OWWWWWW ...

This pain is awful! REALLY AWFUL!!

It wasn't bad when I woke up this morning. I chose not to take aspirin and morphine just in case they did some dental work in the morning at my appointment. They didn't. But my dentist took some x-rays and saw a little bit of shadow above my back upper teeth. She then "cold tested" the three back molars and one of them didn't respond to cold at all. It's a "dead tooth", I guess. And probably infected. She said that normally she would do a root canal but the place is too awkward. She recommends permanently removing the tooth, which is the last molar at the top left. Fine with me if it will relieve this pain.

Before she can do anything, though, she said she would need to consult with my oncologist because Tamoxifen can possibly interfere with bone healing, which can then cause other problems. I told her I was off Tamoxifen right now but she still needs to check so that she can make sure the timing is okay. My feeling is that this pain is unbearable and no matter what's ideal, this tooth has to come out. That's what I'm thinking tonight while I'm in very miserable pain. I wasn't doing too badly at all during they day until about 6:00 and now I'm shaking with the pain. Or maybe it's the morphine. I'm on my 2nde dose of morphine and I've been trying both ice and heat and so far I'm still dizzy with pain.

I didn't hear back from my dentist today so I guess that means she wasn't able to talk to my oncologist. I hope to talk to her early tomorrow morning. If I don't hear from her, I'll be calling her office.

My upper gums at the back now feel inflamed and there's even a place that seems swollen on the roof of my mouth on the left side. I don't know why sores would be appearing. I can't open my mouth very far and I can't chew. This is not the optimal way to lose a few pounds, I tell you!

Wish me sleep tonight and some relief from the pain.