I don't know what labor feels like, but a dry socket has GOT to be pretty close..

So, I had a tooth pulled Friday Oct 29, and my gum wasn't healing correctly. How did I know? Because about the second day after my extraction I was in excruciating pain (which is not supposed to happen). I did a google search and diagnosed myself with a "dry socket".  My trip back to the dentist confirmed my suspicions.

So what the heck is a dry socket?

A dry socket occurs when the blood clot that forms after an extraction somehow gets dislodged or washed away (from drinking through a straw, coughing, sneezing, or just natural phenomena) leaving your JAWBONE and NERVES exposed *shudders*, causing seriously painful inflammation. It's not an infection - just a glitch in your body's healing process - a complication that can occur after an extraction. So after the first 24 hours after an extraction you're not supposed to drink through a straw, spit, or smoke (I did neither of these) - they can all lead to the blood clot getting dislodged. The pain was SO bad.   I've been back to the dentist twice since the extraction.  Once to get diagnosed with the dry socket and have a medicated dressing put into the hole, and two to get the dressing removed (today).  It's been a draining few weeks... last week it was the flu shot that damn near killed me, this week it was complications from a tooth extraction, and next week is my period!!  O_o

Well, thank GOD, from again doing my own internet research, I quickly discovered Clove Oil (which comes in the Red Cross Toothache Kit from your local drug store for $6.99 or alone from the health food store). You put some onto your tooth (or gum) for about a minute and *poof* -  It seriously gets rid of pain and for a good while too (not for 5 minutes like Oragel).  It burns your tongue and tastes bad, but it's life saving if you have a toothache. Apparently Clove Oil has been used to treat toothaches for years and years. And it certainly did more than Motrin was doing. 

So I hadn't blogged for a few days because as most of you know, a tooth/gum ache literally takes all of your energy to the point where you can't think, write, plan, or even speak.  Just all-consuming.  Dry socket treatment basically consists of pain management and keeping the area clean.  It's a tortuous waiting game for your body to heal itself, and the body can take it's dear sweet time.  Fortunately for me yesterday and today the pain has finally eased up some. I've been instructed to rinse my mouth with salt water after I eat, to help speed up the healing process.

So yes, part of my Namibia preparations include getting all of this dental work done (that I had put off for years due to a lack of dental insurance - and that deserves an entire post on its own) before I leave for Namibia so that no major dental problems arise while I'm there. That extraction was the most serious and the rest are simple fillings.

Other than the flu and extraction episodes, I'm trying to get my thoughts back together for Africa because I found out that December 28th is the day I leave for Namibia!!!