I'm Alive and Well!

I got a lovely email from Mark over at Tales of the Sissy, and I must apologize for my lack of blogging. I'll give you the briefest update I can...

My wisdom tooth came out in about 5 minutes. I got lots of nitrous and novocaine... it was all quite groovy. I was perfectly fine to drive myself directly to Walgreen's to get my vicodin prescription filled, then home.

The pain came gradually, but I slept soundly through the night, waking up with a nice little puddle of blood on my pillow. I spent the next day feeling quite sore, but not too bad. I had to work the day after that, and I was really in pain. Motrin every four hours seemed to help. By the third day after surgery, it was really hurting, and spreading-- to my jawbone, my cheek, my left ear, and into other teeth. I felt as though there was some horrific infection spreading throughout my head.

Finally, on Monday morning, I called the oral surgeon, who saw me immediately and determined within minutes that I had a dry socket. Based on what I had heard about this, I would have expected pain far worse than what I had. I mean, yeah, it hurt like a motherfucker, but I slept with an ice pack on it and Motrin helped (even more than the vicodin), so I didn't think it was unbearable. Well, maybe a little.

I spent the next week and a half going every two days to the surgeon to get the gaping hold stuffed with clove-oil-soaked gauze. No pain, but the taste was dreadful. Everything I ate tasted completely of cloves. Horrible. Anyway, it's over now and I'm feeling good. The hole is healing up nicely and I irrigate it frequently with a syringe of warm water.

Three more wisdom teeth to go. Oy.

Then it was off the neurosurgeon for some good news: my brain issue and neck issue are fine. No problems there. My frequent headaches are probably caused by some nerve pinching between vertebrae C3 and C4, and can be helped with physical therapy. I also have the arm and elbow pain on the left side, which turns out to be the result of cubital tunnel-- like carpal tunnel, only in the elbow. The funny bone area. I'll have a simple outpatient procedure and it will be perfectly fine.

And that's enough. Thanks for missing me. No other big news just now, but I'll resume blogging and posting pics post haste!

What Happened to April?

I was extremely busy during the latter half of April with work stuff, which I'll post about later-- because it's exciting and fun.

I've also had continuing medical issues, which I will also post about later.

For today, I'm off to an oral surgeon to have my lower-left wisdom tooth pulled. I still have all four of my wisdom teeth, and at the age of 42 their removal is long overdue. Or so my dentist says. The lower ones are partially erupted, so food is always getting caught under the flap of gum on top them. Last week, one such piece of food got infected, causing much pain, weeping, and gnashing of the other teeth.

Fortunately, only getting one out shouldn't be too bad. Local anesthetic plus nitrous-- sweet.

I'm off today and tomorrow, so as I whimper in pain, perhaps I'll finally be able to catch up on blogging. I've so missed it.