Greetings.

As predicted, it's been an eventful couple of days.  I went to my emergency dental appointment yesterday, and the looks of surprise when they saw my condition was both amusing and reassuring, as they were obviously concerned.  They seemed surprised to learn how many times in my life I've had to endure this level of pain, something I related during the preparation for the procedure.  
"Not to be mean, but it sounds like you've had a difficult life." the dental aide remarked.
"It is what it is," I told her.
After half a dozen needles, and some time for the numbing agent to take effect, they proceeded to cut the inside of my jaw, which I did not feel at all.  The dental surgeon then did her best to drain the abcess, and I felt that quite a bit.  Not the actual draining - my mouth was too numb for that - but in order to drain it properly, she had to basically grab handfuls of my face and squeeze with all her strength, and although the numb portions felt nothing, the rest of my face felt like it was being ripped off.  This lasted for about ten minutes or so, as she repeated the procedure in the hopes of lessening the swelling.  The dental surgeon remarked that it 'wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be."
Initially, they did not want to do an extraction, as it would be 'an extremely difficult and painful process, with level 9-10 pain for an extended time."  After the draining, they changed their mind, but I was no longer up for it.  The face manhandling had been enough for one day, and so I go back in a bit to get the second half of this problem taken care of once and for all.
Still, it could be worse.
This is just another lingering side effect of my relationship with a malicious, malignant/covert narcissist.  Had this happened while I was still married to her, I would have had to suffer through more indignation in the form of criticism and mockery of my condition - something I had been through on previous occasions during a decade of abuse.  This is one more reason these people - and I use the word lightly - need to identified, and removed from society.  They are pure toxicity, and a threat to anyone they encounter, and the court system in particular needs to be cleansed of these poisonous creatures, for they make a mockery of the tenets they are sworn to uphold, ones that form the core of our freedoms, and can destroy the lives of the most innocent.  I should know, for I've seen it done more than once.
Fortunately, between my high pain tolerance and the effectiveness of my meds, I am still able to write, and unless the infection fails to respond to treatment, this will soon be just another painful memory among many.
But, on the upside, two of the technicians said they'd buy my book, so there's that...

Until next time,

~Namaste
