Stitches out and follow up

As of Feb 21st:

Alhumdulillah, I had a very easy 1st week. My biggest issue was finding it hard to open my mouth fully without making a lot of effort. Plus, I’d hear my jaw click everytime. I was supposed to go back to the surgeon to get my stitches out but thursday (exactly 1 week later) I decided to go to a different dentist. Ahumdulillah, she was very nice and pulled the stitches out painlessly. She put a pack in my wound, which I think defeated the purpose of having stitches to close the gap, coz she said there was slight inflammation and it’ll help reduce it. And 24 hrs later, I could open and close my mouth without a problem. I was so happy! Alhumdulillah. Also, she recommended I do salt water gargling as it helps keep the inflammation down.

It’s been 2 weeks later, she’s put the pack twice and I got it removed today. She said there’s flesh/tissue over the bone now so I won’t have any pain. So, inshaAllah, no chance of dry socket. I need to continue doing salt water gargles but with every meal. And I have a hole in my gum because of which I’m trying to avoid eating on that side, especially things like rice so it doesn’t get stuck inside.

Alhumdulillah, even though the actual procedure was a nightmare, the post-op period has been very smooth and I had to take minimal medications. In order for the wound to heal, I believe it’ll take a month or so. The bone can take upto 6 months. I’ll follow up every now and then regarding this.

Post-op day 1

Just had my wisdom tooth extracted 1 and half hours ago. Man, it was one horrible experience! It was done under local anesthesia and I could still feel pain as the tooth was being ripped out of the socket. The dentist kept insisting it was only pressure but it was too painful to simply be pressure. And the procedure was supposed to be simple because the tooth was pretty much straight (vertical). I’ve decided that for the next one, I’m going to go under so that I don’t have to deal with that again. I’ve got stitches too. Seems like several. Once I get to open my mouth more I’ll have a peak at how many there are.

Pain level is not bad for now. I can feel my lip and cheek. Tongue is slightly numb. I’ve had an intramuscular (IM) diclofenac and corticosteroid so that should help the pain and swelling for a while. Although the doctor said there should be none. Allahu ‘alim. I do see mild swelling.

My gauze is out. I can’t spit or gargle for the first 24 hrs so I’ve just been swallowing slowly and have had chocolate milk so that I can take my antibiotics. I didn’t get much sleep at night so I’m really tired.

Lets hope everything improves from this point onwards. I’ll keep updating.

Impacted Wisdom Tooth

Yep, that’s what I have unfortunately. And I’ve been meaning to get it removed but haven’t found the time and it’s been bugging me lately. I had a throat infection which I now feel has included my wisdom tooth. And I’ve already started myself on antibiotics. Only problem is I’m looking for a good dentist but there aren’t any in my area. The ones I’ve known or experienced have been not that great, to be honest. Some even sucked.

The thing about gynecs and dentists, among those that I’ve come across, are insensitive and don’t care about the patients pain. This is terrible because they deal with patients in pain every single day! Anyway, so I’m hunting for a good dentist who is kind, polite (something which I haven’t seen in many dentists), and painless (duh!).

In the meantime, you can feast your eyes on what I will undergo to get my impacted wisdom tooth removed:

Sleep Deprivation May Lead to Alzheimer’s?

Neurologic diseases are one of the worst diseases and Alzheimer’s disease is one of them. It’s a progressive disease where there is loss of brain cells (neurons) which results in progressive memory loss. So far, there is nothing to reverse the process and our best plan of action is to try and limit the progression and prevent the disease.

This is just a start to try and understand the disease a bit better and hopefully someday to try and find a cure or a way to prevent the disease.

“The research was conducted in mice and is preliminary, and it may not apply to humans. Still, the possible link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s raises the prospect of possible treatments that target related pathways in the brain, explained study author Dr. David M. Holtzman, chairman of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

“This might be a way to delay or prevent the disease by doing something in middle life” rather than waiting until something goes wrong, Holtzman said.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that as many as 5.3 million people in the United States have the disease, which is the country’s seventh-leading cause of death. Alzheimer’s disease is incurable, and although some treatments are available, they only relieve symptoms. In some cases, those symptoms include sleep problems.

Holtzman and his colleagues were not initially looking at sleep, but instead wanted to better understand how a protein clogs the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. It’s not clear how these clogs, known as plaques, and structures called “tangles” cause symptoms. But experts think it may have something to do with their disruption of how neurons communicate with each other.

The researchers developed a way to monitor the levels of the protein by the hour in both humans — through a continual measurement of their spinal fluid via a catheter — and mice.

The researchers discovered that the level of the protein went up during waking hours and fell during sleep. Holtzman said that its levels may be related to brain activity, which is higher during waking hours.

In mice, the researchers found that sleep deprivation boosted the levels of the protein, which builds up in plaques.

If a person is awake for a long time, levels of the protein might build up, Holtzman said. This could play a role in middle age because Alzheimer’s disease begins to clog the brain several years before symptoms become apparent.”

For the entire article, click here. It reminds me of something I was discussing with my mother recently. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that for every disease Allah created there is a cure. All we need is the ability to discover that cure.

“There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.”(Al-Bukhari)

Are Acai Berries Really All That?

There has been a craze behind the beneficial effects of the acai (pronounced aa-sigh-ee) berry and how they are full of anti-oxidants and can help one lose weight. But how much is true and how much is false advertising? I almost tried to buy some myself but decided to do some research first.

It all started with Dr. Oz who mentioned the beneficial effects of the acai berry on Oprah. However, if one investigates into the matter, one can find the following:

“Neither Oprah Winfrey nor Dr. Oz endorse or are associated with any acai berry product or on-line solicitation of such products,” said Harpo spokeman Don Halcombe. “Harpo lawyers are aggressively pursuing all of the companies that we know about or are reported to us.”

“We were looking at foods that have deep colors,” said Oz. “These naturally colorful ones reflect antioxidant power.”

As far as those weight-loss properties, Oz said, “I’d be surprised if by itself acai could help.”

But, he confided, “it’s not going to hurt you, and it’s as good an antioxidant as anything else. That’s not where I would put my money.” The best way to lose weight, according to Oz, is to avoid simple carbohydrates and incorporate the right nutrients into one’s diet, lose that fat around the waist, exercise and add fruits, vegetables and fiber to the diet.

“All other things like supplements have limited benefits,” he said. “If you order French fries, a Big Mac and a large coke, you’re not going to lose weight and even the acai isn’t going to help.”

Moral of the story – Don’t believe everything you hear on TV.

“Invariably, as is the case with these products, the hype gets way ahead of the science,” said Dr. David Katz, associate clinical professor of public health and medicine at Yale University. “You get more bang for the buck by just eating more fruits and vegetables.”

The news article goes on to say:

While there is some merit to the rich antioxidant content of exotic fruits such as acai, consumers can get the same punch in dark chocolate and an array of other foods, such as oranges, tomatoes and blueberries, according to Katz.

“There really are two fallacies: one is that we can package the benefits of a food into a supplement – that often doesn’t work,” he said. “The second is that just because a food is high in antioxidants, it will translate into unique health benefits. We have no evidence of that either.”

There is no proven scientific data regarding the amazing benefits of the acai berry. The research that I did come across claimed that acai berries have an anti cancer affect in cell cultures. Here’s the thing though, most fruits and vegetables will have the same effect! This is because of the presence of the anti-oxidant vitamins A, C and E.

Free radicals and oxygen radicals, produced by our body during respiration, metabolism and by other causes such as pollution, smoking, etc, are harmful to our cells and can lead to cancer so our body tries to neutralize these by using antioxidants. Antioxidants can also have a cardio-protective effect.

The best method to get a rich source of antioxidants is by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. These also provide fiber which is great for constipation, diarrhea and preventing colon cancer. Everyone should try to get a minimum of 30 mins daily exercise and in order to lose weight one should exercise for atleast an hour. There is no trick to weight loss. It comes down to burning more calories than you consume. Whenver you find yourself focusing too much on a certain type of food, remember, moderation is key. The aim should be to cut out junk food, eating excessive carbohydrates and try to consume a more balanced diet along with staying active. It also helps to stay well hydrated and get a good night’s sleep.