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my pain management methods
Saturday, March 5, 2011 || 6:57 PM
this article shall document how i tolerated and managed my tooth extraction pain.
1. massage
this worked well in the front few hours of my pain. that was after the LA wore off.. even till now at day 2 of my extraction..
2. distraction therapy
in nursing, we learn that distraction actually helps in getting u to not think of the pain. actually quite useful. till a certain extent. the pain is no longer at the front line causing u distress, but now sits at the back of ur mind. the pain is a bit like a nagging mother that u are trying to tune out but do so unsuccessfully. so yea. its a dull ache at the back of my gum/jawline.
3. cold therapy
using ice wrapped in a towel to prevent myself from being frost biten. initially, the pain was amplified quite badly. i thought of stopping it. but just continued on. after a while, the pain got numbed. what i saw on the net was 10 mins cold, 20 mins off. din really follow that. just that once i feel frozen, i took it off alr. the time was lesser then 10 mins. does help to keep the pain at bay for a while.
4. painkillers (mefenamic acid 250g)
a NSAID. for mild pain. and apparently primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramp). worked fine for the first 3 pills. but the 4th not really. dunno why. the duration for it was 6h. at least for me. i'm not quite sure if it is the same for others as well. i'm thinking of getting OTC nsaids like ibuprofen. not sure if i can get it in singapore, but trying:)
add on:
i got OTC painkillers (naproxen sodium 225mg). works like a charm. no pain, no ache. it was super good. and i became less cranky after the pain was relieved. if u are in greater pain and mefenamic acid doesnt work for you, can try for naproxen which is easily available through pharmacies like Guardian. but if u think that getting them from the pharmacists is a hassle, prob can try and get ur dentist to prescribe more painkillers for you (that's what i did for the second extraction).
my second extraction was a tad tricky. and i had to had surgery to remove the stuck and broken roots. so my dentist gave me naproxen sodium 275mg. yups. a bit stronger than the 225mg. but i think the 225mg is really enough for the pain. heh.
