At Least An Unassembled Desk Comes With Directions

Great news, everyone! My desk / drafting table came in the mail this past week! It came in a huge rectangular box and thankfully my roommates were kind enough to lug it into the house since I was not home. I haven't put it together yet (a metaphor for my life honestly) but at least it isn't broken and it comes with directions.

I wasn't expecting to receive it in the mail until late October or early November so I still don't have a stool or chair that goes with it, but I'm taking it one step at a time.

Just like Monday, a day I took one step at a time.

Little did you know illustrators experience life problems just like everyone else, but because neither of my parents technically have full time jobs we have little to not helpful insurance when it comes to health and dental. Because I do not live in the same state my family's health insurance does not cover me and our dental insurance only covers basic dental cleanings and such, but not anything like a root canal.

So guess who needed a root canal?

This past Friday my tooth started hurting after I ate lunch at work and I was convinced it was a piece of food stuck between my teeth (food always gets stuck in that one spot, the one right next to my largest filling, of course). I didn't have any floss on me, so I tried a toothpick. PSA: do not use toothpicks unless you desire more pain and suffering.

Thinking it was still food in my teeth and I was planning on going dancing, I decided to buy some floss along the away and eat dinner. As I flossed in front of the mirror I realized there was no piece of food stuck in between my teeth and it still hurt, in fact, my jaw was hurting. It was getting so unbearable that I knew I couldn't go dancing. I went home.

On the way home it was feeling worse, half of my face was beginning to hurt, so I called my mother, a doctor. She suggested getting some type of ora-gel but I was already nearly home so I decided to bank on one of my roommates with a car being home so I could ask for a ride to the closest CVS. Neither of them were home until I was already asleep (I am grateful I did manage to do at least that). The next morning I woke up extra early so I could stop by the CVS to get that oral numbing agent and call a couple of dentists to set up an appointment. One of them called me back so I set up an appointment for 12pm on Monday.

I went to that appointment expecting an x-ray / consulation and what I got was me trying to explain what happened and then get cut off and told that I need a specialist and got scooted out with a recommendation that was nearly 2 hours away via Metro. Yeah. I cried the entire way walking home.

So I called the specialist and they set up an appointment for 2:45pm at their furthest location, of course. My roommate could only drive me to a metrostop because she had to teach at 3 and I'm already running late at this point (it was past 1:30). I get to the end of the line JUST missing the bus so I had to walk 28 minutes to the office. I called them before I started walking letting them know I was going to be late only for them to tell me that the doctor I had the appointment with was leaving after his last patient (why they scheduled me like that I have no idea) and because I was on the verge of crying ever since the first dentist I sounded embarrassingly high pitched trying to explain I have already had a Long Day and I was walking from the metro. Not a bus stop. The END OF THE LINE. She said they would put me with a different doctor and I was like fine, as long as I show up and get seen, I do not want to walk 28 minutes after nearly an hour on the train and not get seen.

Thankfully this doctor's bedside manner was much kinder and understanding but of course embarrassingly I was beginning to cry as he was asking me questions, including remarking on how nervous I seemed and I had to bubble out "I swear I'm not afraid of the dentist I've just had a Long Day and the first dentist was REALLY MEAN AND I'M JUST EMOTIONALLY DISTRAUGHT FORGIVE ME I NEED TO BLOW MY NOSE BEFORE YOU EXAMINE MY MOUTH (as the chair is angling downward of course)".

Anyway, he told me but in a much better tone of voice and actually let me talk about why I needed a root canal (my tooth had become infected) and what the full procedure would entail and how much it would cost including my almost worthless insurance (he didn't say it like that, that's my own description). I spoke with my mother on the phone about it, again, in tears, while the dental hygenist kept checking on me "I'm just emotionally distraught please leave me alone I'm FINE", and then decided to go through with it because what the heck else am I supposed to do? NOT get a root canal and die of pain until I see another dentist who will tell me the same thing? No. I had better feeling with this dentist (or endodontist rather) and I knew I needed to fix it, and even though it was a lot of money, I was able to put half down as they required.

So I got a root canal. Next up is the crown, or something in between that, I'm not sure. Either way, I know I will be suffering but at least he's a kind-hearted cinnamon roll who knows how to fix teeth.

Of course no one could give me a ride home at 4:30pm so I walked back to the metro station and stopped at one of the major ones to get a smoothie and fajitas because I wasn't giving af any more that day and I was starving and I needed to take pain medication with food before the novocaine wore off.

I didn't get home until after 7:30pm, but having your best friend as your roommate certainly makes everything better at the end of the day, and you know, in the end, my tooth was no longer in pain. As long as you take life one step at a time, you won't even need directions (although they are handy to have).

Anyway. I hope you have enjoyed my story as an ordinary young adult illustrator who has terrible teeth and no health insurance. *Old man scoffs at millenial "adulting" hashtags in the distance*