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!