Took 'Our Bike' for a spin...

[DDT (12)]

Mornin', Y'all,



And a fine morning it is... for the most part. Jim (my riding bud) couldn't make a ride yesterday, as he had to take his scooter (V-Strom 1000) to the shop to get a gas leak fixed...



Long story, but it was one of those things he couldn't get to without some serious disassembly of various significant non-related parts, but, naturally, the dealer's mechanic could with a special tool. Of course, all that disassembly still might have been necessary if the 'trick' didn't work, and Jim was not equipped, mentally or tool-wise, for either scenario. So he was out.



I called Sam (another riding bud), but he was on his way to work, so that wasn't an option. He said he might be interested today, however, and Jim had said as much also, so... future possibilities seemed good...



Still, that left me with an entire day available, a serious urge in my soul to ride, and nobody to share it with... Well, except for the 'usual suspects'... me, myself, and I. Not bad company, though, so off 'we' went...



I rode over to the Huddle House in Tallassee... I had a good breaky of biscuits 'n gravy with a side order of bacon... and, of course, sweet tea to drink... No longer suffering from grits withdrawal, I'm now OK with just a maintenance dose a couple of times a week, so I skipped those delightful treats this time... That's when things came to a head.



I've been having this annoying little discomfort in one of my teeth... It's been going on for a week or more, but it hasn't been much more than a little ache, especially when I chew on that side... As is the case with many of us macho types, I'd been 'playing hurt', tuffing it out... and foolishly waiting for it to self-correct, heal-up, or otherwise go away... It didn't... go figure...



Following an enjoyable meal and the customary gratitudinal belch, I stepped outside and fired up a smoke... and checked the 'contacts' on my handy-dandy high-tech device conveniently attached to my belt. Yep, there was my dentist's phone number (Dr. Horner). I called, gave information about my situation, answered a few questions, and was then told the doc could see me at 2pm... THAT DAY! Astonished, I gleefully accepted the appointment and immediately altered my plans.



By now, the discomfort in my lower left jaw had evolved into something a little more... it actually was hurting by then. I'm not sure how much of that escalation in 'feeling' was due to psychological versus physical forces, but either way it was now more bothersome than it had been at any point prior to this... I'd obviously made a wise choice in making the call. I rode back to the hacienda...



A total of little more than 50 miles was the sum of my riding excursion yesterday, but... sometimes you just gotta deal with the 'other stuff' that comes along in life, too... right? Looking back, I'm really glad I did what I did... well, except for the part about waiting so long to make the call and go in to see the doc... Hey, I'm just a man, after all, and men are prone to such things, and... you know...



By the time I'd tucked-in ALI and changed out of my riding clothes... the 'discomfort' was approaching 'precious'... not 'special' yet, but that was definitely on the way, I figured... So, I took a couple of over-the-counter pain pills and turned on the boob-tube... thinking that might numb more than just my mind... it didn't.



Time eventually tick-tocked towards my appointment time, so I finally could begin the preparations for that in earnest. Dang! What's going on here, I wondered...



Why has this gone from a minor bother to a full-blown issue in such a short time? Can't be just physical, there must be something, some trigger mechanism or sumthin', in my thinker muscle causing, or at least contributing, to this... My manliness couldn't have deteriorated into sissy-ness so quickly, could it?



I arrived at the doc's office fifteen minutes early... hoping... Nope, it went the way 'work-ins' usually do... and the wait in the appropriately named 'waiting room' was performed with that stoic bravado men are expected to display. Nope, no tears or squalls... not even cursing or gnashing of teeth (especially no gnashing of teeth!!!)



As the door to the 'inner sanctum' opened each time, my heart sunk again and again as the name of someone other than yours truly was called out... At long last (I'd only been there half an hour, but that had seemed like an hour or more at least!) my name was called... and I leapt from my chair and trotted on over towards the now startled young lady holding my file...



She escorted me to the vacant look-see chamber, keeping a wary eye on me the whole way, and she left me reclined and seemingly now non-threatening... I heard her breathe a sigh of relief as she made a hasty retreat back down the hall.



A young-ish big-guy dental assistant came in to take an x-ray and make other preparations for the doc... I'm certain he was sent instead of one of the gal assistants, because the fear the first gal was feeling must have been convincingly conveyed... anyway...



The doc entered with his usual reassuring, confident, and actually great manner, and I knew I was in good hands... but then... I looked up as his gloved hands were holding one of the metal picks just above my face that dentists always come at you with, and I trembled...



I thought about how a tied-up missionary must have felt when a cannibal approached with a raised spear pointed at the throat, and... I don't think I squealed, but he did assure me, nonetheless, that he'd be gentle anyway... I took only scant comfort in seeing there was no bone in his nose...



He finished, gave the news that it appeared I had a vertically cracked molar, and he'd have to 'go in' and see what could be done and what might come next... at my next visit... I got the scripts for an antibiotic and pain meds, made another appointment and headed for the drug store... and another wait.



By the time I'd handed the scripts to the nice lady at Walgreens and been told it would be thirty to forty minutes... I was remembering just how long it'd been since I'd taken those headache pills back at the house... and how much I could use another dose! As I was pondering buying another bottle of those magical remedies, I spotted a nearby display...



'Urgent Care Aspirin' the ad said, and several packets were just underneath... I did buy one, and took it on the spot... Perhaps the druggist took pity on me after witnessing my dire need, so my scripts were filled in record time, and off I went back to me casa in search of relief...



I took the pills, gently placed my derriere in the 'captain's chair' (Lazy Boy), turned on the TV... and proceeded to fall fast asleep... WONDERFUL!!! I awoke sometime later, and all was well in the cosmos once again... I even had a good night's sleep last evening... but our chickens do come home to roost, don't they...



I got two calls this morning... One from Sam, the other from Jim... and they both want to go for a ride today! Naturally I accepted, so now I have to tempt fate once again... I think I'll take some drugs with me in addition to taking the prescription stuff just before departure... Being a Valk addict can sure be risky business sometimes, huh...?



DDT

[GiG]

Keep on keepin' on, Bruce!
Lookin' forward to seein' you again soon 

[eric in md]

   ride on my buddy

[Daniel Meyer]

Ouchies.

And yep, "Grits withdraw" is a thing!

[John Schmidt]

Bruce, if I need some dental work I use the same procedure as with the car; drop'em off in the morning and pick'em up that afternoon.  I did have to change my cleaning method however, ever since Rita made me quit putting them in the dishwasher. Said something about how it bothers the guests!

One of my girls had a similar vertical crack, really suffered with it. The dr. said it was a hairline crack, so she wondered why did it feel like the Grand Canyon in the "pain" department. As for grits, I understand....totally!  

[t-man403]

You talkin'...... thee Huddle House!?

Grits ........ pass the Tabasco! 

[Misfit]

Good read Bruce. You have a way with words. I enjoy your stories, especially in person. Ride on Buddy. 

[R J]

Bruce in the old days, like my step-dad, he had a hairline crack in a tooth, and since he didn't have any $$$$ to spent on a dentist, and this was a new dentist who wouldn't barter on the price, or take chickens, hogs and or etc.

Out came the pair of curved nose pliers.     He got ahold of it and pop, out it came.

Now, we is a talkin pain, and one of the 1/2's broke off in the gum, so now we got surgery.

He was due to get it cut out on Wednesday morning, and I got on the train for Boot Camp in San Diego, CA at the Marine Barracks Tuesday evening.

I didn't get wind of what happened, but when I came home on Boot Leave, he was sporting a whole new set of choppers.   You know the removable ones.

I really didn't care too much for him, so I never asked, and mom passed away before I thought of it again.    He passed away on Christmas Eve in 1985.

As cheap as he was and wouldn't go to a Dr or a Dentist no matter what, I assumed all of his teeth were bad.

[G-Man]