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Pain Relief without Anesthetic; Atkins Induction Results

I've run into a problem with Atkins induction: my brand new shorts are now so loose on me that I can get them on without unbuttoning them. Truly, two days ago, nothing in my usual size fit. Cue the sappy violin music.

Having to have your clothes taken in isn't the worst problem. What about dental surgery, though? Back in my Body for Life days, I ate a lot of carbohydrate and ended up with a bunch of cavities, a few of them at the gumline of my bottom front teeth. As much as I brushed and flossed, I constantly had plaque on my teeth back then. Even though I haven't had any tooth decay since starting LC, the gumline there (where my old dentist had to remove gum tissue to put in a filling) has receded and I've had bone loss. Gum tissue doesn't stick to fillings, so it just keeps receding. To avoid any further bone loss, my oral surgeon (the one who gave me my dental implant a few years ago after an accident) grafted some tissue from the roof of my mouth to the gum.

My Atkins induction results will probably be skewed toward more weight loss since I have to do a liquid diet for a day, then gradually go to soft foods. It will take several weeks for the surgery to heal. No problem--I lived on soft and liquid foods for a few months after my face hit the sidewalk in 2012.

I'm feeling OK. I had low-carb, non-dairy, no-alcohol eggnog for dinner and I've been playing video games and listening to music that make me feel better: Totalfat, Nightmare, The Hives, and 80s metal. A tune on a cello doesn't do it for me. Research at the University of Utah shows that music relieves pain for some people by providing stimulus that competes with pain pathways (see this). The anesthetic wore off hours ago, but as long as I'm listening to the music and engaged with writing or playing games, I can't feel the roof of my mouth, just the graft area. My TMJ pain, which started flaring up, is gone, too.  But I'll get some liquid Motrin for backup.

Comments

tess said…
sometimes it's just one thing after another! hope you're feeling better soon!
Lori Miller said…
Thanks, Tess.
Not sure if my earlier comment came through ....

But ditto what Tess said - and hope you feel better real soon

All the best Jan
Lori Miller said…
Thanks, Jan.
Galina L. said…
Take it easy, Lori! Probably, it is a good time for your own ice-cream! I would also add to your menu a jello made with a gelatin and a good broth.
I also have an extensive tooth and gums damage from the pre-LC days, couple gum surgeries in a past, three bridges, several tooth crowns and now in a process of getting 3 implants. All that despite always eating self-cooked food all my life and not having a sweet tooth. That "just eat the real food" folks have no idea how much their advice is not sufficient.

I commented about my periodontist before. He was unusual because after his surgeries many people, me included, didn't need painkillers. His wonderful hands were damaged by the taking statines for several months (confirmed by a biopsy), and he is now living of disability insurance, retired at 55 yo.
Lori Miller said…
Thanks, Galina! In fact, I did make chocolate ice cream, but yesterday was careful about how much I ate. Saturday, it was easy to eat a whole batch after a day with little food--and I gained a pound. I got some gelatin yesterday; now I need to figure out how to make it without a bunch of fruit juice or added calories since I'm still on Atkins induction. I'd welcome any recipes.

Sorry to hear about your teeth and your dentist. LC isn't all about weight control--it's also good for lipids, dental health, blood sugar control, and a variety of other health concerns.

My regular dentist just retired around the same age, but my surgeon says he's antsy to be busy again.
Galina L. said…
A jello could be a food very low in calories. It is not necessary to make it out of fruits and juices. Think about any liquid or a semi-liquid. The easiest thing is to add gelatin to a broth. Turkey broth is the best-tasting one. I usually buy a turkey leg for such purpose. Use the recommended ratio of liquid/gelatin you will find on the package. You could add finely shredded garlic and herbs when the broth is not very hot, but I am not sure you will need such things in your food after the surgery to be caught into stitches.

Jello could be made out of a green tea with a lemon or/and mint, you could add very small amounts of berries and stevia into your black tea and turn it into a jello, almond milk with added cocoa/vanilla/coffee/Bailey liquor will be a great jello, and , of course, any coffee is a jello materia. If I ever write a cooking book, it would have a jello chapter.
Galina L. said…
In the Wooo's post about Leptine a person with a nick NS put a lot of comments about some really nasty virus he/she got a awhile ago and still suffering, and predicts that the virus is coming to everyone in US by 2020. I guess if it is the case, LCarbing will make a difference. Usually I am not getting emotionally/mentally involved into Apocalyptic scenarios , but we live now at the period when our previous faith into the power of hygiene/antibiotic combo is getting less founded, new infections resistant to existing remedies are on the rise, and it is a high time to have a plan what to do if we get it. Even better to try our best to turn ourselves and our loved ones into a germs fortress.
Lori Miller said…
I'm planning to make some soup tonight--maybe egg drop. Gelatin would be good added to it. The lemon-mint dessert also sounds good.

The worst virus for me would be a really virulent strain of the flu since it's airborn and I'm prone to respiratory infections. In 1918, healthy young people woke up feeling fine and were dead by sunset. I'd stay home if anything like that were going around.
Galina L. said…
So, LC didn't make you more resistant to infections, unlike resistant to a tooth decay?
I think, if you drink diet soft drinks, it could be made into a jello too by warming up only small amount of the drink, mixing it with a gelatin, then adding the rest of the liquid with gas bubbles.
Lori Miller said…
LC solved many of my problems, but didn't make me more resistant to respiratory infections, which I've been prone to my whole life. I'm sure a really virulent flu virus would kill me.

On a happier note, the diet cola gelatin sounds like fun.

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