Around last Thanksgiving my lower third molars (AKA Wisdom Teeth) started moving around on me. Sometimes they were elevated and I could feel a bump, and other times they were recessed and I could feel squishy gum over top. Off and on they would raise and lower, no big deal, just a little sensitive. In May one of them broke through the fum and again it was a little tender at first, but that tenderness subsided in a few days and would come and go over the next month. In mid-June the pain came and, this time, was not going away and then my cheek really started to swell. So I went to the dentist and she said that when your tooth erupts through the gum, it allows bacteria from your mouth to become trapped under the tooth - leading to infection. So I started on an antibiotic and made the appointment to have all four wisdom teeth removed on 7/1/08, just after I returned from Seattle. The other three had not yet erupted, but more than likely it was only a matter of time so I might as well get them all taken care of at once.
So yesterday afternoon was my surgery, I chose to be put under general anesthesia. I have had some experience with dental work before. One time I had to do the same procedure twice and it was much more painless and was successful the time I chose to be put under general anesthesia, so from experience I chose the GA route. The surgery was really easy because all of the teeth were straight up and not imposing on the near by teeth. It was just a simple incision and then pulling.
I really wasn't that goofy as I was waking up from the anesthesia, apparently the only funny thing I did was tell Brian "Happy Anniversary" first thing when I woke up. Then I asked him 2 different times if he knew what we were supposed to do, even though I was sitting there the whole time the nurse explained it.
Eighteen hours later, all is going well...knock on wood! They have me on an antibiotic, a pain pill (oxycodone; AKA percocet) and an anti-nausea to accompany the percocet. Thus far, no pain and no real problems. The pain pills make me a little sleepy and my body feel like it does when I'm a little tipsy, but that's about it. (Any grammar/spelling errors I blame on the drugs. HA HA) I also am forced to eat some of my favorite foods: milkshakes, pudding, yogurt, and applesauce!
I must share that for as much flack as I give Brian I have to sing his praises. When I got home from Seattle he had been to the store and bought some "Naked" juices that can act as meal replacements and soups in case I couldn't eat. Yesterday he made sure that I changed my gauze and took my meds exactly on time, changed my ice bags out frequently, encourage me not to talk much (although I never saw that on the list of rules they gave us, so he may have added that in for himself) and made sure I drank lots of water and got enough to eat. It's not that I didn't expect him to be supportive, but he really went into full-on nurturing mode yesterday; a side I have not really seen before. He's a keeper!
