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Second opinions. Second chances. Second uses.


Yesterday, I visited a new dentist for the first time. The office was clean. It smelled like toothpaste and metal. That’s pretty normal I guess. The hygienist and I became BFF’s real quick. I talked about my business, Madilyn and my new quest to run daily. She talked about her upcoming wedding and her 3-month old baby boy. We chatted about losing the “baby weight” while she took x-rays, cleaned and flossed. We shared pictures of our offspring. She told me numerous times that I have beautiful teeth. I gave her my card. We laughed together.
An hour later, the doctor comes in to take a final look. I figure that I am good to go. Wrong! He proceeds to tell me that I need to replace all 9 of my fillings because in his office “he shoots for perfection.” I am in awe. I haven’t had a cavity in like 10 years. I understand that my fillings are old and “not using current techniques” but I was shocked. He says that I have decay in my mouth. Yikes! I admit that I was totally embarrassed and wanted to cry. Was I overly emotional because I just shared my story of my miscarriage on my blog? Could it be because I was caught totally off guard? Could it be because my new BFF didn’t even give me a warning? Could it be that I don’t want to go through all of those procedures because frankly I don’t even know this guy? Maybe it is because I feel like this is just another damn thing I have to deal with? Sure, add it to the list. I feel like I was dooped.
I quickly rush home and call the hubster and start drilling him about his dental insurance. I am on a mission to get a second opinion. Of course, that can’t be easy because I am limited to one visit every 6 months so I gotta pay out of pocket to see if this first doctor is right or wrong. I got a taste of what is so messed up with our medical system.
I know this isn’t the biggest deal in the world but it set the tone for me for the rest of the day. I was pissed. I kinda wanted to watch TV and eat ice cream. Real, fattening, dairy filled ice cream not my banana “ice cream.” You think I have bad teeth now? I’ll show you new doctor!
I am in charge of my mood for the day. I am in charge of my life. I remembered what Oprah said during her final shows. Instead, I made a conscientious decision to not let this doctor who I met for 15 minutes of my life decide my dental future or set my mood for the day. Not going to happen. I’ll get a second opinion and go from there. No big deal. My teeth don’t even hurt. I haven’t had a cavity in years. I just saw a different dentist 6 months ago and he said I have a “beautiful mouth.” This experience was another great life lesson for me: I am in charge of my life. I am able to question what a doctor says to me. If it doesn’t sit well, I am able to get a second opinion. It is my life. I decide to spend the $2 for my gym day care and drop Madilyn off there and I go for a long run.
Getting a second opinion on my dental work reminds me of second chances. I have a second chance. It is not a death sentence for my teeth. I got to get creative and see what option works the best for me. Hey, every doctor has his or her own opinion. Second uses. Kinda like getting a second use out of food. Time to get creative.
I am a big fan of having a plan around meals. Some weeks, my meal plans work perfectly. Some weeks, life happens, I have a shitty day at the dentist and we go out to dinner and I waste food. I hate that. The other day, I open the fridge and realize that I have multiple boxes of half used herbs that have gone bad. I am mad at myself. Not only are these damn things like $3 bucks each, I let them go bad. Don’t worry environmentalists out there. I dug out the plastic containers from the trash and recycled them.

I am in charge of making my food dollar stretch. Healthy food is a top priority for me. Instead of letting food go to waste, I gotta get creative and save these damn organic herbs!

I busted out my baby food trays that I used to freeze Madilyn’s homemade baby food and froze some dill that I had that hadn’t gone bad yet. These will be handy for soups and stews.


I also made a really yummy parsley pesto that I froze and can easily serve over noodles or rice with some fresh veggies. This could also be used as a topping for fish or chicken. Hells yeah!
Quick Parsley Pesto
Ingredients:
1 bunch of parsley that is about to go bad
1/2 cup of almonds
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of olive oil, depending on thickness you like
Directions:
Blend the hell out of it and serve.



Are you a fan of second opinions? What about second uses of food?

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2 Comments

  1. I think it is really important to trust your gut! We all have that inner voice that is telling us that something isn’t right. Good for you for trusting your inner voice! And sorry, the dentist, “shooting for perfection” sounds like he is shooting for more of your cash!

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