I'm about to go get my wisdom teeth out

[xiphias]

Lis: You should blog something wise!
Ian: Why?
Lis: So you can compare before and after!
Ian: I thought it was so that, in the unlikely event that I die under the general anesthesia, my final post won't be my parents talking about octopuses taking over the world.
Lis: I thought you WANTED to be remembered for that.

Yep, so I'm off to the oral surgeon to get my wisdom teeth removed. I suppose there IS a non-zero chance that I'll die from this, but given that Dr. D'Eamero has taken the wisdom teeth out of, I think, THOUSANDS of people (including my sister and several of my cousins), under general and with no significant complications, I'm not THAT worried.

Comments

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

besides,wouldn't it be under heavy sedation rather than general, anyway?

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

FWIW, I had my wisdom teeth out under general.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

general is the way to go. It's the way I did it, and I only woke up and tried to hit someone once, I'm told.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

Mayhap I'm misunderstanding what is meant by 'general'. I tend to think of general anaesthetic as meaning being so drugged that one is no longer breathing for oneself.

This, to my knowlege, is not done in dentist's offices but only in hospitals. And if you woke up and tried to hit someone that's not what I think of as general anaesthesia.

I have no memory of having my wisdom teeth out. I slept through at least some of it, in that I counted backward from 10 to maybe 6. But when I woke up on a bunk bed they told me I walked to it. And they'd made sure my inhaler was accessible during.

This is "heavy sedation" (or IV sedation), not "general anaesthesia"

general anaesthesia

IV Sedation

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

I thought general just meant unconscious. IV sedation, not awake, not moving. That's the way to go, however you express it. As heavy as they get in the dentists office.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

:complete agreement:

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

general anesthesia = unconscious, not aware of what's happening

IV sedation, aka, conscious sedation = in and out of consciousness, aware of what's happening at least part of the time, but may not recall it

General anesthesia is riskier than conscious sedation and requires monitoring by a specialist, so usually is not done outside a hospital or day surgery center. Some oral surgery is done in day surgery centers.

Interestingly, we're starting to find evidence that while general anesthesia renders the patient unconsious and not aware of pain, the body continues to respond to pain unless analgesia is also given. Some studies have shown that patients who receive both anesthesia and analgesia tend to do better after surgery.

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

I feel for you, I had my wisdom teeth removed later in life too (rather than in my teens). I won't lie, it hurts.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

FWIW I thought the octo-post was pretty high in Wisdom, although it might have a low Constitution.

As to the wisdom teeth, be prepared for a sore jaw afterwards. Nothing horrible, its just that the docs have to keep your mouth open for a Very Long Time.

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

When I got my wisdom teeth out, I discovered that anaesthetic makes me very determined. When I woke up, I wanted my teeth. When they didn't understand my hand gestures, I demanded paper so I could properly demand my teeth. They just kept telling me to lay down while they explained my restrictions to my mother, who'd driven me there. I staggered up to the counter and read the piece of paper with the list of things not to do or eat, didn't quite understand one of them, and demanded an explanation. Actually, Mom says I demanded an explanation three times, since my short-term memory was shot.

Then when we got home, I stood up to visit the restroom to rinse out my horrible bloody mouth, and fainted for the first and only time ever.

So the side-effects can be interesting.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Best wishes for a reasonably quick and easy dental surgery, and for a good recovery.

[mattblum.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the odds are much higher that you'll die in a car accident on the way to or from the oral surgeon than from anything that happens while there.

That may or may not be comforting to you, of course.

[zachkessin.livejournal.com]

Probably not so comforting, but probably true none the less.

[cheshyre]

Hey, I'm not that bad a driver! :}

[beckerapiwe.livejournal.com]

Labels: accident , medicine , personal urban drama # posted by Carol : PM   4 comments links to this post Sunday, February You may (or may not) know that there is a health care crisis in Florida.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

Best Wishes....

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

May you have an unremarkable surgery and a remarkably pain-free recovery.

Although he is a great doctor....

[sproutntad.livejournal.com]

I puked and was in increadable pain. I also think that I got up in the middle of the night and wandered off... You'd have to ask mom about that though. My problem was that I also had arm surgery a few weeks before and I wasn't taking my painkillers. Oh yeah, and both my bottom teeth were horizontally impacted so they had to cut into my bones. It's kinda cool now though because I have two huge holes in the back of my mouth. All I really remember about the surgery is that I was lying on a cot and I vaugely heard someone say "When she can walk out on her own she can go home." So that was it, I got up walked out of the office and then almost fainted as soon as I stepped outside. I hope your wisdom teeth don't hurt as much as mine... :)

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

When you get home, and are still dizzy, take some percoset or whatever they give you, and then post something about the nature of life. We can compare the results to my ambien posts.

[(Anonymous)]

i'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow... i'm going to die. i can feel it. i am writing my will right now... my dear friend eleanor gets my comfy bed. my last words... im nervous. im afraid of dying. why am i doing this for four teeth? can't i live with them? how many people have died from this? i am going to die. im really scared. i just thought i should let you all know.. anthesia is going to kill me

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Well, as you can see, I survived just fine, as did my sister (sproutandtad, up above).

It is EXTREMELY rare for someone to die under general. I mean, twenty years ago, it was very safe. Now, it's literally orders of magnitude safer.

I think we're down to the one-in-a-million level, now, at least under first-world medical conditions. Or darned close to it.

It does knock you for a loop the next day or two -- spend the next couple days just resting as best as you can. Your body will need the time and energy to heal.

But, while there IS a non-zero chance of death, it is, I suspect, not worth worrying about.

That said, writing out your will isn't a bad idea -- life itself is risky. But tomorrow isn't going to be significantly riskier than today, or yesterday, or the day after tomorrow.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh come. It's going to be easy. If you really don't want to feel anything try and drink something before you go, but after that you might need some alcohol treatment (http://www.drugrehabsunsetmalibu.com/alcohol-rehab/alcohol-treatment/).

[marieqahev.livejournal.com]

Good news :)