Recovering from Wisdom Teeth Surgery

Why does everyone have a horror story connected with the removal of their wisdom teeth? Before undergoing the procedure I had to instruct everyone to not tell any horror stories. I have spent enough time at the doctor's office and had my blood drawn more times then I can count, however, the dentist has always irrationally scared me.

Thankfully the procedure went well with no complications. My biggest fear was the IV. The dentist (ortho surgeon?) did a great job. I honestly barely felt it. They woke me up suddenly when it was over, pulled me out to the car in my drugged state of being and left me in the capable hands of my bestfriend and boyfriend. I'm told I repeatedly asked the same questions in the car all the way home: "Did you call my parents yet?", "Is there gauze in my mouth?", and "Am I going to be okay?". or something like that. My memory is a little sketchy.

My first memories at home are when Bre set up a bed for me on the couch and G helped remove and replace the blood soaked gauze in my mouth. Then he helped me eat some berry flavored applesauce so that I could begin taking the medication. My cheeks and lip were so swollen there was no gap between my chin and my lower lip. Later I took a piece of ice and held it to my lip. I couldn't feel it. Finally the swelling did go down though my cheeks have remained a little swollen and red, and an ice pack is never too far away.

My concept of time was nonexistent and poor G didn't get to escape to eat lunch until 3 or 4. By then I had discovered that the pain medication didn't really work for me. It didn't change my perception of anything.

5 hours later I stopped biting down on gauze and tea bags (black tea bags are supposed to have clotting agents in them). Church friends brought over several cans of soup and popsicles and a delivery man brought flowers sent from the dentist office. I forced myself to eat bits of food that G brought and we watched Disney movies the rest of the night.

The next morning was when the nausea first kicked in. Taking 4 different kinds of medication and not keeping your stomach lined with food can do that to you. I sat through Julie and Julia, The Runaways, When In Rome, Paper Heart and Madagascar 2. G brought me soy yogurt and a zebra stuffed animal after he got off work, slept on the couch with me, forced me to eat when I was not hungry and finally took me off to a friend's house late that night to get me out of the house.

Sunday morning I woke up in a lot of pain but was very pleased that I had actually managed to sleep for a full 8 hours for the first time in a week. We went to church while I was loopy, but it was interesting still. After church I was demanding real food so we went to Noodles. I spent most of the day out, sitting down.

I am more the ready to be finished being in pain. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have resumed a normal amount of energy for myself and be able to drive again. My post op appointment is on Thursday.