Just to say

September 26, 2007

I had braces put onto my bottom teeth Tuesday morning. Oh boy they hurt.

I’ve used, “I feel like I’ve been socked in the mouth,” “Every one of my teeth feels like it has a giant, aggravated cavity,” and “All of my teeth feel like they have food stuck between them,” as descriptions about how it feels. But it’s all summed up with “it hurts.”

I’m fascinated by my own mouth, I must say. I can’t wait to see how my teeth are going to fill the huge gaps left by my other, now absent, teeth. The pressure and pulling-feelings are worth it. (Or I hope they will be.)

What does this mean for my eating? It’s okay. I’m eating out of cans and boxes more than I like, but it’s all within my allowed calories. I had an extra, mini-breakfast at 5am so that I could take a giant ibuprofen and go back to sleep, but it’s not really my fault that I have to take that with food.

I keep feeling like I’m going to have a significant loss this week, but maybe my mind is more in a groove than my body. I’m doing well with eating (on the Eat When You are Hungry plan–more on that to come) but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lose.

And it’s not all about the numbers. On Monday, when I went to have my dentist make sure my extractions from the week before were healing okay, one of the dental assistants looked at me and gaped. (She saw me the week before, but lying on the chair, and only stuck her head into my room to say hello.) I felt like a big nerd because, well, it made me feel good. And, at the counter, when I paid, the insurance biller told me she wanted to ask me what I am doing because I am “disappearing.” Get out, right?

I hope they believe it’s sincere when I seem shocked that they notice. Sometimes I barely notice myself.

Posted in Just Life