Little Shop of Horrors

Well, I have a story for you today. This story is a perfect example of why I wanted to do this blog. So here goes...

Now yesterday I had my fully pre-arranged dentist's appointment to take care of a tooth that broke a few weeks ago. Dentists are difficult here for me since there are only about 3 that accept the Medical Assistance Plan that I have because of my disability. I made the appointment at a Dentist's Office about an hour's drive from Green Bay. When I made the appointment, I made sure to ask the most important question....Is the office Wheelchair accessible? The answer was "Yes, You would have to enter from the rear door"(OK..no gay jokes) I then double checked by saying I have a big wheelchair...her response was "No Problem".

So off my Medivan driver and I go to see the dentist. Luckily I got a great driver. Now this is one of the longer trips I have taken since I moved to Green Bay and I discovered that the roads suck big time. Bumpy as hell. So about halfway there, I was feeling a bit queasy...Luckily the roads calmed down and so did my stomach. Then finally I see the sign for the town we are headed to... Now "City" is a exaggerated word for the one-street town we ended up in Coleman Wisconsin...Estimated population ...893 people. As we drove down the Mayberry like Main Street, my heart and stomach were falling quickly. There weren't any cars in the street and we even did a u-turn in the middle of the street when we passed by the Dentist's Office. We had ARRIVED!

We parked in the back of the building right next to the bee infested trash bins. Ahh...We found the rear door which we discovered had a 3 inch step to get in. Now my wheelchair and steps don't agree with each other. So my driver opened the door and yelled in....no answer..OK..so now we stepped around to the front and met another patient who informed us that the front door was locked. So we all went to the back entrance and waited. Finally a car pulled up and two nurses stepped out...one saying "OK lets get you in there" I tried and tried to get in, I gunned the motor, people pushed...nothing...my wheels had no traction to get up the step. Finally my driver suggested putting the rubber mat inside the door, over the step to get traction. We pushed again and Up I went.. Into the first back room...Now I had to get through a smaller door...I could hear the wood crumbling and straining as I made it through that door... now I was in a workroom/lunchroom. I had 3 more doors to get through but this was as far as I was going. It kind reminded me of Willy Wonka where the doors keep getting smaller. I was in as far as I was getting. The nurse told me.."There is no way we can do xrays back here and we can't do anything without xrays, but I still want you to see the Doc when he gets here". She then left me and my driver alone in the room.

So now we were alone to survey the surroundings...On one side were dusty shelves and counter with some sort of dark crumbs. On the other side there were a number of old machines that had a layer of dust or crud on them...Then there was the sink from HELL! It looked like it had not been washed out in a few years...around the sink were coffee cup circles embedded into the counter along with white stains and crud. I looked at my driver and mouthed..."LET"S GET THE F--K OUT OF HERE! Well then the nurse came back to fill out paperwork with me. I remained calm. When she left, a door next to my driver kind of shook hard..That was it for her, she told me she would meet me outside. OK so now I am in this dirty hallway..waiting for the Doc..I'm thinking..no one will believe this whole thing..So I got out my cellphone..and took a picture of the sink and counter area. I would have taken more, but my phone clicked loudly. Now I just need to figure out if i could download the pic from my phone.

In walks the Dentist from the bathroom...A very nice friendly looking 80 year old man. He said "Let's see what we have here...oops I have to wash my hands" my mind exploded thinking...IN THE FILTHY SINK...OMG...As I watched him washing them, I notice he had quite a shaking going on in his hands. I opened wide for him and he saw that i have two teeth broken one being a wisdom tooth. Then he gave me the best news...he could not treat me there...All color returned to my face. He said he will refer me to a Dental Surgeon. His nurse will give me the info. She followed up telling me where to call..She kind of treated me like I was not able to understand what she wanted me to do..It must have been that terrified look still etched on my face. After tearing more wall down trying to vacate the premises as fast as I could, we hopped in the van and sped away. As we drove, I filled the driver in. I asked her if she knew where this other clinic was.. She did..It's about 2 hours away from Green Bay. I turned green again very quickly.

So I still have two broken teeth, the knowledge that I get car sick, and the prospect of a four hour car trip, not to mention the removal of who knows how many teeth. But I did survive The Little Shop of Horrors" Oh..and I called the office this morning to see if they could refer me to a closer surgeon..She informed me that I left soo quickly that I left my Insurance Card there..It's in the mail..lol

I will keep you updated in the tooth adventure...BTW..the teeth feel a bit better, I think I scared the hurt out them. A Funny Life..HUH!

All for now,
Brush daily and Be Superb