Mama Gone Green is a blog dedicated to raising happy children and reducing our impact on the Earth. My name is Taryn and I am the mother of 2 young kids and an environmental studies instructor at a community college in Portland, Oregon. Please join me as I journey through life as a mama, teacher, knitter, photographer, gardener, and environmentalist!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Gratitudes (And Some Complaining Too)

I meant to get a gratitude post up on Thanksgiving day, but it didn't happen. Even though I had (and have) so many things to be grateful for, I was having trouble seeing through the (thick, thick) fog.

Let me start from the begnning.

Last Sunday night I started having some intense pain on the left side of my face. I was unsure if this was tooth pain or sinus pain, but either way I was feeling awful. Monday morning I went to urgent care- they said they believed that a tooth infection was most likely, gave me antibiotics, and told me to see my dentist. A couple hours later I was at my dentist, and the pain was so diffuse-- every tooth on the left side of my mouth hurt-- none more than another-- and the dentist was baffled and thought it was maybe a sinus infection. I took my antibiotics and was eating ibuprofen like it was candy. And, I don't normally take ibuprofen. I tend to fight it and reserve it for emergency use. And trust me, this was an emergency.
By Thursday morning, I realized that this pain was from my tooth and not a sinus infection (the pain had at times become more focused on one particular tooth). By Thursday night, I was in so much constant, intense pain that I was literally in tears. The pain was so strong that I only managed to get a couple of hours of sleep. By this point I had already been taking antibiotics for four full days and the pain had only increased. It was definitely worse than childbirth, and I was not getting a new baby out of the deal either.
Friday morning I had to emergency call my dentist as it was a holiday weekend. I was told that the antibiotics that were given to me by urgent care were a good choice for sinus infections, but not tooth infections. I was prescribed new antibiotics.
Friday afternoon I was feeling a bit better and have been able to sleep at night, but at times the pain still gets very intense for up to 30 minutes. Also, every time I bite down on my tooth, it sends a shooting pain through my body, so eating has been a bit rough. And this week I will likely have to get a root canal followed by a crown. Not cheap.

So Thursday, Thanksgiving Day here in the US, I wanted to write a gratitude post. I wanted to share how thankful I was for so many things. But, I just couldn't. All I could think about was the pain.

Now that I am done complaining (sorry) I would like to take a few minutes of your time to share with you some of the things I am grateful for:

* Antibiotics, dentists, and modern medicine. I have thought many times this week about what would be happening to me if I lived in the year 1800.... I would be slugging a glass of whiskey, pulling my own tooth out with a pair of pliers and hoping I didn't die of an infection. 

* My Portland friends who have become family to us in the absence of local blood relatives. I miss my family dearly, but it is so lovely to have wonderful friends to spend holidays and special times with.

* My husband who has listened to many a worry from me this past week, and who encouraged resting when I needed it. And to my mom, who listened to me whine about my face pain every day this week.

* For some much needed time to relax-- I have been reading, knitting, and watching movies this past week (partially because that was all I could muster at times), but I know that my body needed a rest.

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. Fingers crossed that I will be feeling back to my old self soon! Pin It Now!

6 comments:

  1. Goodness, so sorry about the tooth pain. I was nodding my head as I read this wondering if you were going to get the same conclusion I had when I had intense tooth pain a few years ago...mine turned out to be shingles, believe it or not. Started in the nerves of my teeth, and then moved to my face and eye...not fun. A root canal is not fun either. Sorry. Will be thinking of you this week.

    Glad you were able to find some time to knit and read, and relax.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kim. That is crazy that shingles affected your teeth-- those face nerves can really throw us for a loop!

      Delete
  2. I will pray for you and your tooth and that you can have relief! Good luck! (I think you are very very brave).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen-- I need it! Hoping I can possibly get in tomorrow..

      Delete
  3. That sounds awful, so sorry that happened to you. Hope you are feeling better and can get more rest. xo

    ReplyDelete