I had a wisdom tooth out yesterday.
Here are the stages of mental preparation I went through.
1-Realization: when I connected all the dots and realized that the intense migraines I had been having the last few weeks were caused by wisdom teeth that looked like this:
2-Denial: the dentist set the date for the surgery, but I still didn’t fully internalize what was going to happen. Denial is bliss!
3-Sheer terror: I decided to learn a little more about the procedure. A certain youtube video showed me a little more than I needed to know. After a few seconds of watching it, I was in shock, tears rolling down my eyes, and scared out of my mind. So much cutting with the scalpel, the SCALPEL! In my mouth! I am not prone to swearing, but in this case, it was appropriate.
4-Getting my zen back together: as the day and the hour drew near, I needed to build my mental fortress. I explored all the things I was afraid of: being cut, possible long lasting nerve damage, the trauma of a medical procedure to the body, those first few seconds in the chair as the dentist is laying out all manners of needles, knives and drills…I needed to go through each of these things in my mind, fully accepting each fear, accepting the reality of what I was going to go through. Only then could I get to the stage of mental fortitude that I knew I needed.
5-Focus: as the hour drew near, I settled into a deeper level of being. More quiet, more serene. Ready for battle.
6-Surrender, and patience: in the chair, all I had to do was open my mouth and surrender. I focused on breathing and relaxing. After all, I have given birth to a few babies, and that required a bit more courage than dental surgery.
45 minutes of work by two amazing Moroccan dentists. They did an awesome job. I felt more sorry for them than for me, they had the really tough job. I managed to open my eyes after a while and watch what they were doing. But thankfully I couldn’t see into my own mouth.
The best part of all is that I was able to come home to an empty house, the kids were over at my mom’s. If that’s what it takes for me to get some alone time, then so be it! I have not been home alone for a day in years! Well, maybe a day here and there. Hubby is also planning to take the kids to the beach this weekend, so I can rest some more. Thank you honey!
Now I just need to rest, which is always the part I am worst at. The pain is manageable. I can’t open my mouth or chew much. There are stitches in there! The medication helps. It’s a strange irony that now that I have some actual TIME to blog, I am kind of loopy and so this will not be my best writing. However, I am well versed in the art of compromise, so please indulge me in my medicated mediocrity!
Life in Marrakesh 