I have been pretty lucky in terms of health. I mean, I'm not exactly a vision of olympic fitness and I certainly lack good vision, but I am not often sick and now I am convinced that I have super-human healing powers. Kind of like Wolverine from the Marvel Comics. 

I just got my wisdom teeth out yesterday and was expecting all sorts of awful things: chipmunk cheeks (warned everyone), pain and aching (warned everyone), bruising (warned Managing Editor John Moses as he granted my days off for the treatment and recovery), and potentially extreme wooziness from medication (warned many) and dry socket (warned my roommate), and potentially death or nerve damage or any number of horrifying things (warned the release I had to sign while sitting in the operating chair, minutes before going under).

After years off from dentistry due to not having coverage, I asked among friends and got many recommendations, a lot for Dr. Kristen Schultz, who was also a good option because I tend to prefer female doctors. I guess it is less important for dentists because, well, dentistry is one of those areas where we all have the same thing going on. Not like gynecology. Either way, between Dr. Schultz and Lena the assistant, it was a really positive experience. Even though it was recommended I finally get my wisdom teeth out, which is an expensive and dreaded process.

Dr. Kristen's husband performs the oral surgery and was really good about telling me that, indeed, my chances of death and many other terrible things were about one-in-a-million, nothing to worry about. He was very friendly and professional and explained that it was the curviness of my veins that make it hard to get a needle in (cue me making an awkward joke about how I'm not ever going to become an IV drug user and him saying with all due seriousness that, really, that's something one should never do). It only took him two tries, which is quite good considering I once tried to donate blood in college and the woman stabbed me no less than six times.

There was little time I remembered after the IV started flowing and until I came to after the surgery, mouth filled with gauze and blood. I tried to take a photo of my face to pair with the text, "I'm awake and sexy" to be sent to my ride (I don't remember sending it). I think the puffiness of my face was due a lot more to gauze than actual swelling. I ended up sleeping for at least four hours straight after the procedure, minus a few hilarious wakeful moments, apparently.

Beau the dog was especially cuddly and protective while I was somewhat drugged and sleepy. I couldn't reason with him that alerting me to potential intruders (read people walking by the house) was not necessary. 

But the real miraculous thing was that, once I was awake after the anesthesia had worn off, my face was barely puffy, I didn't need to add new gauze, and I wasn't in pain (that could also be the medicine). I have been taking the medication provided (anti-inflammatory, pain medication, antibiotics) but I've kept the dosage on the pain pills low. I've been surprisingly mentally present, normal looking and feeling few side effects but drowsiness, which leads me to believe that I probably have super-human healing powers, much like the comic hero Wolverine. 

I guess the nice thing is, taking the pain medication means I can't operate heavy machinery and I am questioning my ability to write a coherent and interesting story (if you read this - sorry), so the days off work can be spent cuddling the dog and watching netflix, guilt-free.

I'm not entirely sure if this blog is about being really happy with the Drs. Schultz, my super powers, or how much I still adore Beau the dog, but the one theme is that everything has gone surprisingly well.