seriously...a root canal?

with all of the events of the last few weeks, a little toothache had also emerged. since we leave this weekend for vacation, i thought it would be best to get it checked out today. so, i called the office, got an afternoon appointment, dropped the kids off with my friend heidi, and met my mom at the hotel. she drove me to hagerstown from there...a little like i was 12 again, but i am not to be driving yet. so, we started out with x-rays...which showed an abcess on a root canal that had been done by another office...we will call him: dr butcher. didn't seem like a big thing, they would just go in and fix it and i would be out of there in an hour or two. so, i checked in with mom...she went to a coffee shop and we got underway...then the fun started:

• numb it up good
• drill, pick, grind, look funny
• consult from another dentist and nurse
• possible surgery...but they could just do it today...so, hang tight
• CT scan of the tooth before the surgery
• oh, we can get through that old mess without surgery afterall...but you might lose the tooth
• numb it up good again
• more drilling, picking, grinding (me PRAYING)
• made it through the old mess without perforating the root...SAVED my tooth for today
• packed it with infection killer and sent me home with more antibiotics and vicodin
• go back in 3 weeks to see if i get to keep my tooth or get a shiney new implant instead
• oh, 1 more xray just to check it out again

meanwhile my dear friend heidi had my kids ALL day...my appointment was from 1:30 until 5:00...fed them lunch and supper and wore them our for me. hoping for early bedtimes for all of us! i am so thankful for my friends and family that just keep helping me out at every turn. seriously though...it is vacation yet?!