Hee Haw or CSI

Alex had a tooth extracted today. It was a molar he has been having trouble with for some time now. There was a root canal a couple of years ago, an infection a few months back, and he and our dentist finally decided it needed to come out. His brother told him that if he had a front tooth pulled he could be on "Hee Haw".

The procedure was quite smooth and he was in and out in less than an hour. All went well. Until we got home. For some reason the bleeding that was supposed to last up to three hours lasted longer and the gauze dressings that were supposed to be changed each half-hour needed to be changed about every 15-20 minutes. I wrote the times down, just like timing labor pains. I left him only briefly to get more gauze pads and tea bags. Tea bags? Yup. He needed regular tea for the tannic acid. You moisten a tea bag and clamp it over the hole in the mouth and it helps to stop the bleeding. His tea-drinking wife doesn't have regular old tea in the house.

The bleeding finally did stop. In the meantime, however, we had blood all over his clothes, the family room and kitchen, the floor, even a bit on the chair. If a Crime Scene team were looking for mass murderers in our neighborhood, they would never believe we are innocent.

He is better tonight. Risked a couple of pudding cups at dinner (one chocolate and one butterscotch). I will put a towel over his pillow for the next two nights. And -- oh, yes -- he will avoid operating heavy equipment for another 12 hours or so.