New healthcare thread...

[TIDE-HSV]

Thanks, everyone......I had my surgery yesterday and everything went OK.

One caveat.....I didn't realize an option is to have a local anesthesia until I had already committed. My doctor never even mentioned it. When I asked her about it yesterday she said her preference is to have the patient under so there's no wiggling around of the arm.

So I got to sleep through the procedure....darn it!

I did turn down some kind of med they were going to give me for anxiety. I told them the only anxiety I had was to get it over with so I could get back home and back to work on my motorcycle....lol....

Had some light pain yesterday and last night before going to bed and used Tylenol for that and then this morning I took 3 Advils and the pain is gone. I think that should be it for pain unless I do something stupid......like go out and work on my motorcycle.

I am doing some hand/wrist exercises to keep the tendons moving so hopefully I will heal up pretty quick and then it will be interesting to see how things are different.

She also gave me a Cortisone shot for the sprain I suffered a couple years back that led to some arthritis.

View attachment 39866

I requested no anesthesia (always do). The anesthesiologist asked if I would allow the nurse anesthetist to be present. She was an older woman and sat beside me, muttering the whole time to the effect that she just couldn't understand why anyone would want to have that done awake. They did drop a curtain, so I couldn't see the surgery, like I'd like to have. All I felt, as when they sewed my right arm up, was pressure. My surgeon's PA's name is "Jeremy." I was carrying on a conversation with Troy and stated something Jeremy told me. Try said "I don't know why he'd tell you that. Then Jeremy spoke up and said, "Hey, I'm right here!"

 

[Bazza]

I requested no anesthesia (always do). The anesthesiologist asked if I would allow the nurse anesthetist to be present. She was an older woman and sat beside me, muttering the whole time to the effect that she just couldn't understand why anyone would want to have that done awake. They did drop a curtain, so I couldn't see the surgery, like I'd like to have. All I felt, as when they sewed my right arm up, was pressure. My surgeon's PA's name is "Jeremy." I was carrying on a conversation with Troy and stated something Jeremy told me. Try said "I don't know why he'd tell you that. Then Jeremy spoke up and said, "Hey, I'm right here!"

In hindsight, I wish I had at least asked for some photos of my hand opened up. Maybe showing the tendons. I remember when they wheeled me into the operating room looking up at the huge overhead lights thinking "Damn why didn't I bring my camera....to help me document yet another adventure!"?

Oh well.

I took the outer wrap and gauze wrap off last night. Everything is now bare. The stitches look fine and there is no pain so my doc and her team apparently did pretty good.

I'm able to ambulate my fingers better without the wrappings. Thumb has some numbness which is weird.

Guess things have to heal up inside.

I go back on the 22nd so that's when they'll remove the stitches, I guess.

They had 7 of these lined up for my doctor the day had this done.

We're all just a number in the long run, I guess......

 

[92tide]

A lot of oral surgeons will have their patients take 400 mg ibuprofen and 500 mg Tylenol every six hours. You take the ibu and tylenol (acetominophen) at the same time. This gives the same amount of pain relief as hydrocodone 5/325 without taking the narcotic. The only real advantage of the narcotic is it helps you sleep.

i learned that a long time ago from a doctor i met kayaking on the upper yough (western maryland). it's helped me with many of the sprains and strains i incurred over the years of running, biking and boating.

 

[jthomas666]

A lot of oral surgeons will have their patients take 400 mg ibuprofen and 500 mg Tylenol every six hours. You take the ibu and tylenol (acetominophen) at the same time. This gives the same amount of pain relief as hydrocodone 5/325 without taking the narcotic. The only real advantage of the narcotic is it helps you sleep.

My dentist told me the same thing. I told him that he clearly had never had any lower back problems.

I'm guessing the since almost all the pain associated with dental work is due to inflammation, massive doses of anti-inflammatories can be sufficient.

 

[Bazza]

Hope this doesn't gross anyone out...but got my stitches out this morning and already back to some of my projects. Will take it easy for a while but so far so good. I asked the doc how the surgery went and she said my nerve was in pretty bad shape. Beaten up quite a bit. I asked if she any photos of it and she said no. I said "Well...maybe next time."

That purple spot is from their magic marker.....I'll try to get rid of it later tonight with some alcohol...

 

[crimsonaudio]

It's your clutch hand so you should be fine.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Looks good. I had some numbness, but eventually, I recovered full sensation. BTW, are you right or left-handed?

 

[Bazza]

Looks good. I had some numbness, but eventually, I recovered full sensation. BTW, are you right or left-handed?

Right.

I was kidding around with the tech who did the stitch removal....telling him I'm like "Wolverine"......my wounds heal up in literally minutes!

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Right.

I was kidding around with the tech who did the stitch removal....telling him I'm like "Wolverine"......my wounds heal up in literally minutes!

That's my gig. Remember, I healed a gash exposing the elbow bones in 2 months. The doc who ran the wound care clinic at a local hospital for ten years said "That's amazing"...

 

[Go Bama]

I'm guessing the since almost all the pain associated with dental work is due to inflammation, massive doses of anti-inflammatories can be sufficient.

Pain killers mask the pain, but do nothing to treat the cause of the pain. The vast majority of the Rx’s I write are for pain meds and antibiotics.

Yes, a lot of dental pain is caused by inflammation, but there are other causes also. Cold, hot, and sweet sensitivity; nerve exposure; etc.

Ice is a wonderful anti-inflammatory.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Pain killers mask the pain, but do nothing to treat the cause of the pain. The vast majority of the Rx’s I write are for pain meds and antibiotics.

Yes, a lot of dental pain is caused by inflammation, but there are other causes also. Cold, hot, and sweet sensitivity; nerve exposure; etc.

Ice is a wonderful anti-inflammatory.

You and I have discussed it, but I have a void in front of a top back molar. I clean it out thoroughly with a WaterPik. I had an abscess in that pocket and the only hope offered was an implant. It would have cost $8K, I would have had to go without a tooth. Then, I would have to go back to my original dentist for a crown, which had pretty much proven she was incompetent at. I consulted my former, retired dentist, who's an old friend and kayaking buddy, who, it turned out had exactly the same problem. He had visited the same implantologist and got the professionally discounted price of $5K. He also declined and had adopted the same defensive method I was using. This was all 5 years ago, and I haven't lost the tooth...

 

[Go Bama]

You and I have discussed it, but I have a void in front of a top back molar. I clean it out thoroughly with a WaterPik. I had an abscess in that pocket and the only hope offered was an implant. It would have cost $8K, I would have had to go without a tooth. Then, I would have to go back to my original dentist for a crown, which had pretty much proven she was incompetent at. I consulted my former, retired dentist, who's an old friend and kayaking buddy, who, it turned out had exactly the same problem. He had visited the same implantologist and got the professionally discounted price of $5K. He also declined and had adopted the same defensive method I was using. This was all 5 years ago, and I haven't lost the tooth...

That’s very expensive for one implant and an abutment. Was there a sinus lift involved? Bone graft?

Very few patients can afford $9000+ for one tooth. And those fees have probably increased in the last five years.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

That’s very expensive for one implant and an abutment. Was there a sinus lift involved? Bone graft?

Very few patients can afford $9000+ for one tooth. And those fees have probably increased in the last five years.

I'm sure. Dental fees tend to run high around here. Liz's crown, that the dentist we departed, and was too high, even after several visits, cost $1500, and that was years ago. Our plumbers' fees are about 50% above the national average. I recently called a guy I've used several times and he informed me that his fees were adjusted to $298 minimum for a visit and I think he said $75 an hour following the first one...

 

[Bazza]

Getting my first root canal in the morning.

This posted under "Meet the team" on the endodontic's website.

Should I be concerned?

 

[crimsonaudio]

IS IT SAFE???

 

[Padreruf]

Not as bad as you think....have had at least 4 of them -- thanks Mom for your genetically deficient teeth!

 

[Bazza]

Morning everyone!

Everything went OK.

Some soreness which is supposed to wear off after a while.

Turned out I was looking at the wrong website.....

My practitioner actually looked like this!

 

[dtgreg]

I requested no anesthesia (always do). The anesthesiologist asked if I would allow the nurse anesthetist to be present. She was an older woman and sat beside me, muttering the whole time to the effect that she just couldn't understand why anyone would want to have that done awake. They did drop a curtain, so I couldn't see the surgery, like I'd like to have. All I felt, as when they sewed my right arm up, was pressure. My surgeon's PA's name is "Jeremy." I was carrying on a conversation with Troy and stated something Jeremy told me. Try said "I don't know why he'd tell you that. Then Jeremy spoke up and said, "Hey, I'm right here!"

I don't fear anesthesia but I'm sixty. There are still no guarantees that one will wake up, at any age, but I like my chances now. When I hit my 70's, I'm not going to be so cavalier about being put under. I definitely understand risk / reward and if general is not required, I can understand someone's reluctance.

People are crazy. An anethesiologist who can't conceive of risks or simple mistakes. Unbelievable.

I guess it's just the "Do as I say, how dare you question me!" mentality.

 

[Go Bama]

Morning everyone!

Everything went OK.

Some soreness which is supposed to wear off after a while.

Turned out I was looking at the wrong website.....

My practitioner actually looked like this!

View attachment 41040

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, Bazza. RCT's are like anything else in dentistry: IF SOMETHING IS HURTING, YOU ARE NOT NUMB ENOUGH.

Glad everything went well. If it's a posterior tooth (molar or premolar) you will need a crown on that tooth.

Your dentist is hawt!

 

[Bazza]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, Bazza. RCT's are like anything else in dentistry: IF SOMETHING IS HURTING, YOU ARE NOT NUMB ENOUGH.

Glad everything went well. If it's a posterior tooth (molar or premolar) you will need a crown on that tooth.

Your dentist is hawt!

Thanks, Big Joe....appreciate you!

I only posted this last night, so likely you didn't see until today. No biggie.

The tooth (molar) already had a crown.....so she had to drill down through and then fill with composite when finished.

The pain wasn't really bad - just a few times as she was working on one of the nerves. Is it really pain or just really sensitive and tender? Good question I guess to ponder....