Where is the snow??

I woke up this morning to no snow. Oh well, at least I got to stay at a nice hotel. After a great breakfast I drove to Hopkins. I met Dr Koch who said everything looked good inside my mouth. I showed him the small bump I had on the side of my jaw. I was not prepared for what he said next.


Pleomorphic Adenoma, also called benign mixed tumor. WHAT THE FRAK?


This was just a possibility as it could also be a cyst and with out a CAT Scan he would not know for sure. He did not want to do a scan due to the fact it was too soon since my last one. He wanted to see me back in August to see if it lump has grown.

Now that I am in a happy mood, (sarcasim) I left the doctors office and started to head back home. Of course now it starts snowing.


I got this from emedicine.medscape.com

Pleomorphic adenomas, commonly called a benign mixed tumor, are histologically composed of 2 subtypes of cells: epithelial and mesenchymal. The tumors are typically well demarcated from the surrounding tissue by a fibrous capsule, which varies both in thickness and completeness.4

Don't know the above means but I do not like it. I really wish they speak english on these medical sites. Someone should start a medial site for dummies.

Guess I will find out in six months.

Let it snow

If it is possible to be anti-snow right now, place me in that category. Here in New Jersey over the last few months it has snowed. ALOT. We usually don't get too much where I live but this winter has been unusual. I don't like driving in weather like that. Lucky me it was suppose to snow the day I headed down to Hopkins. So, I decided to book a room at my favorite hotel the night before at The Marriott Waterfront.

A wonderful doctor

I ran across this article I found in Hopkins Medicine Magazine. In the article, it describes the journey of three doctors and the path they took to work at Hopkins. Dr. Kofi Boahene is listed as one of them. He is the doctor that did the reconstruction on my mandible at Hopkins. I encourage everyone to check out the link above. Below is a little excerpt from the article. If anyone is looking for a great doctor for reconstruction, I can not recommend him highly enough. Also here is a YouTube link with a video interview with Dr Boahene.

Yet soon after arriving in Krasnodar and settling into his studies, the two school officials summoned him to the ambulance. Within an hour, a very confused Boahene found himself in a remote medical facility in a small Soviet town, serving as an unhappy pincushion for a dreary parade of nurses who began a daily ritual of blood drawings.

Despite his continuing bids for an explanation, no one seemed able to communicate in a language he could understand. The seemingly unbounded hours and days grew into an agonizing uncertainty. How long would he remain in this limbo? Was this the end of the road? With no end in sight after that first week, Boahene became increasingly uncooperative, eventually demanding to be sent back to Ghana.

I see red

I woke up this morning and took a look at the inside of my mouth. This has been part of my morning ritual since the swelling occurred over a week ago. I noticed that now a little bubble had popped up right on top where the indentation was from the first drainage. I applied some pressure on it to see if anything was coming out. Let’s just say I was now seeing lots of red.


I am scheduled to see Doctor Koch next week. I think I can hold out till then. I don’t see any yellow stuff which is good. That would be a sure sign of infection. All I can do now is keep the area as clean as possible.


On a side note I am waiting for my insurance to review my appeal letter that I sent a few weeks ago regarding the denial of my last surgery I had for the continuations of reconstructing my jaw. This is the 3rd letter I had to send them. One would think they would get it by now. Guess they are trying to save money. Yeah, well so am I.

Evil Traffic

Of all the days to head 3 hours south, I end up in a snow storm. Well a small one, but still. It took me about 4 hours to get to Hopkins The delay was mainly trying to get on 295 South. Turns out there was an over-turned tractor trailer. When I finally got to my second home (Hopkins) I ended up being 20 minutes late for my appointment. Thankfully they took me. Hopkins has a 15 minute rule. After that, they do not have to take you. It would be up to the doctor’s discretion.



When I saw Dr. Boahene, I gave him a little hug. In away, I feel like we both have been through so much together. Ok, mainly me as I am the one who got me neck sliced open 4 times, but I digress. I showed him my concern regarding the swelling. But he reassured me that it was superficial and that at this point there did not seem to be anything to worry about. He advised me to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse, to let him know. I also showed him the small bump I have on the side of my new mandible. He stated it appears to be a small cyst or lymphoid. It would not be amelo because that develops in the jaw itself. This bump feels to be on the side of the jaw. I asked if I should get a CAT Scan, but he said that would be up to Dr Koch. I see him next week.



I took my time heading back home.

Another one bites the dust

Well, it may have happened again. I noticed over the weekend that the inside of my mouth seemed a little swollen. By the end of the day Sunday I know I had a little infection. Oh boy.


I called Hopkins to make a follow up appointment with Dr Christian since he did the implant surgery. Turns out he is no longer at Hopkins . (WHAT!) I asked the person on the phone who took his files over. I was given the new doctors name but was informed he did not have any appointments till April. (NICE… really nice.) “So, what do I do if I have an emergency?” I asked. In which I was told to call his private practice. (Great customers service guys.) I took his number just in case but in my mind I was done, done with that office. I wanted nothing more to do with them. They have had poor customer service since day one. Now, I must stress I have had no issues with the doctors themselves. It’s the office that is so poorly run. I am confident that if US News and World Report just surveyed Hopkins on that office alone, they would not be anywhere near the top list of Hospitals in America.



So, I did what I normally would do. I contacted Dr. B. I have an appointment tomorrow. Perhaps I will get an answer on the other issue I have on the side of my jaw too. I am sure he will want a CAT Scan with contrast. (On a side note, I do wonder if there is a limit on how many CAT Scans a person can have in their lifetime when enough would be enough. I mean this will be my 8th. I think.)

Not much

I really do not have much to report. I have filed an appeal, my third with my health-care provider. I hope to get a positive response on the payments of my implants. I do have my next appointment scheduled in March with my doctors at Hopkins. I only assume I will have another CAT Scan to make sure "it" did not come back. I tired to remember how many scans I have had to date. 7 or 8. Man, I should be glowing by now.