Turkey Day

Today is the day that we Americans celebrate the beginning of the long genocide of our original native population. We also give thanks to the applicable deity for what we have (for many, it's much less than last year and barely enough to get by). Mostly, we just eat a lot of turkey, watch football (some) and gather with family.

Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Day!



And who can forget this perennial favorite:

(cartoon from this site)

Tooth Abcess

According the folks at the Dove Dental Center (from whose site I cribbed this text):

A dental abscess can cause pain in the face (usually from an upper tooth), or pain in the area of the lower jaw (mandible) - (usually from a lower tooth), due to a build up of pressure from an infection which is emanating from the pulp chamber of the tooth, causing pressure along tissue planes. The pain can be quite severe. You should seek advice from a dentist urgently to get the abscess drained. It may be possible to drain the pus through the tooth itself so the tooth can be saved (root canal treatment). If not, the tooth will need to be extracted to prevent the abscess from recurring.

There is nothing quite like the pain of a tooth abscess--it is constant, throbbing, and eventually involves the entire head. Sleep is impossible without serious narcotics (Vicodin is my palliative of choice). It is the worst pain I have ever experienced, not having gone through childbirth nor passed any kidney stones.

Luckily, although I don't have dental insurance, I do have money, so I could afford to get my tooth treated and avoid death. The pain is better, although not completely gone, but I still don't have much of an appetite and a do have a fold drainage in my mouth (from the opening left in my tooth). I am mid-root canal, awaiting subsidence of infection and inflammation in my tissues before the tooth can be closed up again.

My dentist had closed the tooth with a soft plug after initially draining it; this caused a second night of excruciating pain and heavy narcotic use before he pulled the plug out. I am now recovering, and hope to return to blogging and other normal activities soon.

Veterans' Day

Armistice Day was meant to commemorate the end of WWI, the war to end all wars. (That didn't work out, did it?) The war officially ended on the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

In the US, it has been transformed into an all-purpose "honor the veterans" affair. If only our government did more than pay them lip service this one day a year.

Back

I'm back...almost.  It's November, gray, cloudy and cold, and I'm working away at the dining room table.  I'm trying to finish up my NEJM CME (it was due November 1, but I've gotten an extension).  Once I finish, I hope to have more time to blog and do other things I enjoy.

It's been a busy few months.  I spent September and the first week of October in Ukraine.  I visited seven orphanages with our UCARE group, and two more on my own.  I visited family and friends, and stayed quite busy.  I saw many parts of Ukraine that I'd never had a chance to visit before (Transcarpathia, Chernihiv).  When I got home, I found that I had a heavy work schedule--52 hours a week--and managed to catch some unpleasant virus at work.  I ended up spending my "free" time sniffling, sneezing and sleeping.  I'm only now beginning to feel better. 

And the were the funerals--two in the past three weeks.  Two close family friends passed away, so it's been a sad time all around.  

But things are finally looking up a bit.  I have more normal work hours beginning next week, so I can finish unpacking, get my teeth cleaned, and try to catch up on my photos and blogging.  And last weekend was Val's annual birdseed sale: I stocked up on thistle, suet and seed, and refilled my feeders, which have been empty since long before I left for Ukraine.  I wondered how long it would take the birds to find their way back.  It took only a few minutes. 

 

From my seat at the dining room table/desk, I can see a bevy of winter plumage goldfinches feeding away greedily at the thistle seed.

Nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers and others sneak in for a bit of suet.  The jays hog the feeder, scattering seed everywhere, and the titmice, sparrows, cardinals and juncos grab a bite when they're not around. My smart squirrel had once more figured out how to get into the feeder, so I had to adjust the baffle and move the feeder again, keeping it away from overhead lines and nearby branches.  So far, so good, but it's only a matter of time.  (I'm not cruel, but the ground is covered with thousands of acorns for her, and the seed is meant for the birds.)

Oh well, back to work.  I'm through April 12th, and have to get through the end of June as quickly as possible.....