VinceChan.net

I’m one tough cookie!

Let me clarify – I’m one tough cookie as long as I have my Tylenol-3s with me. Every 4 hours, I gotta “throw some 3′s on that @#$%!“. I came back from my Asian vacation (which I will blog in retrospect soon…) and already I have to get ready to move to the USA (an area that’s an hour away from Boston). In between these 2 happenings, I decided in my “infinite wisdom”. to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth plucked. It’s all part of a 3 year teeth rejuvenation project that I started last year.

The Oral Surgery
I had mixed reviews about the operation from everyone I knew. Some were scary reviews claiming that I would look like a chipmunk with swollen cheeks. Others assured me that it wasn’t that bad. Which fate would befall me? Well, what if I tell you that you’d be in good hands with Doctor Stephen Fitch. The surgery went without a hitch. I was given Nitrus Oxide (laughing gas) to relax me, and intravenous anesthetic through my right arm. Though I knew they were poking everywhere in my mouth, cutting my gums, extracting my teeth and stitching it all back up, I did not felt any pain. The only annoyance was having to hear them ask me to open my mouth wider every 5 seconds. I had a great friend in Jimmy who drove me there and back, and I won’t say I was in the best shape to drive, but I wasn’t feeling too groggy at all either.

Back home, I was biting down on the gauze they gave me to stop the bleeding. The bleeding actually took longer than expected to stop. No, I didn’t take pictures of my bloodied mouth. But after that, I was able to drink some chocolate milk and take the pills they gave. Penicillin was prescribed to prevent infection, and my T-3s worked their magic as the anesthesia wore off. I was vividly aware of the tender gums back, but I felt no residual pain or any swelling with my trusty Codine backing me up. Some folks called me up and I was able to communicate very well, but I definitely preferred keeping my mouth shut. So I slept off the numbing effects this afternoon.

I Need Some Food!
I had been bleeding, subjected to anesthetics and had not eaten all day. So I felt just a tad bit dizzy, but it was all part of my masterplan. Stubbornly locked in the idea that I know my own body best, I had planned to go to Congee Queen for their big bowls of porridge / congee. I felt in control in enough to make the less than 10 minutes car drive. No, I would never risk my life or others’ if I did not feel in control.

Maybe the Taipei trip where I ate alone frequently changed me, but hitting the restaurant at 4pm with few customers felt nice. I’m usually uncomfortable and self-conscious in these situations. Listening to Eason Chan’s music in the background, I wondered whether I should have the shredded chicken / duck / egg porridge or the crab / fish dorsal / egg white porridge. I went with seafood because I wasn’t sure how tender the chicken pieces would be.

The crab / fish pieces were plentiful as Congee Queen are always generous with their meat. Besides the meat, I had the meal plain – no pepper, no soya sauce. The crab pieces have that “too long in the fridge” bland flavour, but the seafood there always has this failing. But I loved that even the solid big pieces would easily disintegrate with one easy bite of my front choppers – perfect for my predicament. For the most part, I didn’t have to chew, just swallowing the big bowl of congee.

More Food!
I’m a quick healer and I strongly believe that I’m able to eat some tender solids now. But why tempt fate? I’d rather allow the healing process to have better probabilities of a smooth transition. So a liquid diet was prudent. On my way back, I stopped to get some meal supplements at Shopper’s Drugmart. Luckily, I was able to buy a variety pack for 5 different flavours – Vanilla (2), Strawberry, Chocolate, Wild Berry and Butter Pecan. Though I love chocolate, I couldn’t stand having it every meal. I could have these meal replacement drinks whenever I’m hungry. Awesome!

My wicked thoughts shift to baby food. So what if I’m an adult? Here’s a great excuse for me to try it again after all these years. There were so many flavours available but I left happy with my big can of “Chicken and Vegetable Risotto” flavour. Yum yum, I’m definitely looking forward to eating it. The congee meal was a really big portion, so even though I’ve had only one meal today, I will probably be having the baby food for breakfast.

Will This Be The End?
Saying goodbye to my wisdom teeth (and my wisdom? if I ever had any…) has been an easy journey thus far. I’m still taking a rest day tomorrow. Though I should be strong enough and am expecting to run some short errands. Thinking back, whenever my muscles get a good workout at the gym, their soreness only shows up on the second day. Hopefully, these trends are not mirrored with gum muscles… crossing my fingers!