Lucky Dorito

Sorry about that little glitch today… I apparently got lost in cyberspace for a LONG while today! I was off enjoying my first day off (when I’ve actually been in town, that is) running errands - taking the dog to the vet, signing the girls up for soccer, taking pictures at my hubby’s new clinic of the place and all the staff together for their last day, and about a million other little things. I tried to get on earlier and couldn’t but didn’t have time to look into it.

I just got home and accessed my hosting company help desk, which is Siteground. I submitted a request for assistance because my site was down and walked to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. I came back and there was an email sent via automatic generation from my submitted request saying that it was being investigated. I opened my host page back up and there was a reply saying some yada-yada technical stuff about sql updates or something and ended with the words *the issue had been resolved*. I opened another browser window and clicked the link to Lucky Dorito and VOILA! Here I am baby!! I tell ya, another reason that I am duly impressed with Siteground. It took less then 3 minutes from the time I submitted a request for assistance to the time it was resolved! That is fabulous, isn’t it? I would have sat in the drive through at DQ waiting on a yummy pecan mudslide for longer than that! Thank you Siteground!

Five Random Moments this Week:

1. We’ve been on the search for new sneakers for Luby, with the first day of school coming this week. She’s kind of tall for her age, wearing a size 4 1/2 shoe now. In our little town, it’s hard to find those *middle of the road* youth sizes…. not quite kids sizes, not quite womens sizes. We’d looked several places before finding a pair, actually. Luby said to me during this time, “Wouldn’t it be great if you were born with the size feet you’re going to have all your life? Then you could buy one pair of shoes and they’d fit forever… you could wear them until the fell apart!” I laughed and said, “Ok, look down at your feet. Could you picture THAT size foot being attached to a baby?” She said, “Oh yeah… I can picture it and it SURE LOOKS CRAZY!”
2. I had to close myself in the bathroom one day at work to cry over a patient. I hate it when I KNOW I can help someone but they won’t let me. It frustrates me to no end. I had an older gentleman from the state nursing home this week in DIRE need of dental services but he is so far gone in dementia, he doesn’t understand who we are and what we want to do for him. He pitched a fit, yelling all sorts of things at me and threatening to sue me so fast it would make my head spin. Now, I realize he is not aware of what he is saying and it’s not that I took those comments personally that upset me…. it was just that he NEEDS some treatment - it would totally improve his remaining years. Once I got myself back together, we had to fax over orders to their facility that we would not be able to see him again in our office - the care he needs would ultimately require IV sedation because of his mental status, which we don’t do at our office. I know that basically means… he won’t be getting ANY care after all. I truly hate that for him. I keep telling myself that I can’t FORCE him (or anyone) to let us help him. But goodness…. I sure WANT to!
3. My husbands clinic moved from their previous location for the past five years to a *transition space* that they will utilize for the next 3 to 4 months while their new building is being designed and built. They left a 3500 sq foot space and are in a MUCH smaller space temporarily until the new building of 4500 sq feet is complete. So a ton of stuff got stored - what a mess that has been for them, deciding what goes into use and what gets boxed up for a while. Crazy. Also, with the move comes the hard part. Two of the therapists and one massage therapist/tech are leaving the company - due to the downsizing and a bunch of other factors. That leaves my hubby as the sole therapist/athletic trainer left… which should make life interesting for him (and us). As for moving… we don’t know where that stands. We’ve looked at other offers, we’ve weighed pros and cons, we’ve talked endlessly about it…. and still - we have no clue what we’re going to do. But, right now, the clinic HAD to move because of the situation that was going on (the end of the contract they were under) so as the Director, he had to man the ship during this transition regardless. It’s going to be super hard to leave now that he is the sole therapist if that is what the decision turns out to be. Surprisingly, I’ve really found some sort of peace in all this now, finally fully accepting that the Lord is going to work all this out for us. It took a while to wrap my brain around it all but I think what ever happens at this point is all right with me.
4. I had a precious little boy patient, 4 years old with a massive anterior open bite. (defined as increased vertical opening between the upper and lower front teeth, usually caused by some external factor; thumb or finger sucking or prolonged pacifier/bottle use - this condition ultimately requires orthodontics and possibly orthognathic surgery to reposition the upper arch. It can lead to speech impediments and serious temporamandibular joint dysfunction if left untreated.) He was cute as could be but very quiet and shy. He had a mouthful of cavities and it was obvious that he doesn’t do a lot of home care. (Of course, at that age - the parents are usually the ones doing most of the work, you know) So, I talked to the mother… she said they brush every now and then, when they think of it. And that she figures the open bite is caused by the fact that he takes a bottle to bed with him every night. A bottle?? at four years old? WHY??? Mom said that his sister had died of cancer and he was distraught and she just couldn’t handle that. He’d given the bottle up at a year old but after his sister died, she gave it back to him to keep him from squalling. I asked what he drinks in it. Mom said, “Nothing. He just sucks air all night.” Can you imagine? I was shocked. I asked the boy if he had a tummy ache a lot of the time and he said YES. I explained to him and Mom that not only is that sucking causing the malformation of his palate but to suck air like that all night is just NOT good for him. When Mom went back to the waiting room, I had some time to talk to the boy. He was more talkative without her in the room (as all kids are) and he said that he sleeps with a teddy bear too. I asked him which he’d rather give up, the bear or the bottle. He said the bottle. I told him he HAD to get rid of it, it’s so not good for him and that he just needed to wrap his arms around his bear all night and let that be his comfort while sleeping, not that silly old bottle full of air. He agreed… we’ll see what happens. Poor Mom - I can only imagine what she must be going through, losing a child… but part of me wanted to say “But this one is HERE! He needs you to pay attention to HIM. He has a mouthful of cavitites and a serious skeletal malformation happening right before your eyes… wake up and SEE HIM.” I know that sounds harsh and I don’t mean it to be… it’s just a bad situation for all of them. Hopefully, she is moving through her grief enough now that she can start to focus on him a little bit.
5. No five. Can you believe I’m stuck on four? Let’s just call this one a Friday Five Four instead. M’kay?

Where has the summer gone? I know that’s what my kids keep asking …. as today marks the beginning of school. I hate that our schools start sooo stinkin early, in the height of the August heat. Poor kiddos, they are dreading it in some ways - and so is their mama. Back to early bedtimes, set schedules, homework detail…. no more carefree summer days. Sad, sad. This week has been a blur of activity, so I thought I’d try to recap my recent trip before I forget it all!

For every fabulous and wonderful moment of the continuing education meeting I just attended in Chicago, there were opposite moments of sadness and heartache. I love the camaraderie, the mentorship, the cutting edge knowledge from the top professionals in my field, the *free samples* of dental products that I haul home to dole out to patients when indicated, and the opportunity to meet a bunch of *listers*!

Those of you that have known me for a while, have heard me mention belonging to a *list-serve* with other dental hygienists. It was created by one extremely visionary woman named Amy and we usually just refer to it as *Amy’s List* and refer to ourselves as *listers*. It is basically an email support group with nearly 5,000 hygienists members now. I love to read it, following particular threads of interest, even if I don’t comment often. (Sounds sort of like blogging, huh?)

Several years ago, when having 500 members was a big deal - I was probably more active with posting on the List then I am now (that was before I found blogging, actually. I suppose a lot of the time I devoted to the List now gets eaten up with my blog) … but I still faithfully read the posts on the list. After a while of participating, you start to recognize names and conjure up mental images of each hygienist. Their personalities show through in their writing and you learn a little about their personal lives, not just their clinical practice. And, with time, it’s become just one giant community of dental hygienists offering wisdom, support, practical answers to questions related to our profession and a resource overflowing with a fountain of knowledge.

So you can imagine my pleasure to finally be able to put FACES with their NAMES at this meeting. (Some I met in Washington DC last year, by the way) It is such fun to meet people face-to-face, especially when you feel like you already KNOW them! (Again, sounds so much like blogging, doesn’t it?)

By the same token, you can imagine the incredible heartache I felt when I found out that the keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies was not there - because she had a stroke last weekend. Wow. Shocking. She was replaced by one of my absolute favorite speakers whom I loved getting the opportunity to hear again… but even the whole time I was listening to her (and even still now) in the back of my mind, I keep praying for the other one.

There was also another speaker, whom I know by name only, that was not in attendance because her husband was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she couldn’t leave him for this meeting. Of course, I surely don’t blame her at all - I would have done the same thing! I pray for them also.

(Sidenote: In case you’re wondering - I am leaving out names of these people on purpose - you never know who might stumble across this post and be upset seeing their name or their family members’ name… so I am just trying to be respectful of them. I have been very upset by all this news though and need this outlet of expression to *vent* about it. I know you understand. I also know that you are some powerful prayer partners out there….I could sure use your help.)

The third sad story I heard about while in Chicago really takes the cake. I have laid in bed for several past few nights thinking of this sweet family and what they must be going through. It’s odd how sometimes you hear about someone and you just can’t get them off your mind, isn’t it? I take that as a sign to pray again - whenever it comes to mind. This woman recently gave birth - maybe 4 weeks ago now to a baby girl (which I believe to be her 3rd child). Here is what I was told: Two years prior to the birth, she had been experiencing back pain and when she sought medical attention, the doctor gave her pain medication (maybe muscle relaxers) saying it was a strained muscle. She continued to have trouble with this pain in her back, even the whole time through her pregnancy. She was told that the pregnancy weight was probably making her back troubles worse and that it was normal to experience back pain while pregnant. Three weeks after the birth of the baby, she was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Wow. WOW. It just makes me so angry that the doctor was totally remiss in not pursuing other answers when her back pain continued. (Now, there is the possibility that by the time her story got to me, it had been twisted and changed - you know how that happens. So even if the details aren’t exact, they are probably pretty close.)

While I was away, the mother-in-law of a friend also had a stroke. She was moved to a Rehab Hospital Wednesday to begin the long recovery process. Also, the uncle of one of my patients Tuesday had a massive heart attack this past Sunday and is still unconscious (as of yesterday). The bad news just surrounds me right now.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past week praying for these people. My prayer list is really long right now (starting to resemble Santa’s Naughty and Nice list)… but, I don’t mind. Prayer is a powerful tool… not only for those you’re praying for… but for me too.

In the coming days, I hope to revisit the whole notion of “moving” - I’m sure you’re wondering what is up with that…. and I have some exciting news about Suki, since several of you have asked about her lately. Be on the lookout for that!

Because life is conspiring against me today, I only have time for this little diddy. I’ve always love the song by Green Day “Time of your life”… and this little twist on it cracked me up! Enjoy!

*Whoot Whoot* We have a WINNER!!

Thanks for playing along in my little contest ya’ll! I was sitting in a meeting one day and the speaker was talking about the impact we can each have on others - not just dental hygienists having an impact on our patients, but EVERYone… because we ALL have the ability to offer this *thing* to others …. if we just choose to do so. Sometimes, we get wrapped up in our own little worlds and forget to do this.

Although many of you offered fabulous answers, including *a hug*, *love*, and *friendship*…. a few of you got the winning word mixed in as well. (Honorable mention goes out to my sweet daughter Beebo who threw her name in the pot too!) I was looking for something very simple and basic….

a SMILE

We usually only offer our love or hugs to people we KNOW, most of us wouldn’t just walk up and hug a stranger and if someone you didn’t know came at you with their arms outstretched in an embrace motion, you know you’d duck and run! lol But… a smile… you can give it to any one, any time, any place. Some people have no one else in their lives to talk to, especially some of our precious elderly folks - just think how a pleasant smile can brighten their day, even if you don’t speak. You can smile at someone with the grumpiest look on their face and after a moment of them looking at you like you’re NUTS and maybe even a quick glance over their shoulder to make sure it was indeed them that smile was directed at … they’ll generally smile back.

Sometimes, in my line of work, I run across a patient that won’t smile. They are embarrassed by their teeth and how they look and they spend all their energy NOT smiling, on purpose. Isn’t that sad? It happens, often, though and it just breaks my heart.

Anyway, I suppose you want to know who the lucky winner is and what the prize shall be, huh?

So, without further delay….

the winner is Stacy!

(email me for details)

Congratulations, my friend!

And your prize shall be….

You can check out the Philips Sonicare site if you’re interested. This particular model, the FlexCare, is the one I’ve been using for a while and I dearly love it… and I especially LOVE the sanitizer part! It is by far, my absolute favorite power brush and I’m thrilled that my friend Stacy will soon be using one as well! I hope you LOVE it!

Ok, so now, I realize some of you will be thinking…

*She gave a way a TOOTHbrush?!? What a cheesy prize!*

My only response is…. I’m a dental hygienist at heart.

“There’s NO PLACE like HOME!”

CONTEST!!!

WoooHoooooo!

Please answer the following question to the best of your ability in the comments

and be entered in a chance to WIN a PRIZE!

The prize is a *mystery* right at the moment, I’ll announce it later (mainly because I wanted to post a picture of it and sitting here in the Caribou Cafe, I just don’t have one available to me!) but come on… it’s FREE and will be FABULOUS! So what’ve you got to lose?

The contest will end at 10am CST Monday, so put on your thinking caps and comment for your chance to WIN!

Now, here’s the rules:

Answer the question, just one time, below in comments. I’m looking for ONE specific answer but if no one gets it - then I’ll randomly pick the most creative answer. If more than one of you guess correctly, then I’ll stick all the winners names in a hat and draw one out! (Maybe I can even come up with a consolation prize if that happens, we’ll see!)

Here’s the question:

What can you give away that costs you nothing but can be worth a million bucks to the recipient?

Simple.

Easy.

Put on your thinking caps and guess away!

Good luck to ya!

So yesterday morning, I posted about the expense of the internet right? I paid my lousy $12.95 (because I was …. you know ….  having withdrawal issues…) just so I could get online and complain a little. And then… about an hour later, I walked out of the hotel to grab some coffee and guess what I saw? Just at the end of the block…

Yeah… well, don’t I feel stupid?

Hopefully I’ll find some downtime to go over and blog about Chicago once my 24 hours are up here in a few minutes!

Hi ya’ll. I’m here, safe and sound in the Windy City.

But… I am really REALLY annoyed with this hotel. I won’t name them but let’s just say their name rhymes with Milton…. I don’t understand WHY in the world when you come to the nicer hotels and pay a whopping $239. a night for your room (in a decent room but come on! Not THAT decent!) they have to be greedy enough to charge you $12.95 a DAY for internet connection when you can stay for $69. at the Travelodge and get internet for FREE?!  Sheer greed, if you ask me!

On the other hand, there is a Dunkin’ Donuts right down the street so… as soon as I get some of that, my disposition might improve a little. Maybe.

By the time you’re reading this, I shall be somewhere in transit - on my way to the Windy City for a little bit of dental hygiene continuing education courses. Ok, actually - a LOT of dental hygiene continuing education courses! It will be fun, educational, exciting, challenging and BUSY! I’ll be blogging all my adventures… or…. mis-adventures, as time allows!

By the way, I have thought a lot about the comments to yesterday’s post and I plan to revisit that topic soon. Thank you all for your input! You guys are the BEST! I hope you know that I treasure each and every comment you take the time to make!

In the meantime, I wanted to share one of my favorite comedians. I listened to this guy on the way to Texas…. and oh! My word! Talk about FUNNY! Holy cow… he cracks me UP! I love this bit on cake…. there’s a bunch more of him available on YouTube also.

Enjoy! Now, go grab ya some bald cupcakes!