I went to bed late last night, so when I got up at 1:10am, I thought I wouldn’t feel too bad, but I about choked on my dose of Hycet, and my throat burned really badly. Thankfully, the pain did subside pretty quickly, and I drank my big glass of water and went back to bed. When I woke up next at 3am, my mouth was very swollen and the burning sensation was spreading to the top of my mouth (the palate) and I was very annoyed. I got up and drank some water, which made it feel worse, and pondered what to do. So I have a confession to make. I broke down and took two ibuprofen tablets. I know I know! That is a no-no, and can thin your blood and increase the risk of bleeding... True. But I haven’t bled at all so far, and I really felt like I needed the anti-inflammatory properties. My mouth is so swollen, and I was miserable. It’s a fact that you can stagger acetaminophen and ibuprofen with no ill effects because they work in different ways on the body. So I took the ibuprofen and went back to bed to lie down. Within an hour, my mouth and jaw felt less swollen, and I actually overslept when my alarm went off at 5:10am for my next dose of Hycet. I ended up not taking it until about 5:45am. I slept until 9am, then went to the bathroom and sat on the couch with ice packs until about 9:45am, when I took my medicine. It burned less going down, and I was able to drink a Slim-Fast and more water and then I napped on the couch until about 12noon. I have been letting myself sleep late because I know I need sleep to heal, but I have been thinking that I need to get on a less extreme sleeping schedule by the end of this week, or I am going to be really miserable when I have to go back to work at 7:45am on Monday.
I started feeling much better as the afternoon went on. After my dose at 1:30pm, I even went out of the house with my mom to run a few errands. First time I have been out of the house in a full week! I can now swallow with very minimal pain. It is a glorious feeling! This afternoon I had my first bowl of cereal since my surgery. I let it get soft in the milk for a while, and it was delicious! Didn’t hurt going down. I had most of dinner today: a small piece of marinated chicken with baked potato and peas. It was very good. I had a piece of carrot cake this evening. I did take another two ibuprofen tablets at about 7pm. It is really helping with the swelling. I don’t need to use the ice packs on my neck and jaw anymore if I take the ibuprofen. I still haven’t had a bit of bleeding. Every time I look in my mouth (and I can see better now that the swelling is down!) I see more and more pink spots. I got a good picture this evening for you (and a few not so good pics):
This evening, I actually lost track of time watching So You Think You Can Dance (Awesome show!) and didn’t take my dose of Hycet until 10pm. And I took less than I usually do. I normally take one tablespoon, or three teaspoons, or 15 mL, but at 10pm I only took about 2 ½ teaspoons, or roughly 12.5 mL. Not a lot less, but I am starting to wean myself off the Hycet. I can’t take it when I go back to work, and I don’t want it to be a shock to my system. Besides, I don’t want to be on a strong narcotic drug for any longer than I really need to. It’s not good for you, or safe. Hycet can become addicting, and I do NOT want that at all! So, time for me to start saying goodbye to my little pink savior. It was my best friend while I needed it, but I am starting to not need it anymore. Hallelujah! After my dose of medicine, I got the strong tickling sensation on my right side again. I coughed enough that my parents came in and asked me nervously that I shouldn’t be coughing, right? Right. I took deep breaths and drank more water, and resisted the urge to cough more. It is still noticeable, but I am ignoring it successfully. I am happy to proclaim that today has, by far, been my best day so far! Yay!
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