Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Wisdom Teeth

First of all, that is an understatement if I have ever heard one. I don't feel anymore wise than I did before my wisdom teeth grew in!

Second of all, I don't feel any dumber know that they are out....

I thought I would share my experience with my wisdom teeth, mainly because I'm sitting here on the couch and have nothing better to do.

It all started yesterday morning when my alarm clock went off. I knew immediately that this day would be very long and I was not looking forward to it AT ALL! But sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns and get stuff done.

The drive was excruciating, its a 3 1/2 hour drive to El Paso and when we got there, we were backed up in traffic. It was El Paso's first day of school so the interstate was packed.

Anyways, we get there and I had to sign a bajillion things and go over post op care and what not. Then they led me back to the little room, by myself nonetheless and hooked me up to blood pressure and heart monitor machines. No big deal right? right... I don't know why I started shacking, I guess I was just nervous and no matter how many times the little nurse gal said it was going to be alright, I still couldn't stop shaking. They even had to hold my arm down to get the IV in, which I didn't feel at all! They had numbed it before hand so that made it nice.

Well then the Dr. came in and asked if I was ready to get started. Umm, no.... I thought to myself. He gave me the light anesthesia and not 2 seconds later I felt amazing! My shaking at stopped completely and I thought to myself, I can handle this now! My plan was to put my headphones and go to sleep! That sure didn't happen....After I got my music going, and made sure it wasn't too loud to drown out the Dr. and the nurse, I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep! I tried people!!

They then proceeded to numb the inside of my mouth which I didn't feel and when I was good and numb, the Dr. asked me I was ready, again. I couldn't answer this time so a thumbs up had to do. This became they way I communicated with them since they had tools and fingers inside my mouth.

My music going, my eyes covered, and hands squeezing the arms rest of the chair, the Dr. pulled the first tooth. It was mostly out so it popped right out, no big deal! The Dr. asked if I was ok, thumbs up, and he stitched the hole together.

The second tooth wasn't so easy. This was the infected tooth and it was causing a little more trouble which caused the saw to come out. That's when I lost it, and there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was cry, and people, I tried not to but it just happened. Bad experiences in the past where brought up when they used the saw to cut my tooth in half, then with a loud crack, it popped loose.

I guess they noticed I was tearing up because they asked me about it, and later I found out they thought it was from the anesthesia. It was not of course.

They stitched up the second hole and started on the third tooth, which also came right out and was sewn up in no time.

"Doing ok?" I was asked. Thumbs up. Then I heard the Dr. say "Lets wait to do the last one and see how she feels." If I could have something, it would of gone like this, "Heck no! Ya'll are getting ALL of these teeth out! No questions asked."

The nurse even went out and asked T about it and he simply told them that if they left that tooth, there was no way anyone was getting me back into the office to have it out later, and he was right.

By now the tears had stopped and I was just praying this would all be over and I could home. But, it took them longer to get the last tooth out than they had anticipated. It was the tooth turned sideways and that meant the saw came back out. I turned my music up..

Several pieces later, it was finally out and I was done, all sewed up and ready to get home
Thinking back on it, it was not the best experience but I have been through worse. I would have

preferred not to be awake, but it is what it is. I'm home now and the bleeding has stopped for the most part, and only one side of my face is swollen. The numbness didn't fully wear off until about 3 o'clock this morning either.

I'm just so glad I don't have to go through something like that EVER again.......




 
For some reason the picture flipped on me. The two whole teeth on the bottom are actually my top teeth and they ones in pieces are from the bottom.  

 
This was the infected tooth, the whole inside of it was rotted and nasty. And look at the hook on that thing! No wonder I wasn't feeling good...