Diary

The dentist hadn't really given me enough Vicodin to last until this Friday's appointment, so I rationed it to use for sleep time. Even then, I wasn't sure it was going to last.

A friend, hearing this, gave me some left-over Oxycodone, which I ended up trying on Wednesday night. One dose at 11, which seemed to go well. Another at 4, likewise. One possible side effect was that I seemed unable to reach deep, dreamless sleep, but stayed in a half-dreaming state which left me aware of passing time. This is not particularly restful.

At 7:15, I woke again, with my tooth throbbing. It seemed too early to take more Oxy, so I decided to take a bunch of Ibuprofen, along with a bit of food to buffer it. This proved to be a Very Bad Idea.

By 7:45, I was feverish, dizzy, and extremely nauseous -- to the point where I was kneeling expectantly in front of the toilet, though I never actually vomited. I eventually went back to bed and half-sleep. (I later looked up the drug interactions between Oxycodone and Ibuprofen; I appear to be one of the small 'lucky' percentage that hits pretty much all the side effects on that one.)

Finally emerged shortly after noon, feeling (temporarily) much better. Had my standard morning drugs+vitamins, then breakfast. By the end of which, I had all those miserable side effects back in full force. Back to bed.

Thursday was *meant* to be a vacation day, and kestrell and I were going to go out to the theater. Sadly, it turned into a sick day instead, and I spent 90+% of the day lying in bed.

Thursday night I took the last of the Vicodin. I still failed to reach deep-sleep. Instead, I just had tons of anxiety dreams. Some were subtle and allegorical, others just stupidly blatant. I miss my bus on the way to the dentist. I get horribly lost on the way to the dentist. I get to the dentist, only to discover that they are a mad science outfit that kidnaps their patients to do mind control experiments on. Gah!

I wonder if I'm just having lingering drug reactions, an oncoming cold, or whether this is all just stress?

Now I am actually on my way to the dentist, where I hope to reach deep-sleep at last by virtue of heavy sedation. Due to said sedation plans, I have had nothing to eat since the wee hours of the morning, and am already ravenous.

I'd say "Wish me luck," but by the time I post this, it'll all be over, one way or another...

---

That went well. I got to the dentist in plenty of time, as did dad. Despite my nervousness, the general anesthesia worked like a charm. One second they're bustling around me getting ready, the next second, they're telling me they're done.

Took a while to get started. Sat in the chair a long while, with an IV in me that relaxed me physically, but not mentally. Chatted with the nurse about reading before bed, Harry Potter, and Jimmy Buffet (she just landed some free tickets to a concert).

Woke up with a mouth full of novocaine and cotton. A teeny bit dizzy, but it passed soon. Dad and I went and got some food at Boston Market (neither of us had eaten all day); I stuck with mushy sides.

Nasty traffic kept us on the highway for a long time getting home, over two hours. By the end of which, I was feeling very spacey. Nap now.

---

Brief nap, cut off by a phone call from the oral surgeon, checking on me, and urging me to pick up my painkillers ASAP, as it's going to start hurting soon. He's right, it's already twinging. That's pretty awesome service.

---

ETA: Argggghhhh!!! Retract that statement about service. The drugs he prescribed turn out to be another name for -- Oxycodone! And I took one before I realized it. So not only is it *not* functioning as pain relief, I don't dare take anything *else* for a good long while (unless I want to risk trading pain for nausea, which I well might if it gets late enough...).

The doctor *said* that someone manned the office phones 24-7 for emergencies, but this appears to have been untrue. I have left pitiful messages. Grrr...

Diary

The dentist hadn't really given me enough Vicodin to last until this Friday's appointment, so I rationed it to use for sleep time. Even then, I wasn't sure it was going to last.

A friend, hearing this, gave me some left-over Oxycodone, which I ended up trying on Wednesday night. One dose at 11, which seemed to go well. Another at 4, likewise. One possible side effect was that I seemed unable to reach deep, dreamless sleep, but stayed in a half-dreaming state which left me aware of passing time. This is not particularly restful.

At 7:15, I woke again, with my tooth throbbing. It seemed too early to take more Oxy, so I decided to take a bunch of Ibuprofen, along with a bit of food to buffer it. This proved to be a Very Bad Idea.

By 7:45, I was feverish, dizzy, and extremely nauseous -- to the point where I was kneeling expectantly in front of the toilet, though I never actually vomited. I eventually went back to bed and half-sleep. (I later looked up the drug interactions between Oxycodone and Ibuprofen; I appear to be one of the small 'lucky' percentage that hits pretty much all the side effects on that one.)

Finally emerged shortly after noon, feeling (temporarily) much better. Had my standard morning drugs+vitamins, then breakfast. By the end of which, I had all those miserable side effects back in full force. Back to bed.

Thursday was *meant* to be a vacation day, and kestrell and I were going to go out to the theater. Sadly, it turned into a sick day instead, and I spent 90+% of the day lying in bed.

Thursday night I took the last of the Vicodin. I still failed to reach deep-sleep. Instead, I just had tons of anxiety dreams. Some were subtle and allegorical, others just stupidly blatant. I miss my bus on the way to the dentist. I get horribly lost on the way to the dentist. I get to the dentist, only to discover that they are a mad science outfit that kidnaps their patients to do mind control experiments on. Gah!

I wonder if I'm just having lingering drug reactions, an oncoming cold, or whether this is all just stress?

Now I am actually on my way to the dentist, where I hope to reach deep-sleep at last by virtue of heavy sedation. Due to said sedation plans, I have had nothing to eat since the wee hours of the morning, and am already ravenous.

I'd say "Wish me luck," but by the time I post this, it'll all be over, one way or another...

---

That went well. I got to the dentist in plenty of time, as did dad. Despite my nervousness, the general anesthesia worked like a charm. One second they're bustling around me getting ready, the next second, they're telling me they're done.

Took a while to get started. Sat in the chair a long while, with an IV in me that relaxed me physically, but not mentally. Chatted with the nurse about reading before bed, Harry Potter, and Jimmy Buffet (she just landed some free tickets to a concert).

Woke up with a mouth full of novocaine and cotton. A teeny bit dizzy, but it passed soon. Dad and I went and got some food at Boston Market (neither of us had eaten all day); I stuck with mushy sides.

Nasty traffic kept us on the highway for a long time getting home, over two hours. By the end of which, I was feeling very spacey. Nap now.

---

Brief nap, cut off by a phone call from the oral surgeon, checking on me, and urging me to pick up my painkillers ASAP, as it's going to start hurting soon. He's right, it's already twinging. That's pretty awesome service.

---

ETA: Argggghhhh!!! Retract that statement about service. The drugs he prescribed turn out to be another name for -- Oxycodone! And I took one before I realized it. So not only is it *not* functioning as pain relief, I don't dare take anything *else* for a good long while (unless I want to risk trading pain for nausea, which I well might if it gets late enough...).

The doctor *said* that someone manned the office phones 24-7 for emergencies, but this appears to have been untrue. I have left pitiful messages. Grrr...