I had so much planned for today. So much! Instead, I’m almost crippled with pain from an infected nerve in my tooth. And by ‘crippled’ I literally mean that I cannot even form a logical thought at times. By the way, I had two of my kids with no epidural or any pain meds - I can handle pain - but this... I’m beyond words when trying to describe it.
So... what is the key to handling pain?
Meditation teachers say that you have to embrace it instead of fighting it. Perhaps. But embracing something that’s a consequence of beyond unaffordable dental care is very hard indeed. I’m sure I wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place had I not been postponing the treatment forever. Let’s be honest - who can easily part with two grand to get their tooth fixed? So I guess it’s partly my fault...
Now I’m off to teach a belly dance class to twenty women - and I’d better be radiant with confidence and positivity. Needless to say, good vibes needed.
So... The question still stands. What is your key to handling pain (when 800 g ibuprofen doesn’t do the trick)?
The best pain reliever is cannibis. Hands down it reduces inflammation and pain better than anything else I know. It is damn shame it’s not more widely available yet. In time I do hope...
I have a habit of procrastinating problem solving too. Especially if funds are tight, but I’m trying to notice that just putting off problems doesn’t make them any easier to solve. In fact I often create MORE stress, panic and sometimes pain by delaying. Sure hope you feel better soon. Hugs
Oh I didn't even think about cannabis! Hopefully, it will become more widely available soon. Even though Georgia is probably going to be one of the lasts states to do it. :)
Agreed on procrastinating. Lesson learned for me. I'm seeing an endodontist at 4 pm and it seems like there is a whole eternity between now and then!
The key would be just to ignore others and do what makes us happy :)
Hope you’re doing good
Thank you, @deadshot07. Not doing too great at the moment, but I’m sure I will be. At some point in the future :).
Trust in the process you’ll do well
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Will do!
Interesting coincidence that I find myself here, reading this post-- I am also dealing with tooth pain from a nerve (I have two sets of wisdom teeth and that occasionally gives me some issues... or "nothing $5000 worth of oral surgery won't fix")... and it's debilitating.
The only thing even marginally effective is doing a "pain switch" meditation a couple of times a day and then bombing it with ibuprofen at night so I can sleep.
Pain Switch: Find a quiet place. Get relaxed. Now focus completely on the pain-- get inside it; feel it fully for a minute or so. Now find a part of your body that has absolutely NO pain-- maybe your ankle, or your elbow; you decide. Focus completely on the pain free spot; being completely aware what it feels like to have NO pain, for a minute or so. Then focus on the tooth pain again... 30-60 seconds, this time visualizing it to be similar to the spot that has no pain. Then go back to the pain free spot again... then back to the tooth pain, every 30-60 seconds. I usually repeat about 5-6 cycles. Finish the meditation by enjoying the pain free spot fully.
Usually this helps me go from acute misery to a "general numbness" in my jaw. It's no magic pill, but it does help. I just did it about an hour ago, and I can sit here and type and the pain has almost completely dissipated.
Tooth pain is the worst though... I totally empathize!
Thank you do much, @denmarkguy! I'm going to do it right now. I am a believer in meditation, so, hopefully, it will help. I used to have problems with my wisdom teeth all the time - and yes, removing them is very costly. I'm sorry to hear that you live in pain, too. :(( I wish you all the best and am sending you positive vibes!