High Blood Sugar

Lets just say starting Monday its been a little bit of a rough week. Lindsay has a nervous breakdown. Lindsay has an emotional meltdown. Lindsay gets sick. Lindsay is too sick to sleep which just compounds the problem. Lindsay works an 8hr shift anyway. Lindsay comes home and hooks up to meds. Lindsay sleeps soundly through an entire night from 8-6. Lindsay wakes up and still feels terrible. Lindsay has to go to clinicals anyway.
Lindsay has a FABULOUS first patient, he was blind, and he was wonderful. He was only a 1B which was frustrating, first of all cause I don't need that classification, and secondly because he was a hard class 1B. Oh well. Lovely first of the morning. I really need to start scheduling two patients when they are 1B's because I have way too much extra time.
Then Lindsay gets to her afternoon. Patient comes in, sweating. Patient takes blood sugar test. Patient's blood sugar is 320!!!!!!!! Patient gives injection of insulin. Lindsay prays patients blood sugar goes down in next half hour. Lindsay spends an entire HOUR working on patients health history. THREE PAGES later, patient retakes blood sugar. 312!!!!!!!!!!! Lindsay has to dismiss patient and try to reschedule (which was crazy because patient goes into surgery in two weeks, and Lindsay is scheduled that far) and then Lindsay is stuck with an hour, and nothing to do. Luckily, Lindsay's AWESOME friend Heather is reading Hamlet in the library and comes up to get her teeth cleaned. Lets just say, Lindsay was speedy quick and finished a 1B HHX through status RX in one hour. Sigh.
Good note: Lindsay is actually feeling a little bit better. And ravenously hungry. That must be a good sign.

Power Outage

Today was a really good day. Generally speaking. I mean, it would've been a really good day if I was already a RDH, was working in a dental office, and dreamed of class 1B's all day long. As it is, I am SCRAMBLING to find some decent classifications so that I can fulfill all of my requirements. Today I had a class V and a class 1B. Sigh. I feel really confident now though, that I could do two of those in one appointment time, which means I could do four patients per clinic day. Unfortunately, I knew one was a Class V, and who knows what kind of work goes into those, and the other one was a new patient, so I had no idea she'd be a 1B. sigh. It was good to have a Class V this morning, because Kara---being the amazing person that she is---reminded me that we needed to do exams on patients, so I made my first patient an exam, and I'm glad I accomplished something. And I'm kinda glad I had a 1B this afternoon because........
The power went out.
All over Ogden.
Over 10,000 people were without power.
Just so happened that 16 of us were working hard at Midtown Clinic.
It's ok though, because my professor was scale checking, I had already rubber cup polished, so I didn't need the power for anything.
Other students....not so lucky as me.
My hardest thing was trying to figure out a way for her to pay, since I hadn't put any information into the computer yet, and we didn't have the computers to use anyway. Ah---how did people function without computers????
The power has now come back on, but not our clinics software program, so I can't insert my afternoon patient into Eaglesoft, like I had planned, which would have fulfilled another requirement that I need to get done. Argh. Thats ok though. I'll just sit here and blog until pod wrap.

No Window

You never really realize how important your drivers side window is...until you don't have one. On Saturday night my committee had a social in Huntsville, and I went running right before. I was trying to cool down fast, so while I waited for the AC to kick in, I rolled down my window a couple of inches. Then I went over a bump. Then my window slid ALL the way down. Then it wouldn't go back up. Then I was very sad. But I didn't have a lot of time to think about it, I was jumping in the shower, getting ready, and heading to the social. We drove to Huntsville with my window down the entire way, and let me tell ya, it was LOADS of fun. Memories of "Pioneer" songs floating through my head! Haahaa. On the way back, it was a little less joyous. Lets just say the girls huddled under a quilt I keep in my trunk, and the boys tried to look like they weren't cold. The next day, my landlord gave me a tarp/canvas to hang over the door so that the window was covered. Which was lucky, since yesterday it RAINED all day long. Yes. Oh, one good thing about an open window though---I got treats left on my seat!!!! I got rained on though, to work, from work, and then decided not to go to FHE, because I didn't want to get cold and wet again. But today it is getting fixed, mostly because my dad was concerned that I wouldn't have a window while I go to Heber Valley, then Park City, then SLC, then Logan this weekend. And let me tell ya, I will be VERY grateful to have a window back. My car is a little bit of my personal statement of freedom and allows me to feel like I am personally in charge of everything I do right now in my life. And lets just say driving to Farr West this morning for a dental appointment was more than a little chilly. I'm very grateful to have it fixed, and I will FOREVER now, be grateful for my drivers side window.

Heroic Save

Today I had two patients scheduled from the WSU recall list---people who wanted their teeth cleaned, heard about WSU, and through various means provided their number so that we, as students, could call them and schedule appointments. I talked to both my morning and my afternoon patients, scheduled the appointments, both said they could be here. When I called to remind them yesterday, my morning patient reaffirmed that they could come, my second patient I couldn't get a hold of. So I called my dad to see if his afternoon was free just in case, and felt good about my upcoming day.

I get here this morning. My patient doesn't show. I call and he...had to work. And you didn't know that last night?!?!?!?!?!? My dad had a meeting, my friends are all in classes. I ran down to the institute lounge, and through the Student Union Building...and after twenty minutes of searching, I found a young freshman football player who thought it would be great to get a free cleaning (by then I was offering to pay for it). Brought him up to the WSU clinic.....drum roll....and he was a perfect Class II!!!!! I took four bitewings, and then he agreed to come back to be my mock board patient!!!! YAY!!!! So, even though I didn't get anything cleaned, it was a heroic safe to my nerve-wracking morning because now I do not have to worry about a mock board patient. And they actually told me that this is exactly what I am looking for in March for REAL boards....could the student union be my lucky trick again??!?!?! Probably not. Sigh. He is a freshman football player, but I am PRAYING that he is responsible enough to really come back in October for my test. I really, really, REALLY emphasized and stressed to him how important this was to me and my grade and how he was an absolute blessing--and he seemed to get it and promised to come back. Here's hoping.

My second patient also didn't show. Sigh. So I called my Papa Bear up, and he agreed to come in. He was a Class V, so at least it wasn't a 1B experience so that was nice. My professor came up to me afterwards and said "Was your dad asking about you breaking up with someone or something like that?" Apparently he thought it quite amusing that the dean of education was sitting in a dental chair talking love-life to his little girl. His student. Haahaa. Now that I think about it, it is kinda funny. Completely cleaned him, loaded him up with some fluoride goop, and sent him on his way. Yay! Thank you so much dad!

So it was a stressful day, but it turned out nicely, and now I just hope my future patients show up, cause my dad is supposed to be my emergency patient, and unfortunately, now he can't come in for another six months!

Today I fell in love

He's tall, and strapping about 6 foot 3 with broad shoulders and intelligent, chocolate brown eyes. He's African American and he was wearing a dark blue pin-stripe shirt, with a burgundy paisley tie and a creamy suit coat, and I gotta say, that has to be the sharpest looking outfit I have ever seen! He was the most respectful, kind, and generous man I have ever met, and he was so proper and formal I felt like I was walking into a 1940's movie and I should have an elegant evening dress on and I should curtsy and let him kiss my hand. I do have to say, he had dashingly bright white hair, and he probably isn't quite as trim as he used to be...although he's more trim than most men more than half his age. Okay, so my true love was 81 years old, but a more charming man I've never met. He was my patient today at the VA hospital, and I think he's old enough that he must of served in WWII, plus he is a lawyer, and he grew up in North Carolina, which means he was getting a law degree in the midst of racial segregation and fighting. I would DEARLY love to hear his story, and sometimes I ache over my lost calling in life of majoring in history and traveling around the world writing people's unknown stories. Sigh. Anyway. The afternoon was VERY confusing because he was supposed to have a partial denture made, the lab hadn't made it, the dr. didn't have it...and they basically wasted a lot of my time because I stood around waiting for the dr's to do stuff, and not getting anything done myself. We only counted his mouth as three quads, but one quad was considered a class 3, so I guess I can't complain too much! And he was such a charming patient, it was a fabulous afternoon. Makes me want to marry a southern gentleman. Too bad he's married, and most of them have died off. Sigh. More proof I should've been born in a different era.

Clinic

So, I've been at the VA twice already, once for patients, once for CA...but yesterday was my first day back at the WSU clinic. Can I just say---I absolutely LOVE professors who explain to you how to improve, and watch you do it, so you feel a little bit secure in the knowledge that you might be learning how to do things correctly! I feel a lot more calm about instrumentation, because when things come up that professors point out, I feel like I can learn and accommodate that....whereas before I just tacked it on to this overwhelming monumental list of things I didn't think I could possibly learn in this lifetime. Funny how a couple months later I'm feeling pretty ok.
Really though, it wasn't that exciting of a day. My sister and brother-in-law came in, I had high hopes that my bro-in-law would be a difficult classification because he hasn't been in to a dentist in over 8 years....but no, just a 1B. Not that I can fault him for taking excellent care of his oral health...but still. I did take a full mouth of xrays on him though, because he hadn't been in the dental office so long, he fit all the prerequisites for needing lots of xrays. And I sure utilized that. I love phosphur plates PS and I think the whole world should switch to only using them. So I finished two class 1B's. It was nice to get some xrays in...finish eight quads....and really just to get accustomed to the clinic routine once again. Lets hope I get some harder classifications quickly though...cause I'll be needing them!

On a happier note, for everyone else who reads this blog, my first evening program activity was a RIOT! So much fun! We had over 200 people in attendance, I had to send my presidency members to buy more food, and we still ran out by 10pm. I spent from 7-5 in clinic and from 5-11pm at the institute building, but oh so much fun. I suppose you can't go wrong with S'mores and Emperors New Groove, but it was just so surprising because all of our summer activities were so small! I suppose thats whats to be expected when everyone moves back in for the semester! I think it really pumped my committee though, to see how important their jobs really are---and I certainly delegated the responsibilities! We had a few moments of 'series of unfortunate events'...we didn't have the right key to get to the sound system....we forgot matches(how do you make smores over non-burning coals??!?!?!?!?!?!?!) we needed extra plug-ins.....Simon heroically risked his life on the roof to rig our projector sheet....Sam's Club doesn't carry marshmellows(who in the world would have ever guessed???!?!?!?!!) But we live and learn....and by the time you finally learn, your time is up, and its the next years turn! But I am loving it so so so SO very much, although there were some rough moments this week. Personally, I think I am blessed to be alive and standing and so supported by everyone! THANK YOU SO MUCH! This has really got to be the BEST position ever!