11/29/11 Braces and Endoscopy/Colonoscopy

Today I went for my Endoscopy/Colonoscopy. Because my brother died of colon cancer, I have to have mine repeated every three years instead of every five to ten. With all that I had to worry about getting ready for the tests, my biggest concern was with the endoscopy. They told me that I had to put a thing in my mouth to keep it propped open for the endoscope. I kept telling them I was worried about my braces and that I didn't want to have to take another day off to go to the orthodontist to have my braces fixed. Once they got the device in my mouth, I asked if they would take it out as soon as they were done with that part of the procedure. They told me yes. As far as I can tell, there are no problems from having it done. I'm thinking that it'll be great that the next time I have to have this done, that my braces will be hopefully gone.

Not that any of you really want to know, but they did find one polyp in my colon that the doctor thought was not cancerous. They will biopsy it anyway to be sure. I had a narrowing of my esophagus that they stretched. All in all, I'm just really tired from the anesthesia.

11/28/11 Spring

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days. Things have been hectic and the mouth hadn't been doing bad. But, today the spring that's across a couple of the lower teeth in the front has been digging into the inside of my mouth. I don't know if I'm sucking in on my lip, but don't realize it. I'm hoping this passes soon. I think the worst part of the braces is the damage it does to the inside of my mouth. I think tonight's going to be a night with was across the spring!

11/26/11 Cheese

My sister in law brought a cheese platter to our Thanksgiving dinner. I think there's four or five different cheeses on there. My favorite is the smoked cheese. It's really good. I thought other foods got stuck in my braces! However, I think that cheese is one of the worst. That and salad. It's funny to see all the food that gets stuck in my braces. I know that I'm suppose to brush my teeth so that the food doesn't just sit and there and cause me issues. I don't always brush them right away. It ruins the taste of what I've just eaten. Sometimes I do brush without tooth paste and it's not so bad.

Back to winding my hand spun yarn for my next weaving project. Have a great day!

11/25/11 Moving again!

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was Thanksgiving here and we were busy preparing food for family and friends. It was a great day and yes, my reflux kicked up again. I'm definitely going to have to watch what I eat for a few days and this is with boxes of candy on the table!

My teeth were a bit sore last night, things must be moving again. With only going to the orthodontist every six weeks or so, it makes it seem like things are going to slow. I can tell things are moving the way that they are suppose to be as my front teeth are actually starting to touch when I close my teeth together. I'm hoping that if things go good, that I won't have to have the T.A.D. screws. When they put them in, they have to screw them into the bones near my teeth. Then they use springs to pull my jaw together properly. I haven't enjoyed the screw that they put across my front teeth to make room for the one front tooth. Guess if I do get the screws, I'll have to invest in more dental wax!

Have a great day!

11/23/11 It Worked

Well, the canker sores are pretty well gone. I don't know if it was the medicine or it was just their time to go. They felt better the night that I had the stuff put on them. But, the next day they were still hurting and I used some of the over the counter medicine that I bought at Walgreen's. Today, they are almost gone. You can barely see them now and they don't hurt. I am really considering calling the dentist to have her get me a vial of it, even with the cost. I still think that if I bought some, that I won't get anymore canker sores. It would be worth it to me.

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving here. I'm excited. I think we'll have around 25 people here. We're making the turkey and stuffing and everyone will bring something. I think this year it's all family. I better go and get tonight's dinner going. Take care and have a great day!

11/22/11 It Worked & Didn't Work

The medicine for the canker sores that I had put on yesterday worked on a couple of them. Two of them look better, but two of them are still really sore. I was going to call the orthodontist but don't know that it would do any good. I'm hoping that eventually they will all go away on their own. If they're not better by tomorrow I think I'll check in with my dentist. She is a wonderful woman who always takes her time with me when I call her during non office hours. She may know of something else to do for them. The trouble is if she calls any medicine in for me I have to pay full price for it since my regular health insurance doesn't cover what she calls in. That and my dental insurance doesn't cover prescriptions. Oh well, maybe it's time to look for more home remedies!

Have a great day!

11/21/11 Medicine for Canker Sores

Hello to all,
I went to the orthodontist today and got some medicine put on my canker sores. Wow did it sting. He said it would feel like it wasn't getting any better for a few hours and that by this evening it would start to feel better. I'm sure hoping so. The medicine is called debacterol. You can buy it but for a very small vial of it is around $65. I really don't want to spend the money on it but figure if I did, that I wouldn't ever get another canker sore. It would last a long time as they used very little of it on me. I'm going to check into it. I'll keep you posted on whether the sores go away soon or not!

Have a great day!

P.S. Any Ideas

I would love to hear from anyone reading this if you have any home remedies for canker sores!

11/20/11 Canker Sores Again!

I love the fact that I can text my orthodontist and he'll answer me back. Got to love technology! Unfortunately, there was little to do for me until they open tomorrow. He did suggest that I can my dentist, which I did. She told me several over the counter things I could do and that if they didn't help, I could come by the office tomorrow and she, too, could put something on them. She said it hurts like heck, but that it takes care of them. I'll decide tonight if I'll go to the orthodontist first thing or her later on in the day. What I bought at Walgreen's seems to be helping. I have taken two doses of my acid reflux medicine to see if that would help, too. I don't want to take to much of it because it makes my heart race and makes me very jumpy. Hopefully by tomorrow they'll not hurt so much. I will definitely keep wax on the lower brackets and take the medicine to work with me just in case!

Have a great day!

11/18/11 Canker Sore

I was doing pretty good until I chewed on something and the inside of my mouth got caught in the spring that runs along some of the front teeth on the bottom. Wow is it sore. I had to put wax on it. I'm hoping that if I keep it on the sore will go away! I'm not giving up on having braces, but again am tired of them. Still, I'm a lucky woman and will see this through. Hope you all have a great weekend!

11/17/11 Only a little sore!

The inside of my mouth became sore again today. It's not bad. Nothing I can't handle. In many respects, braces are so much easier now than when I was 10 years old. Though, being 53 now, I am definitely less tolerable than I was back then! I hate to say that I wish the time would go by faster. I'll be 55 when I get them off. That makes me feel so old!

I'm tired tonight, long day at work. I am a sign language interpreter at a middle school here. They had a guest speaker in science class today, very interesting but wow did he talk fast! It wore my out. I'm going to go to sleep now and hope that where ever you are that you will have a good nights sleep or a great day!

11/16/11 Still Okay, maybe!

My mouth is doing okay today, sore at times, but okay at others. I haven't eaten anything that would bother them yet! The trouble is, I keep seeing things that I want to eat, but can't. I have a craving for caramel, a forbidden food because of the stickiness. I also, would love to bite into a big, crisp, juicy apple, something else that is also forbidden. Really, when I had braces as a child, I didn't care that I couldn't eat those things. Now as an adult, I really MISS them! There's more than just those two things. However, I am resilient and will get through this. If only now, I can get rid of the headache that I have, life would be pretty good. On the other hand, life is great and I am indeed a very lucky woman, even if I do have braces!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

11/15/11 A Little Bit Better

Today the inside of my mouth is doing better today. I guess I can't complain because when it does get sore, it seems to go away the next day! I'm getting use to them more and more everyday. The one thing that I refuse to let my braces do is take away my smile! I smile everyday and really don't care what other people think of my braces!

Hope you all have a wonderful day! I'm definitely trying to. I'm going to try and finish sewing a baby quilt that I started for a teacher at work!

11/14/11 Moving Again

My teeth must be moving again. I have spots on the inside of my mouth that are all chewed up from where my teeth are moving. I can't imagine that my teeth move very much at one time. It must be just enough to have the brackets, etc. move enough to make things hurt again. I really don't mind the teeth pain, it's easy to deal with. However, having the inside of my cheeks and in front of my upper and lower front teeth all chewed up is the thing I hate the most.

On the other hand, I can already see improvements in my bite and the alignment of my teeth.

I'm off to bed everyone. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

11/13/11 Apples & Peanut Butter

I had apples and peanut butter today for lunch. I've had it before, thought that the peanut butter would get caught in my braces, but hasn't and it tastes great with the apples! I still have to cut the apples into small pieces. I love apples, but really miss biting into a good crisp apple. Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to some day!

My bottom teeth in the front are sore a little bit today. Not a lot. But I do notice it. I'm sure by tomorrow this pain will be gone. It's hard for me to get use to that every so often the braces make my teeth move and they're sore again. When I had them when I was 10-12 years old, it seems like I would have them adjusted and my teeth would hurt for a day or two and then not hurt again until the next adjustment. Still getting use to it all!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

11/12/11 Talking Again!

The inside of my mouth was doing pretty good. However, we went to a retirement seminar and there were friends of ours from my husband's work there. Yup, we talked. I'm not sure why it makes the inside of my mouth so sore when I do.

One of our friends that was there is thinking about getting braces for the same open bite that I have. She's waiting until her daughters are both out of braces before she gets them. Her sister just got them. I told her my views on the subject. Not that if I had to do it all over again that I wouldn't. But for her to be prepared how it changes your eating habits, how moody I am. Because she had them in her teens, we both decided that when you get them when you're young, you are definitely more tolerant of the things you can't do. Or you do them even though you know you'll get in trouble, but don't care. As an adult, we are less tolerant of the things we have to give up and less tolerant of the pain! I still have fears from when I was 10 of being yelled at by my orthodontist and it's been almost 40 years since the last time I saw her!

11/11/11 Croissants

I went to lunch with my Mom, niece who was in town and my youngest son today. It was great. We went to Paradise Bakery. I had a sandwich and had them put it on a croissant. I still couldn't bite into it, but was able to chew it just fine. They're soft all the way around. I was so glad I was able to eat it, had a whole sandwich instead of a half. I gained a pound back. I think if I quit worrying about my issues at work and do what I can with my my son and his not doing his homework that my stress level will go down and I won't lose so much weight. Though, weighing a little less at the holiday time is a good thing. I can eat to my hearts content!

11/10/11 A Little Less Sore

Well, the inside of my mouth is a little less sore today. I was actually able to take off the wax from the upper side in my mouth in front. I can feel it's a little sore, but the canker sore hasn't come back yet.

Still stressed! I know my job is part of it, so is problems with my son not doing his homework. The braces still stress me and seems like it all got worse when I got them. I know it's not all the braces. They just aren't making it any better.

My stomach is yucky plus I haven't gained any weight back. I think part of it's the change in diet from the braces and part of it's the stress. Oh well...

11/09/11 Still Sore

The inside of my mouth is still really sore. The worst spot is in the left front top teeth. As long as I leave the wax on, it's okay. If I take it off for even 1/2 hour, a little canker sore appears. I know that the orthodontists office said they have stuff they can put on it to get rid of the canker sore. Who has time to go over there? It's not on my way home. I will ask if they can give me some to take home or if it's something that I have to go to the office to get. I'm hoping that my mouth will feel better tomorrow. Otherwise I'm going to have to use a lot of wax!

11/08/11 Sore

Okay, my knitting class was great. I learned a new technique. However, after a 7 hour class, the inside of my mouth is so sore from all the talking I did. It was well worth it and I'm hoping that the soreness will go away tomorrow. I'll let you know!

11/08/11 Still Wondering

I'm still wondering if any of my physical symptoms are caused by the metal in my mouth. Mostly the acid reflux issues. I've tried asking the doctors about it and they just give me a blank stare. I'll have to check with the orthodontist to see what they think. I still don't like having them on and still wish I hadn't gotten them. I've heard from a few people that had them removed for the reasons that I mentioned and they've all said they wish they hadn't had them taken off. I just don't know if I can go through 2 years of this. I'm sure it's the other stresses in my life and I'm trying to pass blame on my braces. Seems coincidental that my stomach issues became worse when I got my braces on. Oh well... off to my knitting class!

11/07/11 Eating Time

I knew that it took me longer to eat than it use to before. However, it was definitely more noticeable at dinner tonight. My husband made a wonderful salad with fish on top of it. Normally I'm done at the same time as my husband with our 13 year old son lagging behind. Tonight, I was the last one done!

My son gave me a hug today when I got home from work. I love his hugs. But, we bumped each other and he hit my mouth. It made the top bleed just a tiny bit and the bottom where the spring is, is really sore now. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be better by tomorrow. I'm taking the day off to go to a knitting class. Hopefully my mouth won't be sore as I'm sure I'll do a lot of talking!!

11/06/11 Braces and Stress

Though I know it's probably not true, I feel like that my getting the braces heightened my stress levels with other areas in my life. I have a teenage son, who is a wonderful young man, 13, but screwing off in school. I have a 27 year old son that is having personal issues, so I'm stressed over that, too. I swear before the braces I could handle things so much better. Now, I'm not so sure about it. I think the braces definitely added to my stress. Part of it is the money, part of it is my health. I was down to just under 111 pounds today from about 122 before I got the braces. I'm eating good, maybe not quite as much junk food, but still am eating. Guess it's good that I am having a colonoscopy and endoscopy towards the end of this month. I hate going through that, but better be safe than sorry!

11/05/11 Inside

I can take the pain that comes with my teeth moving. It only last a day or two and then it's down to a really mild ache. It's when the teeth move and it changes where the brackets are on the inside of my mouth. Then it makes a new area in my cheek or in front of my teeth sore. The worst pain I think I had with it was when I first got them and I had a really sore spot under my tongue. Every once in awhile it will bother me a little bit, but nothing like what it was when I first got them.

I decided that while having the different colors is cool looking, I definitely like the lighter colors better. It makes the braces less noticeable. Maybe it sounds conceited, but I really like the way I look when I smile and the braces detract from that. I like to smile and won't stop just because of the braces! Just won't do it for pictures!

11/03/11 Chewed up Cheeks

Today my teeth don't hurt so bad. However, I find that the more I talk the more the braces rub the inside of my mouth and make it sore. I don't want to always use wax. If I do that, I won't build up the callouses so that things won't bother me. I feel like I've chewed up the inside of my cheeks. I talked to a friend of mine that had braces for 4 years to correct her TMJ. I sure hope that I don't have to go that long. Funny thing is that she went through a lot of the same thing, including the depression and weight loss. It was great to talk to her and find out that I'm not so crazy after all!

11/03/11 Callouses

I think the spot on the front of the inside of my mouth where the spring is has started a callous. It doesn't quite get caught in the spring now and that's a good thing. I'm still not seeing the good side of this treatment even though I know what it's suppose to accomplish. I'll stick with it. Today I am exhausted. Not sure why as I got a good nights sleep last night.

I discovered chocolate that I can eat that has nuts and salt in it. It's by Ghiradelli. The almond pieces in it are so small that I can easily chew them without disturbing the braces. It definitely helps to satisfy the craving for nuts I've been having. Maybe the recipes that I want to make with pecans, I'll make them but chop up the nuts so that they are smaller pieces!

11/02/11 A Little Better

The inside of my mouth is a little better today. I didn't have to use any wax. I did go to my regular doctor for ear pain, fluid build up. Steroids for 6 days should help it feel better. He told me my jaws were tight and I asked if it was from the braces. He admitted that that could be part of it, but said it seemed more like stress. I told him it was stress from having to deal with the braces. I know that I'm trying to blame everything on my braces. Seems like a reasonable thing to do even though I know they are not my only stress. Something about being married with children, one of them 13 might have something to do with it, too! However, I love my family and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world!

11/1/11 It Hurts

After last night, I thought it was going to be okay. My teeth are sore. I can handle that. It's the spring that they put across those lower front teeth. The inside of my mouth keeps getting caught in it. It's not a canker sore, just really irritated. They said the only thing to do for it is to put wax over the spring to keep it from happening. The other thing they said is that I need to build up a callous on the inside of my mouth. Kind of hard to do that if there's wax over the offending part. I am still at the point of not seeing an upside in this treatment. I won't have them taken off, I'm committed to it. Just very frustrated and really feel ill-prepared for the total treatment.

11/01/11 More OW!

Last night wasn't bad as far as my teeth hurting. I ate a regular dinner! However, this morning is another matter. I just blew my nose. I know, something you really don't want to picture. However, it really made my teeth hurt. Good thing I have oatmeal planned for breakfast and soft fruit and yogurt planned for lunch. My weight had stabilized at 113 for a few days now. However, I'm thinking I'm going to lose some more after how sore my teeth are today. Guess I'll have to suck on chocolates today. Hope it doesn't mess up my stomach to much!