The Countdown Begins

41 days...I can't believe it!  I went to see Dr. Gerlein yesterday afternoon and had the surgical wires put on.  They're nothing special, just plain old wires but now without any adjustments because they don't want my teeth to move anymore.  The next visit (and last for some time) will be May 7th when I go in to have the hooks placed on the brackets.  They don't want to do it any sooner than just a few days before surgery because they'll be irritating and annoying.  The hooks are for the bands that the surgeon will place on my teeth once the surgery is finished.  They are what will keep my mouth in its resting position so I'm unable to open it.  They'll also take some pictures of me when I go in so I'll have those to post so you can see my teeth straight before surgery!  I'm getting really nervous......so much to do and so little time!  We still have some recipes we need to try, along with getting a few necessities in the house for me to have when I get home from the hospital.  This is really going to be interesting!

Wired!

Where has the time gone?  Things are moving along quickly - much faster than I ever anticipated!  I visit Dr. Gerlein, my orthodontist, this afternoon at 4 p.m. to have my surgical wires put on.  Up to this point, he's been focusing on moving my teeth to get them straight.  Now, with only a little over a month to go until surgery, the focus changes.  The surgical wires are being put on so my teeth STOP moving.  You see, Brian and I visit Dr. Posnick, my surgeon, next week and he'll be doing the final models (molds of my jaws).  Obviously, since they're the final ones and the ones that he'll work on to determine what he wants to do during surgery, my teeth can't move after this point.  Yikes!  Things are becoming just a little bit too real!

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Good news and bad news.  The good news is that we received a letter from our insurance company, UnitedHealthCare, that my surgery is eligible for coverage.  The bad news is that although the hospital is in-network, the surgeon is not, so the coverage is less than we'd hoped.  The good news is that we have a $4,000 out of pocket max, the bad news is that with out-of-network coverage, they will only pay what's "reasonable & customary" so we'll also have to pay the balance between what the doc charges and what insurance will pay.  All in all, it's not that bad and could be a TON worse.  But as you all know, it's no fun to get ANY bill!  :-)  I suppose I should feel fortunate that we have coverage and have good coverage like we do!

Time is going by quickly...less than two months to go now.  My next ortho appt. is for surgical wires, that's on March 30th.  Then a visit with the surgeon on April 7th for final models and to talk about what to expect before, during and after.  I'm getting nervous.