One Word:

Insulin.

I was going to make the one word Renesmee and then laugh my head off, but I decided to just let that one rest.*

But yes, insulin. I started it today. I took the whole day off and did appointments with all my (current) doctors, one after the other, because it's so freaking hard to get time off approved by my aforementioned draconican employer, even with a month's notice and sick time available. So last November when I was denied my December appointments, I moved them all to January 8, and made that my first vacation request of the new year. David went with me this time because I knew there were a couple of big decisions coming today and I wanted him to be in on the discussions.

And it does indeed look like I'm going to get dental implants, two on each side, to replace most of the lower molars that I've been losing, one here, one there, over the past several years. Not having a tooth is a whole lot better than having an unfixable shard of a tooth that snags the side of one's tongue and captures tiny bits of food in its rotting root, I can tell you that for certain, but eventually, my dentist assures me, the lack of chewing surfaces is going to play havoc with my incisors, and implants are a better choice than partials (for one so young as I, said my dentist, who said he would love to see 60 again) and so ... that project begins next month. I'm told it's less dramatic than it sounds.

At my primary doctor's office we decided to just get on with it and get the insulin going, while I still have everything functional, because the oral meds were just too much of a crap shoot and I could only live on salad and beans for just so long. I mean, I could only live *happily* on salad and beans for just so long. There will be a period of adjustment, getting the dosage right, but I gave myself my first injection in the office and it was easy-sleasy, didn't hurt or anything. Of course I still have to watch what I eat -- oh, and by the way, insulin tends to make one gain weight, heigh ho -- but I've talked to several people who have switched from metformin to insulin and they're unanimously glad they did, wish they'd done it sooner. So there we go.

My dermatologist is still freezing things, making them go away bit by bit. There's another spot he wants to biopsy when I come back next month. And I'm finally going to see an ear/nose/throat guy about my long-time sinusitis thingy -- that's next month, too. We're both going for new glasses the weekend after we get back from Hawaii. I feel like I'm in a period of restoration, like an old house. A work in progress. It's all good.

I need one full day in February and two half days so far for medical stuff and I have already been denied all three, for those who may be keeping score. I plan to just call out on those days and if they want to write me up (again) they certainly can, but it looks likely right now that my draconian employer and I will be parting company around the end of March in any case. Remains to be seen.

Jonah, where is your promised blog? :o)

*please please please NO ONE name a grandchild of mine Renesmee!