Wednesday, April 02, 2008

More perspective

If you had told me two weeks ago that I would require a root canal, costing around $2,000, under a crown that's less than four years old and itself cost $1,400, I would have been rather upset. Rather extremely upset. However, after googling the extremely unpleasant diagnosis the neurologist handed me last week (along with his home phone number of all things--nice, but under the circumstances not reassuring), and in consideration of just exactly how much whatever it is hurt last week (but not since, B"H), the prospect of all of this potentially being resolved with a mere $2,00o root canal seems pretty good. For the record: facial nerve pain hurts. A lot. Still not as bad as labor, but I'll pass if I can.

Nobody got any sleep here last night, with one thing and another. Yesterday, Avtalyon spent the day waking up to nurse every 20 minute or so, falling asleep nursing only to wake up again STARVING. He didn't want to be awake, couldn't stay asleep, all day and until about 12:30 am, when he finally settled down.

Which was why I was less than pleased to be awoken at 2:30 by a full-bore screaming fit from Barak, right next to my bed and Avtalyon's bassinet, along the lines of "I NEED SOME ATTENTION" and then "I DON'T FEEL GOOD." Of course you don't feel good, because you refused to go to the bathroom all day and now you're constipated. I was not prepared to deal with forcing a potty trip at that hour and brought him back to bed, where he continued to scream. MHH went in there, told him to go to the bathroom and he screamed (full volume again) that he couldn't because he didn't feel good, etc. Fast forward however long, failed potty trip over, Barak back in bed, now 3:30 am--when Avtalyon starts to shuffle, cough, snuffle, and finally cry.

All of which explains why I am sitting here at 4:02 am on two hours' sleep pumping, so Avtalyon has something to eat tomorrow if I need to take some of those "incompatible with nursing" drugs that have been mentioned to me.

Here's hoping he'll take a bottle, which he never has before.

Perspective, right? Perspective.

3 comments:

miriamp said...

Sleep... I think I remember what that is. My 11 mo old is cutting her top teeth... but she's only really cranky in the evening and at bedtime, plus wakes extra times at night -- she's not crying much really, just won't let me put her down ever, and I was way too tired to think of dosing her for teething pain. (The nurse 2 sucks, let go, nurse one suck, let go, repeat.. finally clued me in that it was teething, but we were already in bed, and she wasn't screaming unless I tried to put her back in the crib instead...)

Anyway, hope the root canal goes well, and glad you got some perspective if not some sleep. Oh, and dentists, ime, are more likely to jump on the "no, don't nurse ever again (for at least 24 hours), because I can't be bothered to look up the drugs" bandwagon, so if you know someone with a copy of Hale's book, look up everything before you assume it's pump and dump, especially for a full 24hrs. Of course, if he takes a bottle and you're prepared, then it isn't so bad anyway.

Jasmijn said...

Oh, poor you. I'm glad you know what the pain was from, though, and that it's not b/c your brain is eating itself or anything nasty like that.

Also some sympathy b/c one of my crowns has been coming off and badly needs to be replaced. It was partially enamelled and the enamel has all come off now. Also I suspect what remains of the tooth it's supposed to be protecting has started disintegrating. What's really P.O. worthy about this is that I had total free dental care for 3 years and it waited till I was just out of the 180-day extension to do this, when I don't have insurance or a job! Aaargh.

I've been staying up through most of the last couple of nights, too, but b/c of having to turn in assignments for my online classes. Not as bad as screaming unhappy children.

May you already be deeply asleep now as I write this... and stay asleep for a nice long time!

LC said...

Here's hoping you don't need those "incompatible with nursing" drugs - regardless of whether they were dentist or neurologist drugs.

In any case, I hope you don't need them - but that whenever you end up leaving Avtalyon with a bottle, that he takes it nicely.