Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Silver Linings

It has been a harrowing week. What started out as a pain in my jaw (What the hey! Have I been gnashing my teeth in my sleep again?) , began to look like an abscessed tooth. Definitely a problem to ignore! Finally giving in to the pain I visited my dentist who passed along the bad news that it might be two teeth that were abscessing. So depressing. In my mind I was already toting up the cost of two root canals and the possible replacement of one of the crowns which dated back to 1981.

Today I went to see my endodontist. He was incredibly thorough what with all the tapping, application of cold towelettes and X-rays. After a final placement of my head between my knees and the description of the pounding in my nose, he sent me along to my regular doctor. Diagnosis: sinus infection. This doesn't mean that I won't need a root canal in the future, but it may mean I have dodged this particular bullet.

But with this whole week of fitful sleep, massive doses of ibuprofen and numerous visits to anxiety producing dentists I did have a chance to brush up against one of my most favorite harbingers of Spring. While walking my precious pooch this evening I heard the "peent" of the Woodcocks. Their distinctive call fills up an hour when everything should be quiet- catching you by surprise. They thrill me in the classic sense of the word- I slow down, my hearing is sharpened, I quake just a little bit. I want so much to catch one in my hands just for a minute- to see what makes such a thrilling noise.

Sigh... Spring fills me up.

4 comments:

d smith kaich jones said...

It sounds exhausting. Funny (or not so funny) how a sinus infection can create such grief. And any time you can put off a root canal, I am all for it. And Spring is saying hello - always a good sign.

Take care.
:) Debi

PS - I am sitting here listening to Edward Norton (what a fool!)- on Larry King Live - compare "Earth Hour" (turning off one's lights for an hour; I'm not sure when we're supposed to do that, but he admits it's just symbolic & really doesn't accomplish anything, whatever anything may actually be - such silliness), but I digress. He actually compared it to the symbolism of The March on Selma as part of the civil rights movement. Makes me laugh - hopefully you too.

:) Debi

LYC said...

I too heard the birds, especially this morning, but it was the chickadee's and their phee-bee mating call...so now I'm sure it's Spring.

JAF said...

Sinus infections are sneaky things. My aunt told me one of her friends was diagnosed at first as having had a stroke because of the way her face got kind of crooked. (Whoa, Debbie Downer or what?)...so, I am so glad you are okay! Go out and get yourself a HUMIDIFIER! Let's get together and talk bones. Can I have that yellow one?

Michael Hawes said...

So out here in Arizona we know spring has arrived when the Turkey vultures have come back. Up on Kitt Peak we also have swallows return like the Capistrano ones. As both have now returned I know it is spring but I also thought we might be in summer already as we have already been over 90. Plus we already are into fire season with three fires burning right now. All human caused. When will we learn? Or should we let them go as mother nature used to years ago? I don't know if I have ever heard a Woodcock but I have seen one from our days when we were teachers in New Hampshire.