August 24, 2012

Mouth infection

A few weeks ago I went to the dentist, complaining of pain in my mouth. It wasn't a mouth sore and nothing appeared on an x-ray. At the beginning of this week, the pain at the back of my mouth, near my last molar, increased so dramatically that even with Vicodin, I could hardly open my mouth wide enough to eat a fork or spoon's worth of food.  I've lost three pounds this week.

On Wednesday I went to the oral surgeon who had originally diagnosed my ONJ (osteonecrosis of the jaw). She suspected that this area had become infected and that the infection had spread to the last molar. Dr Kelly sent me home with a prescription for an antibiotic, Augmentin, and instructions to use the PerioGard prescription mouth rinse instead of my salt and baking soda rinse.

Yesterday I went to Dr G's office for my monthly infection of Faslodex and took home a prescription for oxycodone. Evidently Vicodin (hydrocodone) and oxycodone work on different areas in the brain's pain center.

Even though Dr Kelly said I wouldn't get much relief from the antibiotic for a few days. I already feel better. The oxycodone has helped reduce the pain but because I'm not used to it, I get very sleepy for the first hour after I've taken it.

I exhausted myself by being too active during the first part of the week. On top of that, there's the oxycodone drowsiness. I took one nap yesterday afternoon and two today.

Right now I feel great and I expect that to continue as the antibiotic wipes out whatever infection was growing in my mouth.

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