The value of Steem has risen sharply during this recent period of growth and I’m sure we are all very happy about that. I made a bit of Steem from my writings last year but was happy to leave it in Steem Power as the value of Steem tumbled dramatically due in part to massive power downs by some of our biggest whales. I make no further comment or judgement of this I mention it merely for context.
About two weeks ago I awoke in the middle of the night with a throbbing ache in my left side bottom jaw and knew the extraction of the aforementioned wisdom teeth could wait no longer. My most recent furniture project (I will write a post about it soon) was paid for in Bitcoin so I was finally able to make an appointment to see my dentist. I’d had one of my wisdom teeth removed a few years ago but had since fallen on hard financial times so further dental work had been far from my list of priorities. That morning I headed into town to for my appointment with the dentist; things here in Venezuela are getting pretty desperate these days and there is not a great deal of money to spread around. The unexpected upside of this is that there is virtually no waiting list for most medical procedures, there are other issues which can cause delays but more about them a bit later.
Arriving at the dental clinic I was the only one in the waiting room and was soon ushered in for my consultation. My teeth were examined and it was decided that I would need both of the bottom wisdom teeth removed by the resident Dental Surgeon. It was explained to me that both the bottom teeth were impacted and still partially obstructed by the jawbone, the right one still being completely below the gum. Whilst the thought of the surgery bothered me not at all, I was concerned about the cost as such a procedure in England could run into the thousands of Pounds.
Towards the end of the consultation I politely asked about the cost of the procedure and was pleasantly surprised when told that the extraction of both teeth and the removal of a large scar on the inside of my bottom lip, left over from my bike accident 19 years ago, which I had an annoying habit of biting through whilst eating from time to time, would come to Bs.F281,000 (about $55).
You could have knocked me down with a feather; I couldn’t quite believe it and jokingly asked my dentist if she accepted Crypto, specifically Steem. I was thunderstruck when she immediately responded in the affirmative. There followed quite a long conversation about crypto in Venezuela and specifically Steem/Steemit. As it turned out my dentist’s husband had discovered Steemit last year and since then they had both immersed themselves wholeheartedly in Crypto Land.
You see, the current economic situation here in Venezuela has led to such a devaluation of the local currency, the rather misnamed Bolivar Fuerte (Fuerte meaning strong), that there is really no point in holding any in savings as its value is dropping so fast that within a fortnight it will lose over a third of its value. The availability of other Fiat Currencies such as the Dollar or the Euro has greatly diminished mostly due to the death of the tourism industry so the more imaginative people here on the island have turned to Crypto as a safe haven for their savings.
The following day was in total contrast to the one before as I clutched the list of medications, and the blood tests I would need, and headed back into town.
One of the most disturbing shortages we currently face here in Venezuela is that of medicines. I visited no less than fifteen pharmacies in search of basic antibiotics, Ibuprofen and pain killers. It took me most of the day but I finally had all of the essentials, the pain killers I would have to do without. It wasn’t until I reached the fifth clinic that I was able to get the various tests completed so all in all it was a full, hot and sweaty day of preparations.
The day of the procedure arrived; Friday, last week.
I would not say that I was scared but I certainly wasn’t looking forward to sitting in the dentist’s chair. It’s not so much the actual extractions that bother me but I really don’t enjoy the injections of anaesthetic. Anyone who has had such a procedure knows what I mean. They hurt.
I lay back in the chair as she covered my face with a protective sheet which had an adhesive strip to glue it across my top lip. I closed my eyes and she began.
I don’t think I need to go into too many details about the actual procedure but suffice it to say that it was painful and took over two hours to complete. Both of the teeth had to be broken in order to remove them and the left side gum had indeed become infected. I was told that the infection causes the anaesthetic to weaken so more was injected after each of my violent stabs of pain. After what seemed like an age my face was finally uncovered and through what felt like a mouthful of cotton wool I swilled the proffered mouthwash then clumsily spat it into the drain pan by the side of the chair. About five minutes later, whilst she was explaining the do’s and don’ts there was a complete power outage (another all too common occurrence here). I couldn’t believe my luck. Had the power gone out but half an hour earlier my day would have taken a drastic turn towards the nightmarish.
With my malfunctioning mouth a mumbled my thanks then happily left the building and into the waiting taxi.
The last couple of days have been dedicated to complete chillaxation and I am happy to say there is virtually no swelling, I have zero discomfort and the stitches in my bottom lip have already dissolved leaving a neat, thin scar which I hope never to bite again.
In spite of all the problems we face here in Venezuela I must chalk this experience down as a good one. The professionalism of the dentistry is exceptional and I can’t complain about the price. Being able to pay for such things with Steem is a true and certain sign that it’s here to stay, and will only get more popular.
Steem on my friends!
Images courtesy of Google
