It isn't very loud though, because when I try to whine loudly, it makes my face hurt.
It seems that last week, during the hectic bullshit that is associated with the death of a close family member, I acquired a toothache. At first, I thought it was just sore with something caught in the gums. I floss regularly and even use foul-tasting Listerine, so I figured I'd get it eventually. Somewhere along the week, though, this ache turned into full-blown pain. It was so bad on Friday that I was putting teabags on my gum and tooth (its a home remedy- get a teabag damp with hot tap water and place it on the tooth). It was clear that this was an abscessed tooth. The pain in my tooth radiated through my jaw and into my ear. For once, being deaf in that ear came in handy. I'm sure had I been able to hear in that ear, the pressure from the infection would have caused something noticeable in the hearing department.
I ended up having to wait till this Tuesday to see the dentist. They were closed on Monday because New Year's Day fell on a Sunday this year. But I digress...
In my attempt to assuage the pain, I drew the infection out and away from the tooth. Late in the evening on Sunday I noticed a lump had formed. By Monday, it was bigger and on Tuesday, it was large enough for me to name and include on the family holiday card list. Because of that, the dentist told me we could take care of it that day and not have to go through the Russian Roulette of prescribing antibiotics for me.
You see, I'm allergic to a lot of antibiotics. My allergic reactions range from normal- rash, gastro-intestinal distress- to freaky severe- racing heart, profuse sweating, numb extremities. I drove from Savannah, Georgia to here (two hours North-west-ish of Chicago) while suffering an allergic reaction to antibiotics (the racing heart/sweating/numb reaction).
I opted to have this tooth removed because one- it was cheaper than a root canal and... nope, one is all there is. We don't have dental coverage. But I digress again...
Two or three shots to numb that bastard up and then ten minutes of prodding and loosening. It took forever to get that damn tooth out of my head. And they lanced and drained that lump as well. When the dentist finally got the tooth out, it appeared that the roots were long enough to be twisted around my spine. That's hyperbolic, of course, but only slightly. I have freakishly long roots on my teeth. Having my wisdom teeth removed was an experiment in dental hell that included stitching my gums to the inside of my cheeks.
Here I am, two days later. The pain is shockingly unbearable for a simple extraction. And exhaustion. I'm sure this is a combination of last week's stress and the dental procedure, but holy fucking hell, I could pass out sitting upright. I sat on the sofa on Tuesday afternoon and was nearly engulfed in the soft cushions. I was aided in that by having a heat source in the form of a German Shepherd against my side, but I truly did not want to move. Wednesday, I had pudding and oven-baked tater tots for breakfast and lunch. (oven-baked tater tots are mushy, in case you were wondering). That evening, I thought I could eat some leftover chili.
I did, but I regretted it. My jaw is so sore I feel like I've been punched repeatedly in the face. Having been punched repeatedly in the face, I'm familiar with that feeling. The dentist gave me Vicodin- 7.5/750 dose. As you know, I already take 5/325 dose at night. The dental-grade Vike is much more potent than my usual. Or maybe its because I'm not used to taking it in the daytime. Whatever reason, this shit is good.
Smiling hurts. Frowning hurts. Opening my mouth to glop in pudding hurts. Turning my head to the right hurts. Being outside in the cold air hurts. And I'm so very tired.
I did a quick Gewguhl search for "fibrofuckingmyalgia and dental work" (except I spelled it the medical way- without the middle word, because the medical world has yet to adopt the proper spelling) and there were a few tidbits here and there discussion the pain and flareups associated with the whole thing. Stress- duh. Having a near-stranger shoving his fingers around in your mouth is apparently stressful. My dentist, however, has the most beautiful eyes. We've discussed that- it was actually my mom who drew that to my attention. Dental work itself can release bacteria into the blood stream causing our bodies to release-something-or-other... frankly, I got bored reading that one, but basically, it can kick-start our bodies immune system to fight the bacteria. And, of course, the "trauma" caused to our bodies by whatever the dental work required. Well, I'd say digging around my jaw to remove the tooth that had its roots wrapped around my spinal column can be listed as "trauma".
As I type this, I'm comfortably buzzed on my dentist-prescribed Vicodin. I had pudding for breakfast and I might have some macaroni and cheese for lunch. Either that or more pudding.
And for fun, because you've stuck it out this long, I'm sharing a couple links. I managed to enjoy my dentist-prescribed Vicodin enough to do this last night with my youngest daughter, Christine (she's still home for Winter break). I don't remember when I discovered this neat effect, but I finally remembered to buy some steel wool. When I did a Gewguhl search months ago, after learning about this effect, this tutorial was the best one I found. (now that I think about it, I may have read about this on the website called Digital Photography School).
Anyway, here's the link to my set called: "A Mother, Daughter, Camera, Tripod, Steel Wool, and Time..." Keep in mind, though, I don't have a fancy (D)SLR camera. I shoot with a Canon Ixus 75.
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