Author: Jen Rios

“Oh, my Favorite Song!”

I don’t dig this weather at all!!! I was prepared to break protocol and interrupt my chapstick use because I thought it was going to be warm today. I wore my winter coat because of the rain so I have no problem still using my Vanilla Bean chapstick.

I was going to interrupt it for today and tomorrow because I’m leaving the house. But today, it was cold so I’m totally cool with this chapstick. And tomorrow, we BOTH are getting our teeth cleaned. Gail called my Mom and left a message. She doesn’t even spell her name how I thought she did for years?!!!!! She spells it G-A-Y-L-E. Learn something new every day! I think she has been working at the dentist office since Sean was about 10. Maybe younger.

So, tomorrow doesn’t really matter because I’m just going to wear vanilla bean until it’s gone. We show up to the salon for my haircut and the door was locked, but then my Mom knocked and Christina opened it. Danielle‘s dog must’ve been running around.

As my Mom opened the door, we heard the beginning bars of “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga and my Mom said, “Oh, my favorite song!. I ALWAYS think of my Mom when I hear this song:

As I was getting my haircut, I heard this song and it reminded me of middle school, Streamers (the teen nightclub) and my friend Natalie:

As she was waxing my eyebrows, I heard this song and I was teaching. I was still driving back then:

As we were leaving, I heard this song that sounded familiar but I didn’t know who was singing. I have heard it because my Dad used to say it all the time. I see it now, too! He was talking about Judy our dental hygienist. She became mine when Sean and I got our teeth cleaned at the same time. My Dad used to say that getting his teeth cleaned by her. “Hurts so good!”:

Achy

My legs are starting to feel achy sans compression socks. It’s only Tuesday. I have to be without them until Friday. My toe is beginning to look normal again.Tomorrow is day one of ‘go time’ so I think we’ll handle this next week.

On Thursday, we were both supposed to get our teeth cleaned but they moved both appointments up. Mine would’ve been at 1 o’clock and that’s not good for me because we are coming from Dearborn and my dentist is in Westland.

My Mom told me that I will take her appointment and she will make one for a different day. A 2 o’clock appointment is a little better for me. My legs will still be achy then I’m not looking forward to that. I am not looking forward to open toed compression socks!!!

SWEEEEET!!!

So, at my virtual appointment on Friday, the nurse changed my ultrasound for vascular surgery on my lower limbs. It was changed to 8 o’clock in the morning this Friday. That obviously isn’t going to work for me!!!

I called today hoping that I could get another appointment close to the one that I had already scheduled. I scheduled it for May at 2:30. The automated system does not understand ‘vascular surgery’ so I just said ‘Internal Medicine,’ and then I spoke with Omar who transferred me to vascular surgery.

I was completely taken back when this woman answered the phone stating that it was something that sounded way more important than what I needed! I finally just asked her. I need an ultrasound at the Fairlane clinic? Is that you? She said it was and then I told her who I was.

I told her that I needed an appointment after May 20 and the latest appointment available. She told me it was May 22 at 4 o’clock.

Sweeeeet!!! I was super irritated when she canceled the appointment I made back in March. That appointment was at 2:30 in the afternoon and this appointment is the same day at 4 in the afternoon. I won’t have to wake up as early would have! I would have done it though!

My Crown

I’m getting my teeth cleaned on Thursday. I don’t have any dental work in my mouth aside from a crown I have because I cracked my tooth trying to open a water bottle when I was 15 or 16?

I remember the appointment when Dr. Fox sawed my tooth in half and fit me for my crown. It smelled funny. I had never smelled the smell of burning teeth. I’ve never experienced that smile again. Thankfully.

I was still in high school so my Dad had to pay for that, but I remember that I was teaching when I had to pay for my own mouthguard. That stunk!

I’m going back to that same office on Thursday, but Dr. Fox is retired so it’s a corporation now. When I was teaching, I constantly would put my tongue on my crown. I did it when I was stressed or when I was thinking or paying bills. The smoothness calmed me down. I paid for it.

When I stopped working, I didn’t need to do that anymore, and I had forgotten which tooth had the crown on it. I found it today and it’s pretty comfortable still!!!

Sans Compression Socks Day 2

Well, this is my second full day not wearing compression socks and I must tell you that my right calf is not feeling good at all, which makes me a little nervous.

Today, my mom and I talked about the fact that he wanted me to get open toed shoes. We know the shoe store to get them From and my Mom was looking at them today. I’ve been wearing compression socks for so many years, over a decade. I don’t know how it will feel with my skin exposed, especially when I have to leave the house?!

The podiatrist wrote a prescription for open toed socks when I met him in January and now we are going to look and get it filled. This is so much?! It almost feels too much at this point, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Day two sans compression socks, it’s okay I think. I think it started to feel a little bit achy…

Moving Along OR Just in Case

My Mom received this text today:

it looks like things are moving along now. I’m getting a haircut on Wednesday and we are both getting our teeth cleaned on Thursday. Both of those places, I feel pretty comfortable if I need to charge my chair… Just in case.

Sans Compression Socks

I had my virtual appointment today about my feet. Actually, it was our appointment because now, my Mom attended this appointment with me. She held my phone to show the doctor my toes.

He looked at them and decided that I should NOT wear my compression socks for a week and he gave me an antibiotic. I took two doses today and I will be finished in nine and a half more days.

I’m a little bit nervous how it will be sans compression socks for a week but i’m hopeful that it will be okay because my toes kind of hurt.

I would put a picture in here, but when Sean saw my toes and he said it was pretty gross!!!

Afraid!!!

I woke up to this email today:

This was because my Mom picked up the signed orders from my doctor yesterday.

I have a virtual appointment tomorrow with a doctor. I do not know but I needed to get in to see someone. The appointments that were available today got snapped up really quickly so I’m seeing this doctor tomorrow. Something’s going on with my feet and I’m a bit afraid!!!

A LOT!!!

Upon waking this morning, my hands were NOT numb. I was relieved to see that, and I began stretching my arms outward. In doing so, my fingers, my pinkies on both of my hands, began to feel numb. Kind of like it used to be when I was in college when I put my chin to my chest. It’s all changing!!!

Once I was seated in my chair, after I stretched my hands and my arms, I began hugging myself just like Diane has me do at RIM when I am getting my chair updated.

I really do not like how not good this is getting for me. But I’m on it. I have a vascular surgery ultrasound for my lower limbs on May 22. I see the vascular surgeon on June 26.

All of this is never ending and stuff just keeps coming! This is A LOT!!!