Hi friends,

Hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend! Mine was different than other holidays because I spent it dealing with a toothache, a bad one! It started with a small toothache on Friday, it only hurt when I touched the tooth and I thought perhaps I had been  grinding my teeth at night, particularly since it didn’t hurt with warm or hot beverages. By Saturday afternoon, it has escalated to a full on toothache, and was causing me pain and discomfort even when I didn’t touch it. I took some ibuprofen before I went to sleep. By Sunday morning, the pain woke me up and I could feel the pain in my jaw, neck, and up the side of my face. If you have ever had a bad toothache, you know the type of jabbing pain I am referring to.

I called my dentist on his emergency line and by the symptoms, he said I probably needed a root canal. He said he would try to see me Monday afternoon or Tuesday. I told him based on my level of pain, I doubted I could wait until Tuesday.  I’ve had root canals before and know that it takes multiple appointments, and is an uncomfortable and painful procedure. It can also be expensive. I tried to stay positive, by thinking, well this isn’t a big problem, it can be fixed, thankfully I have insurance and a good dentist….positive things I tell myself so I think of it as a temporary situation that needs to be fixed and not a dreadful problem. I don’t think anyone likes going to the dentist or having dental surgery, but I try to stay positive about it, particularly because it usually cannot be avoided and is necessary.

I was a bit saddened because I know a root canal is the end of the natural pulp (nerve) of a tooth…and eventually I may need a crown over that tooth. Then I remembered the saying my grandmother uses, “todo por servir se acaba.” Which means, “everything wears out – eventually – after being used.” I take pretty good care of my teeth, and that tooth already had a filling, so this was just something that happened over time, a cavity got worse fast and it damaged the tooth. So I figured, oh well, let’s just deal with it and get it fixed.  My husband looked for other options for dentists that took “urgent” appointments on weekends and found a few, but I wanted to go to my dentist. He knows me well and has been treating me for close to ten years now. I trust my dentist.

At that point the pain was unbearable and I could feel myself getting dizzy and feeling lots of discomfort. We had dinner plans with my sister and brother in-law, and I was close to canceling, but decided to go. I took some acetaminophen to help with the pain and penicillin as my dentist had prescribed (luckily I had some penicillin at home) . I took a shower, put on some make-up and fixed my hair,  and that in itself made me feel better. Amazing how make-up can make us look a lot better than we feel sometimes!  I felt lousy, but as soon as I saw my sister I felt better. I think getting out of the house was also helpful because I got distracted and wasn’t focused on the pain (plus the acetaminophen really helped).

That night, I took more acetaminophen and tried to sleep in a slightly seated position, as recommended for the blood circulation tohelp decrease the pain. I woke up multiple times throughout the night. My poor hubby also woke up every time I did. It was a horrible, sleepless night.

Monday, the pain was back because the acetaminophen had worn off. My jaw felt locked and I felt sharp pain, more intense than on Sunday. I was exhausted from the pain and the sleepless night. My husband had plans to go practice his hobby with a friend. I told him I would be ok and would try to sleep a bit. He brought me some chopped fruit to bed before he left.  I ate a little, mostly because I needed some food in my stomach in order to take the medication.  I tried to fall asleep and was waking up constantly. Around noon, I received a text message from my dentist asking how I was doing and saying he could see me if necessary. I replied and afterwards we spoke and made arrangements for me to go in for the root canal. I contacted my hubby and he immediately came home to take me to the dentist. For the first time ever, I was looking forward to getting the anesthesia shot into my gums, just so it would numb the pain!  A few hours later,  with the first stage of the root canal completed, I was feeling better. I have to go back in a week for the next appointment. I filled my prescriptions and took ampicillin that night, in place of the penicillin. I also took some acetaminophen. A root canal is endodontics and dental surgery, so it’s pretty serious and can get infected if not cared for properly.

Today, I woke up with pain in my jaw and some bad discomfort from the dental surgery. I tried to get up at the normal time, but was in such pain that I just could not do it. I have only called in sick to work once in the seven years I have worked at the station and that was the time I had strep throat. I did not want to miss work because we had a very important meeting for a project I am working on. So, I wrote a few emails and made the necessary arrangements  in order to go in late to work, but not miss the meeting. I took some pain medication and tried to sleep again. An hour later, I got up, had some coffee, ate a yogurt and took the ampicillin. I took a shower and started to get ready for work, applied some make up and fixed my hair. I automatically felt better….and I looked better.  I had a fever that night, so I woke up looking all sweaty and pretty bad! Amazing what a little make-up and fixing our hair can do!

Luckily, last week we had prepared everything for today’s meeting and I just needed to make a few copies before the presentation. I knew the subject matter and was prepared, as were my colleagues. Our team was very understanding of my situation – and I appreciated it! I could have cancelled the meeting, but knew it would take another month to re-schedule due to the participants. The meeting went very well and everyone was pleased! We moved another step forward on the project, a huge step. I stayed and worked for the rest of the afternoon.

As I was leaving work this evening, I looked in the mirror and said to myself, “I don’t look that bad, even though I don’t feel good.” Ha! So, I took this selfie in the car before I left work. Amazing what a smile, a little bit of make-up, and a positive attitude can do! Overall, it was a very productive day, even though my jaw still feels pretty bad. This too will pass and tomorrow will be better, I never lose hope of that!

Have you had a bad toothache? Have you had dental surgery or a root canal? Have you made yourself feel better on a day you were feeling ill by wearing make-up?

Hugs,

Paola

Here’s my selfie, I still didn’t feel well, but at least I didn’t look like I felt 🙂

 These are the new additions to my night stand – at least for the next week. Thankfully, we live in a country where we can have access to these medications and dental care. I try to look at the positive side of things, even when I have a toothache!