Meds and Teeth

This Sunday morning Joe left his plate of breakfast and came and sat beside me on the couch. He had his medication in his hand. He asked why so many pills. I told him 3 were to keep him from pooping in his pants, 4 were Ibuprofen to help his aches and pains, 1 was for his tummy (prilosec), and 1 was blood pressure.  He sat there looking at them not saying a word.

I couldn't tell whether he just didn't hear me, or whether he just didn't understand. Perhaps he's entering another stage of senility. Whenever Josh was little and beginning to come down with something, his first symptoms were him acting out - throwing a tantrum, getting stubborn about something, whatever, as kids do. After I'd gotten thoroughly exasperated at him, usually yelled, he'd say something about not feeling good, and I'd realize he was in reality getting sick. Then I'd feel like a heel for getting on to the little fellow when he wasn't being a naughty boy but just being sick.

Maybe Joe is doing this now - acting out and being contrary  more than usual (ha) because he's becoming sicker.

After he sat there looking at the pills for minutes on end, he told me his tooth was just killing him. I told him he needed to take his partial out because it was hurting his tooth (simple word for socket of pulled teeth). I had wondered yesterday how he was standing it. He didn't want to hear this. It took the dry-erase board and a round of simple sentences. Still he didn't take it out. It couldn't sink in to him that the metal that hooked onto the missing teeth was hurting the socket. Finally it took an out and out order to take the partial out. He finally did it, and the partial is now hidden in a drawer.

I expect it will results in rounds over this during the next week, because the partial is for his front 4 bottom teeth, and you need them to eat. Now he's also missing two back molars on the right and some on the left. Sometime this next week he has to get into the dentist again and see what can be done. I suspect the dentist will recommend pulling all the teeth and getting a lower denture.

Oy, vey. There's a dilemma. The local dentist will charge at least a thousand for it. A place in Paducah will be able to do it cheaper. Yet the local dentist will allow us to pay in installments, and the place in Paducah will demand payment up front. Pay a lot to make payments.

This morning at 10:45, while Joe was doing his morning rituals and I was waiting to get him breakfast (he slept late), Lola came into the living room. Her face was wrinkled into irritation, and the first words out her mouth were, "What on earth is everyone doing up so early and being so busy about?" Okey, dokey.