Toothache tales

I absolutely dread toothaches. They are like unpredictable time bombs that just erupt with no warning whatsoever. I was stricken with swollen gums a few days back. As always visits to the dentist is purely agonizing. From the bitter cold of the clinic to the drilling sounds of 'teeth borer' – everything at a dental clinic is unfriendly and hostile to me.

Guess what I was not the only one who shared the same opinion. After my appointment, this middle age guy stared at me blankly as I walked out of the room. His face held a familiar look – the look of fear. His first words to me was not "Hi", instead our conversation snowballed into something like this:

Guy: How was it? Was it painful?
Deb: It's not that painful (only to comfort him). You will be fine.
Guy: Is the dentist gentle?
Deb: Yeah he is (this is true)
Guy: You seem ok
Deb: Nods (Glad I manage to mask my fear. Imagine if I came out all pale, he would have shivered and ran out!)
Guy: I've not been to the dentist for many years. I'm actually scared. (For a middle age man to confess to a stranger that he is scared, that really is something!)
Deb: (Manages a look of comfort) You will be fine. Dentist is nice. Whatever you do, don't move too much even when it is painful!
-end-

Oh I've heard too many horror stories of dental patients. Let's not get into that. For now my gums are healing, swelling has gone down. Terence even bought flowers to brighten my day. The dentist took an x-ray and discovered that both my wisdom teeth were stuck under the gums. Eventually (which means in the near future) I will need to go for surgery to extract the little white rascals. Gives me shudders even thinking about it.

I'm sure I'm not the only person on the planet to go through this. Share your tooth surgery story and provide me some comfort. I'd love to hear about it. Email me or drop me a comment.

Nutritional splash!

Since young I have been spared from traumatic experiences of mom shoving multi-vitamins or cod liver oil down my throat. I’ve always been thankful for a healthy body and never really needed much vitamins for boosters.

On the contrary now that I’m an adult, I’ve discovered an interest in vitamins and supplements. My interest takes me to the extent of me reading and researching, but not intense enough to get my purse out of my bag.

Coincidentally, my mom has been indulging in some nutritional fad where the whole family is required to take 5-6 tablets of spirulina every day. Rachel brags about how her pimples have cleared and mom insists that it helps with her digestive system. Dad and bro just gets by (sometimes squirming to swallow).

Naturally as part of the family, I get one bottle for me and hubby too. We’ve been trying very hard to be diligent at it. So far we’ve only taken it 5-6 mornings consecutively. The results are not obvious so I’m personally quite skeptical about its boastings. Maybe time will tell…

Just so you know, the tablets smell horridly green. But here are some facts about Spirulina to perk your nutritional interest:

• Spirulina is a form of algae (no wonder the smell!) that has a high amount of protein – which means it’s great for muscle building.
  
• A single Spirulina speck only measures up to .0196850394 inches in length!
  
• It has a combination of minerals such as; iron, calcium, and magnesium and a bunch of other vitamins (all in that small tablet?!)
  
• It has a high concentration of Vitamin B useful for breaking down carbs and lipids (no wonder mom says it helps with her digestive system)
  
• It anti-inflammatory elements also helps prevent heart disease and arthritis

Note: Spirulina is not cheap. If you’re willing to invest RM350 per bottle for better health, I guess it’s worth a try. But I think I’d revert to more fresh fruits and veggies after we’re done with this one.