It started off as a nice day yesterday …
I got up and went to yoga (for the first time since last Monday) and then I had an English class, after which I was going to see the doctor because I needed to get my chest listened to properly – it’s been making some very strange noises this past week, especially when I’m lying down.
During my class I got an invitation to go out for a drink with one of the AWC ‘diehards’ from the other night, and then I got a class cancellation making it possible to meet J at a reasonable hour (8pm). So things were looking good even though I still wasn’t feeling that great, but I reckoned it would be an early night and I would have been teaching until 9.30 anyhow if Paco hadn’t cancelled…
But then I went to see Dr A who told me he was concerned that I might have pneumonia ( wtf??? ) and wanted me to head over to emergency for an immediate chest xray ( yeah right ). Some of you may recall my fear of hospitals and most things doctory and so (because it also might not be pneumonia) I asked Dr A if I really really really had to go and he finally said he would change my antibiotics to something stronger but if I wasn’t feeling – and sounding – better within 48 hours then I would definitely have to get the xray done.
So then I decided to be a responsible chica and told J we’d have to meet some other time because I might have pneumonia and since I was finishing work early I was going to just stay in and take it easy (just like all of last week – snore).
But it was not to be. Because whilst eating an arrugula salad for lunch I suddenly felt something hard and crunchy in my mouth which turned out to be part of a molar filling. Ewww. I figured it was no big deal but, still in responsible chica mode, I called my dentist and made an appointment for Friday morning to have it fixed. No problem.
And then while getting ready for my only afternoon class (brushing and flossing my teeth) another huge whack of filling came out and suddenly I had barely half a tooth left. So damn. I called my dentist back and was told I’d better come in after the last appointment and he’d fit me in. So much for my nice quiet evening. But it was a good thing I went because I may have ended up with no tooth left at all by Friday – my dentist even had to put a pin in to attach whatever he used to reconstruct the molar. End result, I finally got back home around 10pm – 70 euros poorer and with an aching jaw, my lovely evening totally fucked up. But this isn’t a rant. In fact, I ended up counting my blessings.
You see, earlier on in my afternoon class I’d asked how my student how she was doing (another doctor – this one works in nuclear medicine at the general hospital) and found out that she was waiting to hear about a close friend of hers who was in surgery to remove a cancerous kidney. Not only that, but a mutual friend of theirs had died of the very same thing two weeks previously (both friends are/were in their early 40s). And while I’m not the type of person who feels better upon hearing that others are worse off than me, this news did make me stop and consider how much I take my health, indeed my life, for granted. And how I really shouldn’t.
And so I am planning on having another wonderful day.
Hope you are too.
casa azahar 
That was lovely and inspirational.
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Oh, glad you liked it Pipocas. I thought it may have come across as a bit corny, but decided to risk it anyway.
Another interesting point was made when I was talking to my student Pilar (the nuclear medicine doctor). I was telling her about my possible pneumonia and how last week I was so bored staying in and doing nothing … Pilar pointed out that this meant I wasn’t seriously ill.
She suffers from lupus and a few years ago was very ill indeed, so that even lifting a glass of water was impossible for her. And she doesn’t remember ever feeling bored during those times. That reminded me of the only time I’ve had flu (have never felt so awful in my life, except maybe coming out of the anaesthetic after my op), and so I agree that a certain ‘comfort level’ is required in order to feel bored.
I’m just back from pilates … just took it easy and appreciated every movement my body made. Dr A said it was okay for me to go to yoga & pilates as long as I wasn’t having any serious breathing difficulties. I have to say that he wasn’t pleased at all that I didn’t go to get a chest xray done yesterday, but as the new highpowered antibiotics would have been the first step in treating the pneumonia anyhow he decided to humour me.
Hmmm, I think my recent dodgy health and watching four series of Six Feet Under almost back-to-back has left me feeling somewhat philosophical about Life and Death.
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you got it right. when i was going for radiation every morning for 6 weeks, all i could feel was guilty. there were people there dealing with much, much worse than i had to face. doesn’t mean i didn’t have the occasional pity party, but keeping them brief and festive was the order of the day.
do take care of yourself, though… pneumonia is nothing to sneeze at!
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So I’m reading your story, and thinking, ‘yup, that’s a day and a half, starts out nice, then goes all to hell…’ then suddenly I’m utterly distracted by the thought “Only 70 euros to have a molar reconstructed?!? What the hell is she complaining about?!?”
Truly, Az, an inspirational, perspective-adjusting day…but your dental care is cheaper there! :p
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I’m with Lori on that. Only 70 Euros? That sort of work here would cost a minimum of $600. And we have dental insurance but it is just amazing how many ways they find to not pay a premium.
Sorry that you are under the weather, but I’m sure you will get better soon. Rest, get plenty of liquids, take some aspirin and call me in the morning. . . I’m starting to get over my own version of the respiratory virus. Hopefully I won’t have to deal with pneumonia during the end game.
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So humor me — what about the microwave plate?! Were you able to purchase a new one, and how much was it?
And while I’m feeling inquisitive, what the heck is nuclear medicine anyways?
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Yeah, only 70 euros, Lori & hmh. Though that’s quite a lot of cash for me to hand out, especially this month when I’ve lost a week of work because of the feria. And after just buying that vacuum cleaner! If I’d known…
I do love my dentist though – he’s fab. I think he just considers these molar reconstructions as ‘big fillings’. Once he did one for me (after another dentist had told me I needed a crown) and it broke again after a couple of months, so he re-did it for free. Is that normal? Anyhow, that one’s been fine for years now. The other bonus is that he’s a five minute walk from my house.
Nog went and picked up the new microwave plate yesterday morning, Pipocas. 19 euros. It’s working just fine. 🙂
Here is some info on nuclear medicine. Basically they are doctors who use specialised imaging equipment to diagnose their patients. I taught there for about four years and had three doctors as my students, including the head of the department. It was really interesting.
And when my cat Lua was diagnosed with cancer I remember taking the vet x-rays in and Ricardo (the head of the dept) went over them in detail with me and I thought ‘okay, this is kind of special’.
Yesterday Pilar brought a bit of a presentation she might be doing at a conference in Munich in October and it felt like ‘old times’, helping with correcting the English. It’s quite cool that I know all the terminology and processes now and feel quite at home with it. Made me think that I should get in touch with the rest of the gang again.
I had to stop teaching there because of panic attacks (and my fear of hospitals certainly didn’t help) but it’s been awhile since I’ve had a full-blown ‘episode’. Pilar is the only one who has time to come to my home for classes, plus she lives quite close to me. Hmmm… this is something to think about.
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I’m pretty sure I told you how I went to the dentist’s office near my office a few months ago and when I went to pay the bill they said, ‘No charge.. because you’re in the neighborhood.’ It blew my mind.
Meanwhile, I have been gripped by a sudden fear that my microwave plate will break. I used it three times today and each time I meticulously checked that it was securely placed in the little tri-groove thingie. I am still mystified as to how yours broke, but I think it has to do with the same myterious properties of Orville’s that have lead to your Popcorn Lung.
Don’t try to deny it. It’s not pneumonia, you know: it’s The Lung.
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Wow. Firstly, I hope its not pneumonia and I hope that you’re feeling 100% better soon. Secondly, OW! that tooth episode sounds painful and that’s only partially made up for by the relative cheapness of the treatment (I’m with you, when you don’t have a lot of cash, even 70 euros is more than you want to be paying out unexpectedly). And thirdly, I am now regarding my microwave plate with a new respect in hopes of not being treated to microwave armageddon… 🙂
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Thanks, truce. It turned out to be easy enough to get a new microwave plate and it only cost 19€.
Meanwhile, I just read in the news that Cameron Diaz’s father has just died at age 58 from complications due to pneumonia! (eep!)
Dr A had another listen to my lungs yesterday and said I was sounding better, but that I had to stay on the new antibiotics until Sunday and keep taking VERY GOOD CARE OF MYSELF. So I cancelled my first class this morning because it was pissing down with rain … of course, by the time I would have left it had totally cleared up and has stayed sunny all day . . .
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