Needles: The bad and the good

Yesterday I got to double my pleasure by listening to the grating sound of Trump talking about signing the $1.3 trillion spending bill at the same time as my dentist was drilling three teeth to shave the tops off in preparation for three crowns.

Alas, I found out at a previous visit that I had worn down the outsides of the remaining teeth on my "good" side by favoring it.

Did I say that over the course of the nine years after my fourth bone marrow transplant, I have lost 12 teeth?

The good news is that my dentist is a mensch who gave me a nice discount and that,  just as importantly, he and his assistant gave a running critique of the orange man on TV and the Republicans supporting him.

When Trump said something along the lines of it being a very big bill that took a long time to read, Iris (his assistant) and I laughed so hard that a chunk of something or other popped out of my mouth. I couldn't say much but if I could, I would have agreed when my dentist said, "Republicans in Congress are all idiots."

I was whining a little when I first came in and sat down in the chair. My dentist reminded me that I have been through so much that a little shaving down of three teeth, plus the novocaine, is nothing. Perspective helps, but still, there is something about getting multiple novocaine sticks in your gum, and having three teeth ground down, that is nerve-wracking.

At least it was preceded and followed by some better things.

The Friday morning round robin in Enfield was great. I played well and had a good time, and remembered, as I sometimes do, that it was not always so. Such as in the bad old days when I had to run off the court and throw up, or when certain people complained about playing with me. More of the thing where perspective helps.

After the dentist I went to Amherst Community Acupuncture, where treatment is more affordable than private sessions. I originally started going because when I wrote about the pain of having and treating neuropathy, I interviewed a sufferer who said acupuncture helps. The jury is still out as far as the tingling in my feet is concerned – I think it might be taking the edge off – but I am certain it helps overall in generally settling my nervous system down.

And the setting is itself soothing. People sat around, not wanting to leave. As often happens in these parts, when the conversation turned to where you are from, two were from Manhattan (myself included) and one from Brooklyn.

It was a good ending to the busy day, but still, when I got home, my whole lower left gum was throbbing, and I had to take a little something for the pain.