Perpetual Ruminations

Sunday

Another day about done, one left to work and then three days off, hopefully. Then, we will be short one person and Rhonda and I will be down to two days off each week, but not the same days. Hopefully we get someone hired soon. I didn't call anyone or do anything about the people who have put in applications because of the holiday weekend.

I was thinking about calling some of them tomorrow, after work. But now I'm not sure if I will be able to talk very good or not. I ended up with a tooth ache yesterday, and it's only gotten worse. The tooth has been sensitive to hot and cold since I had it worked on the last time I was at the dentist. That was two years ago, or right in that time frame. I had intentions to go in for my six month cleaning and check up, but we didn't have a vehicle we could use then. By summer, we were busy with work, short on help, and I seldom got a day off. When I wasn't working, I was exhausted and trying to play catch up on home projects.

Then, it was winter again, and the weather wasn't the best, so again it got put off. A couple of times the tooth that hurts now acted up a bit, getting kind of sore for a day, but then it would be fine again and I never really gave it much thought. Yesterday, however, it started out with a mild ache to it, kind of the same as it has done before. But, as the day went on, it became more and more sensitive to temperatures and by the time I got home, it was very uncomfortable. I brushed my teeth good when I got home, then flossed, and that was all it took.

The floss hit the tissue between the two teeth and it about dropped me to my knees. I thought there was something caught in between them, and that was why it had hurt so bad, so I took a pick and gently tried to clean between the two teeth, but that hurt even worse. I ended up using a numbing agent on it, and taking some over the counter pain medication. It finally settled down to a throbbing ache by the time I went to bed.

I again put some teething gel on the area, and coated some floss with more of the gel, then gently worked it between the teeth, and messaged the gums with it. Another dose of pain medication and it felt pretty good, good enough to sleep. I woke up sometime during the night and had to repeat this procedure, take more over the counter pain medication, and was able to get back to sleep. I was up at three thirty for work, and it was feeling a little better, but still sore.

After I got to work it started throbbing again, so I took some more pain medication, and it soon began to settle down a bit. Then all of a sudden, it started with this sharp shooting pain. It was all I could do to focus past it and work, and trying to speak was almost too much. The air would move into my mouth as I spoke and hit that back tooth, and I thought I would pass out from the pain. Of course, it got busy right then, too.

After three guests had been cleared to leave the yard, I had a little break, and just enough time to dig out the tube of teething gel, put some on my finger and work it over the gums and in between the teeth. Then another guest was there and I had to go back out and work. Luckily the teething gel works pretty fast and it was already helping. Soon enough it had numbed the tooth back down to a milder ache, one I could handle. I took more over the counter pain medication and managed through the morning. By the time Rhonda came in, it was feeling pretty good. It did for the rest  of the day.

I thought the pain was gone, but it wasn't. It just let up enough that I didn't notice it at all. I mean, from the deep shooting pain and the throbbing ache, it numbed up pretty good. So, since it had been aching and hurting so bad, it now felt good. Once the over the counter medications wore off, however, I realized there is a mild ached still throbbing through the tooth and jaw area. It is also red on the outside of the mouth and swollen. I suspect I have an infection as well as a busted filling, but can't see it well enough to know for sure what is going on.

I just know it's going to be a long night trying to sleep if it keeps on like it is right now, and it's going to be a miserable time at work tomorrow morning. Rhonda will call the dentist as soon as they open, then I will call her or she will come in so I can leave, depending on when I can get in. Our dentist is about forty miles in the opposite direction from where we work, and that's another twenty five miles from home, so it will be a long drive over if this thing keeps acting up. Depending on what course of action they need to take, it may be a long drive home, too.

Luckily I should have three days off to heal up and rest up. But, the way things have been at work, I just don't know for sure until the day ends. Any time before closing, the phone could ring and I may have to go in. I hope not, but it's possible. Mostly because the person who is quitting is not very reliable, and it's her last week. I will, however, stay positive that she will finish out the week, and we will have a good, hard working, and dependable person hired soon to replace her.