There isn’t really a good way to “top” graduation, so a smarter family would not try, but we are nothing if not sort of dumb. Chickadee graduated on Saturday and then yesterday she had her wisdom teeth out. INSERT SAD TROMBONE HERE.
The bad news is that I was ready for post-anesthesia hilarity—I had been told not to videotape anything, but I made no promises—and I was disappointed. For all of her larger-than-life antics while completely sober (and let us not forget that her last oral surgery was a Party with a capital P), this procedure was anticlimactic. All she wanted to do after was sleep. She muttered and murmured and tried to curl up for a nap no matter where she was (the operating chair, the car, the couch). No fun video for us! What’s the POINT if your drugged child isn’t weird?
The good news is that I have vivid memories of the awful time I had after my own wisdom teeth removal at the same age, and she seems to be faring MUCH better. She spent the remainder of yesterday tucked in on the couch, obediently taking her pain meds and nibbling at pudding and ice cream when directed, dozing and Netflix-ing interchangeably, and slept through the night save for when I woke her up for more drugs. Her swelling is minimal. She’s having discomfort, sure, but she’s doing really well. I think she’ll be fine by the weekend.
Before all of that happened, though, I wrote you a post over at Alpha Mom and forgot to tell you. Whoops! In summary: I am waiting for the moment when everything feels different, but maybe that’s not how it works, after all.
Poor Chickie. I too “have vivid memories of the awful time I had after my own wisdom teeth removal” … because it happened when I was 41. [Insert ba-dum ching.] Tell her it’s better to do it when she’s young and resilient; plus, if she ends up with any bruising, no one will look at her and wonder if her partner beat her. So there’s that.
Here’s the comment I wanted to make on your alpha mom post…but couldn’t get “logged on”
That “moment” came for me in the form of an entire weekend – the first time I went to visit my daughter at college. She was different and I felt left out of her life and the growing that had happened while she was away. I spent almost every moment that I wasn’t with her that weekend crying or trying not to cry. I’m better now when I visit her, but truthfully I prefer when she comes home. I think I will always feel like an outsider when I visit her there and yes, that’s as it should be.
Glad Chickie is doing well. I think I was a little younger than she when I had my wisdom teeth out. I remember afterwards going downstairs from the dentist and having french fries and a milk shake.
Ugh, I was in my twenties, the pain meds made me sick so I couldn’t use them, and then had to go to work, still having chipmunk cheeks for the next couple of weeks!
How long does it typically take to recover from getting your wisdom teeth out? I realize it is another thing I need to schedule soon! :)
The surgeon said it varies depends on how difficult the extractions are, but we were there Wednesday morning and he said she should be fine by Sunday/Monday. Wellllll it was more like Tuesday/Wednesday, but I think it’s hard to come back from not eating solid food for so many days. She’s fine now.