I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned in the two days after my teeth extraction surgery. I got a bruise on my throat, which is why I still have a sore throat. This was likely caused by a tube that was put down my throat during the procedure. I also have an infection in my gum tissue, likely caused by the gauze that was put in there to stop bleeding.

Today I felt pretty bad, due to the sore throat and a headache that the percocet won’t take care of for some reason. I’ve found that ice cream, pudding, and V8 juice all help in keeping my sore throat pain down, and also keep any swelling in my mouth away. V8 and cayenne pepper powder has especially done well for me.

I also had a suture that was hanging down, really aggravating me. No matter what, my tongue would creep over and flick it, and my brain would freak out, “Dude! There’s a string of meat stuck between your teeth!” it would tell me. I had to remind myself constantly I have no teeth there, and it’s not a string of meat, and to stop playing with it. I had the roommate snip it a little, and now it is far less aggravating.

So right now, the headache and sore throat are bothering me most. I’m hoping the sore throat will be gone by tomorrow or the day after. The headache should be taken care of by the painkillers, but not as much as I’d like.

Yesterday I blended up a leftover hamburger, some mashed potatoes, and turkey gravy in the blender. It came out pretty good; I almost cried at the smell of the hamburgers — after all the sweets (strawberry Ensure, apple sauce, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, etc.) something salty and meaty was just heavenly. I should be starting on warm soup soon, and then the fun shall commence.