My life seems to be one adventure after another. "One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure." ~William Feather While some adventures are more enjoyable than others, I've learned to trust God through it all.
Yesterday I got all four of my wisdom teeth out. The dentist had been telling me for years that I needed to have these teeth removed so I knew the day was coming. My mom said, "It's not so bad. Just think, you only have to have this done once in your life." ...I should add this to my bucket list!? I think not!
I had my appointment in the afternoon and I tried the whole morning, perhaps in vain, not to worry about this routine procedure. Thankfully I was distracted by a busy morning at work. Because of the medication they were going to give me to put me "out," I could not eat or drink anything for six hours prior to the surgery. This was rather difficult for me as I like food and I never go anywhere with out a water bottle. Yes, I thought of all the starving kids around the world and imagined what it must be like for them to go without food for days on end, not just six measly hours like in my case. That helped.
One thirty rolled around- the nurse called out to me from my spot in the waiting room. I followed her down the hall into a quaint room. (I'm also very thankful for the adequate medical care that is accessible to me.) She asked me a few questions and then hooked me up to heart rate and blood pressure monitors. Then she left the room and I decided to get my resting heart rate down as low as I could. I imagined myself relaxing on a beach in Haiti, with the waves crashing in front of me and the warm sun shining down! I also imagined the laughter of Maia, Chloe and Levi as they played in the sand next to me. I got my heart rate down to 60; then the nurse and doctor came in and my heart rate spiked back up. The doctor pricked the needle into my arm and the nurse handed him four little syringes of medication. The last thing I remember is the nurse coming alongside of me and saying, "Why don't you try imagining yourself on the beach or somewhere else relaxing." I replied, "Oh, I've already been at the beach!"
Next thing I know, I woke up, my mouth stuffed with gauze. The nurse led me to the "recovery room" where I laid down on another bed. I was surprised that the whole procedure took only an hour. They've sure mastered ripping those teeth out of your mouth! When my mom came in the nurse gave her some final instructions, asked me how I was doing (um, "ok?"), and then sent us on our way. I don't remember much from the car ride, except that I couldn't feel my tongue and lower lip because of the local anesthesia. I feel asleep immediately after being positioned on the couch at home. My mom came later with my pain prescription, waking me up so I could take it. The pain in my mouth was almost unbearable. I quickly swallowed down the pills, which was quite a feat because my mouth was still numb. I slept on an off the rest of the day, changing the gauze in my mouth every hour (yuck!) and icing my jaw.
I have minimal chipmunk cheeks and, as long as I'm on the pain killers, the pain isn't so bad. I am rather hungry though. It's hard to fill up on soft foods. I've eaten yogurt, pudding, mashed potatoes, a banana peanut butter smoothie, pureed soup and ice cream! Today I'm feeling quite a bit better already. My jaw is just very very sore. Hopefully I won't be as sore again in the morning after a good nights rest.
Thanks for your prayers! And thanks to my mom for taking care of me. I really appreciate having her around!
Exodus 15:26 "For I am the LORD, who heals you."
