Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Days 1-4

I got all 4 wisdom teeth taken out a few days ago. This is a summary of my experience.

I had to go to the day surgery about half an hour before the scheduled time of my surgery. Some admin stuff had to be done, plus I had to pay for the excess of the fee to use the theatre ward ($100, the rest was covered by my health fund).

The pre-op nurse then called me in to the pre-op room, where I had to get changed out of my clothes (except my undies) and into the hospital gown and surgical "shoes" and cap. I was nervous as, and she said that I should tell the anaesthetist, probably so he can set the dosage to allow for my nerves.

I then went into this waiting area, and laid in bed watching tv and waiting to be wheeled into the theatre. Not that I had any idea what was on tv, as I was getting more & more terrified by the minute.

The anaesthetist eventually came around to introduce himself, and to ask me some medical questions. And then a few minutes later my oral surgeon came around to brief me as well. Soon after that, I was wheeled into the theatre. I remember the theatre looking very much like any other surgical theatre that you see on tv - which of course did not help my nerves!

They wheeled my bed right next to the operating table (OMG), and asked me to move over on to the latter. (OMG x2) All the nurses introduced themselves to me while they prepared me for what's to come. The anaesthetist said that he was going to give me some introductory drugs to see how I would react, which was fine. About 30 seconds later, he said that he'll now give me the real thing, and that's all I remember.

And the next thing I remember is waking up in the post-op recovery area. They gave me a local anaesthetic as well, so I didn't feel any pain in my mouth. After a few minutes, a nurse helped me up to walk over to the waiting/pick-up area. I felt quite drunk! I couldn't walk straight, and I didn't feel like I had full control of all my senses. It was a rather strange sensation.

After waiting here for a while, B came by to pick me up. Both the anaesthetist & the oral surgeon came around to give me post-op instructions, and then I got changed back into my clothes & I was discharged not long after that. We went & picked up my painkillers (Digesic) & anitibiotics (Amoxyl) at the pharmacy downstairs, and then went home.

My mouth was numb for the rest of the day, which kept me amused and in good spirits. But I could barely open my mouth, and had to pretty much drink everything through a straw. I was starving...

The next day the local anaesthetic wore off and left me with a rather sore mouth. I could open my mouth a little, but I still couldn't really chew. The soreness was bearable, so I decided not to take any of the painkillers. My hunger continued on into Day 2. I started rinsing my mouth with salt & warm water, pretty much after every "meal", as per the post-op instructions. There was a bit of bleeding after the first 2 rinses, but it was just uncomfortable all the other times. I also started brushing my teeth with my little baby toothbrush, bought especially for this! :-)

Day 3 was pretty much the same. Soreness was the same, and I could open my mouth that little bit more. Still can't eat anything, so I'm still STARVING. My cheeks look a little more puffed up today, especially on the left side.

It's now Day 4, and it's pretty much the same still. My face looks even more swollen - & now it's looking a little bruised! I still can't eat much. I weighed myself today - I have lost 1kg. That's one good thing that's come out of all this inconvenience! LOL

Still no painkillers to date, so the pain obviously has not been as bad as I thought it would be.

Regrets of the Dying

I think we all need to stop and smell the roses every once in a while:

http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

Newborns

I went and donated blood today. The usual routine is that the nurse asks you for your full name and date of birth at the outset, and then asks you again about halfway through. The lady next to me was asked to give her details, and she replies "Jane Smith, 9 January 1991". 1991!! I felt so old. The nurse asked if she was at uni, and I was thinking to myself, "Uni?!? She's 16 years old! She's probably in year 10 or 11!!". Can newborns give blood?? hehehe ;)

Although even being in the center today made me feel like going in to medicine again. It just feels 'right', being there. I can't explain it any further than that. **sigh** The saga (to do or not to do medicine) continues...

Another stroll...

I walked home again today. You've gotta love daylight saving!! :) And the lovely warm weather.

I was a little puffed by the time I was about a block from home, so that was good. Get my heart pumping just that little bit more...

Walking

I decided to make good use of the extra sunlight, and walked part of the way home today. It was pretty good exercise, actually, I was slightly puffed by the time I arrived home. I should try and do that more often, to help me get my fitness level up a little bit more. And obviously being fit will help on the dancefloor... ;) That should be incentive enough for me, I think! LOL

I'm thinking of walking home at least once or twice a week during daylight saving, but then thought that would mean I would have to bring my sneakers with me each time. I wouldn't really want to be walking in my heels, not to mention the wearing down of the shoes.... Although I used to work with someone who walked to and from work EVERY DAY. I think she said it took about 45min each way. Now that's dedication for you! I, on the other hand, may just settle for 1-2x a week one-way. During spring/summer. :)

And at one point during my walk home, I was walking behind this man and his little sausage dog. The sausage was so small that it must have still been a pup! So cute! His little legs just scrambling to keep up with his owner. Hehe!

Daylight Savings

We have entered the daylight savings season! I LURRRRVE daylight saving, it is my favourite time of the year. I wish we could have daylight saving all year... LOL

Apparently we are getting an extended daylight savings period this time round, I believe a few additional weeks. Happy happy joy joy!

Oh, and btw, I am loving my new work. It's been about 3 months now, and I have had no regrets about the move. I love the work, my boss, and the people that I work with on a daily basis. I wonder if I have ever liked any of my past roles as much as I do this one. Happy happy joy joy! :D

(I wonder if my enthusiasm is being buoyed up a little simply because it's a Friday... hmmm...)

Walk the dog (oops, I mean cat)

There's this guy in our apartment complex who walks his cat. It is so cute! (Both the cat and the act of walking the cat) And he doesn't keep his cat on a leash, the cat just happily walks around nearby, and never strays far from its owner. So adorable!

Incessant Voices

I was standing on the bus the other day, and there was this guy down the back of the bus somewhere, occasionally screaming what seemed like incoherent words either at himself or at someone next to him. When I moved closer to the back of the bus, I finally saw the screaming man. He had a small device pressed up against his left ear, perhaps a walkie-talkie or a small radio.

I didn't think much else of him, thinking that he must have some sort of mental disorder. A few minutes later, I looked over his way again, and noticed that he was covering his ears. I was now within earshot of him, so I could actually make out what he was screaming to himself: "SHUT THE F#@K UP!!", "JUST SHUT UP!!", "ARRRRRGHHHH!!".

He must have been a schizophrenic, trying to drown out the voices that follow him around wherever he goes. When I realised this, my heart just went out to him. Can you imagine living your life hearing voices day in day out, and not being able to switch them off?? Ever?? It would be enough to drive you bonkers even after a few days, let alone an entire lifetime.

I'm not a doctor (obviously), but I wonder just how much medicine can actually help schizophrenia nowadays. I wonder if these people can actually live a reasonably comfortable life these days with the aid of medicine, by way of medication and/or the assistance from mental health professionals....

Motivated

I'm feeling particularly motivated this evening! I was going to pop in a dvd and watch Blood Diamond, but instead I'm quite keen to get started on working on a few odds and ends that I've been putting off for a few months now - ironing, my taxes, finish off a few novels, to start with. :) Obviously I can't get them all done tonight, so I might just work on putting my papers together for my tax return, and get some ironing done. And I'll bring a novel with me to read during the commute to and from work.

There are only two times - NOW and TOO LATE.

Long weekend

It's the Labour Day long weekend in Sydney! Hurrah for public holidays!!! :D

Although unfortunately this will be the last public holiday until Christmas rolls around. But can you believe just how close we are to Christmas already?? Sheez, how time flies....

Rude & Selfish

One thing that still sh#ts me to no end are people on buses who just refuse to MOVE DOWN THE BACK OF THE BUS. I don't know what it is about the back door, but as soon as some people see the back door, they just refuse to take that one step further past it. It's as if there's this bad smell emanating from the back of the bus somewhere that my olfactory senses just aren't picking up.

There was one guy on my bus on the way home today that stood right by the back door and literally stood guard, preventing anyone else from moving down past him. And there were empty seats down the back! Not that anyone up the front would have known that, since there was an idiot just standing there blocking everyone's way.

I just find it so rude and inconsiderate that people do this. The bus could have taken more passengers, if it wasn't for this jerk who was blocking all the other passengers from moving down the back of the bus.

And I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the 'aisle seat' taker, who lets their imaginary friend take the window seat, while there are REAL passengers standing around them. (See Pet Peeves) OMG. The sheer selfishness of people is astounding.

Dance on TV

Do I just lead a really boring life? I just don't seem to have anything happening at the moment that is worthy of an entry.

Dancing with the Stars started last night. It's the second series this year - do they normally have two series each year?? Or is it just that popular now? (Not that I'm complaining...) I reckon Mrs Bert Newton is going to be a serious contender this series. :)

And So You Think You Can Dance also started a few weeks ago. I'm always keen to have dancing on tv; I personally can't dance enough LOL and watching it on tv is the next best thing. :)

Not much else interesting happening in my life, unfortunately. Perhaps I need to go out more....!

Insecurities

Well first off, let me just update you with my application. I got the "thanks, see you next year" letter from ACER. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. So that's the end of the application road for me for the year. Now I have to decide whether I want to go through it all again next year. But I'm still doing some soul-searching, and I'll provide an update on this another day.

Now on to my current "real" life. I'm starting to have doubts as to whether I can do this job, this new job that seemed oh-so-wonderful just a few short weeks ago. All these terms crop up at work that I don't remember back from my uni days (mainly because I hardly studied during those formative years... LOL), so now I'm going to have to whip out textbooks and what not to figure out what my manager is actually talking about during our team meetings! ** sigh **

I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I've really only just started, and everyone says (including me, but not when I'm talking about myself of course) that it'll take months just to start getting in to the swing of things at a new job. And the work is completely new to me, so I have that to take in to account as well, and not just the new surroundings. I'm pretty much starting from a zero knowledge base. I feel like a graduate, almost, which is why I'm starting to doubt whether I can do this job....

I'm sure that I've already started to draw on my past experiences and applied those skills in my current role, but they're probably so ingrained in my thought process that I don't even realise that I'm using them. Well, that's what I'm hoping, anyway.... :) And surely I can add much more value now than a graduate can in the same amount of time. Surely! LOL (And by graduate I mean a 'normal', run-of-the-mill graduate - not one of those freaks who scored 100 in their UAI and breezed through uni with a High Distinction average, all the while being involved in multiple extra-curricular activities on the side.)

So I just have to be more confident in my abilities, and give myself the time to absorb all the new information in my new role, and not beat myself up over not perfectly understanding everything right from the get go.

Easier said than done, of course.... But I'll try....

Grumble Grumble

I don't get how messy this house can get. There's just B and me, no kids, no parents, no flatmates around, and yet our house is always in this constant state of clutter. We somehow seem to fill the laundry basket up to the brim over the space of a few days. And the ironing basket is NEVER empty. Heck, it's hardly ever 'just' full, it's constantly overflowing with clothes. We accumulate junk, and the junk just seems to pile up until either B or I reaching our breaking point and we actually throw most of it out.

I don't understand how other people can keep their house sparkling clean. I'm envious.

Excuses, Excuses

I was particularly slack last month, I know. Not that it's been a busier month, more that I've been sick for about half of it, and the internet has been down at home during the other half. And internet problems are still persisting, unfortunately.

But I promise to try harder this month. I have a new job (yay!), so hopefully I can post some interesting anecdotes on my new work environment real soon.

Oh, and I've also found another good blog read: Panda Bear MD. He's an ER resident somewhere in the USA, and is very opinionated on a number of things relating to medicine (training, cost and residency are the three main themes that quickly come to mind). It's a good eye-opener, although I wonder how close the American system is to the Australian one. I might have to find some good Australian doctors' blogs for a better comparison.

And speaking of the Australian system, interview letters are supposed to be coming out sometime this month. I'm assuming this means sometime towards the second half of the month. Maybe I'm just too cynical nowadays, but I've pretty much given up on the entire process and the chance of anything actually happening in a timely manner. Or perhaps just too much Panda Bear…?? :-)

It's mid-July!

Where did the first half of July go??!? I've been quite busy the past few weeks - a few family get-togethers with B's family, spending some more time dancing, and getting ready for my new job! :-)

More open windows

I can't believe this - I have a 2nd interview with Company 1; an 'informal chat' with Company 2; and a third recruiter would like to meet with me to discuss a potential role with Company 3!! I have never been so popular (in the job department) in my life! It is all very strange. I know the job market is rather buoyant at the moment, but still, I wouldn't have expected it to be THAT buoyant.

Or perhaps it is my unique skill set that is appealing to the recruiters/employers. Or perhaps it is just the lack of suitable candidates at this point in time, so it's just good timing on my part. Or perhaps a bit of both.

Either way, a few more opportunities have opened up for me so I'm quite happy. It's nice to have options. :-)

"More Hips"!

I just finished a bit of dance practice at home. Not quite the same as practising at the dance studio - the floor at home isn't anywhere near as nice as the dancefloor at the studio, and there is a much smaller floorspace here. But nonetheless, I made the most of what I have here at home. :)

I focussed mainly on Bota Fogos and Samba Walks, and then tossed in a few Rumba basics at the end. Oh, and "more hips"! Apparently I don't do enough hip action. Both my (male) teacher and partner have bigger hip actions than me. Now that is pathetic! As the girl, I should be doing twice the amount of hip action as they do put together! LOL So obviously I need to work big time on my hips. Go Shakira!

Day 14

btw, I have worked 14 days straight now. Today was Day 14. And thankfully, tomorrow is my one day off!!! I can't believe how thankful I am for having this one day to myself! The past few weeks has really made me appreciate my weekends.

The 'other' interview

The interview went quite well, despite my nervousness and the expectation that I was going to interview really poorly this time.

The recruiter who had set up this interview had built up a number of my expectations about the interviewer. At our previous meeting he made a passing remark about how the interviewer was a prompt person. There goes Expectation #1. She was around 5 minutes late to the interview.

Expectation #2: She is a very quiet, soft-spoken person who won't show you her cards. "You're doing well if you can make her smile", the recruiter pretty much said. Well I did that. On at least 3 occasions. There goes Expectation #2.

Expectation #3: "She will hammer you with questions, one after the other. And none of the behavioural fluff. She wants to know if you can do the job." This was partly true, she was asking questions one after the other, but I didn't feel at all hammered. She was asking relevant questions:

"Tell me about your previous roles."
"What have you learnt from your previous roles that you believe you can bring in to this one?"
"How much experience have you had writing reports and other correspondence?"
"Why did you move from your previous role to your current one?"
"What interests you about this role that you are applying for?"

And she didn't make me feel like I was beneath her, or judging me on my career decisions so far.

Expectation #4: She is immaculately presented. So I was expecting one of those women who always has her hair done, her nails painted, and her make-up flawless. When she arrived to greet me in the reception area, she looked neat and professional (as one would also expect an interviewer to be) but she wasn't completely done up as I was picturing her to be. She actually had one lock of hair that was sticking out to one side a little too much, which I kept staring at throughout the interview because I kept thinking that this lock of hair was just so out of place for this person who I had just built up in my mind to be perfectly presented at the interview.

And man, can I rant at interviews! LOL I'm a naturally quiet person (as I have described in my profile), but at interviews, there's no stopping me! Maybe it's because I go in with the expectation that I will need to talk about me, and so I'm in a totally different mindset. Ordinarily I hate talking about my life with others. Even the slightest hint that the topic is steering towards me, I will start devising ways of steering it away again. :-)

So after asking me the above questions (and probably a few other ones that I can't remember now), she went on to tell me about the role, the organisation, and how I and the rest of the team fit in to the grand scheme of things. And I asked a few questions along the way, I adopted the obligatory "look as if you are absolutely fascinated" pose. Although I don't have to put it on, so to speak, I am genuinely interested about the role and the company. And I think my genuine interest appeals to the interviewer, the positive signals that I subconsciously send are probably being subconsciously read by the interviewer also.

She also mentioned that she would like for me to meet her manager and that she'll contact the recruiter to arrange this, hopefully for sometime next week. So I think that's a positive sign that the interview went well!

So we finally wrapped up the interview, and as she was showing me to the lifts, I commented on how nice their office is. That's when she decided to show me their office canteen/cafeteria area, pointing out the coffee machine from which I can get FREE coffee whenever I wanted. My jaw dropped (I am an avid coffee drinker) and half-jokingly said "well you've tempted me already!", which is when I scored another laugh from her. More positive signs, if you ask me! :-)

Maybe that's why I do well in interviews. I'm prepared, I go in with a confident and open attitude, expecting the interview to be a two-way street where both parties are there to learn more about the other. Even if I'm not the right person for this role and this opportunity doesn't proceed any further, at least I had the chance to practise my interview technique in preparation for the med one! Which fingers crossed will happen later this year...