Boy, sounds like we're falling apart from that title, doesn't it? It really isn't all that bad, but we have had quite a few appointments over the past week.
Last Friday, Anna woke up complaining of a sore ear. Since she's had a cold we figured it had probably progressed into an ear infection. So we set up a morning appointment for her and Rob ran her to the doctor. He tried to look in her ear, but she had a build up of wax in both ears (found at her well-child visit a week prior) and he had to flush it out to see behind it. Several tries with various instruments and liquids later, they got out a good-sized ball of wax and sure enough, her ear was infected. Because she was screaming pretty hard, they decided not to clean out the other ear for a check. If she has a double infection, it wouldn't really matter if they checked b/c meds will work either way. Rob and Anna then went to the pharmacy to fill a prescription for her pink meds, which she loves to take. She did get a mild fever Sunday night and slept for 14 hours but otherwise she's weathered the infection pretty well. I'll be working on cleaning out that other ear once she's done with her meds and the infection is gone.
Rob had hurt his back a week ago or so and while most of the pain had gone away, it developed into sciatica pain. So on Monday he made a visit to the chiropractor. He had an hour long exam, got an adjustment, and went back on Tuesday to find that he'll be doing a six-week treatment. Thankfully our state medical cards cover chiropractory, so we only have to make $1 copays. He goes in again tomorrow. He's still in some pain but does see improvement.
And today we took all three of the kids for their routine dental appointments. Ben went first and was an excellent patient. He always is :) He got a clean bill of dental health and showed his sister how to behave and what to expect. The dentist came in to check his teeth and the hygenist had Anna hop up so the dentist wouldn't have to make another trip in. Anna's teeth are a little more crowded so we'll have to watch her as she gets older. She did great for the dentist, but when it was time for the hygenist to clean her teeth, she clamped her little mouth shut and wouldn't let her do a thing. Finally, the hygenist suggested we let Anna brush her own teeth with a regular brush and she was able to assess Anna better that way. And she only charged us for an under three visit, so that was nice :)
I then took Ben and Anna to the waiting room where Rob and Matthew were doing his schoolwork. We traded kids and I went back with Matthew. (We were supposed to keep the same kids but after dealing with "Runaway Anna" I asked for a break.) Matthew's mouth was not as happy of a story as his siblings. He has a tooth ready to poke through at the top and another loose tooth, but the real problem is three cavities. Two need fillings b/c they are in baby teeth that will not be lost for a few more years. The other is so tiny that they will wait and keep an eye on it to see if it falls out first. Now our kids don't eat too much candy and rarely drink soda, so I asked why the cavities? The hygenist explained that the teeth are close together and only flossing regularly would have prevented that...but they don't expect six-year-olds to floss. Well. He was given flossers today and we will be regularly flossing his teeth from now own. I think we'll get Ben in on the action as well just for safe measure. Mommy has had WAY too many dental problems to just let this go in the kids! So, Matthew has an appointment in April for two fillings and another for sealant on his back molars.
In happy news this week, I have a new niece! Annie Joy Fulkerson was born yesterday to my brother Joel and his wife Cara. She joins big brother Ezra. Can't wait to meet her!
1 comment:
I think that dental health is hugely genetic. At least that's what my hygienist told me on Tuesday. Some people brush and floss twice a day and still get cavities. Then there are people like my grandpa who was born on a farm (literally) in 1911 and definitely did not have good dental care for good chunks of his life but he still had all of his own teeth when he died at 87.
I remember getting sealants as a kid, and they're all still in there and doing their job! (I guess they often fall out after 10 years?) I hope Matthew's appointment goes well! My kids were supposed to see the dentist Tuesday while I was there, but they're all sick so we had to cancel. :-(
My hygienist recommended using the generic version of ACT fluoride rinse for my older two kids, so I think we'll add that to the routine, too.
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