my consult with the oral surgeon was today. as I sat in the waiting room, my mind started running in circles of panic, like, "oh my God this waiting room is so small--what if this is the crappy oral surgeon? why does he only have fluorescent lights and Sports Illustrated in the waiting room? why are there two French beer posters hanging on the wall? is he a drunk? I don't like how that statement about insurance is prominently displayed..." and so on and so on. I considered bolting and going to the other surgeon my dentist had recommended, but then I just stayed put and calmed myself down.

the dental assistant showed me to a room and then they took a panoramic x-ray of my head. I thought, "there goes $90..." then, a while later they put the x-ray on the light box and I saw my lower skull presented in brilliant black and white.

the doctor came in and started explaining to me what they'd do about the teeth. I asked about anesthetic options and he said it would be general anesthetic, given intravenously. there aren't any other, non-needle options. so then I asked if he might be able to prescribe me a Valium to take prior to the surgery since I knew I'd be freaking out and he said he would but didn't want me to have unrealistic expectations, as sometimes a nervous stomach won't completely digest the pill when the time comes. thanks for blasting apart any placebo benefits the Valium might've provided me, sir!

the doctor then turned to the x-ray and pointed out that the nerves in my lower jaw run very closely underneath my lower teeth and that if, when he removes one of the teeth, he can see the nerve, he might leave the other one in place to prevent any damage to the nerve. I also got the whole "you might have temporary or permanent numbness of certain areas around your mouth" spiel. oh and the whole thing about having a stiff jaw and swelling for two days or so. what he doesn't know is I don't care about the pain, it's the IV and cutting part that bother me most. but mostly the IV. oh, and the 440 bucks it'll set me back.

so I scheduled the thing to take place March 6 and told my mom to start looking for flights. and then I realized Ben Kweller's coming March 7 and I'll miss him. so that blows. but that day is the best option for me, so I'll just have to chalk it up to yet another concert missed due to medical crap. bummer.

I went to work after the appointment and that was bland, as usual. we took robot out for lunch today for its birthday. nothing spectacular, but it was nice. not much else for now.