Sunday, December 19, 2010

root canal analysis

Friday evening I had a root canal :(
This is my story.

So, the procedure took well over an hour
As the procedure was explained to Joel and I my palms started to sweat and tears were stinging my eyes as my heart rate picked up
They began to numb me (cut to me tightly closing my eyes so I don't accidentely see the giant long needle in my mouth...)
And then they came back and injected my mouth again with more numbing juice, or so I thought...NOPE! this time it was epinephrin - "so don't think you're so anxious your heart is racing, the drug is actually making it race!!!" nice.
I sat in a chair with my mouth wide open...trying to swallow naturally and not choke or cough and be pierced by the tiny metal dental tools
And then they started to drill, apparently to China.
This was followed by teensy little capillary tubes sucking the infection out of my mouth through the crater in my molar.
Next, as my 'yoga instructor' (as the dentist referred to himself) was helping me concentrate on breathing, I noticed that 'dradle dradle dradle' came on the radio, a Draper family Christmas/Hanukkah joke, and I could hardly keep myself from laughing!
I couldn't make eye contact with my Sports Illustrated reading husband in the super comfortable plastic dental(torture) chair(device) not meant for sitting at all...much less for a near 2 hour dental procedure...so I was able to contain my laughter - thankfully to find out later Joel also heard the song and was chuckling to himself.
After it's all said and done, we are sent to the pharmacy with lots of prescriptions and questions about what a nursing mother can take.
Getting stocked up from them and getting a much needed shake to fill my belly while the left side of my mouth was still not working, we headed to pick up our sweet baby
We make it home and relax on the couch watching Home Alone 2 and I let the painkillers sink in
My lovely baby slept 9 hours straight that night - which meant mommy got some good sleep too!
So, a day and a half later - I am feeling pretty fine and ready for my follow-up appointment in a week and a half to have all this tooth pain behind me!
Whew. Glad I survived

Anyone else out there have a lovely tooth surgery story?!

3 comments:

  1. You're pretty much my hero for undergoing root canal - and while being a mom!

    I think I had a root canal once, but I was 6 and I don't remember it. I'm pretty sure they knocked me out completely for it.

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  2. Oh no....how horrible!! :( I remember waking up on the benches at Jefferson Pointe after having my wisdom teeth pulled. Seriously...I fell asleep in the dental chair and woke up in front of Barnes and Noble...apparently I was adamant about going shopping afterward.

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  3. O Rachel! Your story made me laugh...and hurt! Art has his appt today to put on a crown :( He's had a temporary crown on for like 2 weeks and THAT has hurt him ever since (like drugs and mouthwash almost everyday...which is not like him!) I hope this one goes better.
    And I'm glad you survived your ordeal as well!...o still laughing from your post...

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