My Happy Place

My dental appointment went better than I expected it would. I've never had a dentist this nice before so I'm really pleased to have finally found one who actually cares if you feel pain. Previous experiences such as writhing in pain and squirming in the dental chair while being drilled are a thing of the past.

Madeline and Paul came with me - just in case any strange things were to happen - and waited out in the waiting room (it's good for that sort of thing).

They started by getting some molds of my teeth so they could make some temporary caps and then we got right to business. Nitrous oxide, with a lovely vanilla scent, was offered - I accepted, and it worked, well. He put a pre-numbing stick of some sort in my mouth before actually stabbing me with the lidocaine needle so I was numb and didn't feel that. By the end of it all I was so numb I didn't get complete feeling back in my mouth until about 6:30-7:00 pm at night.

With the awesome influence of nitrous oxide it all went by pretty fast! When we began the procedure I decided to pick a happy place - I tell my patients at the hospital to do this as they are going to sleep before surgery. It had to be something or some place that made me so happy I wouldn't focus on what was happening in my mouth.

Throughout my life I've heard about and been told to picture a happy place when painful or disturbing medical things are happening to me, but I've never really had something or someone that made me so deliriously happy that it overpowered everything else that was going on. Now, I don't say that to offend anyone. I love my husband, my family, my friends, and many "places" I have been in my life immensely. I have, and have had, a wonderful life and I am so grateful for everyone who has been a part of it, but no one thing has EVER immediately, without thought, popped into my head like my happy place did... Madeline's smile.

SHE is my happy place. Seeing her open her eyes in the morning and immediately giving me the biggest smile she's got; listening to her giggle and coo at the slightest change in my facial expression; knowing that when I look at her and she just wants me to talk to her and be with her, and loves me without apprehension... I am overjoyed!! The most unbelievable thing: It worked! It really works!!!

I laid there, feeling nothing but my hands and my feet (thank you nitrous oxide) and picturing her smiling and laughing. It was massively cool.

Then I started thinking about the fact that her and her dad were out in the waiting room and I started to laugh. For some reason knowing they were out there made me laugh SO HARD the Doc had to stop a minute and let me get it out. Normally this fact would not cause such thoughts of hilarity, but man oh man was I entertained by this thought.

Then, I started thinking about blogging about my experience. I started to argue with myself... Should I mention that all I could feel was my hands and feet? Or should I also mention that I could feel my elbows too? Elbows are dumb, I don't need to mention my elbows. Should I even mention that I had this conversation with myself... about whether or not I should mention the elbows??

Then I started laughing again. So he turned down the nitrous oxide a bit.

So now, here I sit, at four in the morning blogging because I just finished gargling some salt water. My gums and teeth hurt pretty bad. He said they would because he had to get some decay under the gum line and he tore it up back there pretty good. That, along with the anesthetic, made me pretty sore. I figure after a day or so I should be feeling better. but then all I really need to do is think about my happy place, right?

I am so happy to finally have my happy place. I love her.

P.S. Thank you to my momma for the adorable new outfit for Madeline (in the pic). I love it! I love the sparkly Dorothy shoes too - even if they don't quite fit her yet.