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Link love (Powered by painkillers and lemon yoghurt)

 

I’d made this far in life without ever needing to get stitches, so I was pretty bummed to hear that getting my wisdom teeth out would result in some.

Feeling my dentist sew up my gums was definitely one of the weirdest parts of the whole process. I could feel the cold needle inside my mouth, but nothing else. It probably wasn’t quite as disturbing as the numerous crunching sounds that emerged over the hour I spent in the chair as they drilled, cut, and yanked at my stubborn teeth.

As he promised, there was no pain during the extraction. Hallelujah! I closed my eyes and tried to play relaxing songs in my mind. They rubbed on a numbing gel, waited for it to kick in, then I felt the prick of the injection as they gave me my anaesthetic (which was slightly painful, but once that was done I was totally oblivious).

There WAS a lot of pressure and tugging, and strain in keeping my yob stretched open for all that time (I have a small mouth and I could tell it made his job difficult). It was also very hard to resist the urge to swallow, and I kept swallowing every few minutes – I just couldn’t help myself. I know the chemicals they use are safe, but I am totally grossed out to think about how much of my own blood I probably swallowed.

Because there was a TON of blood. I bled for hours after and went through all the gauze they gave me. Even weirder, I bled a bit out another (female) body part for a few days afterward – am wondering if it was the drugs I was taking afterwards. The antibiotics didn’t taste bad going down, but the codeine was foul. The afterpain wasn’t as bad as I’d worried … Maybe I was lucky, but I really can’t stress how much less worse it was than I’d feared it would be. The way it seemed to go was that I’d have a couple of really good days, then the pain would flare up a little, then leave me alone for another couple of days.

No, the hardest part was the eating restrictions. I was basically hungry all week because I could only eat soft foods and couldn’t really chew. I burn through food fast and have a large appetite, so this was TOTALLY UNCOOL.

It’s one week on, and I’ve heard that some people are in pain for a full month after – but I just had my stitches taken out, and today’s the first day I didn’t take any painkillers at all. So fingers crossed that won’t be me!

This week’s links

Perplexing, infuriating and unforgettable – Adventurous Kate recounts her time in Brunei

I love every single sentence in this post about work and fulfilment. Go and read it immediately

Meanwhile, the comments on this one about passion and long term relationships are fascinating (better than the post) 

Stefanie reminds us that making progress is always a slow slog

Leslie on why having goals can hurt you

Over at Budget and the Beach, the cost of living in paradise (aka Hawaii)

I couldn’t agree more with Figuring Money Out – put yourself first, because no one else will

Here is an interesting discussion about crafting your career narrative (the subject of an upcoming post here…)

Savings means nothing – it’s investing that matters, says Afford Anything

As Cash Cow Couple point out, you can determine how much value you place on something by how much time you allocate toward it

And I was in the latest carnival of personal finance discussing the business of car sales

13 thoughts on “Link love (Powered by painkillers and lemon yoghurt)

  • Reply Sense March 2, 2014 at 23:22

    Oh I feel your pain! Did you have ALL your wisdom teeth out at once?? For some reason my top and bottom teeth came in about a decade apart–so I had the fun of TWO surgeries.

    The first when I was 19 or 20 or so–they gave me nitrous and it was AWESOME. Afterward I kept saying it was like being drunk and having a little one-person dance party. My sister kept trying to shut me up as my mom was there and she REALLY doesn’t approve of drinking (plus 21 is the legal drinking age in the US…). My cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s for many days afterward. Funny!

    For the second, I was 29 or so: http://sensetodollars.blogspot.co.nz/2007/08/coming-to-you-from-vicodin-land.html . They actually knocked me out for the surgery! I’d never had anesthesia so I totally freaked out and fought it–it was the scariest feeling to lose consciousness against my will. I’d imagine the physical sensation is like getting roofied or something (but of course scarier in those situations).

    Hope you are completely recovered soon!

    • Reply eemusings March 2, 2014 at 23:54

      Yes all four! I had the local anaesthetic but was awake the whole time (friends told me I should ask to be knocked out for it, but didn’t want to pay the $$ or have to fast beforehand) and it was all gravy, if a bit weird. That sounds pretty scary – is that the only time you’ve been put to sleep? LOL at the nitrous – a bit David After Dentist, hmm?

      Have heard so many wisdom teeth horror stories that it’s been a breeze really compared to what I was expecting. I didn’t even have swelling – no chipmunk cheeks at all. Ridiculous! I may bruise like an overripe banana and catch colds at the drop of a hat, but apparently I heal Superman-style after dental surgery?

  • Reply Jef March 3, 2014 at 00:13

    Wow that does sound awfully painful, what is the reason people have to get their wisdom teeth taken out?

    Although I’ve never really been too shy about pain anyway 🙂
    Feel better soon yeah

  • Reply Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life March 3, 2014 at 02:55

    Sometimes I wish I was just totally knocked out for my dental procedures. Hearing all the drilling and cracking makes me tense up so much. And the pressure… aahhh. I got an implant last year and thought my jaw was going to crack from the pressure, I was so freaked out!

  • Reply Cash Cow Couple March 3, 2014 at 04:22

    That experience sounds terrible. Glad you’re feeling better! Thanks for the link.

  • Reply Tonya@Budget and the Beach March 3, 2014 at 04:24

    It’s been so long since I’ve had my wisdom teeth taken out so I can’t remember how I felt like after. I think everything went pretty smooth, but when I had gum grafting that was unpleasant. I think with my wisdom teeth I was totally out, but with gum grafting I wasn’t …and I remember that “swallowing feeling” as well. No fun.

  • Reply Meghan March 3, 2014 at 06:44

    Oh my, I got knocked out for mine. I had a baby tooth pulled back when I was 12 or so and I said never again. I metabolize Novocain so fast that I couldn’t even get a filling replaced a couple of weeks ago before the stuff wore off. 🙂 I’m glad it was no big deal for you but you are brave! Feel better and no straws fora while. Dry sockets suck.

  • Reply Stephany March 4, 2014 at 04:56

    Haha… I love how people are telling you how awful this experience sounds, but it actually doesn’t sound TOO bad compared to what I’ve heard. One of the tamer stories, actually! I know I need to get mine out, because they sometimes ache and that’s a sign they need to get pulled. (Plus, my dentist has been questioning me about them for YEARS.) Aside from not being able to eat but hey, good for my diet, eh?!

    • Reply Meghan March 4, 2014 at 07:41

      Oh you can still eat plenty of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and milkshakes. 😉

      I am glad I got knocked out for the actual surgery and I was swollen like a chipmunk for days but honestly it did not hurt at all. It was really nothing, except for the dry sockets, but a trip back to the surgeon fixed that up within a couple of hours. I took a family friend for her surgery and took care of her afterwards and she had the same experience I did.

      • Reply eemusings March 4, 2014 at 09:28

        I LIVED on mashed potatoes (which I love). Also ice cream, soup, pasta, yoghurt, and a lot of bread dunked in aforementioned soup in an attempt to get solid food into my belly.

  • Reply KK @ Student Debt Survivor March 4, 2014 at 10:11

    Glad you’re feeling better. I was totally under for my wisdom teeth extraction (which is totally fine by me). I also have a small mouth and my whole mouth was so sore for days and days. My mother wouldn’t let me take anything except Tylenol after the first day because she was convinced I’d get hooked to pain killers lol.

  • Reply What we spent: February 2014 | NZ Muse March 5, 2014 at 22:37

    […] speaking, it really wasn’t anywhere near as awful as I’d imagined – details here. And financially, it wasn’t as bad as I’d worried, either – only $1050 for all […]

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