Listening to music & reading my flist at the mo’. Just being lazy, for the most part. But I thought I should write a little since I’ve not in a few days. (Yes, I’ve still got Friday from my trip to write about. The exciting story of Trina getting a sunburn while she swims at the villa!)
I had a great time with elsaf and judiang this weekend! The Henry Ford was lots of fun (and I can’t believe I forgot about the Model T ride & the Dymaxion house when I wrote about the day). Judi and I succeeded at preparing a meal worthy of Elsa. We had a wonderful barbecue with Elsa’s family on Monday. And the drive back was safe! (Although I took my time coming home, with many stops cuz of the stupid sun making me sleepy! Actually, one of the stops was to visit the Media Play in Toledo and I bought Eric Idle’s Greedy Bastard Tour book. It was a whim. Should be a fun read. I love travelogues by funny people (Bill Bryson, please stand up).)
On Tuesday morning, the NPR DJ mentioned it was September 6th and I thought “Oh yeah! It’s Tuesday! I have a dental appointment today!” Well, my usual dentist, Dr. Bentley, referred me to Dr. Kim, a tooth surgeon, to get my wisdom teeth out. They’re starting to get cavities and he’s afraid they’ll ruin my other (perfect, I might add – well, nearly) teeth. So Tuesday was my consultation.
Things were, as usual, harried in the tech department at the end of school, so I was two minutes late getting to the office. They took the overly expensive 360° x-ray of my mouth. Then I had to wait over an hour (typical! hurry up & wait!) to see Dr. Kim. He informed me that, as lovely as my teeth are (he did complement me on my teeth), he’s going to have to cut the bottom two. Their roots curl a little and might be wrapped around the nerve! Eep! He asked if I wanted a local or general anesthetic. I asked his advice and he suggested, with getting 4 out at once (top two and easy pull), I should go with unconscious. Never been under before, so this will be interesting…
He asked about family history and I do have family that get ill with anesthetics. So they’re giving me the anti-sick pill before they put me under. Dad’s gonna drive me back and I’ve got a 3 day weekend to recover. I plan on have a VERY easy schedule for the following Monday – which I can do if I’m able, or which a sub can do if I’m not.
So, when does Trina go under the knife? October 14, 2005. This date serves two purposes. First, it’s on WOEA Day – we have that day off. Second, it’s in October, when our medical reimbursement account refreshes for the new work year. And with the bill coming to $841(!!!) when surgery is done, I’ll need that $500 reimbursement! (I still have $240 left in this year’s – getting glasses next week, I think. Plus there was the $35 consultation fee that I paid for that appointment.)
I must admit, ever since Dr. Bentley referred me, I’ve been licking my wisdom teeth a whole lot more. It’s gonna feel VERY strange to not have them in my mouth! And gee, I hope I don’t lose any wisdom when I lose the teeth – I haven’t much to spare!
Wow! General for your wisdom teeth. I would have chosen local, because I get so sick with general anesthesia that it overshadows any possible advantage. That’s even with the anti-sick medication added in. So, lay in some soft food (tapioca pudding, mashed potatoes, etc.). You won’t want to chew for a couple of days. Milk shakes sound like a good idea, but you have to eat them with a spoon — no straw. The suction of a straw could pull off the scabs. You’ll be pretty tired after you wake up, because the general anesthesia sort of leaves you with a hang over — so you’ll just want to go home and sleep. But I predict you’ll feel fine (except for chewing) by the next day.
I just got my wisdom teeth pulled last December, under a general anesthetic, and I had no trouble. It was weird, especially waking up from the anesthetic, but I had no trouble. And they give you all kinds of instructions about what to do & what not to do for the first few days, but that’s not so bad. 🙂
I did the general anesthetic when I had my wisdom teeth out on New Year’s Eve 1985, because I didn’t want to remember anything! (I still have a 30-minute hole in my mind. Darned Minbari oral surgeons! :D) I slept a lot during the next 24 hours, but when I was awake, I rode an emotional rollercoaster — giddiness, periods of sobbing uncontrollably, etc. – as the drugs worked their way out of my system. (Considering that they used a mixture of sodium pentathol, valium, and some other drug, I guess that’s unsurprising.) Afterwards, I was just left with an ache in the back of my mouth and a little bruising on my cheeks for several days. In 1981, when I was going into orthodontic care, my dentist pulled my four first bicuspids to make room in my mouth for all the teeth I did have, and I was only under a lot of novacaine (which is what makes me nauseous, actually) for it. I heard every crack of bone as he dug around inside my mouth with what was essentially a pair of pliers. And the gums were a bit abused for years afterwards due to all the novacaine needles that had been poked around in there. 🙁 (To add to the illusion, I should point out that my childhood dentist bore a remarkable resemblance to Anthony Perkins.) Apparently, with modern kids, instead of yanking teeth for space, they install an expandable plate in the palate, and every night for a couple of years, the kid puts in a skate/clock key and gives it a half-crank, so that the jaw is slowly forced to expand as the child grows. I’m thinking this would have done me some good, as it would have also forced some expansion inside the nose, where the narrowness, combined with other issues, is a constant problem nowadays.
And gee, I hope I don’t lose any wisdom when I lose the teeth – I haven’t much to spare! *gasp* Say not that, woman! Your PenguinSquee attests the great bucket of wisdom you harbour (in a bucket)
HA! Me too! Well, four up, to be exact. I was to have one tooth out that collapsed into itself. (The pain is insane, by the way… I’ve asked people to come to my house and punch me in the face) So, Dentist 1 tells me that tooth must go and I should have my wisdom teeth out while Dentist 2 is in there. (Dentist 2 is a special tooth pulling/drugging you up dentist) I, one up you in x-ray department, I had that full mouth x-ray twice! Dentist 2 was high tech, his x-ray went right to a computer. He then explained, whilst pointing at the fancy flat screen, that I’ll be having FOUR teeth out. The x-ray was rather overpriced in my opinion, so I felt it needed be shared with the world. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mheld/38319388/ My teeth do look rather nice in real life, the x-ray scared me to death. I’m rather looking forward to the drugs. I’m scheduled for Sept 24th, the day after my birthday.
I suspect you are getting general anesthesia instead of local because the later would require too many shots in the mouth. I got two shots just for extracting the one buried wisdom tooth. If you are given more of a heavy sedative than anesthesia, you should be up and bright eyed and bushy tailed in a few hours. If you anesthesia, it wil take about 48 hours for it to completely work out of the system. Do NOT overdo it on the second day. Gets lots of liquid and pureed foods. Your face will be puffy for a few days. But your gums will heal pretty fast, especially after the drains are removed.