Strange title for my blog? Not really, it describes perfectly how I looked after my latest drama ! Last Monday, I awoke early to clear blue skies , beautiful sunshine and a dreaded toothache ! It wasn’t raging, just throbbing and as we were off to Vidin to pay our bills, get our shopping etc, i popped a couple of paracetamols, in the hope that by the time we got to Vidin, the ache would have eased. It did but returned slightly worse by midday, two more pills and it would be fine, or so I thought. By the time we returned home, my toothache was throbbing again, still not raging but niggling constantly. I could feel a slight lump developing just above my lip and realised that it was an abscess. I remembered the last time I had an abscess, swelling, severe pain and no sleep! I wasn’t looking forward to the night ahead. I got Andy to phone the dentist to make an appointment first thing in the morning which wasn’t a problem, unlike in the UK, even in an emergency you still have to wait a week these days!
During the evening the swelling got gradually worse and the tooth continued to throb but not as bad as I was expecting and I was surprised that I managed to sleep through the night but when I woke in the morning I got the shock of my life. I knew my face would swell but not to the extent that it did. What started as a lump the size of a pea developed into a watermelon!! My whole cheek, side of my nose and eye was excessively swollen, I looked like Quazimodo ! I was now in panic mode.
I hate going to the dentist and I really hate needles but at the same time, when I saw the state of my face, I was desperate to get my tooth out. When we arrived in Vidin, we had to park about 10 minutes walk away from the dentist as they were digging up the road and the dentist was down an alley, off a small side street, not really suitable for a LWB high top van. I tried to keep my head down as I felt a bit of a freak and yes people did stare but then I did look like I’d been hit by a bus. When we arrived at the dentist, she took one look at my face and her reaction was the same as when I looked in the mirror first thing in the morning, complete shock. She informed me that as I had a severe infection she needed to send me to a dental surgeon to have my tooth extracted as the usual anaesthetic would not be strong enough and cause me severe pain. After she made a phone call to the surgeon, she gave us directions, explained that he didn’t speak a word of English but for me to not worry as he knew the situation and I was in good hands.
When we arrived the surgeon greeted me with a stern look, directed me in to the dental chair, squirted some numbing spray on my gum area with the offending tooth then proceeded to deal with his other patient who was in the chair next to me. By this time my nerves had kicked in, so every minute felt like a lifetime. The surgeon returned to assess the problem, disappeared for a minute, then returned again with a few tools and the inevitable needle. I braced myself as best I could, the first injection entered the front of my gum under my lip, ( it hurt but not too tragic ), the second needle went into the roof of my mouth and it felt like it was trying to pierce a thick layer of rubber. Well all I can say is it’s a good job the assistant was holding me down and had quick reflexes because my reaction was to grab the surgeons hand and whip it away but his assistant grabbed my hand just in time. The pain was so bad I nearly went through the roof! I think the needle burst my abscess as my mouth filled with blood. When the area of my mouth was numb he pulled out my tooth, it was quick and painless, which surprised me as the tooth had broken at the edge of my gum so there wasn’t a lot left to grab hold off, ( it was a capped tooth that had broken ). They showed me the offending tooth and the root was very long considering it was only a front tooth. I was relieved that my ordeal was over and all I wanted now was the swelling to go down. The surgeon made me sit for quite a while, took my blood pressure, as by this time I think my body had gone into shock as I was shaking like a leaf and when he was satisfied that my tooth had clogged and my blood pressure was ok, he let me go. I was given a prescription for antibiotics and vitamin B complex and a bill for 60 Levs. Despite the needle episode I must admit the surgeon and his staff were excellent, I couldn’t fault them at all and the cost of my treatment was exceptionally cheap. Even the antibiotics, which are one of the strongest on the market, were very reasonable ( 12 Levs ).
On our way home my whole body was shaking and although it was a hot day I was freezing. I was also struggling to stay awake, it felt like I was on sedatives or something and I felt nauseous. It didn’t help that there were potholes along the E79, some of which just couldn’t be avoided. The journey seemed to take forever and by the time we approached our turn off towards our village, I had to get Andy to quickly pull over as I needed to be sick. Not the most pleasant sight for Andy or anyone who was driving by, but needs must and all that.
We had only been home about half an hour, when I decided to go to bed for a while. I couldn’t keep my eyes open or stop shivering any longer. Before I knew it I had conked out. The following day the swelling had got worse and my face and lips were still numb and my eye was itchy and sore. The swelling worried me so I got Andy to phone the dentist to ask if it was normal and apparently it was but he was informed that the swelling will start reducing in about a week. It’s now been 11 days, my face is almost back to normal, I still have a big, hard lump above my lip and part of my cheek and lips are still numb ( weird sensation ), but it’s getting better, I can finally put on my mascara now and at least I don’t look like Quazimodo anymore !!