OUCH!

The last 9 days have been dedicated to working through dental pain. I have actually been living on ibuprofen for a couple of months to manage (with the hopes I'd get enough time to be ready to visit the dentist when it was more finacially feasible). I had been referred to a specialist in California after my regular determined he wouldn't be able to work on the back of my mouth. But then I was expecting Patito so that got postponed. I had intended on getting into the dentist before leaving California, but with mom's unexpectant brush with H1N1, many things were left undone. I barely had time to get into the optometrist a week before departure. At the time, I was not experiencing any pain so figured I'd be fine waiting 6 mos or so.

Shortly after arriving to Indy, my teeth let me know, it was time to go in. I was preparing to leave the house for an interview the other day. The pain was bad enough that I could barely talk and thought I was going to pass out. After getting on the phone with several dental offices, I found a place that accepts walk-in visitors. Esteban and I loaded up the babies and hit the road.

Getting around Indy isn't too complicated (thanks to my GPS -which I love). However, I have found one aggravation that bugs even my mother who has lived in this neck of the woods for almost 10 years. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why in commercial zones, there is no clear marking of addressess. Sure, there are large signs of many of the businesses...but when one is searching for a location they don't already know, it is helpful to see the address numbers of the strip malls and independent buildings while traveling down the highway at 45-55 mph. It seems people just get used to knowing the names of the various plazas and centers and this is how they figure out where things are at. Meanwhile, a newcomer wastes precious time in pain, searching an extra half hour, trying to figure which way is up because there are next to zero address markings.

Now, I know most people have an aversion to visiting the dentist, but mine is a little unique. I have not mentioned in this blog yet that I am a burn survivor. I rarely talk about this, though obvious to anyone who knows me. There is always a fear that if I complain I'm being forgetful that there are millions whos suffer much more than I do in life. My face is covered in scars, only my forehead and nose were spared. Because scar tissues does not stretch, it is beyond difficult for a dentist to work in my mouth. Most proceedures -even basic ones- take 50% more time to complete. In addition to whatever discomfort or pain the proceedure itself may cause, I'm also subject to pain and soreness in my face from the pull of trying to force my mouth open wide enough.

After the x-ray, it was determined that my pain was being caused by two very large cavities in both the upper and lower wisdom teeth on the left side of my mouth. One of these was coming up on it's side. Especially after reading the quote of the cost, $484, I really didn't want to have my teeth pulled - we have no income yet & have just enough savings to float us through a few months of expenses. Having had to cancel a job interview for a posiition I would have likely landed makes this all the more ironic. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else the dentist could do to help me. The dental assistant assured me I was in luck as the doctor on staff that day was somewhat of a specialist and should be able to remove the wisdoms despite the limitations of my range of mouth opening.

After 11 injections of anesthetic, the worse twisting and pulling of my lower tooth, and many apologies, the dentist decided to hault the proceedure. He decided he may be doing more harm then necessary and was going to refer me to a surgeon. It was only then I started to cry, though I wanted to many times during that period of 40 minutes. The whole time I sat and just prayed that he could do it, my tooth only managed to break off in several pieces. With all of his force, he could not get in the right spot to make the wisdom roots loose enough. Sweating, and feeling so bad, he ended his attempt and prescribed me antiobiotics and pain killer. The assistant was shocked. According to her, he has a 99% success rate at extracting teeth.

I had to wait the next day to get into to be seen by the surgeon. By this time, the trauma of the first attempt was greater than I had thought. Sleeping had been nearly impossible. The pain resonated through out my mouth, face and head. What was strangest, was the burning sensation I experienced in my face. The skin was on fire -pardon the pun- but it was literally hot to the touch. I was red and swollen that night, and the next day, one of the seams where the skin grafts meets normal tissue, had split open. After a week, the scabbing has finally come off, but the wound still aches.

My surgeon plans to put me out completely...in an operating room. I'm not looking forward to it at all. I have had MANY surgeries in my lifetime. That doesn't make it easier. Anytime, one undergoes anesthesia, there is great risk. They will give me relaxers which hopefully will release all the tension, facial muscles and surrounding tissue enough to allow my mouth to be cranked open...or maybe, they'll just have to break my jaw and wire it afterwards. They will go in and attempt to remove all of my wisdom teeth. The two on the right are healthy, but that side of my mouth is tighter, so if at any point, they give me trouble, it would likely mean more surgery. Better now than a second round of treatment later.

As of yesterday, I am feeling somewhat better physically -not in and out of sleep as much and can talk almost normally. Finally had somewhat of a regular meal, though most often I've been grubbing on malt-o-meal hot cereal and coffee or delicious shakes prepared by my sister who's kindness I don't deserve. She's been awesome with trying to help me manage.

Now, we're in a hold stance, waiting for a financial assistance application to go through. The complications of the proceedure needed would most definately wipe out the savings and more. Pray for me :)