Getting the process started...again

Getting the Process Started Again?

After close to a three-month wait, the peer review with the insurance company was done and I received approval for the CT scan.

 The front of the outpatient section of the Hospital

They decorated the hospital for Christmas! 

The scan was scheduled for 6:30am (11/23), so I needed to leave my house by 5:30am.  At that hour, I didn’t need to worry about Miami traffic.  Once I arrived at the hospital, I easily found a parking space and walked to the out patient registration desk.  I must admit that the people who work in this hospital are amazing, patient, funny, and kind.  I was taken to the CT room approximately 10 minutes after I completed the registration process.  The CT and splicing the images took close to 45 minutes. 

You know it's early when you're the only car in the parking garage!

The CT machine 

I then walked over to the main building to go to the OMS office for impressions.  I arrived at 8:45 (the office doesn’t open until nine) and the impressions were taken at 9:15.  I then paid, gave the head nurse my disc, and asked a few questions. 

These are not actually my impressions, but it will look similar.

From my understanding, this is when my journey actually begins.  The OMS office sends my disc into TMJ Concepts and they begin creating the replica of my skull and the actual implants.  They will also give the office a target date of when this process will be complete.  That’s when I will have a surgery date.  Crazy. 

I’m a blend of terrified and excited, stressed and relieved. 

I’m sitting here on Thanksgiving (11/24/16) knowing how blessed I am that I have been given this opportunity.  It’s an opportunity for a better quality of life and a return to normalcy.   I’m still in awe over the fact that the FDA chose me to receive the titanium implants.  I have much to be thankful for:

I am thankful for my family who has been with me every step of this long, exhausting process.  They have emotionally supported me when I am being pessimistic and when I am in pain.  Though they know my dietary needs, they do not scold me when I cheat (which is rare).  They will always be there for me and I know it.  Having a strong support system has been vital in this process.

I am thankful for my friends and coworkers, who have also been by my side through this process.  They are use to me poking at food and asking them questions about the “softness.”  They try to understand my limits.  They know that I am in pain even if it does not show and they are always there for me. 

I am thankful for my church family, who has been praying for me for quite some time now.  It’s wonderful to see the power of prayer at work.  They ask me about what is going on, text me to show support, and let me know if they have read anything that might be useful to my situation. 

I am thankful for Gato, my furbaby.  He is always by my side and sleeps next to me at night.  If I am having a rough day, he cuddles with me to make me feel better.  He is loving, happy, and content.  To me, he is more than a cat…he is my baby J

I am thankful for my career.  I absolutely love working with teenagers.  They are moody, funny, sarcastic, caring, and kind.  Just the other day, a senior I had last year came to visit me and she asked about my jaw.  She knew about it because she tried to give me candy that I couldn’t eat once.  When I gave her the good news, she literally was jumping up and down and hugging me.  She is exited that I will feel better and be able to eat normal food again.

I’m thankful for the surgeons, doctors, and nurses that are there to help me.  Without them, none of this would be possible.  I know that I have the best OMS in the country and am fully confident in the surgeon, his doctors, his nurses, and his staff. 

The doctor is well worth the wait!

I’m also thankful that I get an opportunity to volunteer with 100+ abandoned dogs of the Everglades.  This organization and the people who are in it are spectacular.  The work they do with abandoned, sick animals is outstanding. 

I am also thankful for finding TMJ Hope on Facebook.  The support group enabled me to find others who are on the same journey as I am.  Through this group, I have read informative blogs, found useful information, and most importantly, found others just like me.   I now email with a few people who have had the Total Joint Replacement surgery, and they help me understand the process and what to expect.  I know that less than 1% of the population will need TJR, so meeting others has been reassuring.

I am also thankful for traveling.  I have seen amazing places around the world and hope to continue to even more places. 

I could go on and on about all that I am thankful for.  Though this has been a long, arduous journey, I am praying that it will have a positive ending.  n