Wednesday, October 24, 2012

PCP VISIT

Yesterday I had an appt. with my primary care physician. Yearly checkup.
I sat in that lovely paper gown for a few moments before the nurse came in and entered some information into the computer file on  Morris, Marilyn 04/21/1938. We went over all my medications, which I had brought with me, and then she took my blood pressure and temperature. Everything okay there. So far, so good.
Then the doctor came in and she proceeded to check me over. I asked her about a small mole on my right arm; she looked at it with a light and then said it was nothing to worry about. So far, so good, there.
No flu shot, please, I said. She agreed.
Then she looked in my mouth.  Oh, man.  She stepped back in surprise. "You've got a lot of dental work in front of you."
I told her, "I'm just going to get dentures. It's cheaper than implants." She nodded. "It's the Sjogren's, isn't it?" And I told her my dentist said within six months to a year, I would have no teeth left. And after implants he wanted to do, I would have no money left: $60,000.00.
Besides, Sjogren's would make short work of whatever teeth I had implants.
So the search is on for a good dentist who will make my dentures.  According to one of the women I used to work with, during a brunch conversation on Friday, she told me about a woman in her office who had her teeth pulled, with no general anesthesia, dentures put in place, and the next day she was back at work. 
That sounds good to me.  I can take the pain; Lord knows we Lupies are accustomed to pain. 
I think I'm going next week.  Wish me luck......