Return of the Tooth Pain

Were this a work of fiction, repetition alone would render it poor writing, indeed. But alas, reality can be painfully monotonous.

Pain flared again in my lower jaw Friday night, so the visit to Josh and Brenda’s was put off. Instead, we spent Saturday morning getting a complete blood count on the cancer floor at the hospital. (Sadly, the cancer ward was densely populated that morning; my blood draw was done in the hall.)

A few hours later we left with the results: No. The tooth should not be pulled until chemo is complete and blood counts return to normal. Apparently I am too compromised to risk possible infection from extraction, but not too compromised to risk infection from a bad tooth. No one managed to address that one to our satisfaction.

By noon, I was again in the endodontist’s chair for another go at a root canal – deeper and wider than what had been done five days earlier. Again, the tooth was packed with an even stronger medicine and temporarily closed. As of this writing, the pain has settled down. Again, I have to hope this “sticks” for at least a month.

I am sorely tempted to switch to fiction from here on out, as changes to my body that have cropped up this morning suggest truth truly does bite and makes for a depressing read. More on this later.