Estaba de Rodillas

Today Sarah and I and her sister, Kate, ran the Windmill 10k, and everything I read about feeling great after a break, was right. Cardio-wise, I felt pretty fantastic! Even my feet and shin splints and everything were totally gone! Which makes me want to avoid the treadmill, as that is how I get them in the first place. The bad news is that my knee was pretty painful. So I have been icing all day and got a knee brace, that so far has been the most amazing creation I have ever discovered. I slapped that thing on and adjusted the sides (reinforced with metal!), and the pain was, for the most part, totally alleviated! Needless to say, my knees will never be naked (while running) ever again.

Nolan's had some bad luck with his transportation--just as the rotation where he can drive to work and have free parking ends, his motorcycle breaks down and won't be fixed for awhile, and his bike has a rogue tire that refuses to cooperate and keeps going flat, even when replaced. So this week should be an interesting detour for him into my life--public transportation.

Today I ate cereal for the first time since The Teeth (which is what I am going to call the whole ordeal from now on, because it WAS a surgery and I was traumatized by the aftermath, and I'll be honest--I like any opportunity to be dramatic that I can. Plus have you SEEN them? They are like pasty little dead aliens in their little sterile bag), and besides having to wash chunks of Lucky Charms from the bleak caverns behind my back molars, it is pretty fantastic to be having something crunchy again! Tonight's goal: chips and dip.

Atrophy

It's been almost a month since I had my beloved white mocha or any espresso-based coffee drinks. And it's going so well, that I may even have to have the Starbucks tattoo removed from my right buttocks.

However, as soon as Lent ends, I am going to buy a giant one. As long as I can hold off until then.

Hopefully this whole thing will teach me moderation.

Tomorrow morning will be my first running experience since the whole teeth ordeal, so Nolan is going to go easy with me for just a couple miles and see how it feels. I have craved running (the grass is always greener) since I couldn't do it the last week and a half, and I can only hope that I'm ready again, or I'm going to drag my useless, atrophied legs behind me and cry and sob in defeat.

Almost There

Since I missed yesterday due to a mindsplitting headache, etc., I'll post a pic I managed to take at lunch of my progress, almost back to normal:


I came home with Nolan and was in tears and in bed in minutes because of the terrible headache. Apparently I had tried to do too much, too fast. So today I took another PTO day, which I HATE doing, to help clear up the headache and such, which was still throbbing this morning. As of right now, there is a very dull ache in my right lobe, but other than that I feel pretty okay. So I'll try going back again tomorrow. The other thing that showed up more today is the bruising. I tried to capture it in a picture and it is just too hard to get the colour to show up, but I pointed to it in the picture to help you out. You're looking for big yellow patches with some dots of purple (pretty!). Click on the pic to enlarge, and maybe you'll see it easier:


Sorry for all the pictures of me. Today's should be the last, as I am so close to being fully healed, really only Nolan and I notice it anymore. I also gummed down a bagel yesterday, which was the hardest food I have had yet! It only took me 45 minutes...

Also I feel compelled to say two things:

1. I wouldn't have made it without Nolan, who is the best beyond words.
2. If you haven't had your wisdom teeth out yet and need to--DO IT NOW. The longer you wait, the worse it will be, as you have seen by my example of putting it off for about 9 years. Don't do it (Nobby, I'm looking at you)!

step by step

And the healing process continues, though I am starting to wonder just how bruised my jawbone is, as that tends to be aching and sore and swollen regardless of whether or not I take my meds. The actual extraction sites hurt off and on pretty much, and are the worst when I wake up in the middle of the night with stabbing pain. But the jaw, ahhhhhh.

So today I worked from home, as my medications make me dizzy/lightheaded/drowsy/sometimes have slight hallucinations. I wish I could work tomorrow from home as well, but I'll have to brave getting downtown, as I have my post-op appointment down there at noon anyway. Fingers crossed that all goes well! Today was a struggle.

Here's a pic of my slow progress...better than yesterday! But still a ways to go, obviously:


Thanks to Ash U for being AMAZING and making dinner for Nolan and I this weekend, and bringing me soup this morning. So sweet!!!

Bad news is that now Nolan is coming down with something, so we'll see who gets to take care of whom in the days to come :)

More bad news? Apparently I was unconscious when the oral surgeon told Nolan I can't exercise for a week. Here I was thinking I'd be back to running at the latest by tomorrow. But my surgery was on Friday. And I have a 10k on Sunday. S I G H. Here's hoping I'm still in shape by then, SOB.

Chubby Bunny

My life these last two days has turned into desperately waiting for my meds to kick in, and then falling asleep once the sweet relief really hits. I haven't left our apartment since Friday, and frankly have no desire to. My main goal for today is to take a shower and gum down some more of Ash U's amazing cream of potato soup. So basically I have become an 80 year old woman. Nolan's been pretty incredible at taking care of me, and besides stifling a laugh when he sees me in the morning, tells me how he loves me and thinks I am beautiful (cue: awwwww). He also is a very good liar when I ask how ugly I look! The swelling has now progressed so that I look like I have put on about 50 pounds:

And of course Milo loves just sitting around and enjoying the blankets I'm swaddled in all day.

Lazy little turd.

Frozen peas

I don't know why I spent so much time freaking out about getting my wisdom teeth out. Really, it was no big deal. What I should have been worried about was the aftermath, which I am just starting to experience. Turns out everyone at the oral surgeon's office was super nice, and I really liked the man himself. He cracked a funny joke just as my IV sedation kicked in, and I remember laughing hysterically and then I was out. I woke up once during the procedure because I could feel them cracking my tooth, and although it didn't hurt at all, I just remember thinking, "Huh. That's weird." And then I think I opened my eyes for a second and I heard the doctor say "Oh no, sweetie. Don't do that." Who knows what I was doing. But then the nurse gave me another shot of something in my IV and I was out until they were cleaning up. I remember asking her about 4 times, "so...wait. It's done?" or "Are you really sure? All 4?" And she was laughing and rolling her eyes like this is what she hears every single day. Then she led me to a little room where Nolan came in and held my hand and I iced my face and took some meds. I don't remember much else other than stumbling to the car hanging onto Nolan, dry-heaving into a trash can, and then somehow making it into the house and onto the couch. N helped me bundle up, got me ice, went out to pick up my prescriptions and got me soft foods and some Sprite. I tried the applesauce and meds and sprite a couple times, but threw up each time, so basically I didn't eat or drink at all yesterday.

I kept changing my gauze to stop the bleeding until I woke up at midnight, took them out and decided I just didn't want them in anymore and I didn't taste anymore blood anyway. I haven't had any meds (except penicillin) since yesterday afternoon, and although it's pretty painful, it's more painful to throw up, so I'm trying to avoid taking those meds as much as I can. Milo's been cuddling with me on the couch as I stick frozen peas on my face and try to control the swelling.

I also thought I'd show off some before and after pictures, although I have heard that the swelling this morning is nothing compared to what it will be tomorrow. Here's the before:


And the after (okay obviously makeup helps too, so just ignore the lack of it in this picture and check out my new square face:


Apparently, it's hip to be a square (face)!

I also thought I'd share this pic of my teeth, since the dentist let me take them home. Apparently part of the reason it is so painful right now is because not only were all 4 of my teeth impacted, but they were also fully bony - fused to the bone. So they had to be really jacked out of there. You can see the two whole top wisdom teeth in this picture, and then all those fragments? Those are my two bottom ones, which they had to crack and split to get them out. I also have a 1cm cut on my inside cheek for some reason, so that is why one side is more painful and puffy than the other. Look at my teeth!:


I woke up somewhat groggily around 9:30pm last night to Nolan telling me that some flowers had come for me from my in-laws (thank you both! they are lovely!), and that Milo had already eaten one of them. Sigh.


All in all, I would have to say that the actual surgery was...interesting and almost fun (I know, I mocked people who said that before), but if you haven't had yours done yet, be aware that the hours and days following are terrible. This is day 1.

I also have to just say that I have the best husband in the world, who clears his schedule to take care of me (a big deal for someone so busy!), stops at home between his meetings to kiss me before my appointment, and then waits on me hand and foot doing whatever I need. He even holds my hair back when I barf and cleans it all up for me, and tells me he loves my new square face and that I look beautiful. What can I say? I feel sorry for the rest of the women in the world, as they obviously have to settle since I got the best guy out there. <3

Warmth.

Tomorrow is the big day. Surgery day. Okay so maybe I've been freaking myself out more than necessary about this all, but for me, it's a BIG DEAL. So I'm trying not to think about it.

Honestly, one of the worst parts is the "taking a break from running for a few days" part. I have worked so hard and started REALLY loving my running, and now I have to stop? For a few days? My plan was to skip my 4-miler today and do the 8-mile run today instead to get it out of the way, but when I stepped outside, it was misting and FREEZING. So I decided to start my days off today. Heh. Plus I feel so much better after reading several articles saying if you have been experiencing pain in joints (especially knees), shin splints, or achilles tendonitis (all 3 of which I have), you need to take a few days off in a row here and there to let your body recover. It can be really great for your training to do so. Also, this article made me feel better about taking a few days off. Not that I'm not still sitting here a little bit miserable over the fact that I didn't run at all today. In fact, the other day, I saw a person running outside while we were driving somewhere, and all I could think was, "SIGH I wish I was running. That looks so nice." GASP. I have become a runner.

Tonight: homemade beef stew and biscuits from scratch with a "surprise" dessert from Ash U....while we watch the last installment of Emma. I'm making a note to enjoy the crunchy bits of dinner since I won't be able to for a few days.