While I was in Chicago my gums started to hurt. I pushed through the pain and thought it would go away. It didn't. It got worse. By the next weekend I wasn't going to commit suicide, but I was sort of hoping I would die. It was the worst pain I have ever had in my life. Worse than when my brother kicked a board with a nail it into my head. Worse than when fireworks exploded in my hands. Worse than cutting my ankle on barbed wire while running to the creek to find my sister. Worse than getting a curtain hook woven through my leg. Worse than transitional labor (that did hurt, but only for a few hours and I had pain meds to help me). And of course, this was a week that I had presentations to make and papers due and work to catch up on AND a talk to give in church and Sunday school lesson to give. And of course Hannah was sick with a cold. And of course Brian wasn't feeling well either.
I was able to do everything on Sunday but the Sunday school lesson. I told the bishop that I was going to give my talk and then we needed to go home. He said he would find someone else to give the lesson. Hannah slipped in an out of consciousness in our arms while we traded off to speak.
On Monday I was in awful pain and I called in sick to work, but then I felt bad and went in anyway. My research partner had some actually pretty good suggestions about how to keep the pain level in a place where my eyes weren't watering and my body wasn't shaking. They involved Benzocaine and the direct application of aspirin onto the gums. I called the dentist and I was able to get a 2:30 appointment. I laughed. 2:30 sounds so much like "tooth hurting." It was so appropriate. They did some x-rays and found out that my root had jammed into my sinus and had become infected. It made sense when they said this why my nose was bleeding too. That wasn't usually a symptom of an infected tooth. The dentist gave me some pain pills and some antibiotics. I went to my 3p.m. class after my appointment and then got my meds. I didn't feel any better the next morning but I numbed my mouth and went to work and then to class. After class I bought a soft apple bar and took a pain pill and I did finally feel somewhat better. I came home and took a nap that evening. Then I woke up and ate dinner. Later that night I took another pain pill and went to bed early.
Wednesday I started to feel better. The antibiotics were starting to kick in. I was able to work and go to class without too much trouble. I was even able to work on my assignments and start to catch back up.
On Thursday I stayed home with Hannah (as is typical this semester). I did some school work and took her shoe shopping. She picked out some Minnie Mouse dress shoes and some Barbie sneakers with lights. I also found some 5 dollar black dress shoes in the next largest size. You can never have too many pairs of little black dress shoes when you are little girl. They get lost. You scuff them. She actually wanted Batman shoes for her pair of sneakers but they were over $20 more so I told her she had to pick from the shoes on sale and she wanted the Barbie ones. Too bad. The Batman shoes would have been so much fun. We also made another foam house. We are getting pretty good at this. This time we made a dog house. We buy these at the craft store when they go on clearance and then I let Hannah play with them until she loses most of the pieces. The point is to get her used to doing complex, multi-step tasks with built-in feedback.
Friday I went to work in the morning and came home and we made chocolate cupcakes from the Betty Crocker cookbook. I don't make cakes from scratch too often, but these were very good. Hannah liked making them too. She has been telling everyone she knows that she baked cupcakes that look like flowers. She also packed her new shoes around, trying them on, then putting them back in the box.
On Saturday we went to the annual Kansas City Temple Run. Brian pushed Hannah in the stroller and I ran. None of us felt well, but we did enjoy the race. Afterward we went shopping in KC and out to lunch. Hannah scraped both of her knees running the children's race. She was just too excited and took off and the got ahead of herself.
On the way to and from Kansas City I finished my final paper for my most difficult class and then came home and finished a grant writing project for another class. Then it was time to vacuum, do the laundry, and make the grocery list for a late Saturday food run. I have a final exam to take and then my coursework is done other than attending class for one more week. Work all week but Thursday. Presentation on Tuesday. The Great and Dreadful semester draws to a close...
I was able to do everything on Sunday but the Sunday school lesson. I told the bishop that I was going to give my talk and then we needed to go home. He said he would find someone else to give the lesson. Hannah slipped in an out of consciousness in our arms while we traded off to speak.
On Monday I was in awful pain and I called in sick to work, but then I felt bad and went in anyway. My research partner had some actually pretty good suggestions about how to keep the pain level in a place where my eyes weren't watering and my body wasn't shaking. They involved Benzocaine and the direct application of aspirin onto the gums. I called the dentist and I was able to get a 2:30 appointment. I laughed. 2:30 sounds so much like "tooth hurting." It was so appropriate. They did some x-rays and found out that my root had jammed into my sinus and had become infected. It made sense when they said this why my nose was bleeding too. That wasn't usually a symptom of an infected tooth. The dentist gave me some pain pills and some antibiotics. I went to my 3p.m. class after my appointment and then got my meds. I didn't feel any better the next morning but I numbed my mouth and went to work and then to class. After class I bought a soft apple bar and took a pain pill and I did finally feel somewhat better. I came home and took a nap that evening. Then I woke up and ate dinner. Later that night I took another pain pill and went to bed early.
Wednesday I started to feel better. The antibiotics were starting to kick in. I was able to work and go to class without too much trouble. I was even able to work on my assignments and start to catch back up.
On Thursday I stayed home with Hannah (as is typical this semester). I did some school work and took her shoe shopping. She picked out some Minnie Mouse dress shoes and some Barbie sneakers with lights. I also found some 5 dollar black dress shoes in the next largest size. You can never have too many pairs of little black dress shoes when you are little girl. They get lost. You scuff them. She actually wanted Batman shoes for her pair of sneakers but they were over $20 more so I told her she had to pick from the shoes on sale and she wanted the Barbie ones. Too bad. The Batman shoes would have been so much fun. We also made another foam house. We are getting pretty good at this. This time we made a dog house. We buy these at the craft store when they go on clearance and then I let Hannah play with them until she loses most of the pieces. The point is to get her used to doing complex, multi-step tasks with built-in feedback.
Friday I went to work in the morning and came home and we made chocolate cupcakes from the Betty Crocker cookbook. I don't make cakes from scratch too often, but these were very good. Hannah liked making them too. She has been telling everyone she knows that she baked cupcakes that look like flowers. She also packed her new shoes around, trying them on, then putting them back in the box.
On Saturday we went to the annual Kansas City Temple Run. Brian pushed Hannah in the stroller and I ran. None of us felt well, but we did enjoy the race. Afterward we went shopping in KC and out to lunch. Hannah scraped both of her knees running the children's race. She was just too excited and took off and the got ahead of herself.
On the way to and from Kansas City I finished my final paper for my most difficult class and then came home and finished a grant writing project for another class. Then it was time to vacuum, do the laundry, and make the grocery list for a late Saturday food run. I have a final exam to take and then my coursework is done other than attending class for one more week. Work all week but Thursday. Presentation on Tuesday. The Great and Dreadful semester draws to a close...
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