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Friday, April 23, 2010

Preoccuppied

I haven't posted this week because I've been preoccuppied with a health issue. I have a lump on my jaw. My mouth has been bothering me since the first of the year and I had root canals performed on three teeth. When that was done, my teeth still hurt, so I was put on a course of steroids. They provided tremendous relief to my arthritic pain and made me feel so much better, I forgot about my mouth. This past weekend, I admitted to myself that my jaw/teeth were still hurting, and I started feeling around to locate the source of the pain. On my lower right jaw, I discovered a bony lump about the size of a flattened marble. So, I made an appointment with my dentist and saw him Monday morning. Nothing showed in the x-rays he took. He thought it might be a stone lodged in a saliva gland and recommended that I suck on lemon drops to promote salivation and possibly dislodge it and to make an appointment with an ENT. Have you tried to buy lemon drops lately? I couldn't find any, but scooped up several kinds of sour candies and some actual lemons. Eating them did nothing to change the lump on my jaw.

I called my doctor on Tuesday to ask for a referral to an ENT. She asked me to come into the office instead. So, on Wednesday I saw my primary care doc. She thought an ENT was not the right person to see, but recommended instead that I see an axial/facial surgeon and said she thought I would probably have an MRI. My appointment with the axial/facial surgeon is scheduled for next Tuesday and I have to tell you I'm filled with trepidation. I'm scared of having an MRI because of claustrophobia and I'm afraid of what it could reveal.

I've played out all the worst case scenarios over and over and I've played out how silly I'm going to feel to learn it is a simple cyst. I hope I get to feel silly.

I've debated blogging about this, but since one of the primary purposes of this blog is to journal what is going on in our lives, and I can think of little else, I'm putting it out there. I promise to update after Tuesday's visit with the doctor.

4 comments:

  1. Sounds scary! I am thinking positive for you and we'll have a laugh about your 'cyst' when it's all over. :)

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  2. I understand what you mean about the MRI, I've had 2 of them thus far in my life. One was on my knee, so I didn't have to go all the way in the MRI, just my lower half. The second one was on my eye, because I was having some unexplained vision problems. What really helped me was listening to some soft music and telling the technician before I went in that I was claustrophobic (at that time in my life I could barely ride elevators - no joke). She said that I could talk to her during it if I needed to - they don't really want you to move too much, but she said if I needed to get out for a minute I could. That helped me to stay calm long enough for them to take the pictures. I tried to pretend it was a tanning bed too. Anything you can do to distract yourself is good, and the most important thing to remember is that it's only for a few minutes, it doesn't hurt at all, and you get a chance to lay around for a while! lol. I'm praying for you that it's something really simple and easy to treat.

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  3. Do you want me to send you some Xanax? It's the best way to get through an MRI (not to mention a long flight, trip to the dentist, etc.).
    Please be sure to post, so you're not inundated with calls. Take care!

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  4. Thanks everybody (and those of you who responded via email). Tuesday's appointment is just a consultation, I'll know more then and I'll post that afternoon. Halcion got me through three root canals, and I have one in reserve for an MRI if need be -- thanks, Lisa.

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