I'm BACK!! by Juniper Berry Blog entry

Blog: Juniper Berry's Dental Cleanup
by Juniper Berry

I'm BACK!!

First installation of my dental cleanup diary details!

Date: 5/2/2005 5:48:34 PM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 3401 times

As I said earlier, I got an emotional missile dropped into my lap the week before my amalgam removal. This overwhelming stress, combined with the excitement of flying to my big appointment, caused me to only be able to sleep for less than one hour the night before my flight. I did manage to situate some stop-gap measures so that I could have some peace of mind during my absence from home. But since I was not able to deal with the issues beforehand, they still await my attention; however, I feel much more capable of dealing calmly and rationally with the elephant that looms before me. Actually, the elephant has seemed to shrink into a fox, a creature that I can hopefully handle more easily.

Well, enough of that. I said all of that to say that I should have been dead on my feet when I arrived in San Diego. Normally, I would really be hurting physically (especially in my chest) from a lack of sleep, but I wasn’t! I felt energized and ready to face my new adventure! We spent the whole day driving around lovely San Diego, walking along the beach, watching surfers and seals frolicking in the water. I had my very first fish taco at Roberto’s Tacos in Chula Vista, and it was DELISH!!! Too bad I was not able to eat much more while we were in San Diego! However, there is a place that I must mention. The day after my removals/extraction, I was famished! I had a coupon for buy one get one free at a place called Aunt Emma’s Pancakes in Chula Vista on E street. I ordered the mushroom omelet with frijoles and pancakes, and it was one of the most delicious breakfasts I’ve ever had!! I had to swallow the food with minimal chewing, but the food was marvelous, especially the beans!! Maybe it was because I’d been so long without food, but it was great!

We checked into the International Motor Inn in San Ysidro and were given a room without a refrigerator or microwave. I was not happy, because my receipt clearly stated that I had paid for a room with these amenities (I had booked online using Expedia). So, while I went down and checked out the lovely pool and whirlpool, which were both a nice temperature, my husband went to complain for me. We got a new room, with all that I desired, including an ironing board and iron. However, neither room had an alarm clock, or a clock of any kind. Take note, and make sure you bring one unless you want to rely completely on the front desk for a wake up call. The wake-up occurred right on time for us, although it turned out to be not necessary for me, because I have a very hard time sleeping when I don’t know what time it is; I woke up hours before the 6:30 wake-up. The motel is in a quiet area, although the interstate is quite close; however we were not bothered by traffic because we were in a room away from the interstate side.

The morning of my appointment, we were out front at 7:40 where the shuttle was to arrive. They suggest you be there by 7:50, but not knowing for sure the exact time (having to depend on the television and my husband’s inaccurate wristwatch) I wanted to ensure that I was not left behind. Raoul arrived with his passenger van at the stated time, and the twelve of us boarded and began our excursion south of the border. The seats were slightly soiled, the windows were dirty, and the van needed shocks. But I was most grateful for Raoul’s expertise and knowledge. He was a skilled driver, which you need in Tijuana. Do not try to drive yourself! The traffic was horrific, and if you don’t know exactly where you are going and how to get there, you will have a miserable time and probably have a wreck. I am a good and aggressive and adventurous driver, but I would not attempt it after seeing what I saw. I had memorized the map of downtown Tijuana, so I had a good grasp at all times of the general location, but it was necessary to make many roundabout turns, and this would be enough to get you hopelessly lost and confused if you were not accustomed to the drive. Raoul dropped us off at Dr. Morales’s front door at 8:30, the exact time of my scheduled massage.

All of the downtown area and the area where the office was located looked like a slum—although catty-corner was a funeral home, and across the street was a small bar (?) that was having its exterior painted during our second appointment. (Keep in mind, I live in an affluent part of the world—isn’t just about any location in the USA affluent??) The dentist office building was not large or newly built, although it was not falling down, either. It looked somewhat like an aged downtown barber shop/beauty salon/mercantile. The inside was clean, and the waiting room was long and lined with approximately ten mismatched chairs of varying comfort levels. We had the run of the place when we arrived, as nobody else was around, although there was a lady’s purse behind the front desk, so we knew that someone was there somewhere. We took a seat, and eventually we began to see workers arrive. I watched a nice-looking slender woman arrive in a nice car. When she came in the back door, I rose to speak to her. She and her daughter greeted us, and then she asked if I was here for a massage. I told her that I was, and she said that she would go upstairs and prepare and we would start in a little bit. A few minutes later, Edgar came out and introduced himself as Dr. Montana, and after a bit he escorted me upstairs for my massage. I’ll tell you all about it in my next post!

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