Sunday, June 3, 2018

Chronicles of Caregiving: Wisdom Teeth Surgery 2



So, here's what happened on Friday. Sophie had her upper two wisdom teeth removed by her beloved dentist, a little more than two years after she had removed the lower ones. The great great grandson of Albert Einstein was the anesthesiologist, but I have to tell you that knowing such genes are taking care of your child doesn't mitigate the strain or make the PTSDish any less. Both dentist and doctor were amazing, though, and when I drove Sophie home I felt confident that her mouth would recover. It looks like her mouth is recovering, but she is having so many seizures that she's wiped out, and I -- well, I -- well, it isn't about me, is it? I've had some dark nights of the soul of late, and I keep going back to breathing and realizing that it's only a moment that one has to get through in the end, and then the next. Moments don't pile up like years if you let them go. Besides, there are comrades who sit in the darkness with you, by other bedsides, in hospitals and homes, who've done it over and over for moments and moments and years and more years.

It's weird how my inner sense of absurdity kicks in just when the universe is at its most implacable and cruel. Hallelujah.

Dr. Klein and Dr. Einstein have been checking in regularly via text, phone and email -- this is the kind of care you get when you don't have dental insurance and go to a private dentist and are subsidized by generous and loving relatives. That I'm grateful is an understatement, and if I could close my eyes and make it happen for every kid with special healthcare needs, I would.

12 comments:

  1. Such a trauma. For both of you. I’m glad Sophie’s healing. Hoping the seizures settle down. Giant hug.

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  2. Well, it is about you too, Elizabeth. You and Sophie are a unit. In a very real sense, you are her world. And in every one of those minutes you are caring for her in one way or another. This is the truth of it. And so you cannot forget yourself in this equation. I guess I just want to honor that. And of course, wish for better minutes and days and hours for you both.

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  3. I'm glad she got such wonderful Care and seems to be healing from the Dental trauma. Now if only the seizures would ease up. I agree with Mary, it is also about you too, and I also Wish for better Moments and better Years.

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  4. I am curious. Was Sophie out to sleep during the procedure? I am terrified of dentists due to childhood trauma and I just can’t imagine the fear both of you might have had. I could be projecting, I know. I am so sorry for Sophie’s seizures. Again, words don’t adequately express what’s in my heart. I feel a lot.

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    1. Sweet Joanne -- yes, she was completely under anesthesia for at least three hours. That's the trouble, though -- getting all of that crap out of her very sensitive system. It's all so brutal. I'm so tired, and so is she. Thank you for your caring heart.

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  5. So sorry that you have been heaped with more darkness. The state of the union is bad enough without facing Sophie's extractions. I'm glad they are over and hope the healing, along with a cessation of so many seizures, is swift and kind to you both.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  6. So hard. For both of you.
    I hope your Sophie's wounds will heal rapidly.

    And then there's your inner sense of absurdity - I need to work on that.

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  7. Sending love to you and Sophie. So true about comrades in the darkness. And in the light.

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  8. Love and kisses from Seattle. The companions in darkness....we are blessed to have them. May Sophie heal well and quickly. And may you be held in many loving arms, always.

    Beth

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  9. I'm glad she's doing well.

    Sending hugs for you.

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  10. "Moments don't pile up like years if you let them go." Thank you for that wisdom. I am so happy to hear Sophie came through the oral surgery ok. That is traumatizing to any body. People often don't realize how connected to our circulatory systems the teeth are. It's no wonder Sophie is taking a bit to recover. And you, this is about you, too, how could it not be. If Sophie is having a hard time, you are too. But the moments. I will hold on to that for us all. Love.

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  11. Oh my god, the sheer chemistry of it all, let alone the trauma and the tension and the rest. May that stuff leave her body quickly and may you both get deep, restorative rest, and really, Elizabeth, you are amazing.

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