I rate my pain at SEVERE!!

In case you didn't know I got my wisdom teeth out the other day. This wasn't just some regular wisdom teeth thing though, I had to be there at 5:30 AM and then get tested on a new pain medication they were experimenting on and I was one of the guinea pigs. Hooray for modern science. Of course being the idiot that I was, there was another research program going on that had to do with PK testing and checking my blood for the drug in my blood stream. This means a constant IV inside of my arm for easy access to my blood stream. I think the nurse was hitting on me because she said I have "nice veins" which was very nice of her to say, but because of my "nice veins" they allowed the interns to poke and stab me as well. Every 15 minutes the first two hours, every half hour the next few hours, and then every hour until about 1:30 am when they finally let me sleep. The fact of the matter is, I was overcoming all of my fears at once, the fear of needles, the fear of medication, the fear of darkness, all of those fears were suddenly conquered expect for one. The one fear I have never, and most likely will never be able to get rid of. The fear of being alone. The truth is, despite the fact that there were people coming in to check on me every hour or so, I had never felt so completely alone. Confined to an 8 by 10 room, I had never felt so secluded. I think I now understand why they have all those stories about the kings that just want to get away, because although there were people waiting on me hand and foot, they weren't THERE for me, does that make sense? I realized that the pain of my jaw, the humiliation of knowing that I looked like some kind of puffer fish, and the sheer disgust of knowing that I was going to stay in this little bed doing nothing but watching movies and early morning television didn't hurt as much as knowing that I had no one to share it with. So here's where I make it personal to you. Don't forget the friends you have, don't ask to be alone, and don't seclude yourself for any reason. We may all be unique, but we all have someone that we relate to on some level, someone that we can talk to, someone to pass the time with, and someone that makes us laugh every time they open their mouths. What I didn't mention is that when they came in to take my blood every so often, they asked me to rate my pain. I of course told them that it was mild, but reflecting back, I came to an idea, how would you really rate your pain? I mean in life, look back on all the things that have happened, that have hurt you, that have scarred you, and rate your pain. You'll find that it's often much greater than you'd like it to be. Unfortunately you can't just take Ibuprofen to make it go away, but there is a medication, a daily dose of those you love, and those that love you every hour of every day. With a little rest and some good food, you should feel better by the end of the day. Don't let people go, don't make people wait, don't crowd your life with busy tasks that take you from seeing those you love. Life is too short to be spent on things that don't make you happy. Make time in your schedule every day where you talk to your friends, talk with your family, and share what's been bothering you all these years. Friends can take that pain away, and suddenly, you'll find that the rating of your pain will decrease significantly. I promise that what I'm telling you is in fact the truth, and there is no pain that a good friend cannot cure. Let it go, and let others in. I didn't say this was easy, but it can happen with persistence and hard work. And even though I may not always be there for all of my friends, I'm sure they know that there will always be a place they can confide in deep within my heart. And this is my medical philosophy in a tea cup