I got all four out this morning. Surgery went fine, no complications. Except one.
I have not stopped bleeding since I came to. That's over 14 hours now. I'm afraid to go to bed still bleeding. If nothing else, it'll make from some very messy pilowcases.
Does anyone have any advice? I'm at my wit's end here. I'm tired, hungry, hurting, and bleeding with no end in sight.
[ March 18, 2005, 08:37 PM: Message edited by: Eaquae Legit ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Define "bleeding."
Oozing a bit? Soaking a gauze pad every few minutes?
Also, didn't the oral surgeon give you a sheet of instructions? Does it mention any suggestions of how to stop bleeding?
When I had my last two wisdom teeth yanked a few months ago, it took a few hours for the bleeding to stop, but what your describing sounds much worse. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I've heard about using sugar (John Doe, the television series) for stopping bleeding, and also using cayenne (herbal books years ago). Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Squickiness warning....
Gaze roll/pad needs changing about every half half hour to 45 minutes. This includes saliva, which accounts for half the gooiness, give or take.
I had a slurpee earlier, because I hadn't eaten since last night and my blood sugar was getting dangerously low, but aside from that, I've been sipping only enough liquid to keep myself from going insane. Trying to dry out my mouth and all.
And unless my mother still has it, nope, no sheet.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
It's been 14 hours and you have to change the gauze more often than once an hour?
Ok, I would think, layperson though I am, that is a strong indication of a problem. Does the surgeon have an answering service?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ok, sur-- I mean, Google says! Maybe I'm wrong. (Although it still seems like heavy bleeding after so long.)
quote: Bleeding is expected post operatively and can continue up to 10 hours after any procedure. Even a little blood seems like a lot in the mouth due to a mixture with saliva. Saliva can increase what appears to be high concentrations of blood by 10 times. Pressure on the surgical site is most important for bleeding control. If sutures were placed at the time of the surgery, pressure will almost always stop bleeding. A tea bag wrapped in a piece of gauze is also helpful. The tannic acid in the tea constricts tiny blood vessels in the wound and helps to form a clot.
I had forgotten about the tea bag thing! That was strongly recommended by my oral surgeon.
Posted by mimsies (Member # 7418) on :
When you had the slurpee, you didn't use a straw did you? DON'T use a straw to drink until you're healed up! ok?
About the bleeding, Rivka's right, does the surgeon have an answering service. I think when I was little and my teeth fell out and would bleed a mild baking soda and warm water solution helped.
Posted by mimsies (Member # 7418) on :
OOh, that sounds even better...
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
No sutures. No straw, either. I used a small spoon.
I'm going to try the teabag thing.
*whine* And now I'm starting to feel nauseous.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Oh, and mimsies is right. Straws are VERY bad for the first couple days. Yank those little blood clots right out.
Can make you end up with "dry" sockets. *shudder*
Posted by mimsies (Member # 7418) on :
quote: *whine* And now I'm starting to feel nauseous.
Hmmm make it peppermint tea if you have it then *(((((HUG))))))* Can you have some applesauce or broth? that might help settle your tummy. (I am SUCH a MOM!)
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
It's okay, I need a mom right now. Thank God I have one here with me.
Nausea passed quickly, but I'm shaky. probaby the lack of food again. I think the bleeding may have slowed, too. Enough that I'll be okay sleeping (in the same room as my mum).
Good night Hatrack, and thank you.
[ March 16, 2005, 01:19 AM: Message edited by: Eaquae Legit ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Good night, and feel better!
Posted by CalvinMaker (Member # 2032) on :
Don't really have much to add, though I hope you get better.
I do have a cool wisdom teeth story though.
When I had mine removed, I found out that I had five, not four wisdom teeth. The doctor told me thaty less than one percent of the human population has five wisdom teeth.
It gets better.
I told this to my history teacher, and he told me that he had had six, and that by having more wisdom teeth, it means we're more neanderthal then most people, since as neanderthals evolved into homo sapiens they lost the extra teeth that he and I had.
Posted by mimsies (Member # 7418) on :
niters
Posted by tt&t (Member # 5600) on :
Ick. And aww. And OUCH.
I feel your pain. Even thinking about wisdom teeth makes my mouth ache - I ended up having to stay overnight in hospital when I had mine out, even though I was meant to go home the same day. The bleeding didn't stop for ages, but I can't remember what they did about it, sorry. I did have gauze pads in my mouth for at least that day and the next, though. At least you're coherent enough to sit up and type. I couldn't do... anything, really.
Do everything you can to avoid dry sockets. I had one, and man. I had two weeks off uni. I didn't use straws, but that was because it was too painful. I'm such a baby!
Look on the bright side - you'll only have to go through it this once. Good luck.
>_<
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I need mine out. They're really starting to aggrivate my TMJ, and they're pushing my nicely corrected teeth out of alignment. I can't afford it, though. Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Glad you're feeling somewhat better, Eaquae Legit. Hope you wake up feeling completely better.
Andrew had his bottom ones out in mid-January. A couple of weeks ago, he came to bed and told me that he had just gotten a walnut out of his mouth hole. He seemed very relieved, so I asked him how long it had been in there. THREE DAYS!
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
In addition to the straw advice, I can highly recommend that you don't play any brass or woodwind musical instruments for awhile. That's another source of self-inflicted dry socket.
I hope the teabag helps the bleeding stop.
Feyd Baron, DoC
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
*hugs Ali*
I hope it's all stopped bleeding now and that everything is okay
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
I hope you're feeling better. I need to get my last 2 wisdom teeth taken out so that I can *finally* get braces put on, but I've been putting it off for over a year because the other ones were so bad. I had a lot of bleeding as well, and a tea bag helped. For me it wasn't so much the pain, it was that the painkillers made me soooo sick for almost a week.
space opera
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I've used a teabag, and I found it very effective as a bleeding-stopper. It stained my hand brown, though (I was holding it on my gum under my lower lip when I had a skin graft).
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
Be sure to keep pressure on the gauze pads, too. Bite down on them a little, even if it hurts like heck.
My brother and I got ours out at the same time. He was up walking around and eating a few hours later. I was practically bedridden for two days. So I guess it just affects different people in different ways. I think you'll be fine. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Why did you have to have a skin graft Teshi?
[ March 16, 2005, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Man, I'm sorry. Do follow all the advice about preventing dry sockets, however - you DO NOT want one of those.
I got two when my wisdom teeth were out.
Not fun. NOt fun at all.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
My mum caled the surgeon today, and he said I wasn't about to die.
I'm still bleeding, but it's better. I never want to see gauze again for the rest of my life. Yuck. I'm having another slurpee now, and I'm going to try the teabag next.
I can handle the pain, it doesn't hurt too bad. The bleeding is just so *annoying*, though.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Wait until you start spitting out bone fragments.
Won't hurt at all, but it'll be a little odd.
-Trevor
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
x100
You'd better not be telling me I'm going to be spitting bone fragments!!
If that is what happened to you, you have my sympathy, respect, and a prize for the squickiest thing I can think of right now.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: Why did you have to have a skin graft Teshi?
Not a terribly exciting story.
I have braces. (Yes, yes, I know, how old am I? It causes me no end of people treating me like I'm thirteen, and rather massive gaps in my teeth that look like I am frequently involved in barfights ) Before I could get them, my orthodontist told me that the gum of my lower teeth needed to be strenthened, because, although healthy ( ) it was too narrow to handle the stress of foreign objects.
So I had to get a skin graft. It was a very interesting experience (warning, gory details follow). They numbed me up and while I stared at the ceiling and thought, "this is the weirdest thing ever", they sliced a bit of skin off the top of my mouth.
They whisked it away (wouldn't let me see it, darn them) and then proceeded to (this is gross) scrape away what there was of my lower gum (ew) and stitch on the new bit. Ever had anyone visible sewing with a needle and thread in your mouth where you can see? I have no idea why I was so passive. At the time I thought it was hilarious. No, they used no drugs, I was awake normally the whole time.
During the next day at school, the graft started bleeding. Blood all over my lips. I looked, once again, like I'd been in a barfight. I was supposed to rinse my mouth with salt water- instead, I ended up spitting blood.
I went home and tea bag was applied.
That is my story. Not very dramatic, but certainly, it's one of the most exciting things in this area of life that has ever happened to me. The only surgery or health-related-help I've ever had is in my mouth.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Your doctor should have covered that if it applies to you.
My doc left the cuts open and told me that splinters of bone would work themselves out over the course of two months or so.
It's not painful, nor is it particularly messy...it's just annoying.
-Trevor
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Okay, so another question. How would I tell if I have a "dry socket"? All the stuff I've read says "acute pain" is one of the symptoms, but frankly my whole mouth fits that description right now.
I am such a big suck about this. I cannot stand the thought of anyone poking around in my mouth, or worse, needing to do so. It rates extremely high on my personal Squicky Scale.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
The four pages I pulled up all mention a time delay of several days, so I wouldn't worry for at least a day or two before considering the "what went wrong" scenarios.
-Trevor
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
quote: Wait until you start spitting out bone fragments.
I've had well over half a dozen orthodontic surgeries and not once have I spat out bone fragments.
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Trevor - The chunk of bone that came out hurt worse than the initial pain.
Eaquae Legit - The nausea may be caused by the painkillers, especially if taken on an empty stomach. Narcotics (hydrocodone, oxycodone, etc.) can cause mild nausea. Ibuprofen (either combined with narcotics or by itself) is even worse, at least in my experience. I would suggest being reasonably full (but not stuffed) to start with, or taking them about five minutes before eating. Oatmeal and mashed potatoes are both soft and filling. The caffeine from the tea bags might also be a culprit.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:They whisked it away (wouldn't let me see it, darn them) and then proceeded to (this is gross) scrape away what there was of my lower gum (ew) and stitch on the new bit. Ever had anyone visible sewing with a needle and thread in your mouth where you can see? I have no idea why I was so passive. At the time I thought it was hilarious. No, they used no drugs, I was awake normally the whole time.
And once again I'm reminded of why I like you so much.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Why? Because I thought my skin graft was funny? I think I must have been in weird shock.
However, I was similarly optimistic about my wisdom/other teeth removal. Although that time I could attribute it to the fact I was asleep for the operation.
O.o
When I was writing it I actually thought it was pretty... graphic. Hence the "ew".
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Nah--more because you were irritated that you didn't get to see the piece they'd removed.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:When I was writing it I actually thought it was pretty... graphic. Hence the "ew".
Really? Huh. It didn't seem especially graphic at all.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Nah, Danzig. I have an annoying gift for not being affected much by painkillers. You have to go pretty extreme before I have a reaction, and more still before I have any side effects. The norm for a headache runs to three Tylenol-1s or 3-4 regular ibuprofen. Generally on an empty stomach, since when it hurts like that, I have no appetite.
*shrug* It seems like my body just doesn't like drugs. This was actually the second attempt at removing my teeth. The first time was just in my dentist's office, and I was given a nice "happy" cocktail of drugs that weren't supposed to knock me out, just make me reeeally not care for two or three hours. I was up within 10-15 minutes, and back down in another 15. 10 minutes after that, I could have driven home, no problem. The nitrous oxide they started me on yesterday had no effect at all.
I'm just weird. Sometimes it's nice (rare to get side effects) and most of the time it's frustrating (I don't like dumping that much drugs into my body), and occasionally it's terror-inducing, when you fear youwon't go under and have to be conscious for surgery, etc.
Anyway. I very carefully nibbled a few crackers and had some applesauce when my stomach calmed back down, and that helped a lot. Woo! On the road to recovery...
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Sorry guys - when I had my wisdom teeth taken out, the doc told me I'd be having splinters of bone coming out and he was right.
It didn't hurt and the largest was maybe half an inch long.
As your own stories would indicate, not everyone has the same experience.
I hope yours works out well, Legit.
-Trevor
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Nah--more because you were irritated that you didn't get to see the piece they'd removed.
Yeah, that still annoys me. All I caught was a flash of red.
Posted by reader (Member # 3888) on :
CalvinMaker - I have six wisdom teeth as well. I still remember my dentist's reaction when he first noticed it on the Xrays.
Actually, I also have to go two of my wisdom teeth out now - my lower ones - and I'm really nervous about it, because they're both near (unusually near) my facial nerves. I've been putting it off because of that, but I really have to get it taken care of.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
I wasn't supposed to use a straw? Huh. I probably wasn't supposed to be eating solid food that day either, come to think of it.
Oops. But hey - no harm, no foul. Thinking back, I also didn't bleed. Or hurt. Weird.
Moral of the post: Sorry, I have no helpful advice.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
When I had my wisdom teeth taken out, I was drinking through straws and having popcorn. BIG MISTAKE. I got what I deserved, since I was fairly warned, and got a dry socket.
And yes, I was spitting out teeth fragments.
[ March 17, 2005, 01:31 AM: Message edited by: T_Smith ]
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
I very carefully felt around today, and there's boen where there shoudln't be! In the back behind my second molar on the right. I am so freaked out, I don't know if I'll make it till tomorrow to call the surgeon.
*such a baby about all this*
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
EL, not sure what you're feeling but it may be a piece of the tooth that's lodged in, the "bone fragments" mentioned above. It's very common after extractions to feel like there's something there, it's normally a tiny sliver that will work its way up to the surface and you'll be able to get it out (tweezers help).
Not a reason to panic I wouldn't think.
I have lots of experience with them, because one of my upper wisdom teeth didn't come out - it shattered. The dentist said that was common for wisdom teeth, sometimes they're not as strong as they need to be (guess I should have drunk more milk as a kid!) Anyway, because it shattered in all those pieces there were little slivers and fragments left behind and they drove me nuts until I could get them all out.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Me and anything dental are not a good mix. It terrifies me.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Sorry to anyone getting sick of my whining here.
Nice doctor called me back very late (*loves the surgeon*). It's the whole spitting-bone-bits thing Trevor mentioned. The exposed bits of jaw/socket are dead and are gonna fall off. Hopefully in my sleep or something, because I am totally squicked out by this whole thing and the more that happens while I'm unconscious, the better. I don't wanna tkae a spponful of applesauce and hear it go *crunch*.
But at least I know now, so I feel a WHOLE LOT better.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
x100![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
) Before I could get them, my orthodontist told me that the gum of my lower teeth needed to be strenthened, because, although healthy ( ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
) it was too narrow to handle the stress of foreign objects.