A Journey of 1,000 Miles…

…began with that proverbial first step today. That first step cost about a grand… that would be a lil over 1,000 Yankee Dollars… but who’s counting? (Hint: me. Every last penny, when you come right down to it.) But already I digress. I intimated I’d be beginning a dental odyssey with a post on the subject late last November. Well, the adventure has begun…

Actually, it began about two weeks ago, when I went into Dr. Thompson’s office to have molds made for an “appliance,” which I would be required to wear during a CT-scan of my entire head, a precursor to the surgeries that will begin in the very near future. The appliance came back from the appliance-manufacturer a week ago, the CT-scan was scheduled at Roosevelt County General Hospital, and things began in earnest today.

Consuelo... Bagging It

I stopped by Dr. Thompson’s office this afternoon, picked up the appliance, received a lesson on how to place the thing in my mouth when the scan took place, and then toodled off to the hospital.

Consuelo holds The Appliance. Dontcha LUV medical terms, Gentle Reader?

I checked in at the hospital, filled out the usual administrative forms, and walked a short distance down to radiology. After checking in yet again…this time with the radiology folks… I had enough time to read several columns in a three-month old copy of Time before being called back into the rear of the radiology area, where the real action was to take place.

The CT Machine

The real action was anti-climactic, at best. The scan took all of about four minutes…I probably spent longer talking to the technician and snapping these pictures than I did laying on the table during the actual scan.

Christine, the CT-technician

The machine itself is impressive, but I was dismayed to note it was manufactured by Toshiba, and not General Electric. It’s actually impressive, in and of itself, that Roosevelt County General actually has such a machine, which, as you might imagine, Gentle Reader, is one pricey piece of equipment. I imagine Roosevelt Co. General will recoup their investment rather quickly, however. I inquired as to the cost of this four-minute procedure while checking in and was told “oh, somewhere between $700.00 and $900.00.” Yikes! This procedure is the only part of this 1,000 mile journey that’s covered by my insurance, and that’s a great good thing. Every lil bit helps, lemmee tell ya.

So. The CT-scan is done and I’m awaiting scheduling of the first series of bone implants, otherwise known as a “sinus lift.” On both sides of my face. That sounds like Big Fun, doesn't it?

I’ll keep ya in the loop. Or not, depending. Medical war stories are much less interesting to those who aren’t living them, I’ve heard.