I think I know what’s going on… gosh darn it

Since last Wednesday I’ve been experiencing a full-on relapse of my long-covid inflammation.  Crackling in my head, face & neck.  Burning in the mouth and cheekbones.  Pressure & inflammation in my left eyeball, left temple, side of skull.

It starts out sore when I awaken, slowly rises during the morning, and by 1-2pm I’m laying on my bed with the lights off & door closed.  By 4pm it’s pretty intense.  It dies down by 6-7pm and settles into my neck, which I try to manage with a couple of pain patches until bedtime.

It’s been months since I’ve experienced such severe symptoms, and this started the day after my recent dental appointment last Tuesday.  I went in for a marathon session of 5 fillings and front tooth restore, a 3 hour appointment.  I should’ve spoken up and said I was just getting over 20 months of cranial inflammation, can we spread the fillings out, but I didn’t.  The next morning I could barely move my mouth, it was so stiffened & sore.

Was it all the drilling and propping my mouth open for 3 hours, or the 4 injections in my gums?  I kept flinching and he said “Let’s switch from novocaine to articaine, it’s a lot more potent.”

2 weeks earlier, I sat in that same dental chair and the same dentist picked & scraped at my teeth & gumline for 90 minutes, a “rigorous dentist cleaning”.  Yet I was completely fine afterwards. 

I can’t help but feel that this 3 hour dental thing re-ignited the long covid inflammation somehow.  I didn’t know that was even possible.  And yet here it is.  I was still dealing with mini-relapses daily, but they were mild and only lasted for 30 minutes.  I honestly thought I had this 90% nipped in the bud.  Hopefully this awful flare-up will fade soon.  It’s become painful to talk or chew.

Meanwhile, it’s been 4 weeks since I developed plantar fasciitis on the other end and I continue to hobble like a very old man.  My doctor explained how months of inactivity will cause you to lose strength & flexibility in your plantar fascia, hence my feet & legs giving out on me. 

Fair enough, I am starting those shockwave therapy sessions this week and doing daily stretching exercises to get my old self back.  As soon as my face recovers, I’m pain-free and more mobile, I’d love to travel south and visit family.  It’s been almost 2 years since all of this started and I last saw them.

I am getting a little improvement in my feet at night.  I sure wish I’d waited on all that dental work though.  Way too much, too soon.  (I still need those 2 molar implants!)

Here’s my usual disclaimer:  I’m not looking for sympathy, pity, nothing.  It just helps me feel less alone when I share.  I plan to keep posting on here like nothing is wrong. 

But when I’m my old self again, I’ll share it with you guys first!  Anyway, I promise my next blog is going to be more upbeat—with lots of food.

Thanks as always for listening.