It’s now been six days since my gum-grafting surgery. Can I just say that I AM SO GLAD THIS IS THE END OF IT. We have upper gums and lower gums, and now that both of mine have been grafted, I am done.

Days 1-3 weren’t too terrible. I was happy that things didn’t seem as difficult as they were after my November surgery! Days 4-present, though, have been kind of rough. I stopped trying to take it day by day and started congratulating myself on getting from six hours to six hours. I can take an 800 mg ibuprofen (Advil) every six hours. The dose lessens the pain somewhat, but three hours in, I’m looking at the clock in desperation.

Other than intense pain, it’s really not so bad, and I’m thankful for that. I don’t have much in the way of bruising this time… just a little bit around my eyes, and a little beneath my chin. I’m not nearly as swollen and misshapen as I was in November. I’m not having to contend with the uncomfortable sensation of my gums suffocating beneath a thick band of foreign (cadaver) tissue.

But the pain, man.

The worst part of the pain comes from the roof of my mouth. From the looks of it, the doctor carved pretty deep into my palette to get the strip of tissue he needed. It certainly doesn’t feel like a mere “bad pizza burn” on the roof of my mouth, has he’d said it would. Doctors are hilarious in how they understate things like that, aren’t they? Hilarious and creative.

Callaghan took a pic of the tissue-removal site, but I’m thinking it’s kind-of-maybe too gory to post here, so I’ll refrain. Instead, I’m posting a video clip I took this morning. OH – those of you who follow me on Instagram, I’m sorry if you were around during my attempts to post the video to stories. It failed, obviously.

I recorded this after I woke up the second time today, just after noon. I threw on some clothes and sat down to tell you about my spectacular re-discovery: you can use both acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) for pain control, either alternating them or taking them together. I knew this, but I’d forgotten! If you’re also narcotics-challenged, this is good for you to know in the event that you have surgery.

Not sure why I’ve been inclined to film myself talking when it hurts to talk, but I have been, so I’m going with it. Again, I’m sorry for being less than clear. It sounds like I’m saying “i-be-profen” rather than “i-bu-profen,” so please forgive me for that. The best thing about the video is that Nenette appears in it, and she had no idea! We’re both looking a little pasty due to our lighting being less than ideal, as usual, but you can kind of see her colors.

That’s all I’ve got for today, friends. I hope your week’s off to a great start!