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This week's Friday Five
Here are the questions. Warning: some answers may be queasymaking.
1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma?
2. Ever broken any bones?
3. Ever had stitches?
4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars?
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
The answers:
1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma?
Yes, I had braces for over three years, two retainers for a couple years after that, and one retainer stayed on for a third year or so. Before braces, I had two rows of lower teeth and very bad buck teeth on top. I joke that I got Dad's teeth (he's six foot one) and Mom's jaw (she's five feet flat). Four teeth were removed before starting orthodontic work -- my first general anaesthesia. After braces, I broke the wire on my upper retainer, probably by chewing on it in my sleep or something. The sharp end didn't even hurt; by then my cheeks were all callused. But when twanged, it rang a perfect G. When my orthodontist replaced the retainer I had to buy a pitch pipe.
Much later, my wisdom teeth came in and I began systematically chewing up the inside of my face. The wisdom teeth were too far out laterally, because they hadn't had braces, so I often couldn't avoid chewing my cheeks. I developed a funny little ritual for closing my mouth safely. There was also not enough room for the wisdom teeth, so they were far enough back that I could actually bite the bit of tissue that connects the upper to the lower jaw, BEHIND most people's teeth. I had the wisdom teeth out last fall (more general anaesthesia). Best thing I ever did for myself medically. They are now in a little envelope on my dresser. Where do people store stuff like this?
2. Ever broken any bones?
Oddly enough, no.
3. Ever had stitches?
Yes, for removal of a "pigmented nevus" that looked suspicious to my doctor. (Turned out to be innocuous.) Had to cancel a rock climbing trip over that one -- too much care required to keep the incision clean, too much bleeding likely, incision way too close to climbing harness. The sensation of getting stitches under local anaesthesia is VERY WEIRD. Poke. Tug tug. Poke. Tug tug.
4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars?
a. Two dots on my inner left elbow: I was very very young, holding the family cat with her forepaws on my arm and her back paws in my other hand. She was enormous when I was that small! My mother arrived through the front door with our BRAND NEW PUPPY. Cat reacted by extending claws. CJ reacted by dropping cat - nice long thin parallel slices all the way to my wrist. The remaining scars are the two dots where her claws initially went in. I forgave her instantly, of course. She did the right thing from her point of view. I just didn't do the right thing myself :-).
b. Tiny diagonal scar above one eyebrow: Was sitting on a bed with my brother and sister, laughing so hard that I threw my torso forward. My forehead hit a decorative rock sculpture thingy. Didn't hurt much but bled like the dickens. My aunt, a nurse, decreed that I didn't need stitches but a butterfly bandage would do.
c. Some small chickenpox scars.
d. Scar below my bikini line: see question about stitches.
e. Round, lumpy, almost-keloidal scar on the back of my left hand: OK, this is embarrassing. I wanted to see what a lye burn was like. So I stuck a pellet to myself with a band-aid. When it started to itch, during the next class period, I removed the band-aid. It did a lot more damage than I expected. I was scared of my parents dismembering me, so I lied and said it had been an accidental spill of a diluted solution that had somehow stayed on me all day without my noticing. The healing process was FASCINATING. At one point I could balance a pencil (with a suitably-rounded eraser head) in the hole. I have two pictures. I only wish I had owned color film at the time, and thought to document the whole progression. I mean, I'm probably not going to get to see it again.
f. Small dots on either side of left nipple: used to be pierced. (Right one still is.)
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
Tonight: help two people learn C1 in a "blitz", talk to Rob about house sale and related financial information. Saturday: in Sacramento learning C4. Sunday: our third and final "Christmas". Really.
1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma?
2. Ever broken any bones?
3. Ever had stitches?
4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars?
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
The answers:
1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma?
Yes, I had braces for over three years, two retainers for a couple years after that, and one retainer stayed on for a third year or so. Before braces, I had two rows of lower teeth and very bad buck teeth on top. I joke that I got Dad's teeth (he's six foot one) and Mom's jaw (she's five feet flat). Four teeth were removed before starting orthodontic work -- my first general anaesthesia. After braces, I broke the wire on my upper retainer, probably by chewing on it in my sleep or something. The sharp end didn't even hurt; by then my cheeks were all callused. But when twanged, it rang a perfect G. When my orthodontist replaced the retainer I had to buy a pitch pipe.
Much later, my wisdom teeth came in and I began systematically chewing up the inside of my face. The wisdom teeth were too far out laterally, because they hadn't had braces, so I often couldn't avoid chewing my cheeks. I developed a funny little ritual for closing my mouth safely. There was also not enough room for the wisdom teeth, so they were far enough back that I could actually bite the bit of tissue that connects the upper to the lower jaw, BEHIND most people's teeth. I had the wisdom teeth out last fall (more general anaesthesia). Best thing I ever did for myself medically. They are now in a little envelope on my dresser. Where do people store stuff like this?
2. Ever broken any bones?
Oddly enough, no.
3. Ever had stitches?
Yes, for removal of a "pigmented nevus" that looked suspicious to my doctor. (Turned out to be innocuous.) Had to cancel a rock climbing trip over that one -- too much care required to keep the incision clean, too much bleeding likely, incision way too close to climbing harness. The sensation of getting stitches under local anaesthesia is VERY WEIRD. Poke. Tug tug. Poke. Tug tug.
4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars?
a. Two dots on my inner left elbow: I was very very young, holding the family cat with her forepaws on my arm and her back paws in my other hand. She was enormous when I was that small! My mother arrived through the front door with our BRAND NEW PUPPY. Cat reacted by extending claws. CJ reacted by dropping cat - nice long thin parallel slices all the way to my wrist. The remaining scars are the two dots where her claws initially went in. I forgave her instantly, of course. She did the right thing from her point of view. I just didn't do the right thing myself :-).
b. Tiny diagonal scar above one eyebrow: Was sitting on a bed with my brother and sister, laughing so hard that I threw my torso forward. My forehead hit a decorative rock sculpture thingy. Didn't hurt much but bled like the dickens. My aunt, a nurse, decreed that I didn't need stitches but a butterfly bandage would do.
c. Some small chickenpox scars.
d. Scar below my bikini line: see question about stitches.
e. Round, lumpy, almost-keloidal scar on the back of my left hand: OK, this is embarrassing. I wanted to see what a lye burn was like. So I stuck a pellet to myself with a band-aid. When it started to itch, during the next class period, I removed the band-aid. It did a lot more damage than I expected. I was scared of my parents dismembering me, so I lied and said it had been an accidental spill of a diluted solution that had somehow stayed on me all day without my noticing. The healing process was FASCINATING. At one point I could balance a pencil (with a suitably-rounded eraser head) in the hole. I have two pictures. I only wish I had owned color film at the time, and thought to document the whole progression. I mean, I'm probably not going to get to see it again.
f. Small dots on either side of left nipple: used to be pierced. (Right one still is.)
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
Tonight: help two people learn C1 in a "blitz", talk to Rob about house sale and related financial information. Saturday: in Sacramento learning C4. Sunday: our third and final "Christmas". Really.
