having my three month MRI (no change), getting a second and third opinion at Stanford and MD Anderson - but honestly my month has been dominated by one mundane, prosaic thing which has prevented me from writing - a bad tooth.
Funny how a toothache can bring me to my knees faster than my tumor. Unfortunately, the two are most likely related. My immune system is still pretty compromised. It is still hard for me to accept that I'm more vulnerable to passing infections than I used to be. Now when I catch something, I really catch it.
What started as a low grade toothache went ballistic in 36-hours. I went to bed in some pain but I woke-up looking like someone large had been hitting me on the jaw with a 2x4. My eye was just about swollen shut.
I needed a root canal. The endodontist assured me the the procedure suffers a bad rap and that it would absolutely would not hurt. Okay, I'd never had one before but I believed him - dentistry has come a long way since McTeague. ( If you are ever in the mood for a really incredible silent film, check out Erich von Stroheim's Greed. It's based on the Frank Norris novel about set in post gold rush San Francisco. The main main character, McTeague, is a pretty simple guy who grows up in mining camps in California. His mother wants him to have a real career and pushes him to become a dentist. He puts up a shingle on Polk street - the gold tooth in the picture above is his pride and glory even though he has absolutely no qualifications to be a dentist. This is what I think about when I go to the dentist in San Francisco.) Eight shots of novacaine later, I was unconvinced that no pain would be involved.
I went back four days later and went through more of the same. It took a double course on antibiotics to get the infection under control enough for the anesthesia to have any effect. Anyhow, I'm back to feeling like myself and I'll start catching up on the blog over the next week.
I feel like I've lost a little momentum heading into 2012 but I am still excited and looking forward. 2011 was filled with challenges and though there were moments of grace, I'm not too sorry to see it go.
Here's to a new year of wonder, purpose, and love.
And also, a year without toothaches.
Sounds like you endured some very uncomfotable days in december due to that toothache. Glad you came out of it okay and can resume writing again! I look forward to reading about the other updates you plan to share.
ReplyDeleteVicky