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• Mood: achy

I am the Human Chipmunk!

I had my wisdom teeth taken out on Thursday. I can't report all that much about the experience itself because I missed it. I thought that the dentist was going to use conscious sedation. Then he put something in the IV and told me "I've just given you some medicine that's going to make you a little sleepy." 30 seconds later -- give or take -- a nurse was waking me up and helping me wobble over to the recovery room. It's probably just as well. I imagine I was a much more cooperative patient than I would have otherwise been when they went after the more strangely positioned teeth.

The lower half of my face feels like it is swollen to the dimensions of a beach ball. I am coming to despise the 90 minutes between when one dose of painkillers wears off and when I am allowed to take the next one. I have something stronger if I need it but I'm trying not to resort to that unless absolutely necessary. My diet consists mainly of Gatorade and sunshine floats. I am wearing an icepack that wraps around the top of my head and the bottom of my jaw. For an accurate picture of what it looks like, imagine a production of "A Christmas Carol" with Marley hovering over Ebenezer's bed moaning "Scrooooooooooooge!" in his best dead miser voice. See the thing wrapped around his head? That's me, but with Velcro holding it together at the top instead of a knot.

Really, though, I'm doing fine. All of that is completely par for the course and I have the tools I need to deal with it. Best of all, I have willowisp looking after me. She's been absolutely amazing. I almost feel embarrassed, like I should tell her "No, really, let me get this one. You've done more than enough already."

I'll be glad when this one's over.