Who knew that $22 could bring such relief! That was all it cost to get my broken molar extracted. That's the good news. It was quite an event. I had been dealing with a broken tooth since right before Christmas and was finally able to get in to a dentist who then referred me to the specialist.
She was a wonderful but quite petite dentist who had to use her body, the dental chair, and my jaw for leverage as she rocked my tooth back and forth to loosen the roots on the unbroken part of the gigantic tooth on the upper right back of my mouth. I truly wish I had kept my eyes closed so that I wouldn't have seen the size of the mechanic's pliers and the sweat she worked up in the hour-long procedure. But when the main portion of the tooth and one of the roots released, it was almost like the final push when a woman is in labor -- seriously, I was using Lamaze-type breathing to control my anxiety, pain and blood pressure!
After the remainder of the roots were removed and she confirmed a deep infection, she gave me something for relief of swelling and antibiotics. And, I was on my way home.
Mind you - this was all transacted in Spanish. I felt quite accomplished that I was able to comprehend as the dentist walked me through the procedure and the instructions for after-care. So, there's that. Progress!
And the bad news is that it was only $22 for a molar extraction. Oh, the pain and suffering as the local anesthesia wore off -- about a half hour after I returned home. I must admit, I sobbed and I cried. I truly couldn't remember such pain even in childbirth. And, I didn't use any pain meds for any of my four babies.
But after several days of a liquid diet and effective antibiotics, my mouth feels great. And, I remain grateful to the wonderful dentist who was so very concerned and called me twice to make sure everything was okay.
In reality, this first month has been a joyful time of celebrating Christmas with our family. All four boys were here and the two fiances as well. We haven't had everyone together since Bismarck.
The kids were also a help in getting unpacked and moving furniture. It was also typically noisy and a lot of joking and boys wrestling (yes, even though they are all "adults" they still revert to childhood rough-housing). We even put up a Christmas tree and got the oven working to be able to cook some family meals.
As John mentioned in the last post, there were (and likely will be more in the coming weeks) some politically motivated protests that inhibited us from doing much traveling to explore our new country. But we were able to go to Gracias and the Copan ruins during the weeks after Christmas.
There is really some beautiful scenery and the people are humble and kind. The roads and traffic, however, leave a lot to be desired.
Now our family has returned to their school and homes. We are getting into the routine of my new job, John's volunteer role, church family, local market, and generally figuring out basic services for our house. All is well as we accept the challenge of adjusting and continue to strive to be servants for His will.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.
1 Timothy 4:10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
She was a wonderful but quite petite dentist who had to use her body, the dental chair, and my jaw for leverage as she rocked my tooth back and forth to loosen the roots on the unbroken part of the gigantic tooth on the upper right back of my mouth. I truly wish I had kept my eyes closed so that I wouldn't have seen the size of the mechanic's pliers and the sweat she worked up in the hour-long procedure. But when the main portion of the tooth and one of the roots released, it was almost like the final push when a woman is in labor -- seriously, I was using Lamaze-type breathing to control my anxiety, pain and blood pressure!
After the remainder of the roots were removed and she confirmed a deep infection, she gave me something for relief of swelling and antibiotics. And, I was on my way home.
Mind you - this was all transacted in Spanish. I felt quite accomplished that I was able to comprehend as the dentist walked me through the procedure and the instructions for after-care. So, there's that. Progress!
And the bad news is that it was only $22 for a molar extraction. Oh, the pain and suffering as the local anesthesia wore off -- about a half hour after I returned home. I must admit, I sobbed and I cried. I truly couldn't remember such pain even in childbirth. And, I didn't use any pain meds for any of my four babies.
But after several days of a liquid diet and effective antibiotics, my mouth feels great. And, I remain grateful to the wonderful dentist who was so very concerned and called me twice to make sure everything was okay.
In reality, this first month has been a joyful time of celebrating Christmas with our family. All four boys were here and the two fiances as well. We haven't had everyone together since Bismarck.
The kids were also a help in getting unpacked and moving furniture. It was also typically noisy and a lot of joking and boys wrestling (yes, even though they are all "adults" they still revert to childhood rough-housing). We even put up a Christmas tree and got the oven working to be able to cook some family meals.
As John mentioned in the last post, there were (and likely will be more in the coming weeks) some politically motivated protests that inhibited us from doing much traveling to explore our new country. But we were able to go to Gracias and the Copan ruins during the weeks after Christmas.
There is really some beautiful scenery and the people are humble and kind. The roads and traffic, however, leave a lot to be desired.
Now our family has returned to their school and homes. We are getting into the routine of my new job, John's volunteer role, church family, local market, and generally figuring out basic services for our house. All is well as we accept the challenge of adjusting and continue to strive to be servants for His will.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.
1 Timothy 4:10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Comments
Post a Comment