I picked up some roses when I was at Trader Joe's today. Why? Because root canal. And all you nitrous pushers - what the hell? Seriously, that helped not one tiny bit. It made my extremities feel numb, but what good does that do when someone is working on my tooth? I felt
every injection. All four of them. So I spent that extra money for nothing, and it has left me feeling draggy all day. The one thing that was useful was taking ibuprofen several times a day for a few days in advance. Because after the fourth injection, the anesthetic finally kicked in and the rest was painless. I sat and said a metta meditation in my head through the whole thing, just to tune out the drills and such, directing at first at myself:
"May I have peace, may I be kind, may I be happy, may I be well." Then moving on to the endodontist and his assistant, and then everyone else out there. Round after round, it kept me centered. I hurt now, but it is only pain being inflicted on me that really bothers me. I was given a script for vicodin after the first attempt two weeks ago, but they sit unopened on my dresser. I don't need anything stronger than a glass of wine tonight. Which I'd have had anyway. I will say that the endodontist was consistently kind. I can't actually fault him or his staff - very considerate, friendly people. But if, as I suspect, the matching molar on the other side also warrants a root canal, I will take advance ibuprofen and skip the nitrous.
ugh...nitrous did not help me either...he kept saying breathe deep..ha...yeah right...hope the flower help assuage the feeling...ack....oy, gimme the drugs and make them good...i dont like the dentist
ReplyDeleteI don't dislike my dentist or this guy, I just don't like going to see them. :-o
Delete"And all you nitrous pushers - what the hell? "
ReplyDeleteThank you! I don't think nitrous does anything either, plus I hate the way is smells.
I'm glad to you hear you like your endodontist because it's so important to feel comfortable and confident with a dentist or doctor.
"I don't need anything stronger than a glass of wine tonight."
HA! Enjoy that wine! I'll be having a glass tonight as well!
Love the photo of the flowers. They're gorgeous!
X
It really is important to like and trust your health care providers.
DeleteAnd I did enjoy that wine, thanks!
Flowers are pretty! I think this experience was better than the first one? I haven't had nitrous in a bit but seemed to do the trick when I needed it. I think there's something to the point of maybe being completely put under for certain types of dental procedures.
ReplyDeletebetty
Thanks - $3.99 at Trader Joe's!
DeleteGeneral anesthesia carries some risks, so I don't think they'd put you under unless it was really necessary.
Unfortunate that the anaesthetic wasn't much help. It sounds like the meditation was actually more useful!
ReplyDeleteI've only had one root canal filling. I didn't mind the injections too much, but all the drilling was pretty unpleasant. I hope you don't have to go through it all again for the other tooth.
I hope I don't either, but I think it's likely, unfortunately.
DeleteI read recently that it takes redheads much more anesthesia than the rest of the world to work. Do you tend towards red? Also, please remember that some kids who start taking drugs start by taking their parent's medicine cabinet drugs. I caution you about keeping vicodan in your house if you don't need it!
ReplyDeleteNot to worry, they'll get put up before my son is back home. But it would be his buddies I'd worry about , not him. He's never, ever taken anything that didn't belong to him. I leave cash lying around all the time and it never gets touched.
DeleteI am now grateful I've never even needed a filling. It sounds awful!
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd seen Part I before you had Part 2. I, my daughter and my granddaughter all have difficulty with dental anesthesia agents. Fortunately, I've had good teeth and few dental procedures until I start grinding my teeth and broke several, requiring crowns and, in some cases, root canals. I always, fortunately, have a high pain tolerance, and I'm not afraid of needles. After multiple injections, I would just start telling a lie when the dentist asked me if I was numb because the procedure would be partway done and I wanted it finished, but she was too astute at watching my twitching eyelids and that sort of thing. I usually convinced her to keep going anyway. Not fun, but neither was needing a root canal and not having it done. However, my daughter has always required multiple dental procedures due to another health issue. She also tried to hide that the injections weren't working. Finally, the dentist refused to do any more procedures on her unless she had twilight-sleep anesthesia, with a hired anesthesiologist brought into the office, and my granddaughter's pediatric dentist has required the same. When I moved to another area, however, my new dentist assured me that he could numb me. He took a look at my blue eyes and the slight reddish tint still left in my hair at the time and said he thought I probably had some Irish heritage--true but not anything I had thought important to mention to a dentist--and that people of Irish heritage were notorious for this problem. He said he had learned a technique call the Gow-Gates Mandibular Nerve Block, one that not all dentists knew. It worked! I couldn't believe how it felt to have a dental procedure that was pain-free. Perhaps search for a dentist or endodontist who is practiced with this technique if there's ever a next time?
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a story. I don't have red hair (a reddish tint when I was young), but am fair sinned and blue-eyed, and definitely have some Celtic ancestry. But that describes virtually everyone in my neck of the woods, since this part of the Appalachians were settled by Scots-Irish folks. But I'll look into that technique.
DeleteI would have to have full blown anesthesia. Big kj phobia, the dentist
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the gas doesn't work on everyone. It makes me high without care :-) I hope this is soon over for you and I hope your snow is soon over too
xo
The endodontist said it doesn't work for everyone, and I'm apparently one of them.
Deletesometimes I prefer not to take all the pills - they don't really help usually...
ReplyDeleteThere were no pills involved here other than ibuprofen.
DeleteI'm glad the advance ibuprofen helped. Interesting what Linda P. shared.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a lovely weekend.
Thanks, you, too!
DeleteI'm very lucky to have very healthy teeth as I know I would not be able to tolerate anything like that. I freaked out during a tooth extraction and never want to relief that experience.
ReplyDeleteI've never had to have a tooth pulled - I don't think I'd do well with that.
DeleteLooks like the dental stuff has been well-covered in the comments, so Trader Joe's. When I go to Seattle or LA I shop there frequently, and last year I found these containers of frozen crushed garlic, looked like the pill containers that have the daily doseages meted out. I couldn't tell the diff between the fresh stuff in cloves, and it was so easy that I started putting it in everything. One of the daughers said I'd gone one toke over the line when I put it in scrambled eggs.
ReplyDeleteWish we had one here, closest is 120 miles.
Ooh - I will definitely look for that! I did buy some black garlic at TJ's but haven't used it yet.
DeleteI don't do nitrous anymore if I can avoid it at all. I once came out of it in the dentist office to have the dentist give me a really weird look. I have no idea what I said, but it must have made an impression because that dentist was never friendly again.
ReplyDeleteDidn't you ask? I'd have to know what I said!
DeleteThere must be some advantage to being impervious to anaesthetic, but I can't think of one. I'm really sorry to hear about your other possible root canal. It's bad enough having one when the meds do work.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine how it would be a good thing. I think it's just one of those genetic flaws that doesn't die off because it isn't a hindrance to reproducing.
DeleteI've recently been the dentist, and need two fillings! Not looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
I pretty much never look forward to dental work.
DeleteYeep. I hate root canal work and dentists too. But I don't remember my dentist giving me any medication for the pain after I left his office. Maybe he hates me too.
ReplyDeleteHe wrote a small amount, but suggested Advil.
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