Like a Reprieve From the Governor

On Saturday I called our vet to ask if there was anything else I could try to stem the horrible Hershey squirts my dog was experiencing. They offered something called Proviable KP paste but there was no way I was getting to their office before they closed in literally 10 minutes. Plus, I didn't really think it was something my dog would willingly ingest. I researched the hospice care vet online and discovered that they wouldn't be open until Monday. I kept thinking that there was something else I could do. I looked at the wall calendar in the kitchen and realized that I hadn't given the pup his Heargard last week. Normally, missing a week isn't any big deal, but he's old and in a weakened state. So I popped open the chewable and gave him his September dose. Luckily, he found it tasty enough to eat.

Within a few hours he seemed to get his appetite back and took several slices of white bread. I waited with bleach wipes and newspaper to see if this would actually stay in his system. My family and I went out to dinner and happily returned home to no mess on the kitchen floor. Sunday, the pup ate half a can of tuna (in water), more white bread, and later, some boiled chicken gizzards and ground turkey, once I had rinsed the pumpkin puree off. Such a picky dog. Again, no poop. I put his Metacam on a slice of white bread and he ate that as well. Good pup.

Monday, he ate 5 slices of white bread and has been on two walks although there's not been any actual pooping. So, I don't know whether he caught worms from all the muddy soil around our property, or if it's just a coincidence. I'd like to see a normal poop, but maybe that's asking too much? He's still frail, still extremely picky about whether he'll eat or not, still incontinent. But he's back to being manageable. It's like a last minute reprieve from the governor just as the warden's about to pull the switch. I'm glad I haven't called the hospice vet yet.

Meanwhile, I feel as if I've been grinding my teeth in my sleep. All weekend, that troublesome back molar has felt off. Today I wake up with a vague ear ache, and a weird burning sensation under my right eye. Like some sort of deep inflammation in my lower sinuses. I call my dentist and explain that I'm worried about my recent eye surgery creating complications. They want me to get approval from my glaucoma doc, who is of course, not available because they are in the process of moving to another location. I reach the answering service who puts me through to the covering doctor. I don't actually speak to any medical professionals though, just the people doing the relay. This doc says everything should be okay if the dentist prescribes antibiotics afterwards. That's so vague that even the dentist agrees with me about its vagueness.

I do my 30 minutes on the recumbent bike closest to the Stretching Seats (which do absolutely nothing for me). I think that one bike actually pedals easier than the other bikes. Meanwhile, my hubs is flying to Houston for work so we're texting each other. I'm making great mileage today, and my heart rate is up a bit and I have to slow down to bring that back into alignment. Meanwhile, my eye is starting to water and my cheek feels hot and stings from the inside. My dentist appointment isn't until later in the afternoon.

The dental tech takes a quick "digital x-ray" and the dentist tells me right away "that's a bad tooth." Of course, he can't really explain what that means other than it's not going to get better, it's not worth salvaging, and the best thing I can do is to have it removed. Okay... some local and a shot of novocaine, then a bit of pulling. I don't feel any pain, just pressure but the noise is kind of disturbing as the tooth gets pulled out from my jaw. He gives it a quick glance and tells me that the root is surrounded by granular tissue, an indication of  my body trying to repair itself, but not being successful. So, it's not quite an infections but not so different either. He tells me to take some of my leftover antibiotics 3x a day for the next few days. These are antibiotics my previous dentist had prescribed as a prophylactic measure for my mitral valve prolapse, but apparently those protocols have changed. No need to take antibiotics before oral surgery anymore.

My jaw hurts a little, which is to be expected, but the weird tenderness I had when clenching my teeth is now gone. I knew that back tooth was funky, had been weird for some years now, but not until this new dentist told me that it was causing bone loss in my upper jaw did I realize that I shouldn't just let this annoyance go. I'd been hesitant to mention it to my old dentist because his only concern had been to make (and charge me for) a new crown. Those are godawful expensive, especially when you don't have dental insurance. As it is, that wouldn't have fixed the problem anyway. Sometimes change is good.

I might step up my routine a tad on Wednesday... it'll be three weeks then.

Columbus Day Monday
30 min recumbent bike
Calories 123
Miles 3.43
HR 117-107