Steph, when my tooth went horrifically bad, I actually couldn't localize it when it was on fire. I could when it wasn't full on, it was either that tooth or two teeth up because I have weird nerves. It was an electrifying pain that came in waves fighting against enough ibu to do damage. That's when I wasn't doing something to exacerbate it: when something warm hit the tooth, it was immediately incapacitating and radiated out from the tooth into my whole head. Cold sweats and gasping and crying and INSANE. Immediate relief -to the point of managable, not gone- if I kept my mouth full of ice water (when you are in the grocery store with your parents at 33 and they are buying you a freezable teething ring...it's sad.) Orajel actually was excrutiating when applied.

When I got to my dentist she told me that if this ever happened again, to call as soon as the pain started, because antibiotics would have helped (and the vicodin too! But the anti-bs would help bring down the irritation.) So regardless, those might help.

And hon, it took me a decade+ to get to a dentist, so I know the drill and guilt and all that other weird shit. I wish I could send you to my practice, they were great about not doing the whole "you shoulda" and went strictly with "this is what needs doing and what you can expect."

sigh. Shoulder has gone from ow to whimpering in pain. I took some motrin, but it's not doing much, and I don't have anything stronger here. I guess i could go to the ER, but i know that they'd want to give me cortisone injections, and I hate those enough that I'd have to go from whimpering in pain to screaming in pain before I'd say OK to them.

I haven't blown off the dentist b/c of dentist fear or anything; mostly, it's sheer laziness. Plus, I hate getting scolded for not flossing enough.

I always worry about being scolded for not flossing. My new dentist and hygienist didn't scold. I think the hygienist said something like "you are doing great with the electric toothbrush, and if you could brush that would help to" but not in a nagging scolding way.

ION really nice non teeth related news -- I had a good day at work. Around 9:30 this morning a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers in a purple vase were delivered to me at work. From my sweetie just because. I had a huge smile on my face, and everyone at work kept saying what wonderful flowers they were, and what was the occasion and saying "I'm jealous" when I said, "no occasion, just because".

There would be pictures, but after work I had to run some errands so I dropped the flowers off at Mom's while I ran the errands. Then we went out to dinner, and I forgot to bring them home with me. But I'll have them home tomorrow.

Plus, I hate getting scolded for not flossing enough.

That's not right. The best dentists don't make you feel guilty.

Although once I had a root planing and scaling, I learned to floss.

I bought a waterpik, too. Which has really helped.

Hey. Maybe I have a chip!

Ok, so who have you been trying to hit?

P.S. I hope all the hurty, sick people get some help feeling better, quick.

Argh. There are loud drunk people outside my window. As usual.

It's not like I was actually trying to sleep yet, but I do want some quite. With the echoes in the alley, I can hear every word of their conversation.

Feel-better-and-escape-the-ER~ma to Tep and Hil and vw's kiddo.

askye, the bouquet sounds beautiful. And "just because" is perfectly splendid.

I'm bewearied. Since getting off work I've: shown the car to a prospective buyer (he thinks there may be something serious but quickly fixable going on, so he's going to come back tomorrow morning with one of those little car code machines and run a diagnostic, and if it looks fixable he's going to fix it then and there and buy it); retrieved Matilda by bus; had a horrible phone fight with Hec about how to get to the 5 from Oakland (with subsequent apologies so all is well, but MAN we should just never, ever travel, either together or separately); made a hardware store and drugstore run with Matilda; fed her and appeased her with Totoro; scrubbed about 1/3 of the kitchen floor; and epoxied a gaping rusty hole in the bathtub rim.

Next up, bedtime rituals, and after she's down I'll pull up and replace the totally crap-ass and cracked kitchen tiles.

So. Tired.

Lady: I am sorry you lost your wallet, but the 130 people watching a movie in there right now will not "understand" if I stop the film so you can look for it.

My windows are closed. I live on the fourth floor. The people outside are still louder than my radio. Something is wrong here.

Once I graduate and move somewhere else, I am so checking the acoustics outside the windows before signing a lease.