Oral Surgery Update

Wow, two posts in one day!

On Monday, 5 days ago, The Girl had her CT Scan.  I called around before scheduling it to make sure that the facility could handle what the doctor ordered.  He had wanted her to have it done at the Imaging Center in the same building with his office, where he knows they know what he wants, but they don't accept our insurance.  So, I chose a small facility instead of our local hospital, thinking they would give me the best answer about doing the scan.  They told me they could do it, but didn't have "the dental software."   Maybe I should have saw it as a sign of trouble when their radiologist said she thought we should have a Panorex (panoramic x-ray) instead.  That is what she had in September that caused all the interest!  Done that!  I called the doctor's office back and asked whether that was a problem, but they didn't think so.  They didn't really seem to know what dental software was, either.  The CT Scan took all of 5 minutes and was uneventful.

After the scan we waited a few minutes and they gave me a disk with the scans on it.  On the back was a label that said, "You may or may not be able to view these scans on your home computer."  So of course, I tried it.  there's the cyst, the empty looking spot on the left.

I called the doctor's office Monday afternoon, expecting that now that we had the scan in hand, we could schedule surgery. Not so lucky.  We made an appointment to come in today so the doctor could look at the scans on the disk.

We drove an hour to get there today, only to be told that he didn't like the scans.  It wasn't what he wanted, or, he couldn't navigate the disk to find what he needed.  Not sure which.  Sorry for the inconvenience, he sent us home.  His nurse got on the phone to the Imaging Center, hoping that they could send him raw films, I think.

He did tell us that he was still debating whether to take the tooth, but that he was leaning towards taking the tooth because it offers a better chance to prevent recurrence.  Basically he has to get all the remnants of the cyst, and that is easier to do if the roots are not in the way.  Certainly I don't want her to have to go through this again.  And if her two back molars don't slide in a take the place of this tooth, she can gum it, right?  She has other teeth.  We don't actually know whether the tooth is alive or dead, anyway.  And we don't know for sure what kind of cyst this is, until he sends it all to pathology for analysis.  I am not sure why I care what "kind" it is- it's not supposed to be there so let's take it out!
So we're left no further along than we were on Monday, with the possibility that we'll need another CT Scan next week.  *Sigh.*
I am thankful that The Girl isn't nervous.  Of course, she's never had much dental work, so she's got no idea what to expect.  And they are going to put her out, so she won't know anything til it's over.   Thus far the worst of it is knowing how early we'll have to get up for the surgery, considering the long drive and the fasting.  But I appreciate the prayers so many of you are saying for her and for all of us, so please, keep it up!

Peanut Butter Vegetable Soup, by request

Here's a recipe that gets very distinct reactions from people when we mention it.  About 30% of people are totally disgusted by the idea, but the other 70% are intrigued and enjoy this combination.  So, for the adventurous among you, I post this recipe which I must state from the outset is NOT original to me.  I am a cookbook cook.  However, I can't tell you which cookbook it came from because, after about 13 years of tough love, the spine came apart and I put the favorite recipes into sheet protectors in my recipe binder.  I can tell you that it was a small vegetarian cookbook with a green cover, and it might have been put out by Better Homes and Gardens. 
Without Further Ado:

Peanut Butter Vegetable Soup.
3 stalks celery, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1 large onion, diced (1 cup)
3 gloves garlic, minced
2 T butter or margarine
3 cups water
1 medium potato, diced (1 cup) I leave the skin on, personal preference
1 medium zucchini, sliced (1 cup)  I do half slices
4 tsps. instant vegetable or chicken bouillion (I use 4 cubes Herb-ox vege)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 16oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 T snipped parsley or 2 tsp dried.
1/2 cup peanut butter

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook celery, carrots onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until onion is tender.  (All good vege recipes start with onion and garlic, I think)  Then, add the water, potato, zucchini, boullion cubes and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes.  Check potatoes for done-ness- this depends on how big your dices were.  Stir in undrained tomatoes and parsley.

Put the peanut butter in a small bowl and add about 1 cup of the broth to it.  Stir to combine until smooth.  Add back to pot, stir, heat through and serve.

I have never tried this with reduced fat or other modified peanut butter, so if you do, let me know how it works because this recipe has gobs of fat.  I wouldn't recommend it though- i suspect it would un-emulsify.  
I have another recipe for an African peanut soup where you puree a portion of it and add it back.  That recipe also contains tomatoes, leading me to think that these are understood to be complimentary flavors.  I never would have thought so.  But, I also love my apple salad with chili and lime juice, so, what do I know?

Please let me know if you enjoy this recipe.  I recommend serving it with fresh  bread and butter.

Snow Fun

We've missed the snow!  Last year, living in PA there were a couple of big storms, but it wasn't a winter full of them.  The schools and events there canceled so easily, that we got very frustrated when it was just some big, wet flskes, or even just a rumor, that got the closings started. 
This year, we had heard that NY was going to have a long winter.  It seems to me that winter gets a later start every year, so I had my doubts about that prediction.  Snow season is now here in full force though, and we like it!
The Sleeping Giant, otherwise known as the Girl who Hates to be Blogged, actually insisted that I post these pictures of her snow creations. Being the mean mommy that I am, I wouldn't give them my spray bottle for this project.  So they used some bottles out of the recycling bin.
I don't know why, but they did these facing the house across the street.  It's a good thing those neighbors' house is set back from the road!  They might not like these faces peering in the window.

Do you think I can count this as art class?
They even monogrammed some of them.
Unfortunately, they are getting covered over today by another 3-6 inches, which will be followed by even more tomorrow.  I am not the one who has to go out and clean it up most of the time, so I am excited about the storms.  Todd is out now stocking up on some essentials- along with the rest of the town, I imagine. 

 In other snow news, we had a birthday sledding party this weekend.  It seemed risky to me to plan an outdoor birthday party because it could have been too cold, or too warm and soggy, or we could have had weather that would prevent people from wanting to drive for it.  Having already postponed the party twice due to holiday conflicts and sickness, I certainly didn't want that to happen again!

 

 We took the risk though, and planned to go sledding at a park we'd never been to (for sledding) before.  Honestly I don't know why I do these things.  I heard some moms talking about this hill near our old house, and I had hoped to get there before the party to check it out, but didn't.  Boy, were we pleasantly surprised!  The rest of the year, this spot is a soccer field (bowl).  Now, the town has groomed it into a great sledding hill!  They don't just "let" you sled there, they put up signs and encourage it!  Fun!

We all had a great time, but the highlight for me was when The Princess hopped onto a sled and took off, no coaching or cajoling required! 

 She went sliding down on her belly with her mouth wide open, laughing!  We didn't do much sledding last year and she was somewhat timid, so I didn't know she would be so enthusiastic.  I hope this doesn't mean that she lacks risk aversion like the Girl, but I do love that she grabs life by the horns!