It's been two days since I had my wisdom teeth extracted and it's been somewhat challenging - as usual. Overall though, it's really not as bad as I thought it was going to be but then again, I've literally done the most to make sure I recover fast. After all, even with my wisdom teeth out - all but one that is - I still have to fix one of my cracked molars so I'm not completely out of the woods. That will obviously have to come when my mouth heals but it's definitely on my to do list.
The first day of being home I wasn't able to do much. I had gauze in both sides of my mouth for the first few hours and I mostly felt tired as the drugs in me wore off. As for pain, there wasn't much apart from the stiffness in my jaw. My throat was sore though and it was hard to swallow or drink much which was expected.
I did start my period the day before the procedure so by the time I was home, I was feeling pretty light headed. I knew I had lost a lot of blood so I made sure to rest before I was able to make myself a protein shake. I did have everything laid out for me in the kitchen for convenience and by the time I had taken my gauze out and had my first sip of water, I was able to enjoy my first protein shake.
What I prepared for myself:
- Salt water
- Protein shake
- Chicken soup (no chicken, veggies taken out but saved)
- Electrolyte powder
- Multivitamins, Vitamin D 2k+ ICU
- Vitamin C (Speeds up healing)
Day 2 was the first official day where I had to start taking care of myself. I drank protein shakes 2x a day along with taking the pain medicine as needed with my multivitamins. I drank water as often as I could and did my best to relax as much as possible. By the end of the day, I had a cup of electrolyte water which really helped me fall asleep even though my head was elevated. For the first 4-7 days, it's recommended to keep your head elevated to prevent swelling which I wasn't too happy about.
Despite not being in much pain though, I was stressed out. I had little energy to do much around the apartment, I was on my period, I could hardly eat and always felt hungry, and I found myself thinking about personal issues that really had no business in my space to begin with. As hard as it was trying to be optimistic and comforting, on my second day of recovery I had a good cry - which as you can imagine is very hard to do when you can't move your mouth!
I always like to be productive in my spare time so feeling fatigue throughout the day is very weird for me. Normally when I have "off" days, I surrender my desire to control everything and find ways to enjoy myself instead - no work, no obligations, just chilling out. So that's what I did; watched YouTube videos and took naps.
Day 3 felt more normal for me. I made myself some delicious zucchini soup and it was so comforting! I stopped taking the pain medication I was given just because I wasn't in any pain and I noticed I started to feel even more fatigue. My hunger was still crazy though so I ended up finishing up the entire soup before dinner time which left me hangry.
That following night I developed mild chills. It was roughly 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside and the AC was on in the apartment and I found myself putting two blankets on to stay warm. I then became really hot out of the blue so I got up to wash my face with cold water which really helped me relax and eventually helped me fall asleep. As it turns out, I developed a small cold which explained why I was feeling funky. I also developed a cold sore on my lip - yay.
On Day 4, I still felt very fatigue. I managed to eat some scrambled eggs which took me half an hour to eat because I was so worried about getting food stuck in my gums. I also swept the entire apartment which wasn't very smart since I had little energy to begin with. Since my sweet tooth was going wild, I even made some homemade ice-cream before taking a long two hour nap.
I did manage to sleep much better that night. I didn't toss and turn as much nor did I have the chills either. Before bed, I drank a cup of baking soda water which is said to help restore the Ph levels in your body to make it harder for bacteria to thrive in. By the next day, I felt a bit better and more energetic.
Day 5, I noticed my jaw was beginning to loosen up and my overall bite seemed aligned. It felt crooked before and it was weird to move my mouth in general. By this time, I made an effort to brush my teeth - no tooth paste - and brushed my tongue too since it was gross. I basically repeated my entire routine of making sure to eat, take my vitamins, drink plenty of water while taking naps when tired. My body was going through a lot so it was important not to stress it out.
Day 6, I feel much better and my cold seemed to have passed. Sleeping really helps so as much as I don't like sleeping during the day, it has to be done. My jaw isn't as tight now but opening is still limited; it's also not as swollen either. It does feel like something is lose in the back of mouth because I felt it with my tongue - but it could be the sutures coming undone as the wounds heal.
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I have uploaded a complete video of my wisdom teeth extraction on my YouTube channel below for those interested in watching. I hope you find it inspiring and helpful incase you also need to get your wisdom teeth taken out!
Until next time! xoxo - Sarah
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