There are signs, portents if you will, that the times they are a-changing.
No, sadly, not politically, but in the broader, more seasonal sense. As I type, the rain has taken what feels like a temporary break, allowing general, oppressive murkiness to rule the skies. It’s also not that warm; not ‘get the heating on’ weather by any means (I mean, who can afford that?), but certainly what I’d classify as ‘jumper weather.
And it’s not just the bland, autumnal, weather, either. Christmas Cake, Stollen, and Mince Pies have started to hit the shops to remind us that Christmas is only ten-and-a-half weeks away. And then there’s the other, more timely stuff, the bits-and-bobs that proclaims there’s actually a holiday to be observed before Christmas.
Halloween, that celebration of all things spooky, dictates that witches hats,broomsticks, fake blood, and plastic vampire teeth are also fully in stock.
Which is fitting, because those last two items are what today’s blog is about.
The Whole Tooth
Well, no. Not completely. I mean teeth, yes, and blood, definitely, but not the cheap, make-believe make up kind. No, this week, I’m going to be dealing with the real thing…starting with teeth.
These particular gnashers are my very own, and the reason I mention them is, this week saw me pay a visit to the dentist.
Halloween, that celebration of all things spooky, dictates that witches hats,broomsticks, fake blood, and plastic vampire teeth are also fully in stock.
Which is fitting, because those last two items are what today’s blog is about.
The Whole Tooth
Well, no. Not completely. I mean teeth, yes, and blood, definitely, but not the cheap, make-believe make up kind. No, this week, I’m going to be dealing with the real thing…starting with teeth.
These particular gnashers are my very own, and the reason I mention them is, this week saw me pay a visit to the dentist.
As a man of an age some might refer to as middle, my teeth have seen a lot of action. Add in my affection for coffee, and it was well past time to ‘say aahh’, even without the loss of a filling. As it was, ‘past time’ became a little more pressing.
Molar Man
I’m not entirely sure when the small piece of cement-type stuff left me, but it has made life a little uncomfortable over the last week or so. Not painful, you understand, over than a small ache, but awkward and uncomfortable enough that eating was becoming something of a chore (not me in the slightest), and most meals ended with the need to free food debris from the peaks and troughs of Mount Molar.
So, with the uh, encouragement of Tina, my partner in marital bliss, I rang 111, and, after a two hour wait (thankfully it’s freephone), I got through to a nice lady who walked me through a short questionnaire, advised me I needed to see the emergency dentist (No poop, Poirot!), checked my nearest available appointment, and told me there wasn’t one.
This wasn’t, given the wonderful way the health services of this country are currently being run (into the ground), all that surprising, but, luckily, the young lady then proceed to go above and beyond and, choosing her words extremely carefully, definitely didn’t tell me to ring back in the morning when more appointments would be available.
Which I definitely didn’t do.
Molar Man
I’m not entirely sure when the small piece of cement-type stuff left me, but it has made life a little uncomfortable over the last week or so. Not painful, you understand, over than a small ache, but awkward and uncomfortable enough that eating was becoming something of a chore (not me in the slightest), and most meals ended with the need to free food debris from the peaks and troughs of Mount Molar.
So, with the uh, encouragement of Tina, my partner in marital bliss, I rang 111, and, after a two hour wait (thankfully it’s freephone), I got through to a nice lady who walked me through a short questionnaire, advised me I needed to see the emergency dentist (No poop, Poirot!), checked my nearest available appointment, and told me there wasn’t one.
This wasn’t, given the wonderful way the health services of this country are currently being run (into the ground), all that surprising, but, luckily, the young lady then proceed to go above and beyond and, choosing her words extremely carefully, definitely didn’t tell me to ring back in the morning when more appointments would be available.
Which I definitely didn’t do.
The outcome of this second phone call (which I definitely didn’t make), was another two hour wait, the same questions I’d already answered and an appointment in Huddersfield on Monday morning to have a temporary filling fitted and be told I might need either extraction or root canal work (which was nice).
Which brings us on to blood.
Test & trace
This was a more straightforward affair, of popping down to the doctors with the forms supplied to me by the MS nurse at Pinderfields Hospital and having a phial of the red stuff taken from me, a process that was well overdue, but one that lockdown, my own forgetfulness, and a possible mix-up somewhere in the system (Tina swears I’ve donated quite recently), seem to have conspired to prevent it.
Luckily, this time the blood reached the lab and the results reached the nurse. All is good. Everything is within normal(ish) parameters, and my liver is working, which is a bonus.
Rash Decisions
Of course, despite the traditional cotton-ball used to stem the flow from the injection site (sharp scratch!) being secured with Mepore ( a hypoallergenic tape), the crook of my arm still looks like Freddie Kreuger has been greeting me with a Spartan handshake.
So, yeah, all in all a few days of appointments and very minor medical procedures. I suppose it fills the day. It’s good to know my general health seems to be standing up, but there may be some more pain in my near future, both the physical and the financial. Neither are particularly welcome, but I think a decision will need to be made, and depending on that decision I’ll have to get a ball rolling.’
Oh, and the filling lasted just under 48 hours. Temporary, indeed.
Until next time.
***
Hey, folks! If you would care to take a look at some of my more creative writing, then the links below will transport you to the magical worlds of a few anthologies my short (and in two cases, very short) stories have been included in. Feel free to check ’em out!
New Tales Of Old: Volume 2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TMVTX9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Death Ship
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs
https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w
Reaperman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A
Pestilence
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pestilence-Revelations-Black-Ink-Fiction/dp/B09MDLZGHY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654090896&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Musketeers-Cthulhu-Court-King-Louis-ebook/dp/B09YQKQQB7/ref=sr_1_18?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654091002&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-18
No comments:
Post a Comment