Chalk and Cheese

I wrote about root canals in this forum back on April 28, 2014. I was determined never to have another one. That didn't actually work out very well. In November, my dentist told me I needed a root canal. I was inclined to just say no. But of course he showed me x-rays and even though I couldn't see whatever it was he was trying to show me, I knew I couldn't just ignore it. But given my previous experience I did decide that there was absolutely no way I was going to go through that just before the holidays. Back in 2014 my mouth hurt for well over a month. Not how I wanted to spend the holidays.

So after the holidays were over I came up with another stall tactic - a second opinion. Maybe a different, younger dentist would have a different treatment plan - one that didn't involve a root canal. I got a new dental plan in place and signed all the paperwork to make sure that the "new" dentist could look at the x-rays the old dentist took.

Then in the meantime, the old dentist retired. In retrospect, probably a good thing. Now I had two new dentists. Unfortunately, they both agreed that I needed a root canal. But these guys started talking about crowns and bridges. Cha-ching. Cha-ching.

Everybody gave me pricing and it honestly wasn't as bad as I'd expected - even when they included the crowns and bridges. But the first thing to do was to get the root canal. I was referred to an endodontist in McKinney.

I phoned and actually spoke with him, not just someone in his office. Reluctantly, I made the appointment. I was apprehensive. The experience from two years ago was still fresh in my mind.

I only wish this had been my first root canal experience. Where the first dentist came in and pumped me full of novocaine within 10 minutes - the endodontist and I had an hour-long conversation about what had gone wrong, what the options were to fix it,  and what the consequences of not fixing it might be. We talked about the odds of a successful procedure. We talked about the things that could go wrong and what would have to happen if something did go wrong. We also talked about those crowns and bridges, which he said could be aesthetically more pleasing but not really necessary. (Good to know!) My first root canal experience did not include any conversation at all.

I opted for the nitrous oxide. The insurance didn't cover it, but it seemed worthwhile. I didn't even have insurance for the first root canal, but nitrous oxide was not given as an option. It is so worth it. You're awake, but you don't feel what much of what is going on. I felt no pain, although I was of the opinion that I wouldn't be able to get through it because I just couldn't keep that thing in my mouth long enough. That's when I looked at my watch and realized that we had to be close to done. Two hours had gone by! My first root canal experience was very rushed. According to Mark, I was only in the first one for about an hour, even though it seemed like an eternity. This one seemed short and it was over two hours - that's the procedure, not including the hour-long conversation.

After it was over, I was told what to expect. That evening should be the most pain I would experience. I was given antibiotics, a steroid as an anti-inflammatory, and an ibuprofen to head off pain. During that first root canal, there were no meds and no expectations were set. That first one was far more painful than I had ever imagined it could be. I was prepared for the same type of pain but it never came. It was a bit tender, but not painful. The endodontist called me the following day to see if I was okay. I absolutely was. On the first root canal, no one called me the next day. Instead, Mark had to call because I hurt so much I couldn't talk. We were able to get pain meds but they made me sick. Tough choices - horrific pain or throwing up. This time, neither one!

It's been less than a week and it's just like nothing ever happened. As different as chalk and cheese!

The End of a Long Road

A little over two weeks ago, Mark was sworn in as a US citizen. He was one of 106 new citizens who had come from 40 different countries to make new homes and lives here.

I thought it was a fairly long road. We set out on it a bit over 10 years ago when we applied for a K-1 Visa. (That's the one you get if you want to marry a US citizen.) We weren't getting anywhere so we hired an immigration law firm out of California. I figured if they could get visas for Russian girls who hadn't even met their intended yet, getting one for someone with a "pre-existing" relationship ought to be easy. The Visa was issued in March of 2006 and we were married in May. Then we applied for his green card.

Getting the green card was not easy. The paperwork was cumbersome, confusing, and took forever to process. The people at the immigration offices we were sent to at this stage in the process were mostly rude. He had to have all sorts of documents including a work permit and a travel document - and a fee associated with each one. Plus the extension fees when the documents expired and you still didn't have a green card. Once he was detained in the airport and they refused to talk to me. As I understand it, they weren't particularly nice to him at this stage, either. In the end we had to get an immigration attorney. A local one this time.  The green card was finally issued. It took about two years to get it. We both speak English and have advanced degrees and the paperwork got us. How people who don't speak English  and are not well educated ever navigate the system is beyond me.

He was eligible to apply for citizenship three years after his green card was issued. I'm not sure why we didn't apply as soon as he was eligible. I think it was the dread of more paperwork and fees.  But then it became next to impossible to get through customs at the airport. Citizens and legal residents were directed to the same line but citizens would be passed through the system and residents would be redirected to another line. It's not supposed to work like that! But it provided the motivation we needed to get on with the application.

The application was about 40 pages plus supporting documentation. We filed it last October. I inadvertently left out a page and we had to resubmit it in November. He was fingerprinted yet again. We checked the website everyday to make sure we didn't miss a notice. When they send you an appointment time for an interview you absolutely must show up. If you don't show up, they assume that you have abandoned your quest for citizenship and you'll have to reapply. If you ask to change the appointment, it may take as along as a year to get back on the schedule. Most plans got put on hold. We couldn't risk being more than a two-day drive away.

We got the study guide for the test. 100 possible questions. Applicants will only be asked a maximum of 10 but since no one knows which questions will be asked, it's best to know the answers to all of them. All I can tell you is that an embarrassingly high number of people who had the good fortune to be born here would not be able to answer many of those questions. (A sad indictment of our educational system.) But he passed after answering six questions. (Once you have six right, they stop asking.)

And then we come to the swearing-in. I wish I could have stood next to him, as I had through the rest of the process. But it's okay. He's registered to vote and his new US passport arrived this week.

That ceremony marked the end of a long road, but it also marks the beginning of a new one.