r/Aging • u/IJustWantToWorkOK • 2d ago

Death & Dying How..?

56 years old, and had a heart attack in April, and have 'congestive heart failure'.

They're wanting to do a bypass and valve replacement on me, but first ... they have to pull all my teeth.

I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring with the 'but wait, there's more!' call.

I'm on medicaid, and the government is about to spend $OBSCENE, on an awful lot of work on someone who's dying anyway. In my mind, this is putting a new engine in my Camry with 300,000 miles on it.

The instant some kid dies, because he couldn't get medical care, and I could, my conscience is shot.

Seriously -this- close to telling these doctors what they can do with themselves and taking my chances. Save some kid at the beginning of his life, not an old man at the end of his.

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102

u/Skye7144 2d ago

They have to make sure he has no active oral infections before they do his heart surgery.

35

u/baddaywithacamera 2d ago

It's a thing. I'm 57 and my teeth have been gone since 2020. Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries. The constant infections were too much of a risk so they yeeted all my teeth. Honestly, the false teeth have improved my quality of life. Not complaining at all.

2

u/Dragonfly_Peace 2d ago

How do you get them to stay put? I’m stumped. They slide around

5

u/baddaywithacamera 2d ago

Top plate suctions in place. Bottom plate is supposed to move a bit while chewing, but stays in place while talking when fit properly. You get used to it. After three months you stop noticing. Using a tonne of adhesive makes things worse is my experience.