2007-07-31 — Calendar entry — a visit to the Dentist

Another dental first! There was nothing wrong my teeth! But, and it was a big but, the dentist said there was a growth on the floor of my mouth. With the aid of a mirror he showed me a whitish coloured thing under my tongue. I'd had absolutely no idea there was anything there — no pain and nothing obstructing the normal working of my mouth.

The dentist wanted me to make an appointment as a matter of urgency with Professor Ewers whom he considered one of the top experts in this field in Vienna.

It turned out that the Professor was about to go on holiday for a couple of weeks but he was able to fit me in for an appointment in two day's time before he went.

2007-07-30 — Calendar entry — I make an appointment

I was feeling very virtuous on this day. I'd made appointments for a whole set of routine medical appointments (things like the regular lung CT scan, a prostate check and so on). There was a time when I'd continually put off doing things like this and I was feeling very 'grown-up'.

I suddenly decided to make a dentist appointment — to make it a full house. I'd not been to a dentist for almost five years, since I'd had all my remaining teeth capped. This was the first time in my life that I'd ever made a dentist appointment without being in absolute agony — first time when I'd ever made an appointment without anything being wrong as far as I could see.

The dentist was going on holiday but could fit me in the next day so long as this was just a check-up and not a request for urgent treatment.