Friday, July 24, 2009

Monday, July 20th - Friday, July 24th, 2009





It took longer then expected, but Mommy finally made it to Madison on Monday and Daddy and I were on our own again this week. I had a few more episodes of vomiting with Lucille during the week but other than that everything went smoothly. Daddy was kept busy taking such good care of me that he didn't have much time for pictures. Mommy got in really late last night so she didn't wake me but she was waiting for me when I woke up this morning. The day was off to a great start but then Mommy broke the news that it was time for my return visit to the dentist. I was just excited to get in the car to go somewhere. We were a little early so I got some time to play before Mommy and I went back to an exam room. Before I had a chance to protest too much, I got a shot in my leg but within seconds I started to feel a little strange and then I don't remember much after that so I'll tell you what Mommy told me.
After the shot took effect I was dead weight in Mommy's arms and she wasn't quite prepared for that - good thing she was holding on tight! It scared her a little to see me so out of it and she started crying but the anesthesiologist assured her I would be fine. Then she was back to the waiting room with Lucille while I went to the surgical room. My anesthesiologist was never able to get an IV going - yes, I was the first of his entire career! Instead, they had to give me shots in the muscle instead to control pain and keep me under. Once the dentist got a good look in my mouth he was pretty surprised by what he found. Apparently, it is not unusual for children to have teeth that are fused together but I have lots of them. - probably because my mouth was so small that when my teeth developed they fused together because there wasn't much room. The plan initially was to have three top teeth crowned and one extracted. Then a tooth on the bottom was going to need a filling. The first top tooth got crowned but even though it is the smallest crown they had it looks pretty huge in my tiny mouth (I will have to grow into it like a pair of shoes that are a size too big). When he started looking at the three other top teeth he realized they had erupted individually but they all shared a common root - the first time he has ever seen that in his practice. Because one of three teeth was so decayed he couldn't crown it so all three teeth had to be extracted. So now I have one really big crown and one really big hole where three teeth used to be (thus the goofy grin above!). The tooth that had a potential cavity ended up being okay - no cavity required. But I did end up getting two more crowns - a top and bottom molar on the left side. So here's the score:
3 crowns
3 extractions
The dentist came out to tell Mommy all of the above which she then relayed on to Daddy who needed to work today. Mommy and Lucille got to come back to see me where I was lying on a bed completely numb to the world. They kept reassuring Mommy that kids went home still out of it like me all the time but Mommy was still nervous strapping me into the car seat! It took almost another hour of being home before I started to wake up. Mommy knew I was lucid when I noticed the three balloons the office sent me home with. The next hour was challenging as I wasn't sure what was going on. I had no ability to sit up or stand without falling but I didn't want Mommy to hold me. So she held me in her lap against my will and I cried and fought her. Eventually the haze lifted and then I was in a great mood - the only problem was that I couldn't understand why Mommy wouldn't let me run around and play. Despite being "awake" I was in no shape to stand (or sit) unassisted. I would look up at my balloons and proceed to fall backwards or I would try to walk and fall over sideways. Mommy was sure wishing for a padded room at that poing (not sure if that was for her or for me though). It took hours before I was with it enough to walk on my own which made for a long day trying to keep me entertained without allowing me to leave Mommy's lap! By the end of the night not only was I running around the house but I was drinking soy milk and eating rice crackers - as if I hadn't just had serious dental work done a few hours earlier - pretty hard core!
Now that all the dental work has been done I just need to start going in for cleanings regularly. The dentist thinks cleanings every three months instead of every six months might help to prevent more of this in the future. Because my anesthesiologist doesn't believe anyone with my syndrome has ever had this extensive dental work outside of a hospital, he plans on submitting a case study to a medical journal. He promised to send Mommy a copy if it ever got published. Mommy dares to say this won't be the last time there will be a case study written about me - I am a pretty amazing kid if I do say so myself!

Peyton Nicole Smith

1 comment:

  1. Amazing kid for sure! And such a strong little girl! As usual, you flew your dental procedure with no problems, you're a pro!

    Miss you, and you are still as beautiful as before, even with 3 missing teeth! No implant needed!

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