TWO WEEKS AFTER SURGERY... TODAY
THE PIC BELOW IS DURING THE MEETUP WHEN i WAS SO SICK AND DID NOT EVEN KNOW HOW SICK.
ME IN AUGUST AT THE MEETUP... VERY SICK
If this story changes just one person's health and safety, it is worth it. I never knew that teeth had such an impact on a person's health and well being until recently.
Yeah I blamed my constant sinus infections, constant upset stomachs, fatigue, and all manner of inner ear infections on Florida...despite the fact I had lived in Florida for years before but I figured with all the allergies and changes in one's body over years the allergies of jungle semi tropical Florida just played havoc with your sinuses. I never once attributed fatigue, weight gain, constant headaches, nerves and bronchitis along with hearing loss to TEETH.
I played around with my lower teeth for a very long time.. I would get well checks from my doc and blood work except when I was there for ear infections, and sinus infections and the upset stomach I attributed to my hyper thyroid and nerves. I had extremely good blood work and x rays when I would get sick and never ever thought my teeth was my problem. I was not one to go for a dental checkup as I had no dental insurance and besides, my thinking was not right regarding this issue. I only had lower teeth and a filling had fallen out years ago and I brushed and rinsed.. I had a toothache in 2010 whereas I was told those teeth needed to go. I was given a script of antibiotics and never went back.. I actually moved to Florida and figued if they gave me more problems I would take care of the problem tooth. Of course I did not. I was too busy. I had to do my work, caregive and think I was Wonderwoman.
It was in August that I noticed something was happening. It was actually before the Meetup. I was tired..All the time..Had stress totally taken over my life? I was having upset stomachs to the point I pratically lived off immodium !
My through yearly checkups were great. My blood work came out normal. My thyroid was even going back to normal numbers, so why so tired and nervous and depressed?
God and you all know, I had my share of all kinds of problems from deaths in the family to taking care of my family. My husband had noticed for years that I seemed unhappy.
He of course questioned me about what was wrong. I honestly did not know. I did not feel good and the music we used to make had just died somewhere between Ga and Florida. The stress I figured had taken a huge toll on me but ah ha ....there was more to it. I noticed in August even with good checkups from my doctor, I was going downhill quick. I have a pretty high tolerance to pain.. This I admit now is not a good thing... One can ignore some things that should not be ignored. September rolled around and I was sick all the time with my sinuses, my bronchitis, my inner ear. Dang these allergies...Well guess what...it was not my allergies causing me all the problems.
I had an abcess hit me in September. I was coughing so badly, there was no way any dentist would or could check me out as my ears were infected, I had an URI, and the flu.
I did not have pneumonia but I was sick and staying at the doctor's office. My Nurse practioner called me in some antibiotics and told me I had to get to a dentist to take care of that tooth where the filling was missing...ASAP. I got better and kept going.
I kept going until December. All through November I was working on the election and would cough and cough on the phone when speaking to people and I way laying around and sometimes to the bed at times. What was wrong? I also was scared of that tooth because I had started to drop some weight afraid of eating on that side. I tried to stick to soups and not a normal diet. Then it happened. My stubborness and fear plus my ignorance caught up with me the day after Christmas. I woke up with a jaw so swollen that I looked like one of the chipmonks....I knew..I knew I had an abcess. I also knew this time it was different. I could feel that jawline was throbbing and I never knew such pain..not even childbirth. This was serious but I had a problem.. It was the holidays. I called every dentist in town. No one was in their offices and I was not a patient. I went into a walk in clinic and they ordered more antibiotics.
My own doctor was out till Jan 5th. I was in the bed. Period. The walk in clinic doc said my lymp nodes were all swollen, and their was pressure behind my left middle ear. I have many good buddies on here but my best good friend as Forrest Gump would say called every Amanda Kato in Florida all the way from California to ask what was going on. I had not been on Daily Kos or online very much and this was not like me at all. I was so glad to hear her voice as we have been pen pals for years and a dear Kossack. I was overjoyed to hear her voice but she was very concerned of how I said I was feeling.
Finally Jan. 5th arrived and a dentist called me back and the swelling had gone down but something was still wrong as I could feel the knot like around my bad tooth. It was hard and I knew it was still infected but even the hospital said go to the dentist as the Walk in Clinic. I could not see one as they were all on holiday except for their own patients and I did not have a personal dentist or insurance to cover dental work. I was told on the phone that we only had two oral surgeons in the area and no regular dentist would touch what I was describing especially with my history of high blood pressure and my age... 64. I also have Dental Phobia which is much stronger than dental fear.
I had been to dentists all my life and was terrified of them.. I had oral surgery in the early nineties and every day wished they had done a full mouth extraction instead of just uppers. I was dreaming of that tooth being gone. I mean I felt terrible, More than any of you knew..More than even my husband knew...I was playing a very dangerous game and my best good friend talked me down..all the way from California.
I finally talk to an oral surgeon and explained what was going on but there was absolutely no opening for even an examination for 10 days. Agony. I had 10 more days and yet the fear was still real.. Fear of the tooth, the pain and possibly the consequences and fear of the diagnosis and fear of what needed to be done and one more antibiotic left... I was terrified more of the pain happening again than pulling my head off. Please never ever get to this position. It is a very bad place to be.
I researched this oral surgeon and staff and they were the tops according to the internet.
The surgeon was on staff at the local hospital and studied at Harvard. He was president of the dental associatioon of this area and was a cardiac specialist in his field.
I could not find a better doctor for my teeth. He had been in practice here for 32 years.
He had an associate and his credentials were as good, a oral maxofacial surgeon with a PHD in mircrobiolgy. I read the website over and over. I sent it to my Kos best good friend in California who is one smart cookie and she called me and said, " I think you have some good docs there... don't be afraid." Well, it eased me some but I was still terrified. My Kos quilt was handy all the time.. I drug it around constantly.
Thursday 11:45 came and I had to make a 30 minute trip to the oral surgeon's office.
The first thing I noticed was I did not feel like I was in a dentist office. There were bicycles on the wall and etremely high ceilings that looked like they were at least 40 feet or more high with cross beams and ceiling fans that gave off a cool ambience of the room. I noticed a busy staff going back and forth from the rec ption area dressed in their green smocks. They all had beautiful smiles. My famiy was with me and I am sure the terror was obvious to all who laid eyes on me. They called my name right on time and the nurse came in and I was seated in the dental chair but saw no spitting bowls. (LOL) Long time since I had been to a dentist for work.
I had filled out all medical questions online and had submitted my info many days before my visit and they had them uploaded in a tablet. I was carried back for a digital panoramic view of my mouth and if necessary they were capable of CT or anything else.
They got the Panoramic view and then the surgeon came in. The infection appeared involving the bone under the molar. I showed the dentist the antibiotic I had been taking. He was nice and told me all the antibiotics in the world was not going to fix it this time... The tooth ..well actually all 7 teeth had to be extracted.. He gave me options but said he preferred to do this procedure under general anesthetic. I was horrified. I am more afraid of being put out than most anything in the world. Everything was explained to me regarding the hour and half procedure. I also was told the price which would have scared anyone but in thinking back, was not over inflated but not having dental insurance was really scary. I could have just the one tooth done but the problem was the whole thing not just one tooth.. The gums were diseased and the others would have to come out one by one. They wanted to do the surgery the next day, within 24 hours. My husband told me to make the appointment and do it.
One would have thought I had been sentenced to the gallows the way I acted. I was scared, I had no choice really and these teeth had affected my general health and well being. I just did not know how much until it was over and done with. My best good friend was glad I did not have too much time to ponder this surgery. California I knew was a good place to get sick, Florida scared me a lot. We wrote back and forth and talked on the phone and now I was less than 12 hours away. I had cervical cancer in the 80's and was not this scared. I was also not this old. The receptionist told me they had a 94 year old who just got dentures and that made me feel some better. I mean after all he was thirty years older and was OK.
My daughter came home from her classes in college and was going to be here to help and so was my little one who was scared for Mama. I understood her fear which I am sure she was picking up from me. She is brave at the dentist but not so much at the doctor's office. OK...we all go into the waiting room on the 16th.. I spent the morning taking off fingernail polish and using the oral rinse prescribed for me. It was pouring down rain and my daughter drove. My two sisters called me and told me I would be fine and just get well. I was a bundle of nerves.. Right on time two green smocked nurses had a chart and called my name. I looked at my husband, and kids and felt so vulnerable. That phobia had me convinced I would never wake up and see them again.
This phobia thing had me off the charts with fear. It actually I believe came from an old dentist I saw as a kid who pulled a permanent tooth without even novacaine. My fear of being put to sleep I believe came from a 6 year old being put to sleep with Ether for my tonsils making me very very sick.
My college kid and hubby walked back with me and the nurse so perky asked what kind of music I like and my husband said, " throw some Elvis and oldies on and she will be happy", They did. I do remember some things after the IV went in. I remember being strapped at the arms and the oxygen going in my nostrils and the blood pressure and heart monitor being connected and at one point during surgery being told to breathe through my nose this point I believe I had an air tube inserted as I had taken a coughing spell during this exact time. The surgeon went out and talked to my family and said I had done extremely well and a list of instructions . They were given a phone number in case of anything that may arise and the doctor would call me later that night and did. He called every night for three nights. The nurse told me he called all of his patients for well checks. I was amazed. I had been given a pain medication which I never took the first one. I took the Ibuprofen instead that he had ordered. I did not bleed as I thought I would... I did not have to have the gauze after the second night. I felt like after the third day I was starving...Jello...soup....more soup,,,and lots of water. No carbonated drinks...no straws....and sipping slowly.. Not too cold.. Not too hot.....On about the 4th day I was up and trying to do but found out I was pretty weak from either the infection that was now gone or the surgery or the stress and phobia or all of it combined but still felt better than my best day in August.
One week after surgery I was like a new person. I felt twenty years younger.. I had no upset tummys.. No headaches... My hearing in one ear came back and all the brusing which is normal from the surgery was gone.. I looked 100 percent better and my entire outlook was different.. I am almost at the month anniversary since the surgery and was dismissed last week and they barely recognized me at the office. I had lost twenty two lbs.....felt like a million and healing nicely. The stitches had come out on their own and even my blood pressure was much much lower. I can not even begin to tell you how much of an impact this had on me.
When my husband was rushed to the hospital week before last and I had a mouthful of stitches still, you Kossacks were here for me.. He is OK.. His stress had mimicked a heart problem again and he had to again undergo some evaluations for vascular problems. He has never ever had the first cavity. He was all there for me during my recovery as my daughters and son. My best good friend in California and the rest of you are my heros. How do you thank people for saving your health and possibly your life? How do you do that? I don't know but I hope this diary helps anyone out there who is afraid to the point of serious illness because I honestly believe without you folks especially my best good friend who shall remain nameless because I did not tell her I was writing this diary. She is my hero in spades. Every one of you deserve hearts and flowers and chocolates for being there for me when I needed it most. There are Kossacks and you know who you are that have shown me so much love that is boggles the mind... I only hope to be here for you half as much as you have been there for me and mine. I cannot handle anyone who runs down this beautiful community. It is like we are all family and that is the best way to get on the fighting side of me....to run down family and that is what Daily Kos is to me...The best people in the world are right here on this site.
Thanks Markos... You did a lot more than build a site. You built a community and more.