Here's the story:
On Wednesday, I had to go to the dermatologist as a follow up to the "age related warts" I had removed the month before. I go once a year for a "mole" check where basically you stand in front of the doctor (thank goodness she's a woman) in your underwear while she checks you! I believe in preventive maintenance when it comes to health care. Plus, Medicare pays for it--well, who am I kidding--WE pay for it!
Anyway, everything was great. Then I told her that I forgot to have her remove this little white pimple at the base of my nose. It was just bugging me because of how it looked. She gave me the medical term--which I cannot recall--for basically a "clogged pore." Why she can't just lead with that I don't know. Oh wait, yes I do. Maybe she's like I am with my flowers. I prefer to use their Latin names--not to show off (okay, maybe a little), but more so that I don't forget them. You just never know when a question like this comes up on Jeopardy:
$100 for the Latin name of the foamflower.
Me: What is tiarella cordifolia, Alex? Ding, ding, ding!
Yeah, that's it, my doctor just wants to keep her brain fresh for whenever she's at a medical convention and finds herself in the middle of a Jeopardy round!
Anyhoo, the doc proceeds to tell me that this is a cosmetic procedure and will not be covered by Medicare. I asked her how much. She replied, "$75.00. I'll have to numb you since this is a very sensitive area. Then I'll extract it and depending on how deep it is, it might have to be cauterized."
Not to be dissuaded, I asked, "Well, what if I don't have it numbed and you just do it?" I'm thinking of all the times I've pinched and squeezed pimples and was able to manage the pain.
To which the doctor replied, "Well, I can do that, but depending on how deep it is, it could be pretty painful--especially if it needs cauterizing."
I asked if it hurt too much if I could just stop at any point. She said "yes." I said, "Let's do it!"
She grabbed whatever she was going to use to pierce it and said, "To be clear, you are certain that you do not want anything to numb it?" Now I'm thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Still, I wanted to proceed. I'm not a baby and have a pretty high pain tolerance--at least I think I do.
She sterilized the area with alcohol and the next thing I knew, it was over when I heard her say, "Well, that was easy. It wasn't very deep at all! It practically just popped out. Let me just make sure I got it all"
Honest to god, I barely felt it!!
On my way out, I stopped to pay. There was NO charge!! I guess that numbing stuff must be pretty expensive! It was the best FREE procedure I've ever had!
Come on, seriously, it was basically a pimple. And we've all popped those! Next time I have one, I'll know what to do and do it myself. On second thought, maybe I'll just have the doc do it for FREE!
Yeah, I'm one tough broad!
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