Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Teeth Update

I just realized that I hadn't posted since just before my surgery- that's what a Hydrocodone-induced haze will do for you, folks.  The surgery went well.  They sedated me, but kept me conscious.  They told me I wouldn't remember anything.  They lied. I remember it all.  I might not have been in control of all my mental faculties, but I remember everything, including rattling off statistics about the current real estate market to the polite dental assistant just after she stuffed my mouth chock-full of gauze pads.  Before she even more politely told me not to talk too much.

I even recall telling David on the way home that he owed me a puppy and that I needed to go eat some chips and salsa, since I wasn't strapped down and drugged anymore and they couldn't tell me what to do.  And "I like my life spicy!"

Once I got home I don't remember much, except that I suffered on the couch for awhile, afraid that I might go into a shock-induced coma if I fell asleep.  Then I finally decided a coma would be worth it and went to bed.

When I woke back up I was ravenous, so I had a tall glass of water and some vanilla yogurt.  It was like ambrosia. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since 8:00 that morning, so I was beyond ready for a snack.  Plus, the water helped flush the awful taste from my mouth.  After the surgery, I had numbness on my entire head and scalp, except for my forehead.  By 8:00 that evening, most of the feeling had returned.  I was surprised and delighted because I had signed a form prior to the surgery saying that I was aware that there could be permanent nerve damage and loss of sensation in my cheeks and jaw, and that it could take up to 6 weeks for all the feeling to come back.  By the next morning, I had all the feeling in my face back, and at my check-up on Monday, they said that I was healing ahead of schedule.  Yay!

Mom and Dad came down Saturday and Sunday, and were a huge comfort.  There wasn't really anything I needed from them (though Mom washing all the dirty dishes was super helpful), but their presence was gratifying.  Sometimes when a person is under the weather they just need their mom.

Today I took my last dose of antibiotics.  And I have sworn off the majority of my use of narcotics after five days of use.  I had a scary moment this morning- I had gotten up to use the bathroom, and when I layed back down, I had this feeling of numbness over my whole body, and my extremities were falling asleep.  I felt for a pulse, and it was fast and shallow. I felt a few muscle jerks. I looked up the side effects of the pain meds online and noticed that my symptoms were along the lines of adverse reactions to the medication and symptoms of overdose. I decided to stay awake and drink a lot of water until I felt the medicine wear off a little.  I was really afraid that I would have to go to the emergency room or something.  After about thirty minutes I started feeling better, and I stayed awake until time for the next dose of medicine had passed.  I was surprised that I wasn't in much pain at all once the medicine started wearing off, and I don't think it's worth it to keep taking the Hydrocodone.  I would rather be a little sore than a little dead. I think I can manage the pain with Advil for now.

So, now that I have finished the antibiotics, I can finally get a full night's sleep instead of waking up every 6 hours for a dose of medicine.  You have no idea how happy I am about that.  And I am sure that David is happy about that as well since he has had to make sure that I woke up and took the medicine, just in case I slept through the alarm or something.

I have been so blessed the last few days to have such good support from my wonderful husband and friends from church.  David has been so good to me, and has obliged me with treats, foot rubs, back rubs, and drink services.  He has been a delightful supply of milk, juice, and water for me.  And he has had a great attitude about it all as well.  I am so grateful for him.  I'm also grateful for the prayers of our friends- I know God has been in charge of this whole process, and has allowed me to get through all of this with minimal discomfort and quick recovery.  And I'm also grateful for the food that some of our friends and family have brought over!

That's about everything as far as my whole tooth update.  On a different note, it is only one week from tomorrow until we move into our new house!  Woo hoo! Things are going well with that too.

1 comment:

Elisabeth Ellsworth said...

Yay! I'm glad your feelnig better! Btw, if you can, keep May 13th or 14th at 7:30 open for a musical production! XD