Saturday 8 March 2014

Equilibrium

Well the trip to the dentist was less traumatic than I thought, that is until the effects of the anesthetic began to wear off.

As everyone who reads this blog now knows I'm needle phobic and my previous dentist was useless, so too say I wasn't looking forward to this appointment is probably a bit of an understatement.

The first hurdle was lying on my back and practically upside down. All patients with PH find lying on their back difficult but this dentist seemed to know this and kept stopping every ten minutes or so, so I could sit upright. I was impressed. The second hurdle, the injection, was also dealt with sensitively and I can honestly say, apart from some pressure, I couldn't feel a thing. The cleaning took place while waiting for everything to go numb and again there was no problem. However what impressed me most was the filling. It was on a tooth that had an inlay on it. I was expecting to loose the inlay and end up with a huge silver filling but no. This dentist carefully removed the inlay, did the filling and then replaced the inlay on top. I don't look as though I've had anything done. Well except my teeth are now very sparkly once again.

I thanked her and told her how impressed I'd been and then went into the waiting room. Peter was shopping so I was to text him when I finished and he would come and collect me. It was here I realised that I was just that little bit wobbly. I felt a bit light headed and my legs felt weak. Also a quick exploration with my hands revealed my face was frozen from my right eyebrow all the way down to my chin and across to my nose. The right side of my mouth drooped alarmingly and I looked as though I'd just suffered a stroke. This dentist had obviously taken on board my fears about feeling things.

When Peter arrived I had to cling onto him to get to the car. The plan was to go shopping after and I decided to tough it out and give it a go. I used my trike and began to feel better though I kept nervously wiping my mouth in case I'd started to drool and couldn't feel it. Shopping done we returned home and I attempted a cup of tea sucked through a straw. Not great but it did minimize spillage. I'd been told to eat just soft items for the next twenty four hours to allow the inlay to set again. I was dying for an apple but put up with a can of chocolate rice pudding instead.

By nine I began to feel and boy did I feel. My gums felt as though they'd been ripped apart and a dull insistent throb started in my right jaw. This throb developed into a pain that started in my jaw and shot into my ear, so out came the paracetamol. By bedtime I'd managed a few more drinks and a couple of yogurts. I'd also sucked my way through a packet of crisps and the pain was under control. I toyed with cleaning my teeth, well I want to keep the shine, but decided against it and did a bit of gentle sloshing with mouth wash instead.

This morning I was able to gently hand brush, no way was I using the electric yet, avoiding my inlay. That I do not want to loose. I am able to drink properly now but have yet to test my mouth out on some real food. I'm planning omelets for lunch, nice and soft. I am astonished that simple filling could make me feel so weird. It is a good few years since I've had one but even so, it really knocked me off balance. I can only surmise that the combination of being flat on my back without oxygen and the anesthetic just upset my equilibrium a little bit. I'm still sore but otherwise fine, though I did need a little extra oxygen through the night.

This morning whilst reading the morning papers a small booklet fell out. Now these are usually recipes so I grabbed it in eager anticipation but no. It was a nagging information booklet telling me how much sugar is in 'everyday' foods.

As you know from yesterday's rant I really do not care but curiosity got the better of me and I glanced through. My goodness so coke and sweets have sugar in them, bless my soul, you never say. And fruit does too, shocker! Do they really think we are that thick? I also love the fact that 'everyday' items includes a range of ready made meals and sandwiches. I mean who buys a Starbucks Chicken Salsa Wrap on a regular basis? Have you seen the price of those things? And who in their right minds buys ready made lasagna or toad in the hole when it is so much cheaper to make them yourself? I thought the majority of the country was cash strapped so how can people afford these things? Crazy! Anyway the booklet is a 'handy' handbag size so you can feel guilty on the go. This will not be going anywhere near my handbag and is now safely nestled in the bin.

Right time to attempt something to eat. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that my inlay remains in place. Another trip I couldn't stand so it if comes off I might have to do a Dave from Red Dwarf and look for the wood glue.

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