Paying attention.

So we ate the 3 star ground beef tonight and it turns out that I actually might be a 5 star kind of girl after all!

A few days ago a patient came in for a regular hygiene appointment and the next day called in saying that she had spit out a lot of blood clots during the night and was concerned about it, so she was told to swing by that morning so the dentist could have a look. We figured it was likely pretty minimal and this lady was perhaps just apprehensive about dental work. When she sat down in the chair she literally had a clot around her back molars the size or a small rock, maybe 1cm in diameter. I couldn't believe it! The dentist sent her to get a blood test because that just isn't normal and we found out today that they're going to do some further investigating but right now the blood tests are indicating leukemia and she's preparing for treatment beginning next week. How insane is that? You go to the dentist and two days later you find out that you have cancer. I'm so sad for her and her family and I hope they caught it early. I can't believe the integrity of where I work, I have never met dentists that are this fantastic. If a patient called in saying that they were bleeding after a hygiene appointment, most dentists would tell them to start flossing and give it a few weeks to settle down. Where I work they bring the patient in, take a look, send them in for a blood test, and potentially save their life by catching an abnormality early on. It makes me want to cry every time I think about it.

Just wanted to share a reminder on the fragility of life. Its good to appreciate your health.

E.