I keep thinking about writing a blog post then thinking I don't have anything specific to say. But it's like that sometimes, isn't it?
So I'll just start telling you things and see what happens.
I had a tooth pulled out. Before it came out there was the nagging, persistent ache of toothache, and the swollen gums from the infected tooth, and I couldn't sleep or even rest my head on the pillow when it was at its worst, and I was trying every homespun remedy I could find on the internet (garlic, vanilla essence, cloves (of course) salt, teabags) until I could get to see a dentist. Then I saw the dentist and she gave me some options, and I thought the easiest, simplest, fastest way to stop the pain and deal with the infection seemed to be to take the tooth out.
Now, I've had teeth out before. I was quite a lot younger, a child in fact, so surely, I reasoned, I'd be even better equipped now to deal with having a tooth pulled out. I don't have a fear of the dentist. I even half know the dentist who treated me, she's very nice, it was as relaxing as it could be.
However. I was not prepared for the wrenching, the real, real, pulling effect, the effort it would take to get this tooth out. The fact that I'd have to have my held held still by the hygienist (she said it was like I was trying to reverse off the chair), or that my legs would be shaking so violently, or that the anesthetic seemed to do NOTHING despite me having been injected with extra doses of it.
I feel like I was a bit naive to think it'd be easy. I was also very desperate to get the infection out. The tooth, my gums, the nerves, would all have been extra sensitive, I'm sure. Plus it was a tooth at the back, it had 3 roots, 'the biggest tooth in your head' she told me. Afterwards.
The teeth I had out as a kid just had one root. I'm sure I remember they just came out with a little shuffling.
BUT. It's gone. It was sore for a while, but once I got home and over the shock (I do think I was in shock, actually) I fell asleep and when I woke up I was just so relieved to not have tooth ache anymore.
And then the next day I went to the Yorkshire Dales for a weekend with my writing group, and with a little help from a glorious combination of Ibuprofen and Codeine, I had a lovely time.
And what I'm focusing all my writing energies on at the moment is my entry for Salt Publishing's Scott Prize - and with just over a month to have 30,000 words of short stories ready to sub - I have a lot to do.
So I'll probably be here and on Twitter more than I should be.
(Turns out this post is not at all general, it's actually very toothy.)
3 comments:
Ooh, toothy ache is horrible. I have a fear of the dentist though so doubt I'd be as rational and relaxed about the process. Well done you. Any pain stops the creative process - glad you can get back to the work.
(And good luck with Salt - I sent my entry in early and now wish I hadn't but I wouldn't have been able to tinker much with the month I've had so best it got dispatched really - got some more goals to tackle in the meantime).
I'd love a trip back to the Dales right about now...........
As for blogging - I don't have anything to blog about - other than, am writing/editing in the scrap of writing time I currently have and my toe still hurts.....exciting, no?
Rachel! No to the 'no?'!
Good luck to you too, with Salt. Wow, that's a very early entry. But if it was ready, as you say, it's better to have it away rather tinker when you could be working on something new. I think it's going to take me a week to get the running order of the stories right, format it, all that jazz. But that should be a nice process, once all the stories are written and ready.
I hope your toe feels better soon. (Makes it sound like the toe has feelings. Which it does, I guess...)
My toe appreciates your concern :)
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