"I find that most men would rather have their bellies opened for five hundred dollars, than have a tooth pulled for five." ~ Martin H. Fischer
I had my four wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. My dental surgeon looked at my x-rays and wished I had come in 20 years ago because now my roots were very curved and one tooth was impacted, another resting right up against another tooth. Fun stuff.
I wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight so by the time I got there at 8am I was starving!! And in desperate need of java. They took me in almost right away and got to work. I was under the twilight sedation, but contrary to being told I wouldn't remember the surgery, I pretty much remember all of it. The top two seemed to come out without a problem. The impacted one came out okay, then they went after the wisdom tooth resting against the other tooth. It was not budging. The dentist finally took a break from all the pushing and pulling against my jaw and I took the opportunity to utter, "uh...oooowwww". They froze me up a little more after that and finally the tooth came out. At which point the surgeon commented he was glad he was getting his most difficult case out of the way first thing in the morning.
Yes...happy to accommodate....
Unfortunately I have no fun stories to tell you about being looped up on the drugs afterwards. I just was quiet and drowsy. There was a big, good looking guy from Tanzania in the recovery room with me. This guy had to be 6'5" if he was an inch and built with that lean, not an ounce of fat on him, physique. He was also high as a kite and sporting a big goofy grin. We both were sporting a mouthful of gauze too. And let me tell you, that is NOT an attractive look for anyone, but I think he pulled it off better than me. When his girlfriend came in the nurse said she wasn't sure what he was saying. He'd been talking off and on, but it turns out he'd reverted to speaking in his native tongue while stoned.
So far, I've been lucky. My jaw was swollen but that's gone down some already. There is very little pain, although my lower jaw is still a little frozen in spots so that may be why. They say the pain usually worsens on the 2nd and 3rd day. I have big ibuprofen horse pills and Tylenol 3s to take in between those if I need them.
Oddly, the worst pain I've experienced so far has been due to the fact I didn't get my morning java. I have a caffeine withdrawal headache!
J has been playing nursemaid but I finally let him off the hook to go play hockey. In the meantime, with the rest of the week off work for recovery, I have books, movies, magazines and knitting to keep me busy. I'm not to drive, operate heavy machinery, do any strenuous exercise or lifting for a few days. I have nothing to do but sit on the couch and recuperate.
Here's hoping the rest of the recovery goes without incident...
I had my four wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. My dental surgeon looked at my x-rays and wished I had come in 20 years ago because now my roots were very curved and one tooth was impacted, another resting right up against another tooth. Fun stuff.
I wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight so by the time I got there at 8am I was starving!! And in desperate need of java. They took me in almost right away and got to work. I was under the twilight sedation, but contrary to being told I wouldn't remember the surgery, I pretty much remember all of it. The top two seemed to come out without a problem. The impacted one came out okay, then they went after the wisdom tooth resting against the other tooth. It was not budging. The dentist finally took a break from all the pushing and pulling against my jaw and I took the opportunity to utter, "uh...oooowwww". They froze me up a little more after that and finally the tooth came out. At which point the surgeon commented he was glad he was getting his most difficult case out of the way first thing in the morning.
Yes...happy to accommodate....
Unfortunately I have no fun stories to tell you about being looped up on the drugs afterwards. I just was quiet and drowsy. There was a big, good looking guy from Tanzania in the recovery room with me. This guy had to be 6'5" if he was an inch and built with that lean, not an ounce of fat on him, physique. He was also high as a kite and sporting a big goofy grin. We both were sporting a mouthful of gauze too. And let me tell you, that is NOT an attractive look for anyone, but I think he pulled it off better than me. When his girlfriend came in the nurse said she wasn't sure what he was saying. He'd been talking off and on, but it turns out he'd reverted to speaking in his native tongue while stoned.
So far, I've been lucky. My jaw was swollen but that's gone down some already. There is very little pain, although my lower jaw is still a little frozen in spots so that may be why. They say the pain usually worsens on the 2nd and 3rd day. I have big ibuprofen horse pills and Tylenol 3s to take in between those if I need them.
Oddly, the worst pain I've experienced so far has been due to the fact I didn't get my morning java. I have a caffeine withdrawal headache!
J has been playing nursemaid but I finally let him off the hook to go play hockey. In the meantime, with the rest of the week off work for recovery, I have books, movies, magazines and knitting to keep me busy. I'm not to drive, operate heavy machinery, do any strenuous exercise or lifting for a few days. I have nothing to do but sit on the couch and recuperate.
Here's hoping the rest of the recovery goes without incident...
12 comments:
Ouch! And having had all four of my wisdom teeth out at once (they put me under and I didn't remember anything until I woke up with a gauzy teabag thing in my mouth), I can tell you that the pain does get worse (sorry). I found ice packs worked really well - and lots of chocolate pudding. I survived on chocolate pudding and mashed potatoes.
Hope the pain isn't too bad and that you have time to enjoy your recuperation! Take care, Kelly :)
I too was put right out, so have no memory of the surgery itself and after reading your description, I'm just as happy that way!
Hope your recovery continues well :) Enjoy the time off just to lounge and read/knit/write!!!
Hi Kelly,
Glad to hear you are making out okay. I was put under a general for mine, and I was awfully sick afterwards which wasn't fun with said gauze in my mouth. Sounds like you have the perfect recuperation plan! Feel better soon.
Get well soon! I had mine out in hospital aged 15. 16 stitches, two black eyes, swollen face. Couldn't open mouth so had to eat through straw. BF bought me grapes and couldn't stop giggling cos I couldn't get them in. She squashed them against my lips and made me a sticky mess! Ah, the memories. Maybe I should have waited? Hope the dog is helping you feel better??
Ah, Kelly. You must have a high tolerance to drugs. I never remembered a thing. Hope you're feeling better soon; at least you won't ever have to have wisdom teeth out again.
The pain is surprisingly minimal. More a mild discomfort than anything. My lower jaw is a little swollen and I can't open it very far but all in all, I think I got off lucky. I haven't even dipped into the Tylenol 3s yet. Which seems a perfect waste of a good drug. My brother was the same way when he got his out.
If I remember right, I had mine done two at a time and it wasn't too bad. I am not a fan of liquid diets, though!
Feel better soon. :-)
Kelly, hope you recover quickly.
Hmm, I had two of mine out with just basic freezing. Got up and walked away without a twinge. Perhaps because I have so much room, having such a big mouth and all?
'He'd been talking off and on, but it turns out he'd reverted to speaking in his native tongue while stoned.'
LOL!
Hope you feel better, Kelly - not an easy event to live through. And hope it's not long before you can enjoy your java.
Hope you're feeling better! I had my out when I was 17 - all four - and looked like a chipmunk for several days, which really wasn't a look I aspired too. Hope you get some great writing time in. And, when you're able, high quality ice-cream.
Hope your recovery continues to be easy! My experience at 16 included looking like a pumpkin, with 2 black eyes and stripes of bruises where you could see they held my mouth open! Thank god I was totally knocked out. Fell better quickly!
Recover fast, Kelly! I had all four of mine out at the same time too, and I remember finding the whole experience quite amusing. I giggled when the surgeon complained about my impacted tooth. The wonder of drugs. Sounds like you're all set for your recovery. Relax and take care of yourself!
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