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.

Steph, that's sounds like something that happened to me when I had a sinus infection.

I went to the doctor because my teeth hurt when I walked, every step I took my lower jaw/teeth throbbed and ached and it was from the pressure from a sinus infection.

My upper right wisdom tooth had roots so long my dentist showed my x-ray to another dentist. The roots had almost pierced my sinus cavity.

Then he cracked the crown in four with a special pliers and twisted each root out like a corkscrew.

Using only a local anesthesia.

(Spoiler-fonted for the dentally squeamish)

I am back from the doctor. I have antibiotics, now, too.

A scratch on my calf is looking good, but the surrounding area looks infected, so I am to keep taking care of it, and take a full course of Cephalexin (generic Keflex) to stave off diabetic complications.

At least the copay was reasonable on the thing: 40 pills for $2.67.

Eeep. After Daniel's post, I'm glad my wisdom teeth got yanked many years ago!

I'm so torn, folks. The pain is intermittent -- I can't remember if I posted that before, because when I posted, I was in agonizing pain and not in a sound state of mind. But anyway, right now, there's no real pain in my teeth, just in my ear/behind my cheekbone/throat. And THAT trifecta is sinus, no question. Plus, I've had bad sinus headaches before that gave me a feeling of pressure in my teeth, but not this holy-shit PAIN I'm having now. So I don't doubt that it's sinus, but it's pissing me off that it won't bow before the power of behind-the-counter Sudafed and ibuprofen.

So I feel like going to the ER, or even an emergency dentist service, right now (as in tonight) would just be an exercise in wasted time.

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

I'm afraid that ice will make it hurt more, but I'm willing to try. And The Boy is at a meeting, but will stop at the store on the way home.

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.

See, that's why I wonder whether the ER could do anything at all for me right now, since I have no swelling, either externally (cheeks, glands) or internally (gums). Morphine would be divine, but I don't think I'm bad enough off that they'd give it to me. Especially since, like I said, at this moment, I'm not in pain, and haven't been for about 45 minutes.

It's weird -- it lasts about 20 minutes, during which time I want to rip my teeth out of my head with rusty pliers, and then it's fine for a while. I would think a bad tooth (abcess, etc.) would hurt continuously. Although I don't know that for sure, since I've never had such a problem.

Anyway. Right now I'm not having tooth pain (but my ear and cheekbone hurt), so I'm going to hold off on a frantic ER trip.

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.

Hmm. I've been taking ibuprofen every 4-5 hours (800 mg), and took percocet a couple of hours ago (percocet having Tylenol in it). Maybe if I continue that together, it'll whammy it.

Stoopid head. Be more pain-free!

Steph, by far the worst tooth pain I've ever had, and least responsive to pain killers, was from an infection. So if they can at least throw you some amoxycilin or whatever, it'll be worth it.