Trousers

Hello.  Today I made a revolutionary decision.  I wore Trouser Socks that my mother gave me for Easter some years ago.  They were awesome.  My feet were un-anesthetized.  They hurt a bit by the end of the day, but it was certainly a step up from last week.

Photo Credit: MeChel

Photo Credit: MeChel

I am VERY sorrowful to tell you that I was flexing in that second pic.  Wow, Chris is right I need to exercise more often.  And if that bulge above the sock don't prove it then you are in denial.

Today turned out to be fine.  Class V in the morning, who has worked his way up from Class II/III last year.  Very positive sign for him and his systemic health.  BOTCHED some vertical radiographs on this patient, retook some good horizontal ones which got lost in the computer system based on my idiosity not to open a new template. Dumbies.

Lunch - no dessert, but I did go get a flu shot with Sarah and Kristie, thanks for the prompt Sarah!

Then I saw a 1B.  That's right a 1B.  I thought for sure she would have had more perio than that!  When we walked in from lunch I knew she was my patient.  She was very overweight and I assumed that she was on lots of medications (I was right).  When I called to make and confirm the appt I spoke with her mother, which I thought was odd for a 25 year old.  This is my first clue that something was a little off.  I was a tich worried that she wouldn't be comfortable or able to be accommodated in clinic, but it turned out good and great.  She was very easy and fun to get along with, and as you know she ended up being a 1B and even though I took my dear sweet time during HH and radiographs, I did finish her.  My largest mistake of today was that I did NOT do a blood glucose on her even though she A) She has diabetes B) Had not taken her blood glucose that day C) Was ok with me doing it.  I just couldn't get up the mental energy to go get the stuff.  Lame, I know.

    

Bernie

If you can't find your patients chart Mr. Soloman and Heather may spend the next hour looking for it.  You all may look in every possible place at least 3 times.  You may have to have your patient RE-fill out a health history.  You may waste at least 15 minutes of your precious time to look for it and figure out what the protocol is for a lost chart.  And you know what the problem may be?  It may have been filed under his OTHER name.  Bernie.  Oh duh, why didn't I think of that?  Lesson learned. (I have used this If You Give a Mouse a Cookie before.  I am always repeating myself.)

Um . . . 4 quads of a class III today.  Done and done.  My first patients family is wanting to come to me.  For the possibility that they are mockboard/board material YES I WILL!

I wore my Dansko's for the first time today.  For the morning they were great.  For the afternoon my feet have been numb for the last 2 hours.

The best surprise of clinic is when I walk out to the front desk to put something back and CAMDEN and MOM are sitting in the waiting room!  Elation!

Brooke, Kristie, Whitney, MeChel, Sammie, Leigh Leigh, Heather MaCKay are sitting here watching me blog.  :)

Brooke found these ROCKIN gloves over in Sterilization.  We had to model.

Condorman

Laser Lady (Joy) spoke to us today in class.  She did a great job, and for as confusing as lasers are I liked how she simplified a lot of it to words/analogies I could understand.

We also did Patient Education skits today.  And what would this blog be without a few memorable quotes from the presentations.

Radiographs
"Did I tell you that I recently got into underground cage fighting?"  -The always beautiful Jamie Jensen
"I was in Vegas for an underground cage fight when I got a quick hit to the ribs."

Periodontal Disease
"I'm going to stick . . . I mean insert this probe." -Kelsey the hygienist to Adrienne the extreme smoker patient

Oral Hygiene
"Oh, I wish I could open that wide." -Brooke the arthritic pt while handling Emily's typodent to show c-shape flossing

Never a dull moment with this group.  Love.

Done?

I have a false sense of freedom after Tuesday's mockboard.  Here is what I learned from that experience;

1) Alexander is awesome for getting us ice cream after that day.  Indescribable happiness came from that TLC.

2) If you failed, better luck next time.  If you passed, it doesn't mean you're going to pass your real boards so . . . don't get complacent.

3) Some people like to freak out, a lot, for no real reason.

4) Helping Mr. Soloman out of the goodness of your heart will pay off sooner or later.

5) Passing mockboards and "doing well" are not necessarily the same thing.

6) I cleaned the HECK out of my patient's root surfaces and missed 4 spots of calculus right underneath the contact.  Nice.  Lesson learned.

7) I love myself for saving an entire set of instruments for boards that will brand spanking new.  :)  Eradicate that worry.

8) I need to find an EASY Class II to clean for mockboards.  No deep pockets and severe disease for me.  It is all about patient selection.

This false sense of freedom needs to stop soon because I have LA tomorrow, an LA test this weekend and the Patient Education paper/project.  What will it take for me to get this WAKE UP CALL.

Pick a Title

I have a hard enough time articulating Frances McConaughey's entire last name to begin with, so when I am in a constant dither over whether to call her Inst. Prof. Dr. or Ma'am let's just say difficult is an understatement as to how hard it is for me to SPIT IT OUT.

Frances + Me = Disaster.  Let's just accept that this is true.  I think I have found the underlying cause of this issue.  I try to be all things informal.  I think she tries to be all things formal.  It reminds me of the following quote from The Office Season 3 Episode 13.

Dwight had a big personality and I have a big personality and a lot of times when two people like that get together it can be explosive. -Phyllis

Once again at the VA today we had a little run in.  Maybe not a run in by other's perspective, but by mine it was.  Sigh, I just need to be on my BEST behavior when addressing her and no funny business because it always just ends up with me feeling like a dingle-idiot.

So Frances, I mean Prof/Inst/Mrs McConaughey I apologize.  Better luck next week.

In other news, I tx 3 patients today start to finish.  Two class V's and one class II.  Had some CRAZIES today, poor Brooke.  :(  However, if my calculations are correct we only have 3 more days at the VA this semester.  Praises.

Dental Hygiene Nightmares

I swear I am not stressed, but the frustrations that come out in my dreams would suggest otherwise.

Nightmare #1
I had traveled very far on a bus to get to a place where I could treat my patient.  I am interpreting this as getting to the VA.  The destination was a park, and I met my patient who was an East Indian guy.  He was a Class III that I had already completed 2 quads on.  I was looking forward to finishing the other 2 quads that day at the park, but some government of his said that I couldn't treat him.  I was livid.  I remember having to travel home on the bus, and feeling it was a waste of my time so I complained to Dr. Hanson about a swollen joint in my hand (my right hand had like 2 LARGE swellings on it) so I got to go home.  Relief.

Nightmare #2
It was mockboards.  I didn't have a patient so I just grabbed a relative of mine to sit in, figuring at least he would be better then nothing.  We were about to get started, when the Head Examiner (Alexander) asked if all of our patients truly qualified for mockboards or if we were just using them because we didn't have anyone else.  I of course was trying to get away with the latter.  So, I had an ethical dilemma.  Do I lie or just pretend like he qualified for mockboards?  Thankfully, I told the truth and said that he was just filling in because I had nobody else.  Alexander made me leave the room and I was not allowed to participate.  Again, I was livid.  Is that the theme here?  Do I feel a loss of control?  I'm not sure, but I always wake up with a sore jaw from grinding stress, and I've got the massaters to prove it.  Of course it is hard to put into words that existential experience of dreams, but it's better than nothing.

Mockingboards

I just finished The Hunger Games.  It has pervaded my life.  Hence Mockingboards = Mockingjay + Mockboards.  I told MeChel today that I couldn't come to Burger King without a coupon because I am just a girl from the Seam.

Wonderful H-dawg came in today.  He is so punctual and such a nice guy.  We took 4 PA's for mockboards (his lower right DID qualify!) and then cleaned his left side.  Freaking hard calculus, as well as a very tough guy.  No numbing.  After my 6 or so errors, I made a resolution.  TO OVERTHROW THE CAPITAL!  (jk) My real resolution was to sharpen all my instruments after each patient, which I did today.  Almost as important as breaking all of Panem free of oppression. 

Now a lab.  Dullsville.  Maybe I could get some Morphling to get me through it. 

In Collaboration with MeChel Berrett.
Disclaimer:  If you have not read The Hunger Games, this may not make sense to you.  Get on it.