For the last year or so I've been needing to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I remember a week before my first semester of OU where I was pleading with my mom to get them removed. Of course, she explained to me that there was no possible way to schedule me so soon and get them pulled. So, I went my entire freshman year carefully chewing my food to avoid the pain. Sometimes they would hurt after a meal but overall, I managed. It seemed I was the only one left who did not have their wisdom teeth pulled. Everyone I talked to either had them pulled in High School or got them pulled during winter break. Only one of my friends, Meg, didn't have her wisdom teeth pulled when I first met her.

But then over Spring Break she joined the others and managed to recover; for the most part. Now that summer break has begun, the first thing I had to do was get my wisdom teeth pulled. And while I've heard and seen my friends suffer through the pain in recovery, I was not fazed. But now, after two days of getting my teeth pulled, I wonder if I everyone was over-exaggerating.

Now I know that everyone that gets their wisdom teeth pulled suffers differently. But I feel like I am very lucky with how my wisdom teeth surgery went. Like mentioned earlier, my friend Meg had her teeth pulled in March and for the next couple of weeks they were hurting, and she got an infection or two. Like her, I had to get four teeth pulled and I needed to get these pulled fast. I was originally scheduled for the end of May, but I found out my job had orientation scheduled for that day and the days following. So, we managed to find a day at the beginning of May. That Monday morning my mom woke me up and we drove to the orthodontist office. My doctor, Dr. Francis, has been doing this for a while so I was a relieved to hear that. I didn't want to end up like my cousin. Her doctor screwed up her teeth.

Anyway, the only thing I wasn't looking forward to was the fact I had to go under for the surgery. During our first visit, I originally opted to be awake and go through the surgery while numb. But my mom overruled and told me to just go under. I hate not having control of my body. That is one of my greatest fears; that and guacamole (that's a story for another time). Fast-forward to the day of the operation, they strapped me into the chair, and I asked my mom if they had to put an IV in me. She nodded her head and my heart just sank. I hate IVs. I don't mind being in pain, I just don't like sharp prolonging pain like an IV. The nurse came in and strapped on the pads for the heartbeat monitor. My mom looked at the machine and laughed at how fast my heart was pounding. Trying to keep my cool, I explained that it was a normal heartbeat. 90 BPM is good, right? At least that's what the Batman games told me.

The nurse put in the IV and I was just waiting for it to hit. Dr. Francis was talking to me a bit and all I was thinking in my head was the phrase: "Whatever it takes" from Avengers: Endgame to keep my mind off the IV. And then, I black out. I don't remember my dream if I even dreamed, to begin with. All I remember is vaguely waking up and I could feel the blood dripping from the side of my mouth. I believe I was helped walking back to the car, but I knew I wanted to walk on my own. Even drugged I knew that I could walk just fine. At least that's what I kept telling myself. I probably was in danger of blacking out and collapsing in the middle of the road if left alone.

I remember pulling out my phone and vaguely answering text messages. And looking back apparently, I took a selfie on snap. I checked back later and thankfully I didn't send it or post it anywhere. And my texts did make sense and weren't too out of character. So, I was good. I remember getting back home around noon and I slept for probably three or so hours. But surprisingly by 6:00 p.m. I was fine. I felt fine, I was cognitive, and I could walk on my own. I keep wondering if this is normal or if I'm an outlier. Even typing this article two days post-surgery I am functioning and redesigning my room. I appreciate Dr. Francis calling me a couple of hours later and asking if I am alright. Such a nice guy.

In conclusion, I lowkey feel like I have a superpower. Maybe I do and this is my origin story. But overall, the pain of my wisdom teeth are gone. All four ripped out in one operation and I am here still standing. I am currently still taking some antibiotics and slowly eating solid foods. And I did sneak a lollipop or two while no one was looking and chewed on them. This is definitely a story I can humbly brag about.