I wanted to warn you that have a tooth removed took more out of me than I expected. Also, stay away from nuts and food with tiny seeds.

I'm already paranoid about getting food stuck in the cavern. The papers they gave me said that I can resume a normal diet as soon as it's tolerable, and the staff told me to eat soft foods today.

So fine, I ate grits. But now, looking in the mirror, it looks like food is stuck in the socket. But the actual socket is much deeper, isn't it? And the food is just stuck on top? Or did I already fuck something up?

(I called the oral surgeon's office and am waiting for them to call me back.)

The socket has been closed by stitches. You'll feel them for a while, and it's very weird.

Venting....

Ok, the house in Alameda. The house that closed January 31st? The new owners haven't switched ANY of the utilities over. GAH! Yes, I should have called everyone on the 31st and shut down service, but I forgot. I just got a round of bills for February and called each utility to say WTF. They can only close my account as of today/tomorrow cause they have to go out and read the meter to be able to close the account.

Once I get the final bills, I am going to send a copy to the old house and ask for payment of them and for February. I doubt I will see a dime, but I can try.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The socket has been closed by stitches. You'll feel them for a while, and it's very weird.

No, there weren't any stitches. I talked to someone at the oral surgeon's office who was all, "Well, chew on the other side of your mouth." And I said that I *did* that, but chewed-up food moves around in the mouth, and it looks like food is stuck in there.

She said, well, tomorrow you start salt water rinses after you eat, so that will help. I asked, what about the food from today? She said, "You're only supposed to eat soft food."

I got a little snippy and told her that that's exactly what I did, but even soft food can get stuck. She said, well, stick to juice and broth.

For how long, I asked. Oh, 5 or 6 days, she said.

!!!

But then the patient information they sent home with me says to start eating normal food as soon as it's tolerable. I'm willing to stick to yogurt and mashed potatoes, etc., but broth and juice for 5 days? That ain't right.

Teppy, sorry you've had such problems - but glad that the source of the pain has been removed. Hope everything heals up quickly!

And, for Erika.

I love how doctors and dentists have no connection with the real world.

You can swish salt water softly probably even tonight and most food will come out.

It's food with little pieces that's the problem. Food that's pretty safe: applesauce, cheese, milkshakes, cream of tomato soup, green beans, carrots, potatoes without skins, bananas, peaches without skins, chocolate without nuts, cereal like Cheerios and flakes. Usually bread without seeds, plain crackers and meat that's not stringy are fine, if you chew carefully.

I think I might kill someone and eat him if I was forced to have nothing but broth and juice for 5 days. That ain't right, Steph.

When husband and I both had wisdom teeth out, the oral surgeon gave us one of those syringes that squirts water to help flush out the socket. Do you have anything like that?

Oh, David Simon, is there nothing that doesn't outrage you to the max? He has a point and I love the guy, but he makes KO look like a Buddhist monk...what does it say about me, this relation to angry know-it-alls? No, wait, don't answer that!!

It's food with little pieces that's the problem.

So, like grits, then. Heh. I seem to have extricated what was stuck, and I'll just make sure to eat stuff w/o little pieces for a while.

When husband and I both had wisdom teeth out, the oral surgeon gave us one of those syringes that squirts water to help flush out the socket. Do you have anything like that?

You know, when I had my wisdom teeth out, I had a syringe like that, and I wondered why I didn't get something like that today. I'll have to scrounge one up somewhere.