woof. what a week.

IMG 1412 IMG 1410

the past eight days have been, to be blunt, pretty hellish.
(my life is outrageously good and i am tremendously privileged and my hardships are so trivial compared to so many others’ - but they are still real for me and this week was just seriously rough.)

little mo had surgery last thursday. he was born with an abnormality that we knew (since he was only days old) needed to be surgically repaired, so we knew this was coming - but nothing could have prepared us for it all. (and we are definitely not out of the woods yet on recovery - it may require a lot of time and possibly additional procedures). for six nights, all three of us were up every three to four hours for meds and nappy changes. there was a lot of worry about healing swirling around in our home, and everything in life got put on hold (and thus piled up!).

IMG 1391 IMG 1399
^^ the playroom at the hospital was pretty awesome...but our poor baby had some sad times there along with the fun play. ^^

on saturday, i started experiencing a pretty acute toothache. i made an appointment to see the dentist the following week and carried on doing my best to care for my boys. but the pain in my mouth escalated to the point that i was convinced i’d just have to go to the emergency room on sunday night. it was honestly the most excruciating pain i have ever felt in my life and was totally all-encompassing. because i’m pregnant there wasn’t much i could do about it with painkillers, and because it was the weekend we couldn’t find anywhere to go to get emergency dental care.

i honestly believe a miracle of answered prayers happened when the pain subsided in the wee hours of monday morning, and i was so, so grateful. i was able to see a dentist and get on an antibiotic to keep the pain of the abscess at bay until our baby is born (after which i will probably have to have a tooth pulled - eek!). i was so looking forward to a bit of semi-good sleep (between wake-ups to tend to moses) that night, but became really nauseated out of nowhere and then i started having lots of pregnancy-induced sciatica pain, and gosh, i was just down for the count. luckily ian could work from home, and he’s the best ever and took great care of me amidst everything else going on.

nights still aren’t uninterrupted, and worry about mo’s healing is still very much swirling around in our home, but we are finally coming out of the haze of a hellish week a bit - hurrah. moses is 95% back to his exuberant self, and i was so cheered yesterday by some spring buds popping up around the city, a walk through pastel notting hill cottages, a gathering with friends and a bit of london sunshine. ian and i have learned a lot from this experience and there is so, so much to be grateful for!

IMG 1442 IMG 1453
IMG 1449 IMG 1444
IMG 1433 IMG 1454
^^ our sweet friends came by yesterday afternoon and brought us our favourite bread and some awesome cards. ^^

i hope your week was better than mine! and here’s to a hopefully healthy future…!

Comments

  1. I’m quite mad at the world that there is no remedy for your tooth until the baby is born. Can’t modern science do any better? Women have pregnant for thousands of years. People have had teeth for just as long. Admire you for bravely moving forward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. antibiotics was the remedy. i am no longer in pain. but it’s a temporary fix...

      Delete
  2. That's a tough one! Hope you're through the worst of it and that Moses' healing goes well.

    There are absolutely pain killers you can take while pregnant!! Remember, you baby feels your extreme stress, lack of sleep, panic etc when you are in pain so you're not doing your baby (or yourself) any favors by not getting the pain relief you so clearly need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh i definitely took paracetemol (tylenol). it is just recommended you take the lowest dose when pregnant and no other pain killers on top. and it helped a little but not a lot...

      Delete
  3. Oh goodness! That is hellish! I am so sorry. Each of those things individually would be hard but altogether that is an onslaught. I try to limit sweets like you but this definitely calls for ice cream.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AH! my little guy (22 mos old) was born with a kidney abnormality that he just had surgically repaired in December. We're also not out of the woods with follow-up tests, etc. Recovery was pretty awful for 2 weeks then his appetite/sleep/mood seemed to go back to normal! my husband and I spent most nights sleeping on the floor in his room until he (WE ;) ) felt comfortable again. Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  5. As a dentist, I would not wait to get your tooth pulled. The second trimester is perfectly fine to extract teeth. Unless there is some other sort of medical problem. Trust me. I wouldn't wait. Toothaches come back with a vengence. You don't want to be on antibiotics for 3 months.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i am only on the antibiotic for 5 days. dental care is a little different here than in the us. it would be difficult to find a dentist here that would do an extraction during pregnancy (not sure why). also, we could alternatively re-do a root canal and i would like to explore that option.

      Delete
    2. thank you for sharing this though!

      Delete
  6. I usually put the patient on antibiotics for 5 to 7 days and then extract. That is the time. If not you better have some antibiotics on hand because you are taking a chance. Sometimes you will be fine for a while or you will get the intense pain and even huge swelling within a month. It is risky so be prepared. Probably come back right as you go into labor. I would have the root canal redone or apicoectomy if possible. Amazing such a little thing as a tooth can cause so much pain. The struggle is real. So strange that England is not up to date!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps this is the source of stereotypes about "British teeth?"

      Delete
  7. Truth. Meghan Markle has gorgeous teeth. A plus to marrying an American!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sending love prayers and hugs! Do loads of research on root canals. I would hands down get a tooth pulled over root canal. Just my suggestion. I could be high in the night but tooth stuff can be no good for the babe. Im 100% not trying to say you or what you are doing is wrong. And you are a very prayful person. Just sharing! And hoping things are so much better. Oil pulling might help if you can't get it extracted.

    ReplyDelete
  9. When I saw the colours of the building with the two doors, I thought it was the house from the gender reveal and thought they redecorated due to too many pictures! ;-)

    I hope Moses heals soon!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Some weeks are just the pits :(. I'm sorry it was such a rough one and that you and family are back into a more normal groove. It's rough when a toddler has to have surgery--just not enough language to explain what's going on well. Poor Moses and momma

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is rough!! Good luck in the next few weeks with everything!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh man. You're at your limit! Love Ana prayers to the three of you!!! -Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  13. i hope you have a better week. all the healing to you and mo! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I hope you & Moses feel better soon. x

    By the way, what does it mean when you put woof on your blog? I've never heard that before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha, i guess it’s just the sound i think of for an exasperated sigh. i didn’t realize that i use that word with some frequency and i am not sure where it came from.

      Delete
  15. Feel better, Charity and baby Mo. ����
    —Marissa

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have told myself often: it's how I react that matters most. What a crazy week! My teeth always seemed to be ultra sensitive when I was pregnant or nursing. And, even here in the states, every dentist that looked at my teeth while I was pregnant would not do any major dental work. I hope your toothache will hold out until the baby arrives. Goodluck!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment