I woke up at 5am this morning feeling very nauseous. I promptly threw up, and continued to vomit pretty often for most of the morning. The vomiting was accompanied by a nasty feeling in my stomach. This is exactly what happened in the hours following my tonsillectomy. I had thought it was the anaesthetic wearing off, but now I am convinced that I swallowed some of this evil bacteria, and the infection has taken hold in my stomach. It's got more comebacks than the Terminator!
***Please take a little caution if you decide to take higher doses of vitamin C (above what is recommended on the bottle) after reading this. Its toxicity in higher doses is actually very low, but anyone with a kidney problem (diagnosed or not) may well be at risk from large quantities. If taking the non-acidic ascorbate form, which is used in chewable and stomach friendly tablets, there will be smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium and/or sodium combined with it, which may pose problems at higher doses, far more easily than vitamin C. The acidic version ascorbic acid is pure vitamin C. As you'll read, I have been taking rather a lot of the stuff (mostly non-acidic, I won't say quite how much, as I may have lost count). You can research 'safe' doses for yourself on the internet, in fact please do. It is among the best natural medicines for your gums. It appears that for me right now, the higher dose is to my benefit, purely at this time of healing. But I am being careful and vigilant.***
I have still been taking the vitamin C lots, this time taking it in powdered form to reach my stomach. It does seem to help - after I took the first glass, I felt better and vomited just one more time. As soon as the stomach pain comes back harder, I take a bit more vitamin C. It's going slightly over (ahem) the 'recommended' dose, but I am trusting my instinct and my body on this. I have had no diahorroea or actual feeling of nausea, which would be sure signs of my body having too much.
The good news is that the actual wisdom tooth socket is doing fantastically well. I have not taken any painkillers at all today, and have not felt a single twinge of pain. All my gums look pink, clean and healthy, even around the socket, where there is hardly any swelling. My tongue has still been a little bit coated, but with the healing socket, stomach infection and being sick so often, this is really no surprise. A few times my mouth has felt slightly gacky, so I've just taken a chewable vitamin C and it feels better then.
On the breath front, well! This is definitely my cure. I am aware my breath will be slightly bad for a few days at least while this healing finishes. I am totally cool with it, I've survived far worse up to now, and it won't be long before it goes. I wouldn't be surprised if I will always be a bit prone to some milder bad breath, but I am again totally cool with that. I will be looking after myself, my teeth and gums really well, as there is no way on Earth I am letting this kind of infection come back into me again. After the tonsillectomy and wisdom tooth extraction, there are no longer any hiding places for it!
I went out to the shops this afternoon, yes, despite the stomach ache, and it was an incredible experience. Yes, I thought of my breath, but by instinct I knew it would be alright. I felt assured in myself even in busy shops, which have always made me feel a little anxious. I had a feeling of confidence when I stood right next to people, and even if I talked to them. I bought stuff at quite a few shops, and made a point to make smalltalk with every cashier. They were all very friendly to me, and there were no reactions to my breath whatsoever! One complimented the hat I was wearing. Another, in the bookshop, took me all the way up to another floor to help me find the book I was looking for. Yet another assistant walked up to me when I was queuing to pay, and complimented the book I was about to buy!
A really interesting thing was how much I could smell of other people. I used to read that bad breath is common, but I never really came across anyone with it, at least since I had succumbed to it myself. Of course, as a chronic sufferer you are so immune to your own smell, that it must cancel out that of others. I can tell you that bad breath IS common. There was a very eggy case in one shop, about half the shop assistants had at least mild cases (all that talking!), and I got the odd whiff of others literally every few minutes. I even came across a case of prominent BO in the supermarket. I bet I am going to be a super-reactor now, lol! Don't worry, I will try not to rub my nose, I don't want to cause any distress to any of you. I used to rub my nose a bit to try and mimic everyone else around me, somehow I thought that would make me less conspicuous!
I called my family and told them what had happened yesterday and today. I explained the situation with the persistent bacterial infection having affected my tonsils, mouth and stomach, but I did not mention the breath issue at all. I'm sure I didn't need to tell them, they'll put it together in their own minds.
They said they were very pleased that the infection was on its way out. I feel happy to be matter of fact with people in public about the chronic infection I have suffered, as it is clearly an illness which I have taken many efforts to overcome. What I will not be doing is going into any depth or giving detail when talking about the kind of symptoms I had, even if I am asked. I feel it is enough to tell people my infection which has made me ill for several years has now gone, and my health is now far better. They can figure it out if they want to.I now have that post-vomiting kind of feeling in my stomach. It is a bit like how a bad hangover used to feel by the next evening, back in the days when I drank alcohol, and drank to excess. Not a bad feeling in itself, compared to earlier. Despite the stomach infection, my head feels amazingly clear, and I feel extremely alert and able to concentrate. It's a brilliant feeling, as if the fog has finally lifted. I am tiring a little now, but I have been up since 5am, of course. Overall, I feel like a completely new person. I am so grateful for my new start.
I am optimistic that this pain will be much improved or gone by the morning. I am essentially fasting today and perhaps tomorrow, to make sure this infection is truly starved out. I have not felt hungry at all due to the sickness, and seem to be instead feeding myself from the excess fat on my tummy, which is dropping off. I am drinking plenty of water however, and feel myself becoming better hydrated all the time. I just need to bide my time a little longer and rest and heal well. I have my whole life ahead of me, I am not impatient in the slightest. It is so nice to be able to make plans to do all the things I want to do, and have missed so badly.
P.S. I am not a 'religious' person at all, confirmed agnostic, in fact. All the same, I went to church today to have a chat with God. I thanked him profusely for my cure, and all the help with my direction in life, and promised to try my best to do what I am here to do with my time on the planet. I cried tears of happiness, gratitude and relief. I thanked God for all the signs that have mysteriously nudged me towards the right direction along the way (even though the route was rather round the houses! lol
), and asked him for more of these to help me in the future. I thanked him for attending to the numerous prayers I made out of sheer desperation over the years, while looking at the sky and having no idea whether anyone was even up there, and whether they were listening! I also made some prayers for people I could think of who needed help or support, including all you sufferers of chronic bad breath, and especially the kind and lovely individuals I have had the chance to chat to on this website. And last but not least, I thanked all those who have tolerated me despite my awful problem, and have even helped me in all sorts of ways. I pledge to be tolerant to others who are different to me, particularly those who are clearly suffering, no matter why, as I now know full well how intolerance feels.Peace and love to you all xxx
