Today I am feeling good, but treating that side of my mouth with great tenderness and still taking ibuprofen.

Allergy Season in Full Swing

I know that my friends and family in other parts of the country are waiting and waiting for spring. I remember that feeling. March is just dreadfully long and it seems as though warm weather will never appear. However, right now, I am ready to spend 2-3 days somewhere where there is no PollenCast like these ones I just saw on weather.com right now. I am taking Claritin every day, and while my eyes don't itch and water, my sinuses are acting up. 

Whooping Cough in Claremont

I have not seen anything online or in the Courier about it, but there is a whooping cough outbreak at Chaparral Elementary School. All people who have had exposure to anyone at Chaparral have been advised to get a course of antibiotics whether or not they show symptoms. While this may seem like overkill, this is a highly contagious disease which can take hold of a person for 3 months or more. That's a lot of life to give up.

When I went to get my vaccinations for our trip to Peru they included the Tdap, so I feel pretty safe that I am immune right now.

Fitness Room at CMC

Pretty soon now, the Ducey Gym at CMC will be torn down to make way for the new Roberts Pavilion. Here is the sign with the artist's rendering of what's in store. It looks pretty nice.

Before Christmas vacation, we saw this sign on the door to the Fitness Room. 

We were told that the cardio and weights would be moved to a room across from the Ath and the Hub and would be open sometime in early January. That day has finally come, and we are back in business! In the meantime, we have been walking the track behind Ducey and adding interval training. When we get to the stadium side, we run up and down the stairs, and then on the other side of the track, we jog for one length. While that has been great cardio and still an option for some days, I have missed the weight machines.

Burn Remedy

The other day I foolishly picked up a lid that had been in the oven. Although the pain was not too bad, I immediately grabbed a piece of tin foil to cover my fingertips. Instant cooling and no pain! I kept it on for about 10 minutes, and when I removed it, I continued to feel no pain. I heard from my friend about this tip when she asked me to see if my scientist husband knew why this worked. He didn't know, but I don't really care since it just does.

Fighting Flu Season

Last flu season we got our flu shots a little later than most people did, but this year we are ahead of the game. I do not know if the vaccines were the reason that we didn't get sick last year, but in case they were, I put "get flu shot" on my to do list, and left it at that.

Yesterday while entering Costco, H noticed that flu shots were advertised for $14.99. That is significantly less than we paid last year (I think those were about $60 each), so we trotted right over to the pharmacy. You have to wait 20-25 minutes after you sign forms (perhaps to take the vaccines out of the refrigerator?), so that gave us plenty of time to shop.

Despite the wait, and the fact that I had planned on getting the vaccine anyway, I still think that this is an example of impulse buying. I was happy to cross that one off of my list!

Faith Alive

Last night I returned home from a whirlwind weekend trip to Kansas (with literal winds out on the prairie and thankfully no tornadoes) for a family-intensive visit.

On Saturday my sister spoke to a group of our relatives about her recently-published book Faith Alive: Stories of Hope and Healing From an African Doctor and His Hospital. Lately I have been thinking about how important stories are for us, as human beings. (Excuse the quick detour here.) One of my guilty pleasures is watching Project Runway, and this season when I saw one of the final episodes where we take a peek into the lives of the finalists where Tim Gunn visits each person in their home and meets their families, my attitude about each designer changes. Their stories make them real and complete, three-dimensional. They are no longer just a designer under heaps of pressure to produce an outfit, but a person with a past and hopes and dreams.

Faith Alive is a collection of connected stories of many people who come together in the Faith Alive Hospital in Jos, Nigeria. These people are courageous, fallible, funny, kind, and, in short, human. I finished the book before I landed in California, and I would recommend it to you if 1) you like to be inspired 2) you have a connection with HIV/AIDS 3) you like to read.

You can order the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. As the photo indicated, all proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the hospital. You can also visit the website here.

Flying Allergins

Visual evidence of why my allergies are in full swing these days:

From the trees -

floating to the ground

Self-Diagnosis and Treatment

Don't tell my doctor, but I turn to the internet for information on various health issues. I know the professionals don't like you to do that, but I try to look at a variety of websites, including the nih and mayo and webmd which are pretty good.

About a year ago I had a toothache (blog post here) which turned out to be a sinus issue. Lo and behold, it returned recently, and I am pretty sure it is allergy related. I know that my sinuses are blocked because my left ear is also blocked which I can feel when I do an inversion at yoga class. I took Sudafed on Tuesday and really, really hate the way it makes me feel all jittery and anxious, so I thought I'd see what other remedies might be available over-the-counter before I called my doctor.

I stumbled on a page that suggested that guaifenesin would help with mucus-thinning. This is the active ingredient in Mucinex and Robitussin. I would never have thought of that since those are usually used for congestion in the lungs and coughing.

Let me tell you that it has been working. I have been taking Mucinex for 2 days now, and I already feel a difference. I also have the humidifier going at night and can now use the Neil Med nasal sinus wash. And really, now I like breathing again! Funny how when you get used to a condition you don't remember what normal feels like.

Flu Shots

Today we went to get flu shots. Normally I do not get one. My doctor does not particularly recommend it, and I do not remember the last time I got one. However, I have been watching the news, and last night I talked to my friend, Susan, who is a nurse practitioner, and she recommends that everyone get one. She has seen a number of cases in the ER already, even though California is not on the list as a state with a severe outbreak (like Massachusetts).

I am working hard to remember to wash my hands frequently, especially after working with my students, and to try to keep my hands away from my face (hard to do!).

H called our pharmacy yesterday, and they were out of the vaccine. Today he called the CVS on Foothill and Towne, and they said they were out. Wait, no, they had two more, if we could come in right now. We came in "right now." After a long wait, and some paperwork, and lines of people for other things, etc., we came away with two shots. FYI, if you are local, CVS thinks they will have more of the vaccine on Wednesday.

I know that I might feel some reaction to the shot, but it would just be my immune system reacting to the virus. Also, I know that the vaccine is 60% effective. So, I will continue to be vigilant with the hand-washing and trying to keep the hands away from the face.

Good luck to us all!

Fall Allergies

Who knew that fall was an allergy season? I am now well aware of that. When we went to Death Valley, I was spared the ear congestion and sneezing that have been poking at me lately. I finally decided to take Sudafed (you know the kind you have get from behind a locked case and then show your drivers license for). I have to take the 12-hour variety instead of the 24-hour kind since I cannot sleep with that stuff in my system. The past two days I've felt hopped-up, so my energy for teaching has increased. Hmm... I don't recommend it for every day, but I am taking advantage of this pre-holiday energy....

Probiotic Salad

As much as I like yogurt, I can only eat a certain amount of it everyday.  We know that yogurt is good for the digestive system because of the probiotics.  What other foods have this?  Sauerkraut!  We know how to eat sauerkraut on reubens and Polish sausages at Costco, but I decided to search for other sauerkraut recipes and came up with this salad, Tropcial Sauerkraut with Mango and Avocado Salad.  Since I have a few avocados from my friend Pat that are perfect for eating right now, this seemed like a good choice.

We decided that if sauerkraut can be tropical, then we could pair this salad with egg rolls from Trader Joe's.  The salad has a very strong blend of sweet and sour.  I thought it was pretty tasty, and I'm happy for the leftovers as this makes a huge batch.

The People Who Take Care of You, Part 2

A month ago when I was at the Women's Retreat, one of my friends brought along her massage chair and gave some of us an abbreviated back/shoulder/head massage.  It was heavenly.  I took her card and thought about when I would want to visit her in her office.  Well, this is a concert weekend, and I thought it would be great to go into the concert feeling relaxed and refreshed.  I made an appointment to see Suzanne yesterday for an hour-long massage, and it was what I expected, and a great way to end a work week.

If you are local and are interested in massage, you can find out about Suzanne at her website here.

The People Who Take Care of You, Part 1

Last weekend I got a horrific toothache which started in my lower left gum and then moved into my tooth.  On Monday I went to see my dentist, Dr. Arnold Valdez.  After examining my x-ray and mouth, he said that he didn't think it was a cavity or abscess or anything that he could help.  I think he could have easily said that he needed to do some serious work in my mouth, but he didn't.  I really appreciate that he has a low-intervention philosophy.  He did give me a prescription for penicillin, saying that I should fill it I felt it necessary.

The next day asked a friend of mine who is a nurse practitioner if it could possibly be related to sinuses (various places on the internet suggested that tooth pain can be related to sinusitis).  She said it certainly could be, and that I should take some real Sudafed (not the fake stuff - but the kind you have to get from behind a locked glass) and Afrin (three days only).

Short story, between the Sudafed, Afrin and penicillin (the pain was getting pretty bad by then), most of the pain is gone.  My tooth is still sensitive to cold and some food, but I think it is just a matter of time before I'm back to 100%.

Lab Corp

Every year after I have my annual physical, my doctor sends me to have routine blood work done.  Since he wants me to have it before I eat breakfast, I have to get up very early and hope that the line isn't too long.  This year my doctor told me that I can make an appointment online - just like the DMV.  So I did it, and I was amazed.  My time was set for 8:30 (a little late for me since I am usually hungry way before that).  I arrived at 8:20 and was in the chair by 8:30 and out by 8:40.  I hope that I remember to do that again next year!

Moldy Water?

For the past week or so, our tap water has had a very moldy aftertaste which has made it difficult for me to drink.  I finally started asking around, and someone at book club last night told me that it has to do with an algae that is blooming and that it wasn't hazardous.  So, when I got home, I googled it and found this article.  I think it's time to finally get that water filter that I always keep meaning to buy to see if that helps with the taste.

Proverbial Birds

This year I am going to try to ride my bike to school at least twice a week.  It's about 7 minutes downhill to Vista and about 12 minutes back uphill to home.  Our librarian rides her bike every day, and she lives north of Baseline, so her commute home gives her a good workout.

For me, this kills several birds with one stone: built-in exercise for me on days when I can't get to the gym for cardio, save money on gas, save the air from pollutants.

I rode this morning, and it was actually fairly pleasant.  I don't know why I haven't done this sooner.

Patience Pays Off

About 10 days ago I got a splinter under my fingernail.  I wavered back and forth as to whether a chunk of wood was actually lodged there, or if it had gone in and out and just injured the skin under the nail.  Well, after waiting on it to work its way up, I pulled out a pretty big hunk of wood.  It doesn't hurt nearly as much as it looks like it should.

Cleaning Up Loose Ends

One thing about being on spring break - going through that to-do list.  After trying unsuccessfully to contact Anthem Blue Cross, I finally got through this morning with only 15 minutes of my time.

I had received a letter stating that my insurance had not paid a claim (that they should have), and when I actually, finally got through to the insurance company they said, "Oh, we should pay for that.  Let me resubmit it.  That should take 30 days."

Talk about needing health care reform.