The fall that cost me

Alot of you may remember when i fell three stories and spent three months afterward in a wheelchair. You may also remember that i didn't have insurance, and five days in the hospital tends to add up quickly..

Hospital bill $10,000
Visiting Physician $600
Foot specialist $2500
Radiologist $500
Wheelchair rental $180
Crutches $20
_______
Total $14300

Now, i did have alot of help with this. The hospital let go of $5000, my apartment complex's insurance company gave me $5000 and i had a couple donations from people. (not to mention all the love i received during that time, from many people, which does not carry a price. but as we're talking about monetary things.... that does not pertain here...) But, i could not work for 3 months and still had bills to pay...

I finally finished paying it off last year.

OR so i thought..

When i fell, i broke both heels, a vertibrae in my back and severely sprained my right hand. (that surprisingly took the longest to heal. about 6 months, compared to my completely SMASHED right foot, which took only 3 months) but the right side of my body, was hurt far more than the left.

Soon after i left the hospital, i started having trouble with a TOOTH on the right side of my lower jaw. Having always had problems with my teeth, i never thought to associate it with the accident. And because i have alot of problems with my teeth, i hate going to the dentist. I had to stop chewing on that side because any time i did, my gum would swell up. I was advised that it was an absess. I didnt know exactly what that meant, but, all i heard was PAIN. So i put it off as long as possible.

I eventually went. Three different dentists had no idea what it was. They'd never seen anything like it before. The last dentist though, finally figured it out. He asked, "were you hit in the face recently? This is REALLY RARE and only happens in response to trauma. It causes the tooth to dissolve from the inside out." (dissolve. NOT decay. perfectly healthy tooth)

i thought to myself, i dont REMEMBER getting hit in the face, but i DO remember PLUMETTING thirty feet not too long ago...

The conclusion was, i needed to have my tooth pulled and replaced with an implant. When i went to have it pulled, i felt like a circus freak, because, the dentist and his assistants were all greatly intrigued by my mutant tooth. As soon as he pulled it, he called them all over to look at it, and asked if they could keep it to study.

"Yeah, sure. It has no use to me...?" (i mean, really, i'm glad to get rid of it. it's been a PAIN to me for the past couple years... and if it brings you joy, please, have it. OH, and charge me too. :)

Tooth extraction $1000
Tooth replacement $2500
______
Total $3500

GRAND TOTAL of the fall $17800

And while i've hoped this was the end, i fear i need an operation on my foot, even still. So it seems this grand total, may still yet prove to grow higher.

My advice? Don't fall from a three story building WITHOUT insurance. (or with insurance.)