Roots

Made it through the root canal.  Did have quite a bit of anxiety about it - did not set off any attacks, but did not sleep the best.  When I got there, though, it turned out to be no big deal (except to the wallet).  I got numbed up and did not feel anything until the end - he did something in the tooth that nearly had me jump out the chair, then he did it again.  Prior to it starting, he told me to let him know if I was having any discomfort by raising my hand.  My hands went up.  He stopped and told me that it was the root tip that he was dealing with and that he only had to hit it one more time.  He would have numbed me up more, but I indicated we could move forward.  Hurt but faded after a minute.  That was it.  He said things looked good and that things had gone well.  We'll see.  I've read lots of horror stories about branches being missed, small cracks in the teeth allowing in bacteria, etc.  He shaved down the tooth a bit as I'll not have the crown done until a week from Monday.  Shaved it down so the tooth will not contact other teeth when I bite - protect it until the crown.

In terms of post-procedure pain, there really hasn't been much.  An occasional twinge, but that is it.  I've managed to eat some ice cream and yogurt with no issues.  The novocaine wore off around noon today.   Thirty minutes before the procedure,  I took 800 mg. of ibuprofen.  I've been taking that does about every 4 hours since - trying to stay ahead of the pain.  If I happen to fall behind, the doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin.

To this point, 10.5 hours post-procedure, everything is going well.