Pain, Pain, Go Away

Two days after giving birth to my 10ish pound little boy, I was innocently chewing some gum when a large chunk of tooth fell out of my mouth and into my lap. This startling development was even more surprising because I felt no pain, which one would expect when half of one's tooth falls out of one's head. Little did I know that plenty of pain was headed my way.

One week later, I headed to the offices of our neighborhood dentist and spent over an hour having the tooth drilled, filed, shaped and reconfigured so that a crown could be ordered to replace the broken molar. I went home and took ibuprofen and expected my jaw to be sore. And it was. For days. And then for a week. And then, it began to worsen. Gradually, the pain was getting more severe, until my entire face felt as though I had been on the losing side in a boxing match. Why, you ask, did I not call the dentist and describe this crippling pain? Because I am an IDIOT. I was busy with the kids, I was hoping that it would just go away on its own. Why I didn't catch on to the fact that this was clearly *not* going to happen, I can not tell you.

And so, I headed to the dentist three days ago, for my previously scheduled appointment to fit the crown. There, I confessed that I had now been in serious pain for a couple of weeks. The dentist could not believe that I had suffered without calling him. He inspected the tooth and pronounced it abscessed. I have no idea what that means, but I am assuming that it involves infection, because penicillin and a lovely pain killer called darvocet were immediately prescribed. The dentist further told me that any pain beyond two days after the first appointment was more than I should have experienced. Have I mentioned that I am in IDIOT?

I am happy to report that the antibiotics are having their desired effect, and the pain is now subsiding. I am starting to feel like a new woman. I have recovered from the delivery, and I am now recovering from the follow up dose of pain that was due to my own stupidity. I think that having three kids to manage will become much easier now that I am not in severe pain. Perhaps my newly cleared head will allow me to become a cooking, cleaning, breastfeeding, potty training, teaching, boo-boo fixing wonder. Perhaps.