November 18, 1999
Dear Everyone:
Woe is me.
I have a toothache.
Actually, to say, “I have a toothache” is the greatest understatement
since Noah said, “It
looks like rain.”
I have an
enormous toothache. The
Mount Rushmore
of toothaches. A toothache
the size of the
Lincoln Memorial. A
toothache…well, you get the picture.
What I have is an
abscessed tooth.
For those of you who have known me many years, and are wondering,
“could it possibly be the
same tooth?”, yes, it is the same tooth.
The same tooth that has abscessed twice in the past. The same
tooth that has required two
root canals.
The same tooth that has required two crowns.
This tooth is going for a personal best.
It all started a week ago last Tuesday, with a few
twinges, harbingers of pain to come.
All day Wednesday, I hoped that it would turn out to be a false
alarm. By lunchtime on
Thursday, I knew that it wasn't going to blow over.
Called the dentist’s office.
Explained the situation.
Could I be there at 3:40 that afternoon?
You betcha.
I could be there in 20 minutes, if they wanted me to.
Even the
Highway
Patrol would understand something like this.
An x-ray proved a whopping infection wrapped around the root of
the upper front tooth. This
dentist doesn’t do root canals, so he wanted to refer me to a specialist
(an endodontist).
They called the specialist’s office to find out when was the
earliest he could see me.
Could I come over right away?
You betcha.
30 minutes later, I’m getting a second x-ray taken.
Unfortunately, the two previous root canals on this tooth
provided a complication. The
endodontist couldn’t guarantee that a third root canal would solve the
problem. He recommended that
I get back together with my regular dentist to discuss “alternatives”.
However, he didn’t let me leave until he had
provided me with prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers (bless
him). That was a week ago.
This Wednesday, I finally got in to meet with the dentist and
discuss “alternatives”. The
alternative we chose was to have the tooth pulled (oral surgery) and,
later, replace it with a bridge.
But the soonest I can get an appointment to pull the tooth is in
two weeks. In the meantime,
I’ll subsist on penicillin and keep hoarding the pain killers (used two,
eight left).
Because this is a front tooth, it precludes biting
into anything. This makes
eating many things something of a challenge.
Breakfast is easy because I usually have a cup of yogurt.
Dinner is no problem because I usually don’t eat dinner.
That leaves lunch.
Lunch is frequently “fast food”.
There are a lot of fast food places around the office.
But, if you observe, you will notice that most fast food is
designed to be held in one hand and bitten into.
Not an option anymore.
One day, I bought some chicken nuggets and took them back to the
office. Then I got a knife
and cut them into smaller pieces that I could pop into my mouth.
That works, as does Chinese food, which typically
is already cut up into bite-size pieces.
Also, bananas. I
wonder how many bananas would constitute a full meal.
In the meantime…
A sore tooth does not necessarily mean no movies.
“Jeannie” and I took in Anywhere But
Here last Sunday (after an abortive lunch that I really couldn’t
handle).
Susan Sarandon
plays Adele, a “free spirit” who lives in
Wisconsin.
Adele doesn’t want to live in Wisconsin.
She wants to live in
Beverly
Hills.
Natalie Portman
plays Adele’s teenaged daughter, Ann.
Ann is happy in Wisconsin and has no desire to be anywhere near
Beverly Hills.
It takes only seconds to realize that Ann is the
adult in this equation.
Adele drags her off to
California with only a hint of a possible job once they get there,
and no idea how much it costs to live in California alone, much less
Beverly Hills.
They have adventures.
They have confrontations.
They meet an impossibly compassionate police officer.
They’re both going for the
Oscar.
Portman is one of the few actresses who can steal a scene from
Sarandon. Lots of laughter,
lots of tears. Take two
hankies.
Love, as always,
Pete
| Previous | Next |