well i haven't written for a few days
i've been pretty down about the whole money thing, not just the dentist but my MIL got mixed up in the blue chip thing and it turns out that some documents my husband signed to do with a house purchase were not drawn up properly and instead of being a signatury for the family trust he has ended up being a co-loaner which means if she can't pay the mortgage they will come after us for the money
which we simply cannot afford. worst case scenario is that we'd loose our house.
not happy

i haven't been on for a few days after some posts on the Trade Me message board turned personal and nasty and made me feel pretty crappy.
debates are great but the personal comments made by a couple of idiots were not appreciated.
having said that, most of the comments were interesting and supportive, if not for the idea to get dentistry subsidised, at least for the position that i am currently in

well i know i am not the only one stressed over dental treatment, i've set up a couple of topics on the subject on Little Treasures forum and on Trade Me forum and are getting plenty of feedback from people in the same situation, with the odd antagonist added in for fun!
luckily i don't take to seriously the 'person' who demanded to know how old i was, why had i let my teeth get into such a state and why should i expect the tax payers to pay for it!
way to miss the point. they are in this state because going to the dentist for check ups is expensive too and has become a luxury. it's way down on the priority list when it comes to where our money gets spent. i'm sure i am not the only one who puts it off as long as possible or only goes when they are in pain.
affordable dentistry should be a right, not a luxury item.
i have learnt from forum replies that Australia's 'medicare' system has free dental clinics, england has a good public dental system
why not NZ?

well i had to submit a photo for the NZ Herald article which was kind of scary. i have a cracked veneer on one of my front teeth which i'm kind of sensitive about and of course can't afford to just replace it (about $1000 just for that) and i guess to the untrained eye it looks like i don't brush my teeth at all, which is so not true.
don't like having my photo taken at the best of times let alone to be printed in a national newspaper!

woohoo!
well i might not have new teeth yet but my emailing strop seems to be reaping rewards, yesterday afternoon i had a chat with a lovely guy from the NZ Herald and should have a little piece in the paper at the weekend!
added to that i have now had responses from 2 politician's assistants, one saying my email had been passed to the correct person (who i had also emailed but never mind!) and another asking for my postal address for a response to be sent.
maybe this is the start of a change for dental services in NZ?
who's with me?!

today i am hopping mad
i found out that i am not eligable to go on the waiting list for hospital dental treatment. there is literally no where else to go, apart from find them money ourselves. this is completely crazy, we cannot be the only ones who earn just enough to live on, do not qualify for WINZ assistance, but cannot absorb big bills like this. after having a ry to the lovely woman at the hospital who was sympathetic but unable to help i got angry. we live in a civilised country, all people should have access to affordable dental treatment no matter who they are or what they earn.
so i've started writing to every one i can think of
lucky break magazine has already accepted my letter for printing and i've emailed the following politicians

John Key
Phil Goff
Phil Heatley
Jonathon Coleman
Peter Dunne
Tariana Turia
Sue Bradford
Ruth Dyson
Sue Kedgley
Heather Roy

all chosen for either being leaders, local or have "Health' listed in their portfolios

i've also contacted TVNZ to be considered for their 'Closeup' programme and Campbell Live too

As well as writing to the 'Northern Advocate' our local paper and 'NZ Herald' for more national coveridge.

i can't be the only one, and there is room for improvement in the current system.

if dentists were more affordable in the first place people would go regularly while problems were still small and easily fixed, as it is, like in my case, we just can't afford to go as a preventative measure.

grrr i'm STILL angry!

ok so i think i've whinged enough for the last few days. still wondering where the hell we are going to find the money but i am going on the hospital waiting list and will just have to wait until it's my turn to be drilled and filled.
i'm going to start writing my book, i've got the initial idea, just need to work out who's who and what they are going to do in this book, simple!

well i went to the spca yesterday to drop back their litter tray and to find out how the 2nd kitten was doing only to be told he has died too. god knows whats killing them, the vets don't know, they are going to do some post mortems on some of the kittens who have died. it's so fast too. only 24 hours before when i rang kitten was doing fine, in isolation just incase he was carrying germs, but on medication to try and help him fight it off.
scary bug going around in the kitten world
i suppose at least being so quick he wouldn't have suffered though.
my 4 year old girl is devestated though and 2 yr old son keeps asking where they are. he doesn't understand the concept of death yet.

well i'm still freaking out about my dentist visit yesterday and scheming about how i'm going to come up with so much money so quickly. not entirely sure how one goes about getting hold of lots of loot, quickly and legally.
any ideas?

well while finding out more about this blogging thing i came across a scheme where people use their blog to beg for money.
just so i am clear, that is not what the last post was for. i'm just unloading my worries on cyberspace, not asking for money. so read and sympathise safe in the knowledge i am not asking for anything!

well normally mondays are my best days but over the weekend i've had this toothache which has been driving me mad.
so i was brave this morning and not only rang the dentist and made an appointment, which was scary enough, i actually went to the dentist.
what i thought would be a simplish filling or something turned into a complete nightmare when i was told i had numerous holes (i actually lost count when they were showing me the x-ray), a minimum of 3 root canals that need doing and to top it all off, like i needed any more, a huge abcess.
i have been given a suggested treatment schedule (only 11 visits) and a minimum cost (things may get more expensive once they start exploring properly) of about $4500.
being an at home mum with 2 little kids and a lovely husband who keeps us in electricity and groceries but not much left over, what do we do next. no savings, no rich relatives and i've heard that the odds of winning the lottery are pretty slim no matter how much you need even a small part of the money.
how do other people cope with huge, unexpected bills? i'm sure i'm not the only one going through this, especially at the moment with the world financial crisis.
not only that but i had to call in the spca last night when one of my kittens collapsed, they've told me that there is a particularly nasty form of cat flu going around and has already killed some other foster kittens. both of them went to the vet last night and i need to wait until this afternoon to find out if they are ok.
not a very good start to the week, lets hope it gets better from here on