Pulling My 4 Wisdom Teeth Was A Cake-Walk!
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!
If there were any doubt in my mind about who is the best chef in Toronto, they were put to rest after my recent experience of the intricate flavours presented at 
Susur is a celebrated chef in Toronto with his unmistakable trademark long hair and pony tail. Originally from Hong Kong, Susur opened his first restaurant in Canada, but later became the executive chef consultant for the Tong Luk group, overseeing the quality of Singapore’s finest restaurants. (Yes, there’s always a Singaporean connection in my stories!) He opened Susur in 2000 and followed up with Lee right next door in 2004. Susur has received many critical acclaim and accolades; among which being named in the company of the top 50 restaurants in the world on many international lists.
