Under the Knife

I am planning on getting my teeth fixed within the next few years.  This will be a long process, but I believe in my heart that it will be something that I will be happy about and have no regrets. 

To start off, I will explain to you what I will be going through.  I still have a baby tooth.. yes, I said it.  Most people find this weird, but it is what it is.  My "adult" tooth is still in the roof of my mouth, just hanging out.  In order to fix this, it will require some maneuvering of my teeth, and so forth.  This will also take a surgery to remove the baby tooth, and to put a bracket of some sorts on the adult tooth that will slowly, be brought down. 

I had to have surgery #1 this past Friday.  What was it for?  I had to have a tissue graft, which means they took tissue from the roof of my mouth and placed it on my gums, next to the spot where my baby tooth is.  The periodontist recommended this surgery because he felt that the tissue I currently had might not be enough to support the adult tooth once it goes into place.  So, surgery #1 was completed.  How do I feel? I am in pain, sore, achy.  I am wearing a plastic retainer to protect the site where the tissue was removed and I can barely eat anything.  My saving grace has been applesauce (with cinnamon), mac-n-cheese, oatmeal, and rainbow sherbert.  YUM! I have to be on a "soft" food diet for the next 2 weeks so pray that I can make it through.  It actually hasn't been too bad, because the pain I am experiencing takes away from my appetite.

I called the nurse today, because I always think wayyy to much about stuff.  Am I taking care of my mouth? Should it still hurt? Will it get infected? I'm way over paranoid.  The nurse assured me that day 3-4 is when the pain normally peaks and that they felt that everything during my surgery was definitely a success and that I should not get any infections, whatsoever.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.  I go back next Friday for the postoperative visit.

After my gums heal (approximately 8 weeks) I can technically start my orthodontic treatment.  It's been a while since I went to see the orthodontist, so I may get a few things wrong, or leave out details.  But, if I remember correctly, the first thing they will do is give me a spacer (an appliance that spaces out some of my teeth).  This will help get my teeth ready for the braces.  I will then have braces put on (clear on top, normal on the bottom teeth).  Once my teeth have moved and have enabled my "adult" tooth to replace my "baby" tooth, I will then have another surgery.  This will expose my "adult" tooth, and get things rolling for it to be brought down to chill with the other teeth in my mouth. 

This process is going to take yearss, literally.  I am praying, hoping, dreaming, that it will take less time than expected, but with my luck it will take longer. 

Until I finish with all this madness, please bear with me.  Excuse my lack of manners while eating, my hard time pronouncing certain words and letters.  Please, please, please pray that everything goes smoothly during this process.  This is something that I have ignored for years and years, but to be honest with myself, this was nothing that was just going to "disappear".  Like I said earlier, I know deep down that I will be 100% happier with myself once everything is over with.  I always admire people with a pretty smile, and I KNOW that with my incredibly awesome doctors, they will do wonders on my smile!

Stella Bella... my Christmas Miracle

I always told myself that I would keep blogging on a regular basis... has that happened? Nope.  My last blog was in October and it is mid January.  Holy Canoli! Time sure does fly.  I had probably one of the best Christmas's of my life.  I got to spend it with my wonderful family, all who mean the world to me.  Not only did I just get to spend time with my family, I adopted a new family member. 

Meet Stella:

Stella is what I like to call my Christmas Miracle.  She came into my life on Friday, December 23rd.  I had been keeping up with her on Facebook through the City of Abbeville's Animal Services Page.  I had spoke with the Animal Patrol Officer on a few different occasions, checking on her progress as far as any interest from other individuals.

I had ALWAYS wanted a small dog, but just did not know if the timing was right.  I am single, working full time 8-5 Monday-Friday, living in an apartment.  Was this right for me?  A dog?  So much responsibility? So many questions, concerns.  I often doubted myself thinking that if I had so many questions, then it was obvious that the timing wasn't right.

I work for the City, so I knew that the Animal Shelter was going to be closed Friday, Dec. 23rd and Monday, Dec. 26th for the Christmas Holidays.  I also knew that Stella was still at the shelter.  Leaving work Thursday evening, I was heartbroken knowing that a sweet innocent dog was going to be all alone at the Shelter for days on end (mind you it was also forecasted to rain and be cold throughout the break).  I literally called Chris, the Animal Patrol Officer, at 5:15 that Thursday night.  My initial thought was just to get her out of the Shelter and "foster" her throughout the Holidays.  I had no intention of formally adopting her right away...I got his voicemail.  Thursday night, I finally got to speak with him and he said that it would be perfectly fine to take her for the holiday and to see if it would be a match.

Friday morning, I took a drive to the Shelter where I picked up Stella.  From there I took her to my sisters house (I couldn't take her to my apartment due to a deposit and filling out paperwork).  I also took her to the vet at Emeral City Animal Hospital, where she needed shots and a check up since she had no records or history.  While at the Vet, I was informed that Stella is around 8 years old (definitely an oldER dog) and that she has a tumor on her stomache (something that will need to be removed and checked to see if it is indeed cancer).  This broke my heart.  Again, I had many things running through my mind.  Is this something I can do?   Can I pay for surgeries and medicial care that Stella needs?  Will I have enough time to spend with her, to love her, to care for her?  After those thoughts crossed through my mind, I began to think about what would happen if I did NOT keep her.  Will anyone adopt her?  Will anyone love her?  Will they put her to sleep?  That last question replayed over and over in my head.  It was a hard decision and one that I shed many tears over, speaking to my mom about it a lot.  I needed guidance, help.  I didn't know if I could make a decision that big by myself. 

I finally reached a conclusion, thanks to my mom's help and advice.  I would keep Stella and love her and give her the life she deserves for as long as she lives.  If she turns out to have cancer, I will love her and be there for her. 

She is my heart and soul and she was one of the hardest decisions of my life, thus far.  But, one thing is for sure and that is: I have no regrets and she has been the best decision of my life.

This is Stella and Mia (my best friends dog) at the park