That being said, I've had enough pain and discomfort and I'm quite glad that I'm basically recovered for a number of reasons:
1) I can smile again! Those swollen cheeks and painful sockets no longer afflict me. I don't laugh and then hold my cheeks together and beg, "stop making me smile/laugh!!!" Since I can smile again, I'm in a better mood.
2) I don't have to take any more HUGE pills. I am not a pill-taker. I remember those days in 7th grade where I decided I needed to learn how to swallow pills. My mom suggested practicing with mini M&Ms, but we didn't have those so I just tore tiny pieces off of Hot Tamales. Hours later, I think I might have gotten a crumb or two down without chewing.
And it hasn't gotten any easier. Oh, there were times where I forgot that I didn't know how to take pills, but by senior year of high school my esophagus had basically closed up, with a lot of nudging to get where I am now (still a lousy pill taker).
Anyway, we got home from the oral surgeon's office and lo and behold there were pills upon pills I was supposed to take to alleviate pain and prevent infections. The first few were the easiest, ironically--I think it's because I forgot that swallowing pills was impossible in my slightly dazed state (though I was actually quite coherent after the surgery, to my relief and Kevin's disappointment [he was hoping for some funny quotes]) .
But then it didn't get any easier! Yes, my mind became more and more confident. There was precedent. I had done it before and could do it again. But my body became more and more adamant. "You don't want to try and swallow this," it said. "You could choke. It could scratch your throat. You want it to stay on your tongue forever." And then there was my mom's voice, coaching me with, "Swallow! Swallow! Swallow!" I can't remember if she ever actually coached me like that, but I wouldn't be too surprised. Of course, the trick was to forget that I was trying to swallow it, which only worked when I wasn't thinking about not thinking about it as well as not thinking about thinking about it.
Suffice it to say, I'm glad I got through all that. Those were big and nasty, but somehow I got them down. And I got incredibly hydrated in the process.
3. Food! Don't get me wrong. I like smoothies. I like jello. I like yogurt. I like soup. I love ice cream. But I also really like tortilla chips and pretzels and carrots and pizza. And it's good to have them back without fearing that I'll wreck my mouth each time I bite down.
4. I don't look like a chipmunk anymore. The "Hamster Dance" song is no longer in my head nonstop. Thank goodness.
Anyway, that's my wisdom tooth story. Come to think of it, it's not really about the surgery itself. It wasn't that interesting, anyway. IV in, Kyra out, Kyra awake, gauze in cheeks, going home. The end.
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