I have news!

To my dear CP Family

The last few weeks have been very trying for me. I have had some dental problems every since I had my Disk fusion in September. Well I kept putting it off and I waited to go to the dentist till my regular scheduled cleaning appointment and exam in January. Well at my appointment, I have found I have a cracked tooth (second from the back upper left side) I need a root canal and a crown, Medicare and Tricare do not cover dental, so I have choosen to wait, at least a little while before having it done. I was told to be extremely careful eating on that side of my mouth, as the tooth is fragile, and could easily shatter, and of course the pain just puts me through the roof when I bite down or anything, or when hot or cold touches it! So I have been careful! A week or so ago I was eating a salad, and I felt something hard , so I checked it out, it was half of a tooth, I checked my teeth, and my bad one was of course OK! I had no Pain! But the the exact same tooth on the upper right side, half of it was missing!!! I called my dentist and I was lucky and got in to my dentist the next day, he wants to put a crown on it. Again I told him it would have to wait, he reluctantly put in a temporary filling and built it up, so it resembles a tooth and there is no hole! It will not last but to be honest the other side must come first as that one is the killer as far as pain goes!

There are several reasons I have put it off, cost is of course one reason, but I have been having problems with my neck and the back of my head, I have had an MRI done a few weeks ago and it appears that the there is nerve root impingement on the right side at C2! Today I had an epidural steroid injection there, in hopes of giving me some relief, and I am scheduled for another one on the 10th of March! So Please Keep your fingers crossed for me that these injections work!

I have also been fighting with my Lawyer, I have had some problems with getting adequate representation????? (For lack of any better way to describe it!) With that said the stress level has been high for me the last few weeks or even months. In the end we did not have to go back to court the 23rd of this month, like it was scheduled! Instead everything was signed and submitted to the Judge, I just found out a few minutes ago, from my Lawyer, that the divorce has been finalized, and we should all be getting our notarized copies in a few days! So I am now divorced. I don't know how to feel? I do not feel sad, but I feel no since of joy either! You know we just had our 35th anniversary the 8th of this month, which of couse was not celebrated! I think, I am glad this part of my life is finally over! Maybe naively, I was hoping that we could at least in some way be on friendly terms, sadly that was not to be! This divorce got to be long and drawn out and turned very nasty! I am not at all sure what I would have done without having all of you here, giving me moral support and advice, both publicly and privately, I can't begin to tell you how much, all of YOU have meant to me!

I Thank each and every one of you!

White Beard

WhiteBeard,
I'm so glad you started a thread to bring everyone up to date on all that's happening with you. Many stressful things, that perhaps you too often keep to yourself while only focusing on helping others? ;-)

I can understand that you may have many mixed feelings right now. Like retiredmom said it is a death of sorts, and needs to be grieved. Those 35 years, while maybe not all pleasant - or at least not ending right now on a pleasant note - still contained many good things, and a substantial part of your life. It may sound strange, but please take the time to honor that (even though you may not have positive feelings about your Ex right now). And of course, look forward at the same time!

Divorces can be hard, and lots of bitter feelings emerge in the process, but many people find a way to heal over time and become friendly if not friends. You've shared a lot of history together, including children and grandchildren. Try not to think that how things are now will be how they always will remain, although it takes two to make that happen, so it will be up to her, too.

As far as the dental issues - oh, wow, you know I understand that! All too well! And how much all it costs! When is dental insurance going to be a normal part of health insurance? I mean we know from our doctors (and dentists are doctors) that problems and infections in the mouth can lead to heart issues and other illnesses, so why shouldn't what's in our mouth be treated like any other part of our body. Oh, if I ruled the world....

I'm proud of you for bringing us all up to date, and allowing us to support you for a change!

PaLady

White Beard,

Thanks for the update! I've been wondering how you were doing. Does your dentist think that the tooth problems could be related to the fusion? I know that sounds kind of strange, but since it happened around the same time, I wonder if the two could be somehow related.

I really hope the epidurals help your neck! It's just one thing after another, right?! I'll say a prayer for you!

I'm happy for you that your divorce is over with, although I think the mixed feelings are quire understandable. Now all you have to do is get the house sold! I'm glad you decided to share with us.

hugs,
Skeye

White Beard,
I'm so sorry to hear about all the stress in your life right now. My heart goes out to you on all levels. I'm with the girls about divorce, it was worse than death as with death there is at least a "ceremony" and a tombstone to mark the end of a lifetime. I'm sorry you've had to go through that and on top of everything the awful pain of teeth! I have a bottle, a tube and a marker thing of anbesol on my nightstand. I guess that says it all. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. And thank you for the kindness you've shown me since I've been here. It sounds like you've been a real blessing to everyone.
Cat(z4)

Geeze Beard!
What a year!!! Holy Guacamoly! Reading your post and thinking about what you have been through this past year makes me think about how lucky I have been this past year. I can't tell you how closely your story reminds me of what could have happened to me.

I'm not sure if you were with us yet back when I was having problems w/ my marrage when I was still working down south and my wife was living here where I am now. I was crying and whining in this forum every day about how everything was going down the drain and I couldn't take it anymore! Crying like a baby!!!

Like you, so many members here were so good and supportive of me. I don't think I could have made it either w/o them! THANKS to all who have been and still are here for me! I thank God everyday for how things turned out w/ my wife.

There are other simmilarities to us that are so crazy! I had two teeth that split right up the iddle which couldn't be saved and had just finished having a root canal done on a third at the end of last year.

We also had the same side neck & arm> left going before our fusions. Now like you and I haven't told anyone this yet but the right side of my neck has been killing me for the last two weeks! Feels just like rthe other side did!!! I've been hoping it would just go away but it has just gotten worse! I'm so upset as I know you are about your right side!

My surgeon who I thought was so great at the time was supposed to do three disks and only did one which still think was a big mistake! I think when he got in there, he saw much more damage than he origanally thought and had to fix the area where my neck had been broken and the big spurs were cutting off the nerves. Because of that and I was in surgery so long, I think he blew off doing the other two disks which are now playing hell w/ my neck! It's agony all day long!



OMG!!! W.B. I'm so sorry! I just realized I've high jacked your post talking about myself!! What a jerk I am sometimes! Listen, I am sorry for what you have been through this passed year!! You are one strong man and one of my HEROs! I could have never made it through what you did this past year! No way! No how! I respect you more than I can say and while going through hell, you were always here helping everyone! You my friend are a Saint! And I mean that! Thank God we have someone like you here for us and I know I'm not the only one who thinks that way!

Three Cheers for White Beard! Hip, Hip ??? Come on friends and family, lets hear it for one of the Great Pillars of our Forum Family!!!

Proud to be your Brother W.B.

Pete

PS> Isn't it crazy how many things we have in common???

WB, I was wondering what was up with you cause you hadn't posted in awhile. Take care and hope you can get your teeth taken care of soon. That's too bad that medicare doesn't cover dental. Is there some way your dentist could code it as oral surgery, I think it could be covered then?

Sorry to hear your divorce turned out to be so nasty. Have you & the X made a decision about your house? Take care and hope you feel better soon.

Whitebeard ~
I am so sorry to hear about all your troubles.....life certainly isn't easy. Not to mention having to deal with CP 24/7......if there is anything I can help you with, please let me know......being new to the group, I am just now catching up on everyones individual situations. Divorce is tough.......I hope when the dust settles you two can be friends? My thoughts and prayers are with you ~
Hugggsss!

hi white beard,

i am so sorry that things havnt been to good for you recently,

thank you for your nice welcome to me to,

Hey WhiteBeard,
I'm very sorry about your dental problems I don't know of anything that hurts anymore than a sore mouth and teeth. I have to have some work done too but like you have to pace it so I pay for it.

Myself I haven't been divorced but have been married for 40 years. I can't say it was all wonderful but it wasn't horrible either. We talk now about how we were younger you'd wake up somedays and say "what the heck am I doing". We are glad now we stuck it out and think we are closer than we were several years ago. However, we have two daughters, 39 and 31 and both have had a divorce and we went through it with them and the grieving is really something serious and sombering. The one kiddo was only married to her man for 5 years but the older one was nearly 20 years and to us he is a family member so we do know some of the feelings. Time heals everything and I even see him healing which is a good thing but when he needs something he still calls on us for help and I wouldn't want it any other way. Take care.

White Beard,
I feel the same and I'm new here. It's amazing how much strength we get from people we've never even met! What compassion everyone has, right? It's amazing how everyone rallies around us in our weakest hour. You were one of the first to show that kind of deep kindness to me, so how can I not want the absolute best for you? I'm amazed that you have come through the things I've read about your experiences and you are still standing! It's that in us all that helps the next person in their times of need. As this is never ending, we go on and on with love and support to this Family we have established. It was a choice for each of us to be here and I believe that is why we become enveloped with each other and why kindness returns kindness. I have prayed for you at times when I'm not even here online...during the day and night for me, I think of one (or several sometimes) of this Family we continue to build and I thank God for being a part of the lives of true warriors! So please, let me say thank YOU. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and I hope you get some relief and rest.
Cat(z4)