"Yeah, So I Got This From a Bar Fight" - The Inspirational True Story of a Wisdom Tooth Extraction Survivor

This post can also be titled "How I Lost My Love for Mashed Potatoes - A Tragedy".

I know I normally post about my adventures of enjoying food and meeting new people, but little of that has been going on this month because I, unfortunately, had to recover from something traumatic: oral surgery. (Doesn't the very term give you shivers?)

I've been avoiding getting my wisdom teeth pulled out since my dentist gave me the recommendation back in...like the early 2000s. (Yeah, I'm not joking.)  I postponed it for as long as I could (about 15 years to give a rough estimate). Then, on New Year's Eve 2013, I felt that toothache and knew that I couldn't push this back any longer.

I was anticipating that this experience would essentially be the end of the beginning for me, really. I was even considering making a break for it once I was in the patient's chair:

Lovely view, right?

But, in the end, I decided to put a brave face on and stay put. And looking back on the experience, my advice to others out there who have to face the same ordeal: TAKE THE ANESTHESIA AND BRING YOUR iPOD. Yeah, that's right. There's no sunshines, rainbows, and unicorns when it comes to oral surgery so just make sure you're pumped up with enough drugs and music to bring you to that happy place. 

The road to recovery was ROUGH. Okay, I may be exaggerating, but as an individual that appreciates food (and chewing, in general), the aftermath of the surgery was not fun. Sure, I took a few days off from work, ate an unlimited amount of mashed potatoes, soup, and ice pops, and caught up on my Netflix queue. But during the entire time it took for me to get back to a semi-functioning state, I felt like someone had thrown me in the dryer and kept me in constant spin. Fun, right? At least, I got a really cool bruise out of it, making me look total bad-ass:

The "Bar Fight" Bruise

I completely acknowledge the fact that I am a wimp for my complaining. I can also confirm that by the 1-week mark I was back at work, able to give the world a full smile, and happily eating solid foods. Alright, I might've started eating solid foods a little TOO early, but whatever. (Note my "whatever" when I tell you next month that I might have an infection or something.) 

P.S. I ate mashed potatoes a few days ago. I still love mashed potatoes, even after this ordeal. True love at its finest.

P.P.S. If you are in the north New Jersey area and are looking for a well-qualified oral surgeon, I highly recommend Dr. Mendel Markowitz in Clifton, NJ (http://www.cc4os.com/clifton-nj-oral-surgeon/oral-surgeon-dr-markowitz.html). The man put up with me and we both made it out of the oral surgery in one piece. Enough said.