OUCH

[Ed Lim]

[:0] This past spring I wound up in the hospital. No, not a car accident... This time it was an extremely painful impacted, infected wisdom tooth. It had formed an abcess in my neck which made it difficult for me to swallow and breathe, therefore, warranting an emergency room visit and a consequential stay in the hospital. An oral surgeon removed the wisdom tooth along with the tooth in front that Mr. Wisdom had destroyed. The pain of the extraction was negligible compared to that of the abcess. So, two days later, I wound up in the O R again to get a tube placed between my gums and inside cheek, through my jaw, and out my upper neck in order to drain the nasties that were collecting there. There is more to this story, like an ENT doctor sticking a camera up my nose and down my throat, and the vast amounts of vicodin I scored during the entire ordeal, but I have since recovered completely.

At the moment, I'm kinda busy with work and all to take another vacation at the hospital, so before anything unexpected happens, I'll be getting another impacted wisdom tooth taken out on Tuesday. This one is not painful nor infected, but you know, "been there, done that" isn't always a pleasant experience. Now here's the rub: My dental HMO will only cover local anesthesia, so if I want the full deal with general anesthesia, it will cost me $560 as opposed to the $145 extraction with local anesthesia (am I spelling it right?)

I guess I'm looking for a little moral support. Help me out here... Please tell me that staying concious during this procedure is a perfectly common practice and a sane choice for a non-masochist. Has anyone ever stayed awake during such torture? Or, should I sh*t can the idea of getting lowering springs for my PT, sacrifice the cash and spring for the general anesthesia?[B)]

[Ian-PT-GT]

I would forget the idea of having new springs for the PT and get the full deal...

I had all four removed in one shot, and if it wasn't by all the drugs that went in my body, I would not have made it.

My friends have told me that it doesn't hurt that much with the local, but that it looks horrible!!! Blod spewing out, pieces of tooth flying everywhere and a doctor siting almost on your lap pulling and tuging and pushing inside your mouth.

It looks worst than how it feels...


Ian

[Ed Lim]

[V]Hello, all. It's me again, the toothless wonder. I got that pesky wisdom tooth out this afternoon. I decided to go for the local. You were right, Ian. Lots of pulling, pushing, drilling and crunching, but only for a few minutes. I definitely think it wouldn't have been worth the $560 to be put under for such a short period of time. The novocaine is starting to wear off now, and I just popped a vicodin, which is causing my computer screen to appear as if bubbles are swelling up from and moving across its surface. Guess I better go... I'll be lookin' for some good deals on lowering springs tomorrow...[B)]