Partially Kicked Out of My Comfort Zone

I’ve been really happy the past couple of months, completely content to stay in except for trips to the laundry building and to the grocery store every four days.

There has been a disruption. I started having a sensitive tooth a week or so ago, and it has gotten worse, so I went to my dentist yesterday. It’s an infection, so she gave me a prescription for amoxicillin and a referral to an endodontist. My appointment with him is June 11, almost three weeks from now. When Andy had to go a while back he was seen in less than a week, so presumably the virus has complicated things. The receptionist said this is just for an evaluation, not a treatment, so I don’t know how that will work out. Andy was treated right away.

Andy will have to stay in the car while I get looked at, and I need to phone them when we get to the parking lot, then they will phone me when it’s time for me to come in. They no longer have chairs in the waiting room, which makes sense.

When we go to Santa Fe for Andy’s eye treatments I have to wait in the car (or else downstairs in the entry way, but I’ve never tried that). There they have some chairs for the patients, but often only one or two is there at a time now. Patients have to wear masks at both places.

We’ll just have to see how it turns out and if any treatment for the tooth is timely enough. The one thing I’ve been wondering is the antibiotic. I was supposed to take two to start, then one every eight hours until they are gone. The prescription is for 22 pills, so that is seven days. In the past we were supposed to take antibiotics for ten days. I had read that some doctors thought ten days was too much, and on the internet I’ve read both seven and ten days. Has anyone had any experience with antibiotics recently?

The most immediate impact on me is I’ve been having trouble eating and have been losing too much weight, so I’m working on creating food that (1) is nutritious, (2) requires no chewing, and (3) is palatable.

Life is one adventure after another. Have you had any lately?

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19 Responses to Partially Kicked Out of My Comfort Zone

  1. that’s not good CM, hope it turns out be nothing serious and that possibly the antibiotics will work. Usual practice here is 4x a day over 7 days, with food. And that means trying to eat 4x a day when your habits are 3x. Last time, I was pretty unwell so trying to keep to a regime was difficult and I ate some rather odd things on one of 4x!

    lots of adventures here…but then again, I think the worldwide people have certainly had some moments that they didn’t think they would ever encounter…in the last few months. Maybe it’s time to cancel 2020.

    • Jean says:

      Thanks for the information. The pharmacist says it’s best to take the medicine with food, and the instructions that come with the medicine says it doesn’t matter. So I take the one in the morning without food and go back to bed (I set the alarm for it), then take the other ones with food. I would have a lot more trouble if it were 4X a day!

      Yes, fingers crossed it works. As usual, I will let you know.

    • Kaitlin says:

      I have totally resonated with the sentiment “…time to cancel 2020.”

  2. Amoxicillin is my dentist’s go-to med but he has me taking four – 500mg capsules at one time just before my cleaning appointments. Been doing this about ten years. This is standard for people who have artificial joints and dental appointments where your gums might bleed. I’ve never had a problem taking them without food but my personal opinion is that most medications are best if not taken on an empty stomach. Those sheets that come with medications with all the warnings are so thorough, that if it mattered if you take them on an empty stomach it would be spelled out clearly. As for the 7 or 10 days, evidently there is no right or wrong answer here but with any antibiotic it is very important to take the full prescription.

    • Jean says:

      The instructions say they can be taken with or without food, but the pharmacist suggested taking them with food for the sake of the stomach. I’ve decided to try the morning one without and will switch to eating if it turns out to be necessary. I do take it with a lot of water.

      Thank you for telling me about the four that you have to take before your cleaning appointments. I hadn’t heard of that before.

  3. MadSnapper says:

    Oh the joys of aging! that is my battle cry now… yes, we have had the antibiotic new thing. Bob had a UTI, blood in the urine, just before the C-19 started. He was really sick, almost like flu, doc gave him 7 days of antibiotics and with in 24 hours his symptoms were gone. they worked that quickly. he did not have to go back. the 7 days was fine.. bob’s doc said take with food, he said you don’t have to but the reason for the food is it might give you nauseu. both my pills that require food with it, my bp meds, if i forget to eat something in and hour i get sick…. the food is for comfort for us, has no bearing on how the drug works. sorry about the tooth. sounds like he is thinking root canal. bob just waits out the pain and it goes away. the first of this year, i had a tooth ache, i bought the rapid relief Sensodyne tooth paste and brushed with it, used salt, Cider vinegar and warm water, 4 times a day swishing. it hurt off and on for a week and went away and did not come back.. i am not saying don’t go to the dentist, just telling what i did and you can do both of these while waiting… and they might help if you have pain. Cider vinegar, water and salt also fight yeast that gets on the tongue.. it works really well on that.

    • Jean says:

      Thank you for the reassurance. This tooth had a root canal years ago and my dentist took an x-ray that showed it is infected again. Apparently the appointment with the endodontist is just for an evaluation, not a treatment. The ache in my jaw has gone away now, so presumably the antibiotic will keep things from getting worse until I can have it looked at. As I said, I do appreciate the reassurance. 🙂

  4. Rose says:

    Yes, just took 7 days worth of Amoxicillin…no troubles. Our drs. have never settled on just the 7 days…well, maybe they have now. But sometimes they gave us 7 and sometimes 10…if they gave 7, they said call if not better. But we were always better.

    Try rinsing your mouth with salt water…it will cure a multitude of things. It is one of my favorite go to remedies. I try to think and start rinsing and gargling with salt water when I think I am getting a cold.

    I use it on my face when it starts getting broke out too bad…probably would not get broke out if just did it every day.

    My father-in-law was in the hospital and another patient had a sore on his lip that he had where he held his pipe…he could not get it to heal. The doctor told him to swab it with salt water so many times a day and it started healing right away.

    We had a horse bit a calf’s neck and cause a big old sore…all we used on it was salt water and it healed.

    • Jean says:

      Thank you for the suggestion of salt water — I have already started using it. And for telling me that 7 rather than 10 days is one of the standard prescriptions now. 🙂

  5. Linda Sand says:

    A friend has new braces causing pain when chewing. She now has a fruit smoothie with yogurt for breakfast, a green smoothie with nut milk for lunch and pureed vegetable soup for dinner. This works best if you have a true Vitamix for pureeing everything.

    Another friend puts a clove on a painful tooth. Not sure why that works but she says it does.

    I have to eat when taking amoxicillin to avoid nausea. I hope you feel better soon and whatever treatment they decide to do works well for you.

    • Jean says:

      Thanks. I have a blender, which helps a lot. Years ago I had a fluke accident at a dentist and couldn’t chew anything for about two years. It wasn’t ideal, but I managed fine when I didn’t have to travel. That was a real nuisance! Fortunately we don’t have to go anywhere for a long time. 🙂

  6. Cindi says:

    I’m not sure about humans but dogs always have to eat when they take their Amoxicillin otherwise they get upset tummies.
    I’m sorry you’re going through this, it must be awful not to be able to chew. is it on one side of your mouth? I had a bad tooth and I would just chew on the left side of my mouth until I was able to get to the dentist.
    Having doctor visits and going to the hospital right now is a nightmare with this COVID-19. Every doctor visit I had, even when I went to the cardiologist and went for my ultrasound and for my CT scan, I had to go alone. It was useless to have anybody come with me because they couldn’t come inside anyway. My nieces drove me to the hospital and only one was allowed to come in to check in and carry my bag but then they came for me with a wheelchair and grabbed my bag and took me off. I was kind of upsetting to wake up and have no one in the room after my surgery or anybody be able to visit all that week. But then again the hospital was out of town so I’m not sure who would’ve come anyway and I was pretty miserable and sleeping most the time so I guess it really didn’t matter. The upside was I got a private room which I’ve never had gotten if it wasn’t for the COVID-19 virus. Everyone had a private room because of that. I can’t wait for 2020 to be over.

    • Jean says:

      Unfortunately chewing on the other side has never worked, but it’s not serious, just a minor nuisance. Nothing like what you are going through. Let’s hope 2021 is a lot better than 2020!

  7. Ann Thompson says:

    That doesn’t sound like much fun. I have an eye appointment June 1 and they have the same procedure, call when you get there and they will send someone to get you when they are ready and of course, wear your mask.

    • Jean says:

      Even though they’re a nuisance, I find the new protocols reassuring. Much better than them being cavalier and sloppy.

  8. tammy j says:

    the only recent antibiotic I’ve had to take was Jan Feb and Mar of last year.
    it was for pneumonia. all I remember… it was a HUGE white oblong pill and I had to take two “rounds” of it before the xrays showed clear.
    I always took it with unsweetened applesauce just to get it down! then I ate.
    because like Cindi said about the dogs… made me sick on an empty stomach.
    I remember them saying… even when the pneumonia was gone to keep taking the antibiotic til it was all gone! wonder if they’re still doing that.
    I’m so sorry about your tooth. have you tried orajell for the pain?
    and my Gram also always swore by warm salt water!
    keep us posted about it. xoxo

    • Cindi says:

      You have to ALWAYS take the whole round of antibiotics. It’s very important to do so because otherwise the infection builds up stronger and the antibiotics won’t work next time. (I didn’t word that properly but you get the idea.)

    • Jean says:

      Yes, always finish the prescription — otherwise you will be breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria. I want these bacteria completely knocked out.

  9. nick says:

    Luckily neither of us have had dental problems during the lockdown. Those who do have problems can be in dire straits because most dentists have closed down and emergency dental clinics are few and far between. I’ve read horrendous stories of people pulling out their own teeth or trying to remove bits of broken teeth from their gums with a sterilised pin. Hopefully dentists will be back at work soon.

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