Take two aspirin and call me in the morning...the SICK thread.

Well that's good to hear, sort of. Just sounded like a few of the symptoms floating in there, but they can mimic the flu. That's why the sweet breath (regardless of what you've consumed) is the defining symptom.

 

A few days ago I started noticing a throbbing pain in my jaw...and then it started swelling...and now the pain and swelling are so severe I can barely talk. I called my dentist this morning and they cannot fit me in until next month. The dental assistant lady told me its prolly an abcess and that I need to see my regular doctor for an antibiotic before they can work on it anyway. Ugh.

So I need to call and get an appointment. I tried earlier this morning but the nice queue voice told me the expected wait time exceeded thirty minutes.

I cannot wait to get an internship and real medical benefits. This poor unwashed masses stuff sucks eggs when I need help NOW. Mur.

 

WOW, Jennay, sorry to hear that you can't get in to see a DR or get that looked at right away. It only hurts when you talk? It sounds very painful

Wait on the phone if you have too. Toothaches suck.

 

I got an appointment tonight at 6:45 at the walk in clinic. According to the triage nurse, all they will do is give me an antibiotic and a pain killer. I still have some vicodin from the last time I threw out my knee, so I am good there...but it will be somewhat comforting to see a doctor. I guess dental abcesses can spread into the jaw and even further causing major problems, so maybe its good that its kicking my butt so hard early and getting me in right away.



edited to say: Doesnt just hurt when I talk, hurts all of the time, but hurts more when I move my jaw in any fashion. Talking, chewing, smiling, yawning...is agony to touch it, so eating and toothbrushing are so painful I have really cut back on both the past few days.

 

That's what I would have thought it would feel if it was/is an abcess. So sorry.

 

Get better! No spreading allowed. Stay on those antibiotics. Infections that go that deep suck when they spread.

 

I am the princess of horrible tooth issues (my mother is the queen). Get on antibiotics right away. If it infects the bone too deeply you can have bone loss and have no hope of saving the tooth. If you can't get the pain under control with what you have, get more (vicoden? pfft! does nothing for me; I hope it helps you), or you may find yourself looking for ways to cut your own head off....

If you have a visible bump on your gum, you might be able to lance it to relieve some of the pressure and pain.

I'm ready for root canal #4. IF the tooth is worth saving. I have to have a specialist look at it.

 

I have a tooth that needs to be pulled, but I am afeared...and this abcess is no where near that tooth, so i am not even sure there is a correlation? Needless to say I just want the pain to end, but am not yet to the point of cutting off my own head.

 

Probably not a correlation. The abcesses tend to be pretty specific to the tooth they're on. If the tooth you need to have pulled is currently infected, it's not helping matters, but if it's already dead then it's no big. Take care of the one that's causing you pain first; that's where the active infection is, and not only does it hurt, but it will zap energy levels like nobody's business. If you were in the Denver area I'd give you the name of my dentist.

You're afeard of having your tooth pulled? Afeard of the actual pulling, or of the empty space left behind?

 

afeared of the actual pulling. When I had dental insurance, I had them knock me out for cleanings. I am phobic of the noises and the hands in my mouth...*shudder*

 

Oh. Have you tried the nitrous oxide? I hear that really helps the anxiety.

 

i was just looking up dentist for cowards. LOL well i am one.

 

I LOVE the dentist......seriously, no joke. I love how my teeth feel after getting clean. And OH I loved having the tight feeling in my mouth with braces, if I could afford it I would have more braces again, just because.
I need to get my teeth cleaned havent done since before I was preggers....

 

I agree...thats just...unnatural. Are you related to a dentist? Did you have a crush on your orthondontist growing up?

 

No, neither.

 

You like the dentist? Wow... I agree that's just unnatural.

Hope you feel better Jenny! I've had a ton of work done on my teeth, but never had an abscess yet...



So, I just got back from the rheumatologist. He thinks I've got either Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus. Either way, not good news. We're at the point where all the tests are coming back negative, so I just need to manage the pain and swelling and keep monitoring. If/when things get worse, then we crack out the super immunosuppressents and stuff...

 

Yikes. Hope it all comes back negative!

I'm with Catz, actually. I like the dentist. And giggle gas is amazing. I was on it when I had my wisdom teeth out. That's the same stuff they put in turbo boosters in really high end street racing cars, isn't it?

 

How are you feeling, Mistress?

 

Doctor gave me antibiotics and narcotics. So far I feel stoned and kinda swollen. But not as much pain. It was starting to make me kinda frantic. I have to take the antibiotic 3x a day for 14 days...then they can pull the tooth. The tooth, Duke Leto, the Tooth. Ugh. So I guess I feel a bit better, thanks Queeny.

 

Has the swelling gone down? Does that mean you need 2 teeth pulled? If so, do them at the same time.

 

At least one pulled, one root canal. Thats what you get for postponing the inevitable I suppose.

 

I completely understand I have to get to the dentist.

 

The kiddos are going to the dentist tomorrow, but I wish I could go to their dentist, it's AWESOME. There's a gamecube and tv in the waiting room, murals of beach and african safari all over, they get a coin after the visit to spend in a 'gumball' machine that has like 8 different sections of toys, and if there are no cavities, they get to ring a bell that's taller than mr. bug.

This will be mr. bug's first visit, but he has gone and watched sister the last 2 times, so we'll see how he does. She screamed and I had to hold her down her first visit, but that dentist's office was kind of weird, in an old house that was converted to an office and wasn't very cool. The dentist was great, and you got more time with him, but the office needed to be updated from the 50's.

 

Glad you're doing some better, M. I hope that you can get them taken care of soon. You'll feel so much better.