The beauty of SR
 

Hi all,
I've been coming to SR for over 5 years now and post sometimes but not a lot. This morning I've posted about 6 times, which is a record for me. I also almost never start threads. But this is where I see the beauty of SR.

Today I'm nervous. I've got major dental surgery which is going to entail some pain and discomfort for a week or so. I'm not really concerned with relapse because of pain meds - I've been through similar things before - its just that I'm a big wimp when it comes to pain.

Plus, I think my dentist had a former career as an interrogator for the Khmer Rouge or some other outfit specializing in torture techniques. Anyone here seen Marathon man? Is it safe?

So how does this fit with SR? This morning I've been able to put aside my fear and anxiety and lose myself in the thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears, struggles and successes of other alcoholics and addicts. SR is enabling me to get out of myself, put my petty concerns aside, and experience some sobriety on a gloomy (weather-wise) December morning. That's a real good thing.

Sometimes when I share at meetings that I do online recovery I get attitude and cliches thrown at me. I'd invite anyone of the scoffers to visit this sitesomeday.

Thanks SR for being the embodiment of what recovery is and always should be. Thanks for the support, advice, and for being a safe place. God knows I need it now...I can just hear that dentist drill...AAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!

Mike in Boston

Mike,those dentists make me cringe.UUgggg
good luck with your surgery.
I usually do not say much in f2f about online stuff.A lot of folks just do not understand.

ouch Mike....:hug:
I sure hope the dental surgery heals quickly.

I too love to share on SR ..it's a super supplement
to my F2F AA recovery. I'm in and out of here
several times a day....:yup:

Forward we go...side by side

Youch, your dentist sounds like mine!

Good luck with the surgery, hope it all goes well!!

I haven't been to any AA meetings yet, so not sure what the attitude towards online groups are like... hmm... a thought to bear in mind I suppose!

Good luck! :wavey:

I am the queeeen of dental work; more crowns, root canals, fillings, extractions, all the way to dental implants that required extensive bone grafts, than I can count! Oh the hours I've spent in the chair with novacaine my only friend. The worst I've suffered was a headache after several hours with my jaw locked open.

If you're not going under, there needn't be any real pain after the initial couple of shots. I will stop the dentist in a second if I feel any nerves that haven't deadened completely.

I've never really suffered terribly afterwards, more a dull ache. Good luck, and my thoughts are with you for a speedy healing.

I am very grateful for SR, too.

Hugs,
Donna

I hate dentalwork, needles, dentists (especially ones who studied under Khemer Rouge)
I hate pain, I hate waiting in doctor's office with nauseating music and boring magazines, I hate going to the pharmacy to fill the prescptions that my dentist gave me, but hey I can do it because i have to and because recovery has taught me how.

I'm in the final phases of a total cosmetic dentistry makeover. I have had 28 teeth ground down to nubs to make way for full porcelain crowns (not veneers).

Along this path I have had one root canal to prepare one tooth for long-term. I also went through preparatory periodontal work.

This all started I think back in October. Initially, she started with 18 of my front top and bottom teeth. She ground them down and placed temporary acrylic covers over them. These covers or provisionals are all one piece so you can't floss between them.

This on-piece design makes for extreme pain at times because you feel pressure squeezing all the time. Plus, the acrylic doesn't protect much against temperature change.

I made it through that phase and we recently went after the back teeth. I had no idea what I was in for. The back teeth are where most of the work gets done when you chew. So now, even with popcorn I have to move them them side-to-side to get them crushed. Even a salad crouton is work.

I have found once I awake the pain nerves the sensation grows and grows until it takes over my whole head.

By the end of January this will all be worth it when I finally have a mouthful of pearly-whites. I was a tetracycline baby and my whole life I had a green/yellow stain on my teeth. One of my front incisors was also off-color due to a childhood root canal.

I admit I had no idea the pain I should have expected, but most of the time it is very manageable. I rarely take my Vicodin and rely mostly on Advil.

I started all this before I became sober 10 days ago, and now I am acutely aware of the dangers an addictive personality can invite in when there are opiates in the house. Thank goodness pain killers were not my DOC during all this. I am paying special attention they don't become the new Zen for my brain either.

Oooooooooooh, how I hate the dentist.

Thanks for your post, Mike. 5 years sober! You need to be here to tell us more!

SR is my AA. I would not be 6 months sober without it. I am very, very grateful, too.

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies and the support. I've got a mouth full of stitches but the pain isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm off for the week so I plan on taking it easy, hitting some meetings, and playing with my kids. I've actually been sober almost 13 years now, with SR on the scene for 5. I'm going to keep coming here. it was your posts and support that got me through today

Thanks again, Mike

glad it's not too bad Mike :)
guess I better do the dental thing soon too........:scared: LOL

D

Hey Dee,
Here's one for my SR guru:
Why did the guru refuse Novacaine when he went to his dentist?
He wanted to transcend dental medication.

Mike

Mike I liked this thread until you told that joke!!!! LOL J/K!!!!!

I know a gal who had 6 years and then wound up on some pain meds and relapsed! A lot of folks I know in the fellowship give thier pain meds to another person they trust to give it to them only at the proper time & in the proper dosage. The young lady who relapsed was lucky and got right back into the rooms and got a chip in less then a week, she has 7 months now.

BTW I used to like the dentist until the crowns started coming!!! LOL

SYMPATHIES from the world's biggest dental-phobe!! I recently saw the dentist after *cough* years of not going due to fear. I was way drugged up, even for my initial cleaning and exam!, and again for all the work. I had to have 3 fillings, 2 wisdom teeth pulled, and 1 crown. I'm still suffering with the temp crown but hopefully it will all be over Monday when I get the permanent crown. I've been working really hard to overcome this fear and start taking proper care of myself. I do not like having this big hole in the back of my mouth where this huge wisdom tooth used to be, and I don't like that it's been 3 weeks and it still hurts where they gave me the shots, but ... I somehow managed to do it. This has been hanging over my head for literally YEARS.

ExNavy... wow. I can not imagine EVER having the courage to do what you're doing!! How long has that whole process taken? I'm learning that I'm ok with stuff that they can knock me out for and do all in one visit, but this going back for adjustments and emergency fix-ups (my temp crown broke) really SUCKS.

Heal quickly, Mike, and I hope the worst is over for you! CONGRATS on that sober time!!! That is truly awesome.

Good Luck!
Happy New Year!