Well, after a few days of excruciating pain, I finally got in to see my oral surgeon today. He took one look and said, "Oh yeah, that's an infected abscess." Then he casually added, "I'm going to drain that."
Okay. No problem.
He gets his tools ready and says, "Don't worry, I'm going to numb you." Little poke with the needle - fine. He drains the abscess. Also fine. Then he goes, "We've gotta take this implant out."
Wait, what?
So while I'm wide awake, he proceeds to cut the implant out. I could feel him sawing at my jawbone and wiggling that sucker back and forth. Not pleasant. This is why I always get put under for oral surgery - because I am a big baby when it comes to things like that, and I stand by that choice.
I thought it was bad for my job when I lost an eye. But I've been doing pretty well for the past five years with just one working eyeball. When I've got mouth pain, though - and I can't talk - that's even worse. I need my voice way more than I need perfect vision.
At the moment I'm in a lot of discomfort, with not a lot of painkillers left (he gave me 2 more days - whoo hoo!), and I'm not sure when I'll be able to record new videos. I just wanted to keep you all posted.
He wants to see me again next week to make sure the infection is gone... and then I get to do this all over again. So yay me.
Thanks for your patience. I'll be back when my face isn't trying to kill me.
Rick, please don't give us a second thought. We worry about your well-being, whether that's emotional, physical, or spiritual. Please do what's best for you. Like I've said before, we are in this with you for the long haul. Take care and tell them, not ask them, for more pain killers. As our friend Bones McCoy would say, "My God, what is this, the Dark Ages?"
Sami Shamma
@Reply 7 months ago
Rick, our thoughts are definitely with you my friend. As Jerry said, "Take care of yourself. Don't worry about us. Most of us are big boys." Although we will suffer some withdrawal symptoms, we can hold on until we get our next fix from you.
Michael Olgren
@Reply 7 months ago
That oral surgery is essentially the breaking of a bone. Broken bones take 6-8 weeks to heal. To give you 2 days' worth of pain relief is criminal, IMHO. I know all about the swinging pendulum regarding the use of opiates. We've gone from "don't make them addicts" to "pain is the fifth vital sign," and back to "don't make them addicts" within just the last 30 years. I'm sorry you're another victim of a medical practitioner who is uneducated with respect to pain control.
And like the others said, take whatever time you need. You've provided many years of material for me to learn!
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