Friday 20 February 2004
I'm tired this morning. No, that doesn't quite capture it. I'm wrecked; and this is rapidly becoming a normal state. Can't wait for next week ... just for the break, of course. Stupidly cheap, non-chemical beer has nothing to do with it.Tuesday 17 February 2004
After working later than I'd intended, I decided to put down dust sheets (ready for sanding) in the bedroom before I ate. Shortly after moving the piece of old tree that's lived in my bedroom(s) for a few years now, I heard a buzzing sound. At first, I assumed it was something electrical so ignored it ... but then I looked up and saw a huge monster of a wasp. It took half a can of flyspray before I could even risk going back into the bedroom. It's actually still wiggling. I'm beginning to get accustomed to the gap in my teeth. I'm not saying that I like having a gap in my teeth, but I am finding that my tongue isn't drawn to it as much as it has been the past few days. I am, though, most unimpressed with the fact that a couple of days hasn't seen the closure of the bloody big hole in my head. I'm not sure why, but I'd assumed it'd be fine after a day or two.Monday 16 February 2004
It's strange how the dado rail in my bedroom, which took many hours to fit a dozen or more years ago, came down in 20 minutes. The wall's a bit of a mess though. Time to gain more plastering experience I think. And, on a positive note, my child's leaflet campaign has resulted in the successful recovery of Pilchard, who went missing a few days ago in the darkest depths of Sunderland.Sunday 15 February 2004
OK ... I've had my first tooth extraction of adulthood. And it'll be my last. It didn't hurt much at all, I admit, but it wasn't a very nice experience. Oh, Richard Feynman ... I called, and rightly so, Richard Feynman an arse as opposed to a tit. A self-centred, egotistical arse at that. Although I do acknowledge his intellect, I also know an arse when I see one. And, while I'm on the subject of unpleasant things, referring to the tooth removal, I had my first sight of ticks this weekend. Admittedly, they were technically ex-ticks (since they were preserved in turpentine), but I did get to see just how disgusting they are. They simply don't belong in a civilised world.Thursday 12 February 2004
The smell of rubber and gas ... the feeling of suffocation and the ice-coldness with each breath ... counting 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 ... throwing up on the dentist. I was only six years old. I'm more afraid of what tomorrow brings than when I was six.Tuesday 10 February 2004
Chut, Dicka and Heap ... I'm just home tonight after meeting up with my two best mates from school. It's somewhat horrifying to recognise that it's been almost 27 years since the three of us have been together in the same place. It was good, though. And, of course, the three of us are even more handsome than ever.Tuesday 10 February 2004
I need to learn never to start ironing shirts at midnight. It really doesn't put me in any frame of mind to get a good night's (or whatever was left of it) sleep. Or maybe I just need to learn to wash shirts more often, so that I don't run out at silly times.Sunday 8 February 2004
My eyes aren't stinging any longer. The bath helped a lot. The house still smells badly of smoke, though. I learned from living in my old flat, after seeing a man digging through rubbish bins, that I should take care when disposing of old bank or credit card statements. I usually tear these up into tiny pieces before putting them in the bin. But, when faced with a huge heap of old credit card statements (found during a clearout), I decided that burning them would make more sense. It didn't quite work as I'd planned.Friday 6 February 2004
I feel a little odd this morning ... I've not taken any painkillers since early yesterday evening. My head does hurt quite a bit, but it's nothing compared to just a couple of days ago. The swelling's also going down nicely, although I'm mildly concerned that it may outlive my dwindling supply of antibiotics. I never thought I'd say it, but I wish I was having this damn tooth pulled out today. I've had my whinge for the day now.Tuesday 6 February 2004
It's been a very strange few days; that's strange as in both good and bad ways. It started Thursday evening with mild neuralgia. It wasn't much to talk about and I didn't take anything for it. By the next morning it had dulled to a slight buzz in my head. However, by mid-afternoon, my head was hurting quite a lot and I had to resort to borrowing a couple of paracetamol. By the time I returned home from work, the pain in my head had increased so I hunted around the kitchen and found another couple of paracetamol. Knowing that this wouldn't be effective (I do suffer from neuralgia now and again so I know from experience what does and doesn't help), I decided to buy some ibuprofen on my way to Stockton that evening.I was surprised (and hurting) to find that the ibuprofen had little effect, so I tried some old cocodamol. These helped at first, but by Saturday morning the pain in my head was pretty bad and the pills seemed to have no effect. After a trip to Tesco (their painkillers are unbelievably cheap), I found that a combination of cocodamol, ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin did help.
Again, though, after only a few hours these too had no effect. A visit to an emergency doctor the next day (Sunday) resulted in new painkillers, dihydrocodeine. These also worked for a couple of hours, even though I needed to double the dose (checked on the internet for safe quantities). After experimenting (and after consulting a pharmacist), I found that a combination of dihydrocodeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen went a long way towards easing the pain in my head. Luckily, I couldn't move around a lot, because I felt so rough, so I didn't need to worry about stuff rattling around inside me.
But then there was the lump. It appeared overnight, emerging in full glory Monday morning. It was (is) a big lump. The point, though (and I realise that I often take a while to get there), is that the appearance of the lump pointed towards a tooth as the root (no pun intended) cause. A trip to the hospital (a difficult thing to locate in Teesside as the smog there can be quite dense) and dentist confirmed that a tooth was to blame. And, just to make matters worse, it needs to come out. I now have a week and a half to worry about it.
Oh, I did mention 'good', didn't I? Well, I now have antibiotics and, although the lump is still very much present, I've been able to cut down on painkillers.
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