Wisdom Teeth Out Now, or Next Week?

[natascha]

I believe that you made the right decision. Let me tell you a bit about my two extractions, I think they will make you feel that you made the right decision .

I will preface by saying that my wisdom teeth were very impacted and thus required specialized surgery. I had brilliant surgeons both times and my operations were performed at the leading hospital in my country.

Here in Sweden you do not get an option about anesthesia, it is local all the way. If you have a choice don't do local, even though they did 3 anesthesia shots to numb before the one that goes strait in I was screaming in pain for that shot and I am not a wuss. The actual operation is not that painful, although I found that it did hurt a bit from the pressure I felt up into my scull and down my neck into the shoulder. I can say that I asked for tranquilizes for the next op. Brilliant choice, I was so gone that the 55 min op felt like 5 min and all I remeber was thinking why is that tube red and then realizing it was blood which I thought was hilarious at the time .

Apparently I have a bit of a problem with getting the site to stop bleeding, I will spare you the details.

I developed dry socket which was excruciatingly painful and required medical attention every two days for a bit more than three weeks. I had so much fluids in my face that even the surgeons were shocked. I not only had an orange sized swelling on my cheek, a lot of the fluid was down on my throat so that the swelling stood out more than my chin.

I did not react well to the opiates, I could not even keep down water the second 24 hours but it got better after that. I was in so much pain and really woozy from the meds so I missed 4 weeks of class. My jaw locked, so I could not really open my mouth, that and the pain made it impossible to eat for weeks.


So I really think you made the right choice and hopefully you do too after reading the above .

 

[luv2sparkle]

Haven, I had mine out when I was 16 and I drooled all the way home. I remember catching a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the car windows and being appalled and tring to laugh at the same time, but couldn't.

Four of my kids have had them out, and when they were coming off the anesthetic I learned quite a bit of interesting information that they would have probably rather I not known. So if you have any secrets.........

 

[chemgirl]

I had mine out when I was 18 and it wasn't that bad. All 4 of them were impacted so I expected it to be a lot worse. I think I looked pretty disgusting though because my little sister freaked out a year later when she found out that her's needed to come out.

I don't remember anything after the gave me the IV and asked me to count backwards from 100. The next thing I know I'm being helped out of the reclining chair thing and brought to a room with beds to wait until the anesthesia wore off. My mouth was packed with gauze and it was dangling out...I remember my dad making walrus jokes.

It did hurt at first. I couldn't talk for a few hours and my mom (gotta love her, but she's not the best in a crisis) couldn't figure out that I wanted my prescription filled. I think I was on an anti-inflamatory, tylonal 3, and an antibiotic. I was able to take the gauze out pretty soon after getting home and I remember that there were dissolving stitches. Icing my jaw and taking the pain meds were enough for the pain management. It might even feel like a relief compared to the pain you're feeling now. I rinsed my mouth with water and a bit of salt at some point on the second day. No way of brushing my teeth for a few days at least.

One of my friends was having her's done at the same oral surgeons. Her appointment was right after mine and her family was in the waiting room when I came out. Her recovery didn't go well at all. Her mom was worried about the codein in the tylonal so she was on a different pain med. She also refused to take the anti-inflamatories because the pills were too big. She avoided eating and drinking as much as possible because the idea of eating and not brushing her teeth grossed her out. We had them out on a Friday and were both back to school on Monday. She looked horrible. Huge bruises, pale, sickly looking. I did everything recommended in the booklet the gave me, had lots and lots of fluids, drank some boost to try and get in enough protein during those first few days, and I was ok. I still had some bruising and pain, but it really wasn't that bad. I was eating normal food after a week (well things without seeds...learned that one the hard way. Avoid poppy seed bagles until everything is healed!). I know everybody reacts differently to this type of thing, but I sincerely feel that if you follow the instructions you will have the best possible outcome for you.

One problem I did have, and you might want to ask about, is long term healing. Its 10 years later and there are still gaps in the bone and gum on both sides of my lower jaw. This has started creating issues as they are easily infected. I don't know how it could have been avoided, but it does suck. I have to see a specialist to keep an eye on it.

 

[AprilBaby]

Haven, sorry to come to the party late! I am a dental hygienist. Your experience will be all your own. Yes, it is harder the older you get. Bone gets harder with age. Yes, you should feel better after a few days of antibiotic and ibruprophen ( and yes you can drink). Don't worry too much about the dry socket, that comes from losing the clot in the wound, usually from sucking on a straw or a cigarette or lifting something you were told not to. Do ask to be put to sleep. Do ask for steroid tablets afterwards to avoid swelling. Many people cannot stomach vicodin and prefer Tylenol 3. You may be bruised afterwards but most people can go back to work on the third day! Most of all, don't stress, the horror stories you hear are mostly overdone and it's not that bad! Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[Arcadian]

I had my first set out at 22. I had ones growing in underneath which were painful. For this, I was knocked the hell out I don't remember the ride home, my mother said I was a little 'happy' though. I do remember being sick as a dog once I got home because I don't do very well going on anesthesia (some types I'm allergic to, so go figure)

I can't take percocet so I did without (they gave them to me anyway). I did have some mouth soreness and some chipmunk cheeks that took 7 days to go away. No bruising though, thankfully.

The 2nd set was the problem set. I've got 2 in still, 2 are gone as they came in bad. Again, I lucked out and had a great surgeon. That time I wasn't out cold, I was on the happy gas and a light sedative. Thankfully not sick, still couldn't take the percocet (why do they give that crap out anyway??) Took some tylenol and was fine by the next day.



You may want to WAIT until after the wedding if possible. Good luck.

-A

 

[mrs jam]

Four of my kids have had them out, and when they were coming off the anesthetic I learned quite a bit of interesting information that they would have probably rather I not known. So if you have any secrets.........

This cracked me up. I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled the summer before my senior year of high school. As I was coming off the anesthetic, apparently I told my mother a little too much info about how much I LOVED my boyfriend at the time. She was completely and utterly disgusted with me, and the first thing I remember after getting my teeth pulled was listening to her lecture me about the evils of "heavy petting" the entire car ride home from the dentist's office.

It took me over a week to completely "de-puff," but after my post-op conversation with my mom, I was grounded for six, so it didn't really matter what I looked like as I wouldn't be going anywhere the entire summer. My advice is to not have any family members, friends, or significant others in the room with you until you've completely come off the drug-induced cloud of blissful oblivion.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I'm so sorry you are suffering like this,

I had mine out when I was 32. I was a mess for 24 hours afterward but applications of ice and liberal use of codeine helped and if I recall correctly I was back to work 48 hours later.

Best of luck with whatever you chose to do.

 

[Haven]

Thank you all so much for your tips and stories!

I just got back from Shabbat dinner with both families, and I have to say I am sooooo happy I'm not having the surgery until Monday. I've been taking amoxicillin and I really feel much better today. I haven't been taking any pain meds since yesterday morning. I do have some pain, but nothing like the agony I felt last weekend and earlier this week.

Tomorrow morning begins a full day of pre-wedding activities (mani/pedis in the morning with the bride and all the girls, shuttling back and forth from the airport to pick up OOT guests, rehearsal and dinner tomorrow night) and I am so grateful that I'm not in recovery mode from surgery. I feel *very* lucky that my pain subsided, and I thank my lucky stars that it hasn't just grown worse with each day.

I'm going in Monday morning for the surgery so hopefully the pain will remain stable for two more days.

I really appreciate all of your insight. I'm still very nervous about having the IV sedation, but I don't think I could handle being fully awake through the entire thing, so it seems like my best option. (It's very expensive, though! My insurance won't cover it so it's going to cost me $1,000 for the IV alone! The total cost to me will be around $1,400, insurance is covering $1,400. This is costly!)

Thanks again. I hope to be back early next week with fun wedding pictures for the BWW forum and happy recovery posts from my surgery!

 

[merilenda]

I feel you on the money thing. Dental work is so freaking expensive!!! That's nuts that you have to pay for the IV sedation. I had to pay out of pocket for nitrous when I had my stuff done, but it was only $65 or something.

Even though it's expensive, I think the IV sedation will definitely be worth it. I can't imagine being awake while they cut out impacted teeth. You'll be fine with the IV though. You'll literally be out and then next thing you know, you'll be in recovery and it'll be over.

I'm glad the pain has gotten better and you'll be able to get through the wedding weekend without being in too much agony. Good luck on Monday!

 

[jstarfireb]

I'm glad your pain improved! Enjoy the wedding festivities.

Regarding the IV sedation, there's not much at all to worry about. YMMV, but my experience was a profound sense of muscle relaxation, and the next thing I knew, the surgery was done and I was being wheeled out to the waiting room. Easy as pie...or I should say cheesecake, since that's the first thing I ate later that day.

 

[Haven]

Haven, sorry to come to the party late! I am a dental hygienist. Your experience will be all your own. Yes, it is harder the older you get. Bone gets harder with age. Yes, you should feel better after a few days of antibiotic and ibruprophen ( and yes you can drink). Don't worry too much about the dry socket, that comes from losing the clot in the wound, usually from sucking on a straw or a cigarette or lifting something you were told not to. Do ask to be put to sleep. Do ask for steroid tablets afterwards to avoid swelling. Many people cannot stomach vicodin and prefer Tylenol 3. You may be bruised afterwards but most people can go back to work on the third day! Most of all, don't stress, the horror stories you hear are mostly overdone and it's not that bad! Let me know if you have any more questions!

April--I want to thank you for taking the time to post. I read your post and printed it up before I went in for surgery, so thank you very much!

 

[zoebartlett]

How are you doing, Haven? I hope you feel well. I'm sure you must be happy that it's over.

How was your sister's wedding?

 

[Haven]

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing your experiences in this thread!

I went in for my surgery this morning around 11 Chicago time. I was up and in the recovery room by noon, so I'm assuming the surgery itself didn't take more than 30 minutes.

First, I am SO HAPPY that I didn't do this before the wedding. Once I started taking the amoxillicin on Tuesday that really reigned the pain in so I am excited to report that I barely noticed my tooth during all the wedding activities this weekend. SUCCESS!

The surgery. I ran to the grocery store to stock up on soft foods this morning, and then my mom dropped me off at the surgeon's office at 10:10. My surgery was scheduled for 10:30, so I had some time to sit and get very nervous in the waiting room. I went into the chair just before 11 and the surgeon's assistant had me fill out all the release forms and talked over the post-op recommendations.

Then, he took my vitals and my blood pressure was really high for me--110 over 80. My BP numbers are typically much lower, like 90 over 60, so I was surprised to see that. (I wonder if that's a symptom of being so anxious.) My heart rate was in the high 60s, which is also significantly higher than my normal resting heart rate of 50 to 55. I was really, really nervous at that point. In fact, I almost felt like I was going to burst into tears a couple of times during all the prep. I didn't, but I was close.

At this point the surgeon's assistant put a thing over my nose and had me breathe in some laughing gas. I didn't expect this so I was really hesitant and he was great and took some time to help me relax before he started the laughing gas. It took about five minutes for the laughing gas to kick in, at which point I felt a tingling in my arms and legs and a general relaxation in my entire body. The surgeon came in during this time and we held a normal conversation, I didn't feel high or anything, just relaxed.

The surgeon then inserted the IV which I watched and felt no fear while watching, which is how I know the laughing gas was working. We discussed that I didn't want to go too far under so he administered some drugs and asked me how I felt. At that point I felt really relaxed and sleepy, but still awake enough to talk so it felt like it was the right amount. He then put the local anesthetics in my gums and I didn't feel any of that at all.

They started the surgery and I *thought* I wasn't going to have any memory of it, but I do. My memory goes in and out, so I only have it from parts of the surgery. I clearly remember him drilling and pulling my lower left wisdom tooth, AKA The *******, and thinking "Hell yeah! Pull that sucker out! Rip that little ******* out of my jaw." (I hope I just *thought* those things and didn't say them out loud, now that I think of it.) I also remember him drilling my top right tooth and putting in the stitches for all four teeth. The stitches were really weird, actually, because it looked just like he was darning a pair of socks or something. Weird.

When the surgery was over I felt a bit woozy so the assistant put a cool cloth on my forehead and patted my face with another one, which really nice. I slowly stood and went into the recovery room, where I was joined by my hubby. The surgeon came in and told us about the meds they called in to the pharmacy, and he said that it was a difficult extraction as far as they go, so I'm probably going to be swollen and sensitive for a while. I plan on asking him what made it difficult when we speak later this week. I was too out of it to ask at the time. I was aware but really slow and foggy.

DH took me home and I basically spent the afternoon sitting in the backyard staring off into space and falling asleep. I had to replace the gauze pads every 30 minutes for about four hours, when they finally stopped bleeding. At a friend's suggestion I bought bags of frozen peas and carrots and tied them to my cheeks with a scarf, so that's kept my jaw nice and cold. (It's a great look, I must say.) I went in to drink some water about an hour ago and felt a sudden wave of really awful nausea. I was pretty sure I was going to vomit, so I sat on the bathroom floor for about 20 minutes. Thankfully that passed and I got up and took one of the pills for nausea the surgeon had prescribed. THEN, I joined DH in the family room where I proceeded to cry and talk a bit of nonsense for about 30 minutes. I was getting really hot and then really cold, and my hands were all tingly, and it just freaked me out so I cried. DH put Zoolander on and that was enough of a distraction to help me calm down. I think I'm just not used to this much medication and it really overwhelmed my body. I asked DH if he knew what time it is in Taiwan, and when he asked me why I want to know that I said that it's something everyone should know, of course. So strange. We talked a bit and I realized that my memory of this afternoon is fuzzy because DH did a lot of work in the yard and I was apparently interacting with him, but now I have no recollection of it.

SO, here I am now calm and feeling a bit better. I have pain in my jaw despite the meds and the ice. It isn't horrible, but I wish it would go away. I ate some cottage cheese a bit ago and drank some water, so I think things are looking up.

Anyway, now I don't even know why I typed out this entire detailed account of my surgery. I guess it will make for a nice journal for myself, huh? If I ever forget how this all went down I can dig up this thread.

Okay, thanks again for all of your help and support. I was enormously nervous about getting this done, and your input really made me feel better.

I'm looking forward to a Wendy's frosty later tonight, too. I'm going to see if DH is up to bringing one home for me after work.

 

[Haven]

How are you doing, Haven? I hope you feel well. I'm sure you must be happy that it's over.

How was your sister's wedding?

Hey Zoe! The wedding was amazing. The ceremony was beautiful. The reception was a blast. She looked beautiful, and it was overwhelming to see all of the people they know and love in one place. It was a huge success.

The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were great. I gave my speech at the dinner and I managed to give the entire thing without bawling my eyes out, which is what I did every time I practiced the speech with DH. It was a success, I must say, I had everyone laughing and crying so I was super excited about that. We speak in movie lines in my family, so I peppered my speech with quotes from our favorite movies and my sister loved it.

We had a ton of fun preparing for the big day. I spent Saturday night in the hotel with my sister and her new SIL, so we had some great sisterly bonding time. Then all of the girls came to our room Sunday AM for hair and makeup and that was SO much fun. I brought mimosas and my mom brought fresh deli bagels and cream cheese, and we had an awesome day together.

The ceremony was outside and it was HOT. It's a good thing Jewish wedding ceremonies are short, because we were melting up there. The cocktail hour and reception were just wonderful. My sister and her husband (!) have amazing friends, many of whom flew in from LA and NY to celebrate with them, so the reception was a huge party. We danced all night, and they surprised everyone by bringing in a hotdog cart at 11 PM. It was GREAT. (The only bad thing about the hotdog cart was that all the out of towners asked for ketchup for their hotdogs--GROSS! They managed to dig up some ketchup for them, though. )

I got to spend some time getting to know my sister's closest friends from rabbinical school, which (other than their marriage) was the highlight for me. They're awesome people, and I'm happy to know that she has true, good friends out in LA.

 

[iheartscience]

I'm so glad the surgery went well and that you still enjoyed your sister's wedding, Haven! The weddings sounds like it was great and the hot dog cart is such a fantastic idea! So tell me, what's wrong with ketchup on a hot dog?! I always have ketchup, brown mustard and raw onions on mine! I had no idea that's not how they roll in Chicago!

I hope your recovery continues to go well!

 

[MonkeyPie]

I'm so glad it went well and now you can feel better

 

[Haven]

Thanks, Thing2! The wedding was awesome, it really was.

Yeah, you will be shamed out of a hotdog shop if you ask for ketchup on it in Chicago. It was funny watching the Chicagoans gape at the New Yorkers and Los Angelenos eating their hotdogs with ketchup last night.

Here's a good before and after. The picture on the left is from the car ride from the hotel to the wedding site. You'll notice my nice jawline, no puffiness there. The picture of the right is about one hour post-op. I still look like that right now, actually.

ETA: DH just sent me a better picture from the car ride home. I was trying to pout but couldn't feel my lips so it was difficult.

 

[iheartscience]

Aw poor Haven! The one of you trying to pout is adorable!

Also, you look gorgeous in that wedding pic! I love your hair and make up!

 

[merilenda]

Aw Haven, I'm glad you're recovering and it went okay. You look stunning in the wedding pic - I just love your hair! I want to do something like that for my wedding.

 

[Haven]

Haha, thanks Thing and Merilenda.

My sister hired the same hair and makeup ladies that did our hair and makeup for my wedding, and I must say they are both AMAZING. Merilenda--I wore my hair in a very similar style for my own wedding, except my stylist also put extensions in there to make it even thicker. It was awesome, if I do say so myself. Go for a down 'do on your wedding day, you won't regret it. I felt like a goddess with long, thick hair on my wedding day, I really did.

 

[Haven]

AprilBaby--May I ask you another question?

My doctor prescribed Hydrocodon-Acetaminophen 5-325 for my pain, (I believe this is the common name for Vicodin.) The directions say to take one to two pills every four to six hours for pain. I took two pills around 1 PM, and then two more around 7 PM. I'm also taking a tapering dosage of Prednisone 5 MG (6 today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the day after, etc.)

Anyway, I don't think this Vicodin is working. Is that possible? I've been in pain all day. I felt the pain right at the end of the surgery, and took the Vicodin shortly after we got home, but the pain has just been getting worse throughout the day. The ice packs help, but only a bit. Am I just being a baby? I've never taken Vicodin or any strong pain meds, so maybe I just don't know what I should be feeling.

I did take a Ondansetron ODT 8 MG tablet earlier when I felt nauseous, and after 20 minutes I was much better, so at least that worked. And I think the Prednisone is keeping the swelling to a minimum. At this point, though, I just want to feel less pain!

 

[Autumnovember]

AprilBaby--May I ask you another question?

My doctor prescribed Hydrocodon-Acetaminophen 5-325 for my pain, (I believe this is the common name for Vicodin.) The directions say to take one to two pills every four to six hours for pain. I took two pills around 1 PM, and then two more around 7 PM. I'm also taking a tapering dosage of Prednisone 5 MG (6 today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the day after, etc.)

Anyway, I don't think this Vicodin is working. Is that possible? I've been in pain all day. I felt the pain right at the end of the surgery, and took the Vicodin shortly after we got home, but the pain has just been getting worse throughout the day. The ice packs help, but only a bit. Am I just being a baby? I've never taken Vicodin or any strong pain meds, so maybe I just don't know what I should be feeling.

I did take a Ondansetron ODT 8 MG tablet earlier when I felt nauseous, and after 20 minutes I was much better, so at least that worked. And I think the Prednisone is keeping the swelling to a minimum. At this point, though, I just want to feel less pain!

Haven, I know the question was not for me but it is possible that its not working for you. I also was taking Vicodin for my wisdom teeth and it did nothing to me but make me a zombie with pain. Could you call your doctor and ask him to switch you to a different medication? I don't know why, but perc's did the trick for me.

You're not a baby!

P.s. you looked gorgeous in your sisters wedding pic

P.p.s your BP absolutely increases when you are nervous/anxious and same with your heart rate

 

[Arcadian]

YAAASSSS you got some gas!! (what can I say, I love that stuff) Don't drink out of straws, you can get dry socket, they told you to gargle with some warm water and salt after eating I hope?? That always felt so good!


I can't take percs or vics because they make me very very ill. My doc loaded me up with numbing gel which got me through the first day. More or less just relax if you can, and hopefully you'll feel better in the morning! You might want to also try drinking hot/warm tea which could also help sooth your mouth some.

-A

 

[Bliss]

Just wanted to say that I'm glad you're feeling better, Haven!!!!!

WOW, you are STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS, BTW!!!! Even all swollen after the surgery! What bone structure! Didn't know you were such a purdy girl! Hehehehehe... I love the disgruntled expression you have after the surgery with the frozen peas. TOO FUNNY. You look like your cat avatar!!!!

Feel better!!!!

 

[jstarfireb]

AprilBaby--May I ask you another question?

My doctor prescribed Hydrocodon-Acetaminophen 5-325 for my pain, (I believe this is the common name for Vicodin.) The directions say to take one to two pills every four to six hours for pain. I took two pills around 1 PM, and then two more around 7 PM. I'm also taking a tapering dosage of Prednisone 5 MG (6 today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the day after, etc.)

Anyway, I don't think this Vicodin is working. Is that possible? I've been in pain all day. I felt the pain right at the end of the surgery, and took the Vicodin shortly after we got home, but the pain has just been getting worse throughout the day. The ice packs help, but only a bit. Am I just being a baby? I've never taken Vicodin or any strong pain meds, so maybe I just don't know what I should be feeling.

I did take a Ondansetron ODT 8 MG tablet earlier when I felt nauseous, and after 20 minutes I was much better, so at least that worked. And I think the Prednisone is keeping the swelling to a minimum. At this point, though, I just want to feel less pain!

Everyone responds differently to different medications. I would call your surgeon and let him know that the Vicodin isn't doing much for your pain. You could ask for Percocet (which is oxycodone plus tylenol; oxycodone is a little stronger than hydrocodone) or a higher strength of Vicodin (7.5 or 10 mg in each pill instead of 5, but combined with the same amount of tylenol, effectively doubling or multiplying by 1.5 the dose of the narcotic without causing you to overdose on tylenol).

ETA: Just be cautious because narcotics can cause nausea, so keep those ondansetron nearby!

 

[Haven]

Thank you, Autumn! I'm glad to know that my nerves were probably the cause of all my elevated numbers. When I saw my heart rate I thought "Oh my gosh I really need to do more cardio."

Arcadian, you're too funny! I did like the gas, to be honest. It really helped me relax, especially since I was *so* nervous going into the surgery. I literally had to choke back tears when I first sat down in the chair, I was so scared. I'm adding your tips to my "Things to do/not do" list, so thank you! The numbing gel sounds amazing, I'm going to try to get my hands on some of that.

Bliss--Thank you! You are too kind, my dear. And haha on looking like my cat avatar, I love it! Instead of the cone of shame it's like I'm wearing the frozen peas of shame. Ha! Your post really cheered me up!

Jstar--Thank you for your post, I am definitely learning that I respond abnormally to Vicodin. After I posted my last post I paid really close attention to my pain, and by about 2.5 hours after I took the Vicodin it started to subside a bit. I wonder if it's possible that the meds just act really slowly in me. I think my surgeon is planning on calling me tomorrow to check in, so I'll ask him then. Now I'm actually feeling a bit less pain than earlier, and I'm thinking it must be a mix of the Vicodin and the iced peas. My swelling has gone down a bit too, which is really good! I'm still feeling a bit dizzy in that morning-after-a-big-night-out-drinking sort of way. The room tips a bit and then resets, and then tips again and resets, etc. etc. I'm thinking that has something to do with the Vicodin. My doc only prescribed two of the nausea pills for me, so I'm going to have to ask about more of those, as well. I won't take the other one unless I feel like I'm going to vomit again, though.

Thanks again for the support, everyone!

 

[jstarfireb]

It's funny; I've taken Vicodin for post-surgical pain (and I'd be lying if I said I didn't pop one of the leftovers for the occasional severe migraine, about once a year or less). And it barely affects me at all...well, it takes away the pain, but I feel none of the side effects. In fact, I hardly ever get side effects from any medication. I don't get drowsy from Benadryl or stomach pain from ibuprofen, for example. My theory is that I'm a fast metabolizer, which refers to the efficiency of some particular enzymes in your liver that metabolize drugs. There are several known forms of these enzymes that can make people slow, medium, or fast metabolizers (and I'm sure it's even more complex than that). Anyway, I'm rambling, but the point is that medications affect people differently in very complex ways. Sometimes it's a matter of trial and error until you find one that works well for you.

Also, I think the swelling was contributing a lot to your pain, and Vicodin does nothing for inflammation. When you check in with your surgeon, ask if it's ok to keep taking ibuprofen, which can help a lot with inflammation, but can also worsen bleeding (so some surgeons don't like their post-op patients to take it).

ETA: You totally look like Lea Michele (she plays Rachel in Glee) in that top left pic. You're both gorgeous.

 

[LAJennifer]

If the Vicodin isn't doing the trick, call your doc and ask for some Percocet. That's what I had with the removal of my wisdom teeth. Oh, I needed it. There is now a Vicoprofin (vicodin ibuprofen) that may be of some benefit with swelling and pain. I think I would try the percocet first - it will take away the pain, but might make you a little sick (that will pass in a few days).

A few years later - I had my lower jaw reconstructed (major surgery). They gave me Lortab elixir. That stuff was awesome! I think it is just like a liquid vicodin, but maybe the absorption was better? Worked instantly. I was on that stuff for 3 months.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Haven, you look SO beautiful in that wedding picture! Although, even more impressively (since I already knew you were very pretty from having met you IRL), you look really good in your post-op pic (at least compared to me - I looked so awful post-op for days - I had massive bruises on my jaw and cheeks from the procedure and the injections, and fading yellow-green-black bruises do not look good on Asian skin ).

I'm glad you decided to wait, and I bet your DH enjoyed your "loopiness" from the meds!

My BFF got her wisdom teeth out during our senior year of high school, and when she got hers done, we were in the middle of our Shakespeare unit in AP English (specifically Hamlet). One of our projects was to pick a 20-line monologue and memorize it, and then recite it in front of the class.

Well, the doctor put her under general anesthesia, did the procedure, and as she was coming out of it afterwards, she started mumbling. Her doctor got really concerned and went to get her mom to ask what she was saying. Her mom came in and listened, and said, "Um, I think she's reciting Shakespeare!" Yep, she was reciting her monologue!

ETA: I would ask about other pain meds if the Vicodin isn't working. I have a horrible reaction to Vicodin. When I took it for my wisdom teeth, it basically caused so much nausea that I was vomiting in the car (sorry for the horrible image) on the way back. I forgot about that and a couple years ago, I was given half a tablet (I only took a half for the wisdom teeth too) post-op after LASIK. It did knock me out (it helps to sleep off the first couple hours after LASIK) but I felt like I was in a half-awake/half-asleep state the whole time, my heart was pounding, I felt so jittery (even while in my half-sleep) like I'd had about 10 shots of espresso in 5 min. So definitely Not Good.

 

[Autumnovember]

If the Vicodin isn't doing the trick, call your doc and ask for some Percocet. That's what I had with the removal of my wisdom teeth. Oh, I needed it. There is now a Vicoprofin (vicodin ibuprofen) that may be of some benefit with swelling and pain. I think I would try the percocet first - it will take away the pain, but might make you a little sick (that will pass in a few days).

A few years later - I had my lower jaw reconstructed (major surgery). They gave me Lortab elixir. That stuff was awesome! I think it is just like a liquid vicodin, but maybe the absorption was better? Worked instantly. I was on that stuff for 3 months.

Thats a good suggestion---maybe you just need a liquid form of meds? Absorption is usually faster if it is in liquid form than if it is pill form.