The Final Chapter....

I'm going to write one last, FINAL blog about my tooth situation, not because I want you to feel sorry for me or think my problem was any worse/more protracted than any other person's, but because it gave me a new perspective on at least one front.

Without going into too much detail (you're welcome), after the new crown was put in place, I thought my worries were over. When I had my teeth cleaned at my regular check-up the VERY NEXT DAY, however, I had some discomfort when the hygienist sprayed cold water in that vicinity. I didn't think a whole lot of it, since my teeth have ALWAYS been sensitive to cold, and besides I thought the new crown would need a day or two to "settle down."

I had a couple of nighttime episodes in the next two weeks, however, that convinced me something more would need to be done. It's very hard to describe these episodes, but I'll try. They were unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.

Most of the time my tooth was just a dull ache (the very back tooth on the upper right, just for a reference point). Every now and then, though, the pain would start building, and I could feel it coming. If you've experienced labor pains, they were very similar. Only I was pretty sure labor would be over soon, and this seemed to go on and on. The wave of pain would crest, and all I could do was hold on and ride it. At night I usually got up and got a hot washcloth to put on my face. Oddly enough, these never happened during the day. (Until the prettiest, nicest, warmest, most beautiful weekend in recent memory, that is.) At first I would have one or maybe two episodes at night, and they lasted about 15 minutes. By Friday night they were occurring every hour almost on the hour. That meant I had excruciating pain for 15 minutes out of every hour, then I got to rest for 45 minutes before the next wave woke me up.

I began to understand why terminally ill people commit suicide. There is simply no way to get away from the pain.

I also had a new understanding for one of our former students. He had Ewing's sarcoma in his heel, and he underwent countless treatments for it. Even after he was cancer-free, however, the pain remained. They tried everything to manage/alleviate his pain, all to no avail. Some methods simply resulted in his experiencing pain elsewhere in his body, and some made him deathly ill. After months and months of going back and forth with numerous treatments, finally the young man begged -- begged -- them to amputate his leg below the knee. A teenager. Begging to have his leg amputated. I have a new respect for how long he attempted other less desperate measures, but constant pain is something the human body simply wasn't cut out for.

And when all was said and done, my problem was actually very minor because it only resulted in a root canal. I have never been so happy in my life to sit down in the dentist's chair and open wide. I'd never had a root canal before, and I had heard horror stories about them. This particular root canal was the best thing that has happened to me recently.

Or, as I mistakenly texted Sweet Girl from school on Friday, a "toot canal."

That gives a whole new perspective to the whole experience.

What a Waste....

What a waste of a beautiful spring weekend.

At the risk of using this space to complain and whine AGAIN (and I almost didn't blog tonight at all for fear of boring you to tears), I have spent these two gorgeous days alternating between drug-induced sleep and holding a hot washcloth to my face. (I think I have burned some skin off my face in so doing; if so I hope it weighed ten or twenty pounds.)

In a rare response to pain, I have barely eaten enough to stay alive this weekend. Even that is not a wish for the continuance of this situation, however. When I step on the scales tomorrow morning, I fully expect to have gained several pounds. Because that's the way my weight-loss efforts seem to trend lately.

This time tomorrow the problem will have been fixed, and I can return to my standard sarcasm and cynicism. Right now I can't even manage those. My apologies.

Some Updates.....

I realized I haven't updated you lately on several ongoing situations. You may not be waiting with bated breath for these updates, but it gives me something to write about other than the fact that I have to go fold a load of laundry. You're welcome.

• My mother-in-law is doing well, although she is not able to walk very well. She has a motorized scooter, and she has asked Hubby (and sometimes me) to come and help her walk around her living room and dining room with her walker every day. I don't mind doing it, but her ultimate goal is to be able to drive again. Mother. Of. All. That. Is. Holy. We don't want her to drive, and right now she doesn't even have the leg strength to go out TO her car. But we don't want to take that big step of taking her car keys away either. I feel that will kill whatever dignity she has left. I'm not sure what the answer is. She even suggested to Hubby that he could come down there and help her in the car. I understand she doesn't want to be isolated and trapped in that house, but if she doesn't have the strength to walk on her own, who's to say she will have the reaction time required to operate a car? Shudder.
• Baby Luke is thriving, and his daddy is learning to get by on a lot less sleep. (Tee hee.) He's up over nine pounds and has a sweet little grin. They still haven't taken him out in public, except for trips to doctors and therapists, and I can't wait to see him in person. He's a cutie, and I am thankful for the miracles of modern medicine that this little guy has grown from 1 pound 15 ounces to where he is today.
• I got a new crown (next to the OTHER new crown) on the tooth that was giving me so much trouble, and while I was afraid it had all been for naught, it FINALLY stopped hurting. I still have only a temporary and will get the permanent crown next Wednesday. The date for my regular cleaning? Next Thursday. And no, they can't be combined into one appointment, thanks for asking. I will have been at my dentist's office more in a single month than I usually go in two and a half years. But the pain is gone, so I am eternally grateful for that. I don't remember the last time I CRIED in the dentist's chair, but I'm pretty sure it was before I started driving. I will, however, be happy when I can chew gum again. Although I typically only chew gum in the car, because I'm one of those people who should NEVER chew gum in public.
• I hit a weight plateau back in the summer, and not only have I NOT been able to break through it, I've allowed about 5 pounds to creep back on. I wanted to lose 15 more pounds, not turn them into 20 more to lose. I need to track my calories again, because that's what works. And stay away from roasted peanuts. They are my crack, and I can't stop once I get started.
• I'm almost finished with my latest crochet project because it's for someone who may still be reading my blog and I don't want to spoil the surprise. No, it isn't you. Or you. Or you. But it might be you. If you think you might have reason to expect an unexpected gift, it's probably for you. If it isn't, then your surprise will be NOT getting a crocheted gift.
• I'm reading a fabulous book that is 852 pages long, and I already know I'm going to be disappointed with the ending. Not the WAY it ends, just that it will be over. Luckily I believe it's part one of a trilogy. Review forthcoming.

I Really Am Doing Something About It.....

I have only a vague recollection of typing last night's blog post. I guess a triple dose of nighttime pain reliever and a double dose of moscato wine will do that. I do remember that I was in significant pain and I typed it on my iPad so I didn't have to sit up.

I realized this morning that I left the whole issue with my aching tooth quite up in the air. It sounded like I didn't call the dentist on Monday because I wanted to ride my bike (which was true), but I actually DID call the dentist before I went to ride. At first the girl said I could come in two weeks, but I said I didn't think I could go that long. Then after yesterday's ride, the pain was so unbearably excruciating (is that redundant?) that I was glad she had told me I could come tomorrow morning.

I thought Hubby would scoff at the suggestion that there is some connection between bike riding and the flare-ups of tooth pain, but he actually agreed that breathing in the cold air when I ride may be causing the pain. That in turn may be an indication that the new crown has a leak somewhere around it.

And I'm very, very sorry that I have now wasted three perfectly good blog posts on a damn toothache. I'd much rather write about the spring-like temperatures we are having here in Georgia, my niece's wonderful quote about my ex-husband, my sister-in-law having the gall to ask me to do her taxes and my resulting dilemma, Hubby's newest idea for a retirement job after the current retirement job runs out (since he just found out it's going to last longer than he originally thought), and the fact that I can't even count on my FANTASY gymnastics team and I suck as a coach when it comes to making decisions about whom to put in the line-up.

At least I've now outlined my blog topics for the next several days, so it shouldn't be a problem coming up with topics. Fingers crossed the dentist can fix my tooth tomorrow...

Short (Cry Me A River) Post......

Ugh.....toothache again. It appears to be related to cycling (rode my bike home today), which may seem silly at first. But when you think about breathing that cooler air..... Maybe there's something to it. At any rate, I've had three of those PM pain killers and two glasses of wine, so I'm headed for bed. If only I can get my restless left leg to cooperate. Damn, getting old kind of sucks.