I'm home. I'm frozen and still chipmunk-like. No, there will not be pictures.

The good news? Well, I guess in retrospect, it was all a lot better than I expected. The tooth had become seriously infected, and apparently the previous dentist did not complete the root canal. Something about a twisted canal, but I guess that dentist didn't feel like stretching his poor little fingers when he did it the first time.

The specialist, a lovely woman with a need for Elvis to be playing while she did her work, was able to redo and properly complete the root canal - all 5 canals, I might add and was able to save the tooth. The source of the infection was also removed, but given that it has been simmering for likely over a year, it will be a few days before we can tell if it's history or not. I am to start high doses of antibiotics but given my health issues, I am still waiting for approval from my doctor before I start. Even though the dentist did not mince words - "You have an active infection in the bone. It is not an option to skip antibiotics". However, as I have ended up in ICU due to negative reactions to antibiotics, I will wait for my own doctor to make that call.

The part that really annoys me...no, that pisses me off, is that this is the tooth I had a replaced crown in August. It was originally root canal-ed (it's a word!) in 1997 and the first dentist dude missed the 5th canal that time. Then when the crown cracked this summer, my present dentist did not see the improperly sealed canal. Even though, I showed signs of sensitivity and pain.

Unfortunately, one of the downfalls of chronic pain is that you experience pain every day. It's just a part of life and to some degree, you get used to it. My tolerance for pain tends to be fairly high as a result. So, for the second time in less than a year, I am reminded that by the time I feel severe pain, it is usually serious.

Of course, my dental insurance expired in August so not only is the crown I paid 50% for only two months ago gone, now I am on the hook for 100% of today's emergency root canal and the new (and THIRD) crown. $1400. Guess that's what happens when you just start getting a budget working and feel like you're getting ahead.

Bugger.

And this is the week they're evaluating a position for me in this company. It would be a custom-made position that would see me streamlining the processes and data management for all 7 plants. Something that is a very tedious, numbers-oriented job which I would thrive on. I can get lost in the numbers and love nothing more than straight analysis. Yeah, I know...I'm weird. Tomorrow at 10am, I have a meeting with the Plant Manager that is critical, and unmissable. Not cool at all.