Calling All Wisdom Teeth Victims

Well, we did it. We finally did it.

We got our wisdom teeth pulled last Wednesday.

Yup.

Never thought this day would come in my life. I always thought I had enough room in my mouth (no comments from the peanut gallery!!), but after I found out I had FIVE (that's right, FIVE) wisdom teeth and the fifth one growing in horizontal.....well....that was finally the end of them. So Marc and I, after much debating, decided to get all of our wisdom teeth pulled (Marc 4, me FIVE), on the same day. One after another. No time to think, change our minds or run away.

So the fateful day finally came. I was nervous for days and threatened to get the full narcotics and just be knocked out during the whole experience, but Marc convinced me not to (I had a bad dental experience with a cavity filling when I was 11 yrs. old). We arranged it that Marc would go first, so that I wouldn't have to wait around for them to finish with him. BUT did it work that way?! No, no, no. The Dr knew I was pretty nervous, so he must have switched it on purpose otherwise I would have bolted once I heard the drilling from the 'other room.'

So I was first. I was really glad they let us use our mp3 player to try to drown out the noise (or at least have relaxing music in my ears). The Dr was kind, explained everything to me, stuck needles in my mouth and then asked me a lot of questions. You know I always wondered why dentists always ask you these open ended questions while they have all these tools in your mouth. I guess it gives them a good laugh as you sit there slobbering and struggling to sound intelligible as you are answering. Of course once you have been poked and full of local anesthesia, it makes it even more of an interesting situation (add language difference on top of that and its the sequel to Lost in Translation!).

Actually, the whole process wasn't too bad (besides hearing the teeth cracking, the drilling and my jaw at times feeling like it was going to break). I had my devotionals that morning and asked Jesus to be with me, and I gotta say (in all seriousness), I felt he was there holding my hand. It was a real comfort and helped me to relax, almost fall asleep while they were taking my FIVE teeth out (I was even able to joke with the Dr that he had a bonus [tooth] with me....it took him a while to understand....that whole narcotic translation problem). Finally, they were finished, and thanks to God I survived.

Then I waited for Marc.

I gotta say, I didn't really enjoy that hour waiting. I had given the mp3 player to Marc (through the assistant since they already started poking him with needles in the other room before I was finished). With gauze in my mouth soaking up the blood, ice packs on my cheeks, and feeling like I had contracted the facial version of elephantitis, I was embarrassed to sit in the waiting room. I kept feeling like they were all staring at me (ok, so they weren't staring, and it was just ONE other patient other than me and my cousin, but man it sure felt like it). My greatest consolation was the receptionist. She was EXTREMELY kind and so helpful (My hat off to all the wonderful receptionists out there).

Well...they finally finished with Marc (I heard even more drilling in there than with me) and we were able to say goodbye until next week. They even let us have a souvenir (some white rooted things formerly known as our wisdom teeth). We made it home and have been in hiding since then. We did take a ridiculous picture of us with ice packs contained by us wrapping our scarves around our heads (like sumo wrestlers hair). Fortunately, the picture is too large for me to post it here. :)

Now, you may be wondering, "Wendy, you categorized this under food and restaurants! What does wisdom teeth have to do with the price of eggs in China?!" Well, I don't know what wisdom teeth have to do with eggs in China and their prices, if you ever figure it out, let me know. BUT, wisdom teeth have a LOT to do with food and restaurants because it's the worst torture of all.....

Eating....

You know the worst part of getting your wisdom teeth pulled (especially all at the same time)? It's not the drilling, the anxiety, the cracking, the extreme temperatures (ice packs on your cheeks for two/three days), and not even about the pain. It's the inability to eat. Now, of course you managed to slide something down your throat during the aftermath, but I am talking about pizza, lasagna, salads, whole crunchy fruits and veggies, and all the wonderful foods you can chomp on. No, no, no. None of that. Only mush. Mush potatoes, mush apples, mush bananas (kind of reminds me of Bubba's a hundred and one ways of preparing shrimp in the film Forrest Gump). I was ALMOST tempted to blend the pizza. Then we could at least have some Mush pizza.

Well, my friends. Isn't that what it's all about? About overcoming?

Someday soon (Hopefully by the end of next week and at LEAST by next month...will be having Raclette* at our cousin's 70th B-day celebration), we can eat freely again. We will have overcome. We will be overcomers! One day we can reminisce about this experience, maybe even have some good laughs about it (some aspects at least).

Until then.

Until then we will have to move forward with our Mush.

MUSH.

Hm...I wonder how this lesson applies to other parts of my life....





*Raclette is a really great cheese melting meal, eaten best in a group and with lots of extras to "grill" with the cheese. If any of you have never tried this and want to, well just come and visit us. =)