I was only able to get 3-4 hours of sleep through Friday morning. I woke up in lots of pain. What ever was going on in my tooth was getting worse and it wanted me to know it.
I had taken codeine twice in the preceding 9 hours, so along with the pain I was woozy – unable to muster all my thought processes at the same time. I was a mess. I was shuffling, not walking, not lifting my feet very far off the carpet.
Iris, the receptionist (retiring today) picked up the phone at the periodontist’s office. She could get me in at 11:15. I thought to myself how I didn’t want to wait three hours, but knew I’d have to.
I got back into bed and closed my eyes.
This was a different kind of pain than a headache or bruise. It was an all encompassing pain. Yes, it emanated from my tooth and gum but it was more powerful than anything else I had going. I was in no position to reason. All I could think about was the pain – and that it was still there.
It wasn’t long before Helaine was in the bedroom. Iris had called back. Could I get there now?
I don’t remember much about the trip there but I do remember the periodontist telling me it didn’t look good. I haven’t gone to dental school, but I knew that already.
We talked about the tooth, the prospect of root canal and crown and then it would probably only be useful for a few years before it had to come out anyway. The second option was extraction – and that’s what he did¹.
By the time I got home, the shots were wearing off and the pain was ramping up again. I took another codeine laced Tylenol and headed to bed. By later this afternoon the pain had mostly subsided, except my gum feels swollen and hurts if touched. That’s probably from the injections.
Over this weekend, I should start to feel as I did before this episode. The gum will come down and, hopefully, I’ll get this cream cheesy feeling out of my head.
When I was a kid, codeine was sold over-the-counter with a prescription. What were they thinking?
Right now my thought process is somewhat akin to thinking through gauze.
¹ – The tooth itself is in my shirt pocket as I type this entry.
