Why I Hate My Teeth... Or, Why Pain Should Equal A Doctors Appointment...

Yes... I hate my teeth... Three of them speicifically... All my life, my teeth have been good... They've behaved... Oh, sure there was the rebel uprising when I was twelve, but those teeth were all sacrificed to the Tooth Fairy anyway... She could have them... No, this time, they mean war...

A month to a month-and-a-half ago, my right lower jaw started aching... Then the upper jaw started in on it too... Sensodyne and Anbesol were my only friends... My dentist took some X-Rays and we set an appointment for early next month to fill the three caveties that had developed... I thought I would be fine until May... It was only a mild ache...

Until it wasn't...

Last night it didn't matter what I did, I just could not deal with the pain... I had tried so many things: swishing vanilla, swishing rum, massive amounts of ibuprofen, tylenol of varying strengths, Anbesol, brushing obsessively with Sensodyne, Xylocaine viscous gel (and that last one is truly disgusting, by the way)... After two hours of rolling around in my bed with tears trailing down my cheeks, pretending I could find a way to sleep with my jaw throbing, I drove to the midnight pharmacy looking for something else, some magical cure... I had expected to walk away with some 222's, a codiene/aspirin mix that is legal to sell over the counter... Instead, I was turned away by the pharmacist with nothing...

I need to thank that man someday...

Weird to thank him? Not so much... When I detailed everything I had tried, he said I needed to see a doctor because massive OTC-untreatable tooth pain usually meant an infection...

And this makes sense... The pain had been getting worse... The amounts of Anbesol I had been using had increased... One bottle lasted me three weeks, and then I used up another half of a bottle in 5 days... And then there was the headache... This fucking tension in my head that no amount of anything was touching... It was a cloud in my brain that seemed almost hopeless to be gotten rid of...

I had been totally in denial, thinking that I could survive without some kind of professional assistance...

So, at 12:30 last night, I visited the local ER... I waited an hour in a waiting room, then another 45 minutes in a clinic room before being seen by the doctor (who was fantastic!!!)... By 3AM I was home with a high dosage Clindamycin prescription and a bottle of prescription painkillers... I downed my antibiotics as directed and one tablet of painkiller, surfed the internet for about half an hour, and then went to bed...

It was the best sleep I've had in a long time...

I know the antibiotics can't possibly be fully working yet, but my teeth feel better today... There's very little pain... It's almost only a discomfort again... And the headache, while not totally gone, is somewhat receeded... Today I felt like I was having a normal life again...

I am so glad that pharmacist told me to see a doctor...

Moral of Story: See a doctor for pain before it becomes unbearable...

Note: I am not advocating that narcotics are the awesomest things ever... Once I have my caveties filled in May, the bottle and remaining tablets are going in the waste disposal at my work... I am hoping there are many tablets left to go in that bucket...

Goals for the Month of April 2012...

1. Get half of "Cardinals on Sled" finished...

2. Finish two small projects that are in my coffee shop carry bag...

3. Finish the needle book from the latest edition of CrossStitcher Magazine...

Yet Another Progress Picture...

And here's where I'm at after session number three... I'm pleased with this progress so far... The beauty of this one is that a lot of the picture is in half-stitches, which means I can cover large amounts of area quickly... All the blue is half-stitch, and the tree trunk which will eventually be in the background will be half-stitch too... I love half-stitch... But, for now, I am working on the full crosses... Takes longer, but they are beautiful...

The picture has been edited, due to my crappy picture taking skills at night... I auto-adjusted it, making it less yellow from the overhead lights, then I resaturated the colours to make them pop more... A much nicer picture than last time... :)

"I Don't Do Mornings!" Finish...

"I Don't Do Mornings!"
From Dimensions
Designed by Susan Bankey Yoder
Finished March 24th, 2012

Progress on "Cardinals on Sled"...

So, I started this today... Currently it looks like a certain Pokemon's fur coat... I was tired, so I couldn't do any more without my eyes going blurry... I was tired because I have just finished my professional licensing exams for being a Pharmacy Technician... The OSPE and MCQ were tough, but I got through them... Now I just have to wait for my results... Gulp... Until then, I'll be keeping my mind on this thing... :)

I finished another cross-stitch during the drive to London yesterday... I'll have to take a picture of it and post that tomorrow...

Goals for the Month of March 2012...

Goals? Buahaha! What are those? I have exams this month... The OSPE and MCQ are calling, and I am terrified of picking up the phone... Geep! Wish me luck!

In the meantime, please note that I will be dragging some small stitching with me on my early morning coffee excursions, so I may actually have a finish in March... Not something on my list, but a WIP that's been hanging around since I was in Ottawa a few years ago... I think it's appropriate... I will share when it's done...

"Faith Ornament" Finish!!!

"Faith Ornament"

From Dimensions, The Gold Collection Petites

Designed by Elizabeth Brownd

Finished February 25th, 2012