I started to catch a cold that M had. Figures! I still went to the gym to work out, as I joined over a month ago. Then I went in to have the root canal started. Dr. A.G. numbed me up and gave me 3 shots. I was overheating and shaking. They took my blood pressure and it was low, but my pulse was 124. I just wanted to get this show on the road. He came back and tapped on the tooth, since I was still feeling it he numbed me more. After a few minutes he came back and started to drill through my crown. The pain was shooting into my ear and all around. He deiced to numb me 6 more times all around the tooth. Finally I was numb. Towards the end it he put the file down into my tooth and I almost jumped out of the chair. The pain was horrible. I was crying and just started apologizing. What a pain in the ass I was being. He just kept telling me that the pain was from my neuralgia. I realized that, but couldn't seem to get it under control. After he decided to stop of the day they gave me Advil and I also took 3 oxycodone. I wanted to just leave and get home. So I'll go back in two weeks to finish the fun.
On Monday afternoon I called Dr. G-R from Cedar Sinai. They connected me right to him. While I was there he mentioned that this guy who trained under him for a year was practicing in Las Vegas. If he did the Blocks then I wouldn't have to go to LA each week. He said he'd try to get ahold of his friend again and call me back. He returned my call yesterday morning. Unfortunately the guy in Vegas does not do this procedure, so we will have to travel back and forth. It is what it is but I'll have to first get this tooth taken care of and then go forward.
ATN
Wear Teal
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Back to Blogging
Six months later and sometimes I wonder how I am able to get through some hours, days or even weeks. This summer was rough. I had a long battle with C-diff. I lost 18 pounds and dealt with the side effect from the medication which included Thrush in my mouth. I've had some dental work done which is leading me down my current path to hell.
About 2 months ago I had an old filling replaced with an onlay because of more decay. When I had that done I went through 5 or so days in extreme pain. About a months ago, I had a sudden onset of sensitivity with a tooth that had a 10+ year old crown on it. I got right in to see the dentist. They decided that I should have the crown replaced. My parents were coming in town the next day and so I decided to wait until after they were gone. I was having a hard time because this was causing nerve pain on the right side of my face. I had the crown done and the pain was excruciating. J had an appointment with the dentist that afternoon of the same day. I told him to get a referral for me to see an the Endotontist. I was convinced that I just wanted the pain gone, and knew if I had the nerve removed this would help. I called the same doctor who did the surgery on the front of my mouth earlier this year (Dr. A.G.). I couldn't get in for 4 days. When I saw him, he was dumbfounded. He did many tests but was hesitant on doing anything until I saw someone about my facial nerve pain on the right side. Was it spreading to the right side also? How could I live with this?
Dr. A.G. made a call and came back to tell me that he wanted me to go and see this specialist at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He wanted me to get in the next day if I was able to drive down there. I freaked out and was sobbing. What is wrong now? What is he not telling me? I called J and my parents while sitting in shock in the parking lot. How much more can I take. J and I made a fast plan to be able to get down there the next day. M didn't have school so it worked out.
We left at 8:30am and made it to LA by 1pm. Here we were waiting to see what the Director of The Pain Center, this "World Renowned Specialist" was going to tell us. We waited in the reception area for only about 10 minutes. We went back and waited for just a few more. Dr. G-R came in and was accompanied by a Resident. He did a few of the same tests some of the others have done. He went through all of my blood tests and the many MRI's. He asked if I've ever had a Facial MRI, I didn't even know they did those. He was so knowledgeable. He told me that since I have such severe facial nerve pain on my left side that anything could set off the pain on the right side (ie. cold, sinus infection, ear infection). Not what I wanted to hear. He said that I should go back and get the root canal done, possibly have the tooth extracted if I didn't get any relief.
From there we discussed my left side. He tried to get ahold of another specialist within Cedar Sinai, without luck, he asked me to call him back today. I was like a Christmas present to him. For someone who likes to research I was a bag full of things that didn't add up. He wanted to try another Nerve Block in one of two places. He was fine with all of the medications I was on, but wanted to get to the root of what caused everything in the first place.
About 2 months ago I had an old filling replaced with an onlay because of more decay. When I had that done I went through 5 or so days in extreme pain. About a months ago, I had a sudden onset of sensitivity with a tooth that had a 10+ year old crown on it. I got right in to see the dentist. They decided that I should have the crown replaced. My parents were coming in town the next day and so I decided to wait until after they were gone. I was having a hard time because this was causing nerve pain on the right side of my face. I had the crown done and the pain was excruciating. J had an appointment with the dentist that afternoon of the same day. I told him to get a referral for me to see an the Endotontist. I was convinced that I just wanted the pain gone, and knew if I had the nerve removed this would help. I called the same doctor who did the surgery on the front of my mouth earlier this year (Dr. A.G.). I couldn't get in for 4 days. When I saw him, he was dumbfounded. He did many tests but was hesitant on doing anything until I saw someone about my facial nerve pain on the right side. Was it spreading to the right side also? How could I live with this?
Dr. A.G. made a call and came back to tell me that he wanted me to go and see this specialist at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He wanted me to get in the next day if I was able to drive down there. I freaked out and was sobbing. What is wrong now? What is he not telling me? I called J and my parents while sitting in shock in the parking lot. How much more can I take. J and I made a fast plan to be able to get down there the next day. M didn't have school so it worked out.
We left at 8:30am and made it to LA by 1pm. Here we were waiting to see what the Director of The Pain Center, this "World Renowned Specialist" was going to tell us. We waited in the reception area for only about 10 minutes. We went back and waited for just a few more. Dr. G-R came in and was accompanied by a Resident. He did a few of the same tests some of the others have done. He went through all of my blood tests and the many MRI's. He asked if I've ever had a Facial MRI, I didn't even know they did those. He was so knowledgeable. He told me that since I have such severe facial nerve pain on my left side that anything could set off the pain on the right side (ie. cold, sinus infection, ear infection). Not what I wanted to hear. He said that I should go back and get the root canal done, possibly have the tooth extracted if I didn't get any relief.
From there we discussed my left side. He tried to get ahold of another specialist within Cedar Sinai, without luck, he asked me to call him back today. I was like a Christmas present to him. For someone who likes to research I was a bag full of things that didn't add up. He wanted to try another Nerve Block in one of two places. He was fine with all of the medications I was on, but wanted to get to the root of what caused everything in the first place.
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