A Dentist who saved my life and the lovely senior citizen

[givemebackmycountry]

I have to give you some background.

My Dentist is a piece of work.
My Dentist is also my oral surgeon, and he specializes in reconstructive and implant surgery.
His office is in Overland Park Kansas, and as Proud2BLib will tell you, Overland Park Kansas, is not exactly a bastion of liberal thought and ideas.

He has a vise-grip like handshake.
He's a man's man.
His son is a officer in the military, and a NAVY Seal, and most of the time he has no idea where he is or what he's doing.
Every time there has been a TV on in his office, I found it to be turned to FOX News.
So, of course I bust his chops about that, and he finds that highly amusing.
He's a Republican, and a conservative, but he's not a whack job.
He likes to tell me "I'm interesting" and he "learns something new" every time I visit.

I love this man.
I believe he literally saved my life.
Twice.

I found him on the "internets" and set up an appointment for a consultation visit with him in November of 2005.
I was in rough shape, and knew something was really wrong with me.
My gums were bleeding constantly, and suddenly I had three loose teeth.
I was terrified I was going to get an infection, and it was going to travel to my heart or brain and BAM!
End of story for give me back my country.

I have Stage 1 Neurofibromatosis.
What is Stage 1 NF?
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body at any time.
The disorder affects 1 in 3,000 males and females of all races and ethnic groups.
Learn more here: http://www.nfinc.org/nf1.shtml

I knew I had this before I went to see this man and of course, I told him about it.
What I didn't know, was that I was walking around with blood pressure that was 217/180 at 50 years old.
The first thing he did when he sat me in his chair was take my blood pressure.
He refused to let me leave my first visit with him until I scheduled an appointment with a physician within 24 hours.
I'm now being treated, have normal blood pressure, and believe that was the first time he saved my life.

Upon examination and X-Rays, he discovered 18-22 microscopic tumors growing under my gums that were slowly pushing my teeth up and away.
I was exposed to infection, and indeed could have suffered a catastrophic life ending event.
It was the second time I believe he saved my life.
So, on a cold Monday morning in mid December 2005, I had oral surgery.
He had me under for over NINE HOURS.
He dug all of the tumors out, drilled two sets of implant bars into my upper and lower jaw, and in a few days I had a brand new smile.

I know it sounds simple, but it was anything but.
I had multiple CAT scans and MRI's.
He spent hours plotting and calculating the surgery, so my new smile would be "aesthetically correct" and virtually undetectable, even up close.

My insurance didn't pay for one single dime, not one freaking cent.
This "pre-existing condition" cost me over 30 grand.
Thank God, I had a good job some stock options and stock to sell, and I had some meager savings to deplete.
Thank God, I was able to go on short term disability at full pay to fully recover.
Thank God.


On Friday morning I go in for a routine check-up and cleaning.
The receptionist hands me a clip board with a bunch of forms on it.
She wants me to fill them out in case there have been any insurance changes and the like.

Two of the eight pages was actual required information for insurance and employment data.
The other six were all "privacy related" documents that we've all seen before.
Sitting across from me, slouched in a leather chair is a woman in her late sixties, who for lack of a better description looked like an older, female, Woody Allen.
She was waiting for her sister, who was getting some work done.

"They give you enough papers to fill out?" she asks me.
"Would you believe most of it is related to my privacy rights" I respond.
"Phewww" she says. "Privacy rights, that's a joke!"
"Yeah, they're reading my e-mails, listening to my phone calls, looking at my bank records and where I go on the "internets" I think the least of my worries is my dentist".

When I said "internets" she laughed a bit, so I thought she may be fun.

In the next five minutes we discussed the wall between Mexico and the U.S. - needing a passport to get back into the country from Canada, the cost of prescription drugs, my surgery, and then she says...
"You know what really scares me? Religion. That's what really scares me...have you read "A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut"?"

Now I know I have a live one here.

"Yes, I have" I say.
"He talks a lot about Religion in that book and it scared me". she says.
I ask her if she's read "American Fascists - The Rise of the Christian Right" by Chris Hedges.
She opens her purse and writes it down and says "No, but I will"

Just then my Dentist pops into the reception area and I get up to shake his hand.
"You giving this woman a hard time"? he says to me smiling.
"No, we're having a very nice conversation about current events" I tell him, happy to see him again.
"You want me to turn on the news?" he says pointing to the blackened flat screen mounted on the wall.
"No, remember I told you about that FOX News crap that you have on here all the time?"
"Well" he says "What about CNN or MSNBC would that work'?
"Nah, I already got my Anna Nicole Smith update before I left the house this morning"
My new friend busts out laughing and she says "That's funny! Anna Nicole Smith update!"

"Well, where do you get your news from?" he asks me rather seriously.
"Not from the cable liars" I tell him. "The truth is something you have to work hard to get these days"
He shakes his head as he walks away to check on her sister, then turns to me and says "You're an interesting guy"

"He always tells me I'm an "interesting guy" I say to my new friend.

"You're not interesting, you're just smart. I wish my sons we're as smart, they all love that idiot BUSH"
She said "BUSH" spitting venom, and then added "I HATE that man"

" Many people do" I say.
"He'll be gone soon enough, maybe sooner, if they keep on finding out about what he's actually been doing"

"My family all thinks I'm stupid and crazy" she says.
"Because I hate HIM, and everything he's done to this country".

"You're not stupid or crazy" I tell her.
"You're just informed, and there's a big difference".

She gave me a big smile and said "I don't meet many people like you who don't make fun of me, or tell me I'm stupid or crazy like my sons do".
I'm pretty shaken, so I walk over to her and take her hand and say "There's lot's of us out there, don't forget it".
"I was so happy that the Democrats won in November" she says smiling.
"That's right! I say to her as the nurse comes in and calls my name.

"It was VERY nice talking to you" I tell her as I turn to leave.
"It was VERY nice talking to you" she smiles back.
"The next time your sons tell you you're stupid or crazy, you make sure you tell them at least you're not a LOSER like their guys were in November, OK?"

As the door shut behind me, I could hear her laughing, muttering to herself...
"Losers that's right, they're losers"

I go back in September.
If I'm lucky, maybe I'll see her again.
And we can talk about what a bunch of losers they are.

[MissWaverly]

1. God bless you, what a wonderful story

Hope that things go okay for you now, I am glad that you had a chance to talk to that senior, it would be difficult being shouted down by your kids.

:-(

[senseandsensibility]

2. Good post.

Interesting. It kept me reading to the end, and I seem to have some kind of attention span problem today. Here's hoping that someday you'll be able to get that Dentist to read DU, or at least stop watching FAUX. He sounds WAY to smart for that.

[peacetalksforall]

3. Great story. Perfectly delivered.

[komda]

4. Ehh

It's a nice story but I still prefer not knowing the political views of someone working on my body... for my own safety.

[spooky3]

5. welcome to DU, komda. I understand your view

but I have found that some health care professionals enjoy talking about politics, maybe as a break from some of the distressing things they deal with all day. I once had an OBGYN who said he was the only Democratic physician in that part of town :-). My allergist, a very wealthy and successful guy who has been in practice many, many years, now brings up health care costs with me every time I come in even though he knows we have different points of view. We are always pleasant about our differences, and I actually like being treated as if I am seen as a person rather than a mass of protoplasm, a disease, etc. or someone to rush right out of there as quickly as possible (even though I fully understand why physicians have to do this more and more).

[glitch]

6. Great story, well written. Your dentist might actually be open to sources.

He sounds like it with "Well, where do you get your news from?" you should give him a few of your more moderate news links. Maybe even drop them by, September is kind of far away.
He did save your life, perhaps you can save his soul. ;)

[DemBones DemBones]

7. Great story! Last summer we were in

a doctor's waiting room and an old man (looked to be in his eighties) came in with his wife. He was just an old country boy, but after a minute or two, he surprised us by saying "This war in Iraq, it's just crazy. He just wanted to do what his daddy couldn't do." Then everyone began talking at once and no one was defending *. Quite amazing in this conservative area. I wasn't surprised by the 2006 elections after that and a few similar events.

[Duppers]

8. really enjoyed reading your story

You held this ADD's attention down to the last word. Dear, you could write novels.

I almost wished you asked your dentist's receptionist for her sister's name so that you could call her. This lady could use some more support and facts to fight her offsprings' poorly informed opinions. Perhaps she has a computer and....and....you know, she could join us! :)

Good luck with your syndrome. I hope you don't have more occurrences.

Take care.