Hi everyone! Sorry about the little vacation I took. Just dealing with another medical issue that kind of came out of left field. At first I thought it was a simple toothache, as I grind my teeth in my sleep. But it quickly turned ugly, and my lower left jaw was swollen. However, I had no idea it was because I still had my winter beard. Wednesday of last week I was put on a HEAVY regiment of antibiotics in case it was an abscess in a tooth. By Thursday I was in so much pain, that I couldn't even focus and was nearly in tears.
I missed Thanksgiving for the first time in years. Tina and the kids went to her brothers without me, and I stayed in bed all day trying to get even an hour of sleep. I had some Vicoden that had been prescribed for the pain, but it did nothing. Thursday night I took a shower, and shaved off my beard. That was when I saw how swollen my lower jaw and neck was. Even Tina was shocked. It only got worse.
By Friday afternoon I was miserable. It felt like someone injected my jaw with fluid, and it was going to burst. The pain would shoot up my jaw and into my ear, and then back across my jaw to the other side. The headaches that followed were the worst I had ever had. It felt like my ear was going to burst one second, and my teeth were going to explode the next. I kept taking my meds in the hope that it would soon defeat whatever it was that was causing this horrific experience.
I was not sure what else I could do to ease the pain. I resorted to rinsing my mouth out with vodka in the hopes that the alcohol content would kill the nerve. It actually worked, and I was able to get at least some sleep. Sunday came, and I exhausted my supply of pain killers. All I had left was Tylenol and vodka. I did however get some good news. I was able to get in to see the doctor on Monday, rather than Tuesday. Maybe we can finally figure out what is causing this swelling. I was already told it could be a lymph node, and that was NOT what I wanted to hear. Cancer runs in my family, and I, like an idiot, still smoke. It felt like a lymph node. I could feel the gland, and it was pretty swollen. There were three other glands in and around my neck that had also started to swell up. I was REALLY getting scared.
Today I went to the doctor. This is what I know right now. There is considerable swelling that is causing pressure on my third tooth in the lower left jaw. An abscess that is running rampant near and around the gland. It is also squeezing the nerve. The tooth that is being pushed on has to be removed to get to the abscess. Then we will find out exactly what we are dealing with.
Scared? Yeah. Scared shitless. I had no idea how I was going to come up with the money that was MY cost of the surgery. I put my 1995 Blazer on Facebook to see if anyone wanted to buy it so I could raise the cash I needed. I had people want to send me cash to help out (You know who you are, and thank you!), and I had someone else who wanted to raise the money to help me out. Thank you for your concern. It made me cry at the instant help that was offered to me. But There are SO many out there that are worse off than I am. At least I had something I could spare, and sell to get the money I needed.
I sold the Blazer not even 30 minutes after I posted it. Thank you Jami. I know you'll love the SUV.
So, here I am just waiting for the next part of this little test of life. I have passed these before, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it beat me this time. Thank you everyone for your support. That is why I am proud to say that I love my friends and family. I am at peace knowing that you are all by my side.
:)
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