Berlin Buildup week 2 of 11. Toothache

 

I can’t stand any alterations to my body. It’s like some kinda phobia. I would never consider a tattoo or piercing. It took a year of wearing my wedding ring before I grew to accept it.

I hate having fillings, worse still is root canal, foreign bodies, urghhh!

I developed a really bad toothache back in October last year. It was hurting when I went to Italy for a mountain race and spent the night in hospital with bust up knee (read post here). I remember lying in the hospital bed with knee hanging open thinking, ‘my tooth still hurts through all this?!’

Months later, a dozen dentist appointments, over 30hrs to and from appointments and one painful route canal surgery completed. I’ve taken every instruction on keeping my teeth perfect, am signed off with a perfect-10 in oral hygiene. But there’s more pain.

I’m in different degrees of pain for months. My dentist doesn’t really know what the problem is. It might die down of it’s own accord. Or I might need another root canal.

This Thursday, a friend at work mentions that he has toothache, and I think to myself, I haven’t had toothache for a while, maybe all this teeth washing and flossing, is working.

I can’t sleep that night with the toothache.

Much worse than the phobia is the shame. The embarrassment I feel that I haven’t looked after my own teeth properly.

On Friday, I have to double, then quadruple dose on ibuprofen. The pain is that severe. Give me the pliers, I will pull it out myself. Pride and ego get swallowed very quickly.

I reckon I have a high pain threshold. It is impossible to really know. But running marathons, for a large part, is learning to deal with pain. In the race, in training, every morning walking down the stairs with achey bones and tendons. I go through pain, then see if I can take a little bit more.

But this toothache…whole.nuther.level.

Can’t get hold of my dentist, NHS direct nurse tells me over the phone no more Ibuprofen. I have to switch to Paracetamol. I double dose on that. I honestly don’t care. I have a pint after work with workmates. I guess the alcohol might provide some release. It causes some drug cocktail side effects, and I have to run 10 miles not really sure where I am.

See NHS emergency dentist Saturday morning. She cannot solve the problem. Recommends Tramadol.

So the weekend is spent running, and taking drugs. I have every excuse not to go running this weekend. But I go anyway. The toothache and drugs make me feel awful, but don’t actually affect my ability to run that much.

Dentist appointment on Tuesday.

 

 

 

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Non-running related highlight of the week

Drum roll please…

…Jim learns to ride his bike! He learns on Saturday in the perfect trails of Llyn Brenig, and then Sunday we go back again. I do my long run while he just goes around and around all day. He falls a hundred times, picks himself up, and goes again. Sunday night when we are putting on his pyjamas, we notice his shins are BLACK & BLUE with cuts and bruises from the pedals. Did he mention it one time?

So so proud.

Best thing on the internet this week:

Niamh Emerson, GB Heptathlete. She has to run the final event, the 800m, faster than she ever has before, to secure Gold in the World Junior Champs. It’s hammering with rain. She takes off from the front. Wins in a PB, collapses in tears.

This photo. Mike drop.

Thing I’m digging this week:

Co-codamol. Anything that stops that searing, suicidal tooth pain. Plus, Nina says it actually makes me a nicer person. Laid back and unable to argue about anything!

 

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9/7/2018	AM	PM
Monday	6 @ 8.55min miling	4 @ 6min miling
Tuesday	6 @ 7.55min miling	9 @ 6min miling
Wednesday	6 @ 8.24min miling	6 @ 6min miling including 1x1km in 3min
Thursday	9 @ 7.45min miling	4
no sleep – toothache
Friday	REST	10
terrible toothache
Saturday	REST. Dentist	8 x mile in 5.45 (1min rest). 11 miles
Sposed to be 10xmile in 5.15, but the drugs and toothache mean doing anything counts as an outrageous success
Sunday	19 @ 6.55min miling	10 @ 7.55min miling
The whole family have 2hr nap while World Cup Final is on. Beautiful run pm
TOTAL:	100 miles	tm = treadmill