A couple of days back, I had a tooth removed. The wisdom molar in the upper left side of maxilla (upper jaw). A few years back, I had been told by a dentist that this tooth was going to hurt me in years to come as its decay had already begun then.
I spent three days with the pain.
On the first day, I took a couple of pain killers and wished it would go away. It did. The procrastinator that I am, I hoped that the pain would be temporary and I won't have to see the dentist. Somewhere I also feared that the prophecy of the dentist will come true.
On the second day, the tooth started hurting even more badly. I took one pain killer and the pain eased. Within 15 mins, the tooth started hurting again. The pain got worse. I took another pain killer, then another. And waited. The pain reduced and within half an hour, it went away. Four hours later, it hit me again. I again took 3 pain killers. This time, it took an hour for the pain to go away. I now badly wanted to see a dentist, but it was raining heavily which continued for the day.
In the evening, I went to see a dentist, but it being a Sunday, all the clinics in the vicinity were closed. Also, it was raining heavily. I popped three more pain killers and tried to sleep. But the pain just wouldn't go. It got worse when I tried to lie down. So I spent the whole night awake, sitting (and trying to sleep) in an upright position. I took more pain killers, tried to wash my mouth with warm water, applied clove oil. I was running out of options and the pain would just not go.
On the third morning, I went to see a dentist. She had one look and said what I had feared. A tooth had to be removed and there was nothing else that could be done. But she called me back in the evening. If I were to miss the appointment in the evening, I would have to wait for three more days to get the tooth extracted.
I spent the day writhing in agony in the office, contorting my face every now and then, unable to concentrate on work. In the evening, I went to the dentist and had the tooth removed.
This was easily the longest I had gone with any kind of physical pain. It was excruciating. And I realised what pain can do to you. In those moments, I was ready to take any medicine, do anything to ease my hurting mouth. The will power, which isn't much anyway, was touching rock bottom. For much of the time, I hardly had any energy to do anything. I started respecting the soldiers who go through extreme training and live in conditions which normal humans can't stand for even minutes.
No wonder, getting rid of drugs is extremely difficult and painful.
I spent three days with the pain.
On the first day, I took a couple of pain killers and wished it would go away. It did. The procrastinator that I am, I hoped that the pain would be temporary and I won't have to see the dentist. Somewhere I also feared that the prophecy of the dentist will come true.
On the second day, the tooth started hurting even more badly. I took one pain killer and the pain eased. Within 15 mins, the tooth started hurting again. The pain got worse. I took another pain killer, then another. And waited. The pain reduced and within half an hour, it went away. Four hours later, it hit me again. I again took 3 pain killers. This time, it took an hour for the pain to go away. I now badly wanted to see a dentist, but it was raining heavily which continued for the day.
In the evening, I went to see a dentist, but it being a Sunday, all the clinics in the vicinity were closed. Also, it was raining heavily. I popped three more pain killers and tried to sleep. But the pain just wouldn't go. It got worse when I tried to lie down. So I spent the whole night awake, sitting (and trying to sleep) in an upright position. I took more pain killers, tried to wash my mouth with warm water, applied clove oil. I was running out of options and the pain would just not go.
On the third morning, I went to see a dentist. She had one look and said what I had feared. A tooth had to be removed and there was nothing else that could be done. But she called me back in the evening. If I were to miss the appointment in the evening, I would have to wait for three more days to get the tooth extracted.
I spent the day writhing in agony in the office, contorting my face every now and then, unable to concentrate on work. In the evening, I went to the dentist and had the tooth removed.
This was easily the longest I had gone with any kind of physical pain. It was excruciating. And I realised what pain can do to you. In those moments, I was ready to take any medicine, do anything to ease my hurting mouth. The will power, which isn't much anyway, was touching rock bottom. For much of the time, I hardly had any energy to do anything. I started respecting the soldiers who go through extreme training and live in conditions which normal humans can't stand for even minutes.
No wonder, getting rid of drugs is extremely difficult and painful.
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