basilmemories

Apparently I will be in the city tomorrow to try and get a new ortho band put on the tooth that got a root canal two or so years ago. Hopefully they'll take me in as an emergency visit. I didn't think that it would come off, but I'd been spitting bits of that tooth out for a few days now, so it makes sense.

Up until about an hour ago I was busying myself with trying not to think about things like the other tooth that got chipped when the band came off. One of the bits of black humor I was using was saying that at least I didn't have anything scraping up the inside of my cheek and tongue like I'm used to.

-So in the shower a chunk of my tooth came out, leaving a terrifyingly large hole and a shard of tooth that is, well, sharp.

After keywording fml icons for about a few hours, I shouldn't be saying it OOC too.

But seriously guys, fuck my godamn life.

Other then the argument near the end of the day and the fact that I didn't hear anything from my aunt. My dad? Yeah I can understand him not going in for that. But my aunt? Well, whatever. There's more important things I want to talk about.

I'm not cutting this because damnit flist, if I'm going through this much pain and this many issues getting help, then I get to share. I don't have to be discreet for the people who'd ignore these kind of things.

So I got in touch with the Native American Health Center in SF and was on the line for about... twenty minutes. No not even being directed to other areas, but just waiting on the line. The only real low-income clinic that does endodontic work first asked this:

1) can you go to another clinic? No, no I can't I can't get to the one up north, and I have nowhere to stay if I go to the one in Richmond. Sorry guys, I've been looking for months and you're what I have to count on.

2) You'd have to pay first, you know that right? Sorry, you also said that I could pay 60%. Now give me a ballpark figure.

3) We can't give you a ballpark figure, we need a consultation first, that will cost you 80-90$. Fine, wonderful. Set that fucker up and then we can talk. Nice to know your low-cost consultation will only run me a cool 100$. I didn't need that money, really.

SO. After being annoying I got a not-really-a-ballpark-figure-but-it-might-be-this price of 700-750$

I need to be able to pay them 60% of it by the end of the month when hopefully my procedure is going to be, otherwise they won't do the procedure. They would in fact, turn my ass away and leave my only hope to the emergency room or bribing a dentist to yank my tooth (this is unlikely since dentists don't like to pull teeth unless they're completely rotted).

By January I need to have roughly 540-550$.

I make 416$ a month before bills.

After bills I make 50$ a month.

I have no fucking idea how I'm going to do this.

I'm starting to think that the South of Market Health Center either has one person who knows how to use the phones, or they only answer calls on Tuesday. I managed to talk to them about coming in today though.

Guess what? I got denied! Or rather they said that the only urgent care appointments were in October, considering last night's little fun time, I don't think I have that long. Oh, they did tell me that I could come in and wait to see if someone canceled, but sure, I have the money to do that every day! I mean who doesn't have a good twenty dollars to spend every day for about two weeks? It's not like anybody makes only two hundred dollars a paycheck, and they just got their check cut in half because they took a day off to try and get seen!

So what they did do is refer me to yet another place. There's apparently dental screenings on Tuesday and Thursday at another clinic. I'd be there right now if it weren't for good old Golden Gate Transit.

Y'see, they put in a shiny new route that goes straight to the city! The problem is that is doesn't serve my stop, and that route replaced the 80 that comes on the hour mark. Yeah. Did I mention that they say you should be there by a specific time? Guess who's not going to be able to make it today? Me! I'm going to try on Thursday, but for about two days I'll be loaded up on enough motrin to kill a horse.

In other news I'm going to try and get a offsite blog going so that people outside of Lj will notice what's going on. Keep spreading the link around, the more stories I hear about people, and the more help I get, the more I can pass this info around.

You know what? This is medical falure of the highest level. The damn south of market health center can't get their shit in gear. I'm serious. I get tired of calling them for days trying to get an appointment, so I walk in there on Saturday (food, travel, exc cost me around 30$)... or at least that was my attempt until I realized that I was lost. Thankfully I had the phone number. from there things didn't go so good. Y'see the medical part was open on Saturdays, just not the dental. They also told me to come back on Monday, yanno, my work day.

At this point I'm honestly considering it. The past few days have been exhausting for me, I barely have enough energy to get out of bed. Sure I was able to drag Ryuutchi around looking for that combo of cheap/tasty food, but that was more determination to try and have a good day after the shit I went through. Also the weather was nice and what some people call "cold", so for the first time in awhile I didn't feel like roasting. Point it this, I'm going to see how I feel on Sunday, and if I'm wiped, I'm going to call in. There's some days where I'm honestly running on determination just to make the calls and search my leads.

A friend of mine suggested that I go into detail about my medical issues and present a more solid timeline. I’m about fifteen shades of tired at the moment, but it’s a good idea and I don’t want to forget to do it in the middle of trying to get an appointment set up.

Now I’m going to be honest here, I’ve made mistakes and bad decisions. If anyone who stumbles on this wants to call me out on it, sure, go right ahead. Just please try to keep it civil.


( Military health care )


( Things I should have seen coming )


( At least I got a bitchin’ scar )

( Pretty sure that isn’t chowder )

( Insert “is it safe” joke here )


(  Corporations and medical centers don’t have calendars, trufax )

(  And now you know the rest of the backstory )

SO, my search is not looking good. Just from the start of today I’ve contacted two “low cost/free” clinics, and here’s what they’ve said:

( South Market Health Ctr )

(  Native American Health Center )

These two calls are a good indicator overall of what the “community clinic” treatment feeling is like. You go in with a condition and don’t get care, as much as a jaded attitude and the condescending opinion that you’re just another broke bag of flesh who needs to get out of their hair as quickly as possible. Your worries, fears, and pain are pushed aside for them to make sure that you know that it will be a long and expensive process, and any comments you make about not having the money in the first place are ignored or outright insulted. The experience is made clear from the first moment you call to the moment you leave: “You are worthless, and be glad that we deign to treat you in the first place”.

The more I write about this, the more I want other people to hear about what exactly goes on in community dental and health centers. I know I’m sounding like an attention whore here, but if you have time, link this shit. Tell people who might care. At this point I know that one way or another I’m going to try to get treated, so I’m more determined to get the word out to more people who can make a larger fuss.

People who aren’t rich, or who can’t communicate their needs as well, or people who are disabled one way or another don’t deserve to have their pain trivialized, or in some cases their healthcare outright denied. If you have a grandmother, a relative who’s special needs, a friend who’s down on their luck, or even a homeless person that you see around often, or anybody who relies on state-funded programs and community clinics, this is what they’re going through. I can almost guarantee that.

That’s the real reason I want this linked. I want to hear stories from other people who’ve gone through the same thing. I want people to realize that in one of the supposedly most community-oriented cities in the California bay area, that there’s this kind of issue occurring. I hate the thought that I’m not the only one getting this kind of problem, but it’s true. I’ve been in the crowded waiting rooms for both dental and medical clinics and seen the same thing happen over and over again.

In some ways it’s treating humans inhumanely, and it needs to fucking stop.

According to my friend who is the son of an oral surgeon, the tooth cavity has gone septic.

This means the following:

1) It needs removal or to be root canaled.

2) If not treated the infection can spread to my brain and kill me (when it abscesses).

3) It can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over 2500$.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me say this: I know my flist aren't bags of money. I know that even if you were I would most likely be spending a nice chunk of my life trying to pay you all back. So I'm not going to give any sort of bs like saying "every bit helps". It would help with normal bills and paying for food, but I really doubt that I could barter down a the surgery to about 200$.

But I'm also desperate. I need help, and if I can't raise the funds, then I'll take information. Now let me also get something out of the way, I am trying to talk to the people in charge of granting Medi-Caid/medi-cal. They've been less then helpful (read: refuse to really help) and after tomorrow I'm going to call even the most tangentially related center. Also for the people who say "get another job, then ask for payment in advance", I'd like to say that if my current boss is a good indicator of anything, that's unlikely.

So if you can't spare anything, please be another set of eyes for me. I need charities and places that provide treatment for people who make 400$ or less a month. I need Dentists who have payment plans and work in the California bay area. If you know a friend who might be able to lend some info or anything else, please ask them. I need help, plain and simple.

I really doubt that this will cover the costs, but I'd be an idiot not to include it anyway. If anybody wants to hire me for physical labor or graphic design, I'll be glad to do that too.

I just spent 10 days on antibiotics and borrowed a shitload of money to get you better (a-at least I hope that covers most of the bills), you do NOT get to start complaining about the same thing again.

... I wouldn't even be able to tell if it got to the "urinating blood" stage at this point anyway, what with it being that special TMI time. So stop it, right now. I'm going to drown anything wrong with you in pure cranberry juice until you shut the hell up and let me be not sick.

But uh, all signs point to "it's a urinary tract infection, HOORAY" and one clinic is saying it's gonna cost me 150$ for a visit, and then whatever the cost of medicine is.

And since they don't make over-the counter treatments and since I'm allergic to two of the most common treatments (Ammoxicillin and Sulfa drugs) I'm gonna need to see a doctor anyway. The problem is that I physically don't have the money and apparently when it gets to the blood-urinating stage UTI's DON'T go away.

So fuck, I hate to say this, I really fucking do. But I need to borrow some cash from people, anything will help. We barely have the 4$ for bus fare it would take me to get to the hospital, much less anything else.

So please, I hate to ask this, but if you guys read any of my posts and have a little to spare, contact me, okay?

I feel like a total whore for doing this

You, yes you wisdom tooth, STOP THAT. I can't afford you acting up. It's bad enough that the one normal tooth has gone from "ow" to "HOLY FUCKING SHIT AHHGH I'M NEVER DRINKING COLD FLUIDS AGAIN". Let's not mention the other teeth that are hurting, or the other wisdom tooth pushing my one tooth out of place. That swelling at the needle injection site hasn't gone down in the nearly two years since I had that horrible surgery, so I have bigger problems then you.

In short wisdom tooth, STOP BEING FUCKING INFLAMED. I CAN'T AFFORD YOU. I don't have the money, my state won't give me healthcare/dental, and people aren't going to do this work for free. Hell even the godamned butchers at the ucsf dental school won't work that cheap (for a specific value of "cheap"), and besides that I owe them money from the last time they overcharged me and told me things I already knew. So stop it. I'll call the county again today and tell them my sob story and see what they can do, it'll probably be nothing. Unless there's a rogue dental hero prowling the web for teeth to operate on, I think we're both out of luck.

So start reacting to the godamn painkillers and let me get some fucking sleep.