Convalescence

I feel like I’ve been off – the grid? the planet? – for the last few days.

I’ve had five teeth extracted – four wisdom teeth (two impacted), and one “dead” tooth that the dentist said was unsaveable. Extraction sounds so clinical, doesn’t it?

It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but in some ways worse. I didn’t swell up badly or display multicoloured bruising. The pain was not unbearable, mostly just a dull ache. I only took Panadol, avoiding the Panadeine Forte I was prescribed. (Codeine tends not to agree with me.) I gargled dutifully.

What was most annoying was not being able to eat properly. I don’t mind ice cream and smoothies, but when they’re the only things you can eat, they soon become very unappetising. (Nope, it doesn’t matter if it’s super-premium $10 ice cream. I don’t care if the ice cream has pulverised mangoes or chocolate that is 70% cocoa solids in it.) I also hadn’t thought about what a big part the feel of food in your mouth plays in your enjoyment of it. If you can only really nibble at things, their flavour is very amazingly, very greatly obscured. I’m glad I’m able to eat now – even if I have to eat carefully and things aren’t quite back to 100% normal yet.

Perhaps it was the lack of proper nutrition that did it, but I was very lacking in the energy or the mood to do much at all. Poor M, he was on leave as well, and was stuck with a lethargic woman who mostly just lay around reading (eighteen books read!), window shopping on Etsy or playing on the iPad. (The iPad is a superb diversion when you’re not feeling the best.) M also had the week off; he was patient and a great nurse – bringing numerous cups of tea. I think he had a rather boring holiday, though, as I wasn’t in the mood to go anywhere in particular – my not being able to eat meant that one of our favourite pastimes, going out for meals, was neglected…

The chihuahuas were wonderful company, of course. There’s nothing like having a little dog come and lie with you and occasionally gaze concernedly at you to make sure you’re still okay. Very comforting.

Things I forgot about during recovery week:

• Twitter (this prompted some of my friends to worry and send messages – nice to know you’re missed!)
• email (easy to forget about, actually)
• posting my Daily Image to Flickr. I even forgot to take photos most days…
• work. I also still need to put (a lot of) polish on my presentation for next week’s ALIA Info Online Conference in Sydney.

Back at work tomorrow. It’s going to be hectic, no doubt.