I apologize in advance for this probably ending up long, I have never been good at writing short stories....
So, for the past 5 days my wisdom tooth has been making its final moves and the back of my mouth has been in MISERABLE pain. My gums are slowly dying and falling off at the back of my cheek and eating is impossible unless its through a straw. I went to the dentist when they first broke through a year ago and the x-rays said the bottom two were straight and there was room for them, so we kept them in. Over the past year they have been coming in on and off. I have no insurance or extra money for a dentist/doctor appointment that is strictly based on obtaining pain meds (nor do I really like pain meds...) So I am forced to just deal with the pain when it comes with advil, ice and over the counter numbing agents. Normally its bearable and only lasts 3-5 days, but not this time. I think because its the last push and not only the gums need to move, but a little bit of the back of my cheek is dissolving. My over the counter methods DO NOT touch this pain and its already been 5 days and the end is not near.
To top it all off, I woke up at 3:30 AM yesterday feeling super super queezy, I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom fast enough to lose everything I ate (excuse me, drank...) that day. Thinking maybe it was just the advil I tried to go back to sleep. To my horror I was up every half an hour after that dry heaving with an empty stomach. I was clammy, hot, cold and dizzy and my mouth was absolutely on fire from stomach acid on raw gums (graphic I know, sorry). THE FLU! I haven't had the flu/stomach bug in years and the universe decided the perfect time to experience it again is while my wisdom tooth is coming in with full, angry force. So now, not only can I not eat solid foods, but I can't even eat yogurt, milkshakes, apple sauce, advil or even juice without it coming back up! So I am reduced to drinking Tums dissolved in water through a straw, because I can't even chew the stupid things. How long can you survive on water and tums?! Needless to say, I am 102% past miserable. The point of this story is not to make people feel bad for me ( but to be honest I feel bad for me, haha) I just wanted to let all you fish lovers know that the only thing that has been able to capture my attention long enough to take the focus off the pain in my face, and even make me crack a smile has been my aquariums.
The only nagging thought that has been in my head for the past 6 days is "omg this hurts, when is it going to end, I'm miserable" Nothing could take my mind off the pain, except watching my fishes swim and especially my pistol shrimp maintain his and my goby's home. They are just so captivating, and personal when they are your own, it has been the only thing that has kept me out of tears with how frustrating this pain and sickness has been. I can observe them for 30 minutes and all the sudden realize for the past 30 minutes I have not been thinking about how miserable I am. No show or movie on TV can do that, no craft or art project I have can do that, no advil or ice or music or long hot bath can do that. Only my aquariums can bring me to a moment of serenity despite all the pain and frustration in life. Even if it's just for a minute. It's sometimes a very much needed minute.

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30 gallon freshwater: 1 crowntail betta, 5 neon tetras
60 gallon hex saltwater: 1 banded brittle star, 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 hermit crabs, 1 turbo snail, 1 yellow watchman goby paired with a candy stripe pistol shrimp, 2 ocellaris clown fish. Bubble tip anemone, frogspawn, fungia, clove polyp.

what a brilliant story! feel so bad for you, my wisdon teeth grew wrong, the top two out towards my cheeks and the bottom towards my other teeth! thank god for free dentists over here, i got them out so didnt have to suffer long but i feel your pain. hope you feel better soon. and i totally get the watching them for half hour and not realsied all that time has gone.xx

Ugh. How terrible! I'm glad your aquariums have given you a much needed distraction. I have had my share of dental woes. I know how miserable it can be to lay there in an agony that no pain meds will touch. To be without pain relief at all... Well, it sounds unbearable. My wisdom teeth are too wedged to ever come in, so I don't know what's normal, but it does not sound like the amount of pain you are in, or the fact that part of your cheek is eroding, is normal at all. Is there no possibility of seeing a dentist at a clinic just to make sure everything is okay? The nurse in me cringes at this story. :( :(

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10 g community, 10 gallon danio/RCS tank, 10 g ghost shrimp tank, 10 g blue pearl shrimp tank, 20 long salvini cichlid tank, 55 in the works (for salvini to move up to) all planted.

I know. I was worried too because I have never felt pain like this before. I called my grandma who was a nurse forever and she looked at it and said there was no infection or anything that she saw as abnormal. She said I could get them removed and go through all the pain in a week or two, or wait them out like the dentist said. Wish I lived in the UK like Zero. Haha. the pain doesn't get to me as much as not being able to eat real food. Especially now that my stomach joined the battle, I'm just so hungry!!

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30 gallon freshwater: 1 crowntail betta, 5 neon tetras
60 gallon hex saltwater: 1 banded brittle star, 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 hermit crabs, 1 turbo snail, 1 yellow watchman goby paired with a candy stripe pistol shrimp, 2 ocellaris clown fish. Bubble tip anemone, frogspawn, fungia, clove polyp.

Glad she looked at it for you. Still, if the pain doesn't let up in a few days you may want to bite the bullet (somehow that sounds like the wrong analogy here) and get it xrayed just in case there is infection in the bone of the jaw where it can't be seen. Hope you feel better soon.

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10 g community, 10 gallon danio/RCS tank, 10 g ghost shrimp tank, 10 g blue pearl shrimp tank, 20 long salvini cichlid tank, 55 in the works (for salvini to move up to) all planted.

Yea, what cadiedid said. Pain means something's not happy, and wisdom tooth infections go straight to your ears, and heart/blood. I got my wisdoms, all crooked and one was broken, taken out at once. It'll suck for about a week or two, then you'll forget they're gone and eat a dorito and have a splinter go up into the socket lol. When that happens you know you're well on your way to recovery. Also, kick that over the counter stuff, they're liver killers. I'm like you they don't work. And, get your guys a treat, something special for looking out for you in your time of need

I know, I told my boyfriend that if it wasn't better or improving in 2 days that I would have to go to the dentist. They have a free clinic here but its only once a week and it's first come first serve. Sometimes you have to wait there all day, but it would be worth it if dental work is needed. The tooth is in all the way though, its just gum pain at this point so I'm hoping once it heals this tooth will never flare up again. There sure must be a lot of nerves in your gums?! Getting the fishes a treat is a good idea! I gave my freshwater fish some mysis shrimp today(hope thats ok... the guy said they were for saltwater) and they went nuts over them. Whats are some special foods I could get them? Maybe some live worms?

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30 gallon freshwater: 1 crowntail betta, 5 neon tetras
60 gallon hex saltwater: 1 banded brittle star, 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 hermit crabs, 1 turbo snail, 1 yellow watchman goby paired with a candy stripe pistol shrimp, 2 ocellaris clown fish. Bubble tip anemone, frogspawn, fungia, clove polyp.

I suffer from extreme PTSD (post tramatic stress disorder) and just watching the fish has done wonders. Takes my mind off of things and really relaxes me. Its a great thing isnt it?

As for my wisdom teeth, I had them pulled while i was in the army. Sucks because i couldnt take anything but stong advil because i was in a combat zone but i lived.

dude, i have a dental history a mile long. when i was young i got into a bike accident which knocked out my four upper incisors. that happened in '96ish. this has resulted in 4 caps within 2 months after accident, 5 root canals (all in the same day in '02 with all four wisdom teeth removed 3 months after- i was a sophmore in HS), several repaired chips and breaks, and in the fall of 2011 year i began the 7 part surgery to have full on implants installed. this includes removing the tooth and root and grafting cow bone into sockets(on all 4 teeth) waiting for 4 months with dentures in for gums/bone to heal, installing metal bolts in bone and allowing them to heal for 3 months, installing temps (3 part process) and taking dental impressions, and the final step (which i am waiting on next month) is the pain free installation of the permanent teeth attachments.

i tell you all this to say thorugh all this, particularly this 7 part surgery, my fish tanks have been right there for me, also.
the calming effect of the pain killers (which i desperately needed and used without care of my mental state b/c healing face bones hurt like the devil!) was increased tremendously by the awesomeness of fish tanks.

also, i hope you get better and don't knock those meds! at least ease your pain with tylonel or ibuprofin.

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fish tanks are art. they represent the imagination of their owner, and one's desire to create something beautiful that enriches its environment.

That sounds terrible, really sorry.

Earlier this year I dislocated my jaw and the pain lasted for weeks. I had to drink yogurt through a straw because my mouth was locked shut, but could only drink sparingly because I tend to throw up when I'm in extreme pain... And throwing up with a locked jaw is one of the worst scenarios I can think of. Generally when I want to get my mind off something I spend time with my horse, but even that was too painful. Watching myfish ended up being very relaxing for me and was the only thing I could really do.

good grief, karma got you good for something didn't it? ugh, my wisdom teeth were one pitfall after a nother, had two removed, then turns out i had FOUR more that needed removal (coming in pointed at my other teeth) and after that, all four of my gums absessed from the stupid dissolvable stitches used, went in, got them lanced, felt better, turns out the pressure from the wisdom teeth (I have a HUGE tolerance for pain, and didn't realize they were in till the gums started bleeding) well, the pressure had fractured both of my back molars. joys. which were in the process of decaying. joy again. I had to have them removed, and caveties on the next two teeth filled, by the time it was over, a year had passed from the first removal of the wisdom teeth, to the last cavity filled. so much joy. thankfully, my fish and my birds helped keep my mind off it. I hate painkillers so i didn't take them. I mostly tried to keep myself busy or slept it off with three birds nesting with me XD

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It's abnormal to be normal.

I'm sorry, my Karma just ran over your Dogma.

The repetitive geometrical shape of Infinity aquarium creates a visual metaphor to life in the fish bowl. Hand crafted from cut glass, Infinity aquarium scales down a vast concept of time and space

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Sig removed, please read the rules.

IMP fish bowls should be banned,like Dogs being stuck on a chain .Frustrated and bored out of their minds.

Hope you are doing better!!
Funny that im reading this now. I too am going through the flu. Last night i was sooo misrable!! Nyquil had me all loopy but couldnt sleep caause as nyqil will often do to me my feet were tingly!! Driven me nuts so i couldnt sleep!! I fianny took the couch cousions and made a bed in front of the fish tank. As i watched the fish i felt mywhole body start to relax. I fiannly fell asleep!!
Boyfriend woke me this morn w what r u doing? I told him i got gently rocked to sleep by the fish. Cough hack excusee me gonna barf!!
Took more nyquil after that and bk to letting the fish sooth me. Think im gonna stay hm frm work today and just lay hhere w my dog watching the fish and heal.
Btw does anyone else dog watch their fish? My moka is obsesed w watching them!! Also a tad jelliois of em. Keepts tellin me hey ma!! Those things cant play fetch!! Lol!

My dogs all three love watching my fish, though my smallest, a chihuahua/jackrussel mix is terrified of Baby, my white crayfish XD

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It's abnormal to be normal.

I'm sorry, my Karma just ran over your Dogma.