I haven’t posted in awhile because well nothing has been really going on. Jesse has been going to school, and not wanting to go. My husband has gone back to doing landscaping on the side. Christine, Jesse’s sister, had her tonsils and adenoids taken out (what fun that has been, but they were the size of golf balls… it needed to happen). And now due to the chemo, Jesse gets to have dental surgery.
Three weeks ago I happened to see something on Jesse’s teeth when she smiled at me. On further inspection, I felt sick to my stomach. I could give you every excuse in the book, but in reality I should have been brushing her teeth. I could tell you I had been telling her to brush her teeth morning and night, but I had let her do it. I could tell you that this was one things she could do so that I could do something else (or have a 5 minute break). I could tell you that the chemo is the cause of the decalcification of her teeth. I could also tell you any number of excuses, but overall I feel like I have let her down.
I could blame the chemo. Her sister has been brushing her own teeth for years with only 1 cavity. Jesse had 1 cavity at her last 6 month check up, but now she has 6 or more (x-rays will tell us better).
When I took Jesse for her cleaning that happened the week after I discovered how her mouth looked, the dentist looked at me like I was the worst parent in the world. Either that or I projected on him exactly how I was feeling.
After it was determined that he could see 6 cavities, his team scheduled Jesse to come in 3 times to fix 2 at a time. So on Tuesday at noon, we headed over to get started on fixing them. Another dentist in the office was doing the fillings. He gave Jesse the numbing medicine, waited 15 minutes, tried to inject the Novocaine, and she started to whine.
He stopped and informed me of something that the first dentist could have. (This is a case of the more I have thought about this, the more I am annoyed because they are probably charging me for an office visit to get nothing but a referral to a pediatric dentist, which could have been done at the cleaning visit.)
Thankfully I was able to get Jesse in to see the pediatric doctor today at 3 pm (after Chris’ check up with the ENT. ).
Wonderfully lady. She went to dental school at VCU, which allowed her to treat children from the Massey Cancer Center! Immediately she looked at Jesse’s mouth and determined that she had decalcification on most all her teeth. She also suggested that we go ahead and treat all her teeth, some with caps, one possible root canal, and other stuff, to hopefully prevent further decay.
She also told me that she has seen so many kids who have been through chemo with teeth affected in the same way. (I appreciate her giving me an excuse and it probably really is the case, but I still feel like I failed Jesse).
Her assistant was fantastic and told me the same thing. I think they were trying to not make me feel too bad, but seeing the bill for all this doesn’t make me feel better. I am concerned too about her adult teeth, which they told me can sometimes be affected by the chemo. On the bright side if they are… they have a way to fix it. I just wish dental insurance was a max out of pocket versus maximum coverage. Meaning that once they have paid a certain amount, we have to cover all the rest. ( And I don’t write this to get money… I am just frustrated by all of it… and I am sure that many of you would say “Insurance! Don’t get me started!”)
All of this will require Jesse to have to go into the Outpatient Operating Room at Sentara because of the anesthesia. I just hope they will touch her considering her condition.And we may have to go in for a pre-op visit where they take blood samples.
The receptionist/ medical biller was surprised by all that I explained Jesse had been through. The assistant wasn’t phased because she has seen working with cancer kids at VCU, and she apologized. I told her, “once you live this life it becomes a strange version of normal.”
So on May 20th, we’ll hopefully get her mouth straightened out. And I might allow her to brush her teeth when she is 16…
As for her sister’s tonsil and adenoid removal, Chris is having really difficult nights. And according to the ENT nurse practitioner she might not be able to return to school on Tuesday if she is still on the pain medicine.
I am really hoping she able to go Tuesday. She has had nights where the pain was so bad she was inconsolable. We had thought it was the hydrocodone, but the nurse pointed out it wasn’t since she was fine during the day. I know this surgery needed to happen, but I am so glad she only has one set of tonsils…