But how will you chew?

     This viable question was raised from my very concerned eight-year-old sister just hours after my wisdom teeth were removed.  She looked up at my swollen face with concern in her eyes and asked.  I told her I already had plenty of teeth for chewing, and besides, the teeth she held in her hand - of course I had kept them - weren't even visible when they were taken out.  They had never served a purpose for me and my tiny mouth.
     I'd woken that morning in the comfort of my bed, wondering what the surgery would be like.  I was apprehensive and a little excited.  Ok, I'll admit right now that I'm not exactly your average Joe.  Who, after all, is excited to get four embedded molars cut and pushed out of her jaw?  I had a different perspective however, because I was determined that I wouldn't be put out during the surgery.   The nurses seemed a little apprehensive when I informed them of this, but they couldn't exactly argue.
     So I stayed awake for the surgery.  It was quite the interesting experience.  I could feel everything they were doing right up until the tooth came out - as far as pressure goes anyways, the pain was numbed out by the ten shots I'd taken to the mouth.  It was kind of neat to experience the surgery, see the reflection in the Doctor's glasses as he cut open my mouth.  He talked me through everything he was doing and while I was a bit distracted, it was still educational.
     Everything after the surgery seemed to go fine.  I took very little pain medication, but when I couldn't sleep I ended up popping a pill (part Advil, part Vicodin) and dozing off.  The next day was a disaster though.  I couldn't keep anything in me, not water, not food.  I threw up at least ten times and my stomach became my enemy.  The pain in my mouth was nothing compared with the dizziness of my head and stomach.  I suffered through the day and most of the night, finally relinquishing my effort to abstain from water as I took an ibuprofen and fell to a restless sleep.
     After being without Vicodin for a full day, my stomach is better.  My mouth is still swollen and I'm not without pain, but anything is better than the havoc the Vicodin wreaked on my digestive system.  I'm trying to rest - rather unsuccessfully - and hoping I'll get better before I work tomorrow.  All in all, it was quite the first surgery.  Let's hope I don't have to go through any others in my lifetime.  And for the reassurance of my lovely sister, I will live to chew again :D