The wisdom tooth chronicles.

So I met with the oral surgeon. He and his staff seemed a bit rushed. I stated my concerns clearly and they doled out some platitudes. I was not convinced. They told me that, when they remove my upper teeth, a "communication" might occur between my oral cavity and my sinus cavity. Communication would be a euphamism, of course, for GIANT HOLE connecting the two areas. It sounds unpleasant. The fine print of the forms also noted that should such a communication occur during the surgery, they'll fix it. No problemo. Except that, should they need to fix it, they'll add about $700 onto the bill. Pluse the extra $150 per 15 minutes of general anaesthesia. Good grief.

I think I left feeling more uncertain about everything than I was when I went. And they didn't give me a prescription for diazepam to calm my nerves on the day of surgery (after saying they would...), so Jonathan just may have to drag me there kicking and screaming on November 14th. I did get five other prescriptions that I'm supposed to fill before surgery... one of which is Vicodin ES (read: very strong). Opiates pretty much freak me out, but I let that prescription slide because I would really rather not notice or remember the pain. General Anaesthesia also really freaks me out. I've never so much as fainted, so being made completely unconscious does not appeal to me. But they will (allegedly) monitor my heartrate, breathing, and blood pressure while I'm unconscious so they can get a heads-up if I die.

Drama drama drama.

News you can use: Jonathan got an award at work because he's that awesome. I'm an author on a poster that will be presented at a national conference in Phoenix in May. Jonathan made a delicious dinner this evening. I am going to Kansas for my friend's wedding on Thursday. Hooray!

(Also, a word to the wise... Never google image search "wisdom teeth". It's a really bad idea.)

Comments

babsbrown said…
Ok, so I am going to attempt to calm your nerves about the wisdom teeth thing... I had all 4 (which were seriously impacted) out in January... and I was TERRIFIED. Lucky for me, I have xanax for anxiety anyway, but come the day of surgery, I didn't even need it. General Anesthesia was also what freaked me out the most... but I swear, it was like they started the IV, I looked at the Dr. and said "WOW! This works fast", and next thing I know I was waking up! (this is more of a novel than a comment...) The pain the first few days is bad, but nothing 600 Ibueprofen can't handle. Just keep that gauze in your mouth...I came out of it perfectly, no dry sockets, or trauma, or "communications"...and was back to normal within a week. Hope everything goes well!! Word to your mother! ;)
Renee
babsbrown said…
Oh yes, and the LACK of pressure/pain/headaches/jawaches etc etc that you have post-surgery...Ahhh it's FABULOUS! :)
Ah, yes, wisdom teeth. I first attempted to have them removed back before our wedding, at my dentist's. (He was a regular dentist and did not offer general anesthesia.) I sat in the chair, already a nervous, terror-filled wreck, while he inspected my teeth and began making disturbing noises/comments, such as, "wow. oh. yikes. That one is definitely impacted. hum. ooh."

not. encouraging.

Bartel that I am, I started crying right there in the chair. This, in turn, freaked out my dentist, who asked if I wouldn't rather come back later. Well, actually, I would rather leave and never come back, which is just what I did.

A couple of years later I ended up having all four of my wisdom teeth (two of which were impacted) removed by an oral surgeon, who put me completely out. I was never really in pain, but I drooled a lot the first day. I didn't have any complications from the anesthesia or surgery, and I DIDN'T FEEL OR NOTICE A THING during the surgery. The anesthesia is definitely the way to go!

My recommendation: do not eat anything with tuna until you are able to really brush your teeth again. You will get nasty breath anyway, but adding tuna to the mix just makes it that much more funk-tastic.
Anonymous said…
Awww ... I'm so sorry that your mouth needs this kind of attention ... but I have boundless faith in your strength, resilience and bulletproof-ness. And you will feel so much MUCH better when it's all over. Hang tough ... it'll be over soon. xoBryan
Moe Masters said…
ooooohhhh baby. I know this will go fine, and you are the calmest person in our family (which, granted only says SO much, but...) You are a trooper and I'm certain there will no "communications" and your body will take the anesthesia fine. And, your jonathan will take good care of you. I'm serious: If you want some serious mommery, I'm there. xoxme
Moe Masters said…
And tell babsbrown (aka: Ney) she needs to blog a little! xoxo