I guess I should say dentist are on call for emergencies. Teppy, do you have a friend who has a regular dentist they can recommend? They might be able to contact their office and get you in.

When I have a sinus thing, my teeth hurt. My actual sinuses don't, much

This has been me for the past week or so.

Yeah, last year I went to the dentist and pointed to the tooth that had been in increasing pain for several weeks. After many x-rays and much poking around, it turned out to be sinus. Now, I get regular sinus headaches and this really felt different. Different as in it was in my tooth.

That's what's so weird about this -- the ear and throat pain, as well as the sinus throbbing, is all on the same side as the tooth pain, so I figured it was sinus. And it's not actually one tooth; it's basically the entire right half of my bottom teeth. So either they're all rotting and about to fall out, or it's sinus.

No matter the cause, though, this pain is unbelievable. If percocet isn't helping, I don't know what will.

I'd go to the ER based on what you're describing. If it ends up being a tooth thing, at least they'll have given you the Good Stuff so you don't suffer before you see a dentist.

ION, I really need to get in the shower.

If it is your sinuses, you have an infection. You need an antibiotic and strong decongestion to clear it out.

Can also help with tooth infections

I call go to the doctor/urgent care/ er now.

Get those mammograms, people. Don't make me tell you about chemo.

These last six weeks that I felt so bad, one of the main symptoms was that the left side of my face felt numb, except for the occasional jabs with an invisible soldering iron. I kept thinking I had some kind of pinched nerve. Nope, sinus infection. If it is the tooth, Teppy, there are some products in the tooth area of the drug store like Ambesol and oil of cloves that can really numb a toothache. Ice on your face can help too.

eta: Also, what Beth said. Can you get to a doc in the box for antibiotics?

I'd definitely try the doctor first, Steph. My last sinus infection got really weird at the end when it moved from my ears and throat onto my tongue, which felt all numb and funky before the antibiotics kicked in.

Squish-age is complete! The lady was great, and only the last picture was painful. I said, "Ow!" when it squeezed down, but when she immediately said "I'm sorry it hurts!" I responded with, "Don't apologize--I'd much rather it hurts and you do it right then having me have to come back and do it again." I was in and out of there in under 15 minutes with no problems.

Tep, try icing it, seriously. It can help. Also, have the boy go get some oragel -- that will also help.

If it's not swollen, I'm not sure how much the ER will do for you. The only time I went, I had woken up with a golf ball in my gum, and they saw me and gave me morphine and an antibiotic IV, as well as scrips and directions to see a dentist. But the swelling sort of meant active infection, so.

Last, the thing that worked for me was 600 mg of ibuprofen every four WITH two Tylenol. As long as you don't overdo the Tylenol, the combo might work for you. I've found sometimes a real painkiller will make it worse *first*, oddly.

Signed,

Has Horrible Teeth and Many Problems With Them

Tooth, face and sinus~ma to you, Tep, and please go see someone and don't try to tough it out all weekend.

java, the old car needs a metric assload of repairs we can't currently afford, so we got a dirt-cheap new car that's actually older than our old car, but much more sturdy and reliable per every rating service we can find--plus, smaller, so hopefully we'll have a joyful trifecta of lower car insurance, lower gas and maintenance costs, and fewer parking tickets. We've been trying since Friday the 13th to sell the old car. With no luck until today, when I finally marked it all the way down to $1250. Now we've got two seriously interested possible buyers, and one dillweed who wrote me to say, "I'm definitely interested. Get back to me on the final price."

Dear Dillweed:

That price is the final price. You can buy it for that price, put another $3000 into repairs, and still sell it for a solid $4-5K profit. We can sell it for that price and buy groceries and pay the PG&E bill. High-handed haggling with the poor and desperate is just tacky.

No love,

Me

May the car asshat suffer a weekend long attack of gas, JZ.

Erin, what everybody said about recovering--especially Scrappy. I felt better by such large increments I was tempted to do more than was allowed, and that was not a happy experience. I found I recovered pretty much exactly on schedule, which believe me was the second time in my life I was on schedule for anything. First was delivering StE on his due date. In the civilized afternoon. After six hours hard labor. Don't hate me, StY made me pay for it. ANYway, stick to what you're allowed to do and the speed of recovery will amaze you, as will how freaking *well* you feel once you have recovered. Till then, bonbons and trashy novels and comfort tv all the way, baby!

My mammo tech retired. She'd worked with me for years, and we had the sort of relationship where you ask about each other's kids and pets, made easy smalltalk, told off-color jokes. Made the experience a lot easier. The tech who took her place is of similar temperament, so that makes it easy.

Teppy, I hope you've called a friend to get you in to see his/her dentist, or you've decided to go by the ER. Punishing yourself for not finding a dentist is neither smart nor healthy. You deserve not to hurt.

Dear Dillweed: For you? The final price is $1,500.