Category Archives: Essential Oils

Cavities, Extractions & Mistakes

Cavities, extractions & mistakes: Reflections of a five-year-old

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“Blessed are they who hold lively conversations with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called dentists.” ― Ann Landers

The year was 1966. I was a tiny five-year-old. I wasn’t in kindergarten since it had not been instituted in our local school yet. If that doesn’t make you feel old, what wouldn’t? As My Three Sons used to say, “Kindergarten hadn’t been invented yet? WOW!!”

I had a toothache. At five years old, it was my first of many more to come, even though I was completely unaware of that fact. Maybe I should say I was thankfully unaware. So, like any good parents, mine took me to the dentist to see about this little bitty piece of dentin and enamel that was causing me so much discomfort.

Surely this dentist, who had a valid license, just made a simple mistake. They happen. But to go from the dentist office, back home, and then end up in the emergency room was a huge mistake to us.

As soon as we arrived at the ER my pediatrician was called, who happened to already be at the hospital. He took one look at me and reacted quickly. I had been bleeding profusely ever since we left the dentist early that afternoon and my parents couldn’t get it to stop. Thankfully, they panicked and took me to the hospital, where my doctor announced that I would have bled to death had they not come. Good to know.

The dentist had pulled the wrong tooth.

Cavities, Extractions & Mistakes

My pediatrician picked up the phone and gave him a piece of his mind! I actually do remember this day, even though it seems impossible to remember something that happened to you at the age of five. I vividly remember the dentist visit, the pain, the bleeding and even the ER trauma. I can still see my doctor standing over me, furious that this had happened to such a sweet, tiny, little girl.

That was just the beginning of my dental woes. I don’t remember visiting the dentist much growing up; thankfully I didn’t have many problems. Once I was married, I was introduced to my husband’s family dentist, Doc Boruff as he was lovingly referred to. He was a good friend to the family and my sister-in-law’s mother also worked for him. There was no thinking about it or looking through the phone book, Doc was now my dentist too.

A couple of years into our marriage I totaled The Sweetheart’s little truck and smashed my face pretty good. (You can read that story here!) My front tooth was broken and Doc met me at the office after hours to relieve my pain and make a plan of action to crown the tooth. He was my hero.

Fast forward about four years when my wisdom teeth were giving me fits. Doc told me they needed to come out but only two were pushing through; the others were impacted. He recommended an oral surgeon.

I refused.

No one was touching my teeth except Doc. That scare at the age of five had followed me and I was not a trusting soul. I wanted Doc Boruff to extract my wisdom teeth and I wouldn’t budge.

Doc was also a farmer, a hard-working man who towered over most. I was always amazed that he was a dentist because he had the biggest hands I had ever seen and I had the smallest mouth opening he had ever seen. Removing my wisdom teeth that day, the sweat dripped from Doc’s face and ran down mine. I should never have put him through that. Hindsight, as they say, is better than foresight. I should have gone to an oral surgeon and taken the drugs instead of staring wide-eyed at Doc for hours that day. (I no longer sit in a dentist’s chair with my eyes open, I am sure they appreciate that!)

Naturally, he did a great job and I WALKED four blocks to my grandmother’s house that day and then hosted a bridal shower for my sister that night! (Yes, it did all hit me about halfway into the shower and I thought I would surely pass out into the peach punch from the pain.)

Doc Boruff passed away many years ago and I would not be the only one to say he was the best dentist around. Professionalism and perfectionism were his trademarks but his personality kept you coming back. You just trusted Doc to take care of whatever was causing your pain.

In my 54 years of living, I have spent countless DAYS in a dentist’s chair. I surely could have bought a luxury car with what I have spent, maybe even a house! I have had several dentists down through the years since I have lived in three states and several different cities. I have even been to the dentist in the country of Estonia a couple of summers ago. That was an interesting experience!

When we came back from Latvia in 2012, I was thankfully introduced to my current dentist, Dr. Arnold. After my second visit, I told The Sweetheart that I thought I had found the 21st century Doc Boruff. Kind, personable and the best at making you comfortable, I have never even thought of going anywhere else. Like Doc Boruff, he doesn’t do anything that doesn’t need to be done, which means so much when you are paying out of pocket.

If you have read this far, you are surely wondering why a faith-based blog is sharing dental experiences! It is because the last few days I have been suffering with my second dry socket.

If you have never experienced this phenomena, believe me, you do not ever want to obtain membership to that club. I had a tooth extracted, but the blood clot, that normally forms to heal, came loose somehow, leaving the bone open and exposed. Saturday morning, my wonderful dentist met me at the office even though they were closed. I had tried clove oil (which truly does help numb the area!) and ibuprofen for the pain, but trust me, it was unbearable. It doesn’t just throb where the tooth was removed, it takes over that entire side of the face, up and down the jaw and into your ear and at one point, I felt it in my eye; truly one of the most uncomfortable experiences ever.

It is healing, albeit slowly, and I am thankful for people who care that you are in pain and for a God who listens in the middle of the night when you think you just can’t stand it any longer…He brings sweet relief and rest even to phantom toothache pain.

Do you have a dental horror story to share? We would love to hear it! (Please do not mention any names if it is not flattering.) Feel free to share the good, the bad and the ugly here today. One of these days I will share the story of me being DROPPED during surgery. If it had to happen, it had to be me!

Be blessed as you start another week and whatever you are facing, know our great God is with you. Always.

For the kingdom

Sharing with Soul Survival, Modest Monday, Good morning Mondays

Separated from The Sweetheart at 30,000 ft

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This site contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure above.

 

Constant togetherness is fine…for Siamese twins.

It finally happened.
I was afraid it would.
We had been fortunate. Side by side. Through thick and thin, weathering the turbulence as many have before us.
Maybe it was inevitable, maybe it was fate.

Maybe we didn’t get our tickets in time.

Separated from The Sweetheart at 30,000 ft. After 36 years of blissful togetherness.
Make that twice in the same trip separated. We will go backward with this one and talk about the second flight first.

Because we can.

Heading down the aisle of the Airbus 330, I was not excited one bit that I was in the middle section of the plane. The good part was that I had the aisle and The Sweetheart was, sort of, across from me, up just a wee bit but basically across from each other. He also had the aisle seat. (Now for all of you thinking this wasn’t separation, you just do not know me. I have overcome many fears over the last five years of flying but I have always had my security blanket, a.k.a., The Sweetheart, right beside me.) He was there if I had questions such as, but not limited to:

  • Why is the plane making that noise?

  • Did the landing gear not come down?

  • Can we crash because of turbulence?

  • Turn my air up. Turn my air down. (My arms are too short to reach it for crying out loud!)

  • Are you getting a Coke? With ice? Are you going to ask for ice? You ask first. (European flight attendants do not smile when you ask for ice. Spoiled Americans.)

  • Are you going to the bathroom? Yes, you are going to the bathroom because I need to go and I refuse to lock the door in an airplane bathroom for fear of getting stuck for the next eight hours inside that torture chamber. (No, we do not go in together. He stands outside as if waiting his turn but his real job is to make sure no one else tries to come in. He failed at this on our flight from Chicago to Vienna but that is another story for another time.)

I forgot to mention the most important reason we cannot be separated on an airplane: I must have the arm of the person next to me available for digging in my fingernails should it become necessary. So, you see, I need him.
Separated from the Sweetheart
I sat down and waited; The Sweetheart sat down sort-of-across-but-not-exactly-from-me.
Here they came. A couple, about our age, early 50’s I would guess. It took all of three seconds to realize we were not going to get along.
I am allergic to B.O. Terribly allergic. How is that possible you ask? Do I break out in a rash? No. But I do have trouble breathing maybe to the point of hyperventilating if I am in the room, just the same room mind you, of someone with Body Odor. This was no normal body odor. It was body odor times two. You wouldn’t have recognized it by sight either; they looked like fairly educated people but obviously did not believe in either bathing regularly or odor controlling products that you can get OTC at a reasonable price. Today, you can even make your own without all the added chemicals and mercury!
I looked at The Sweetheart who was all smiles because a young attractive girl had taken the seat next to the window, next to him. I tried to give him The Look to let him know all was NOT well.
I whispered. That didn’t work; he couldn’t hear me.

I tried just mouthing the words, with extreme exaggeration and eye movements, “THEY. HAVE. B. O.!”

“What? I can’t hear you?”
“B.O.!! It’s bad!”
He finally caught on as did the two women behind him who were chuckling at this point.
I was doomed. At least eight hours with Pig Pen and his wife who had just taken off her shoes and put on the dirtiest I-think-they-used-to-be-white socks I had ever seen.

She was settling in for the long haul.

The only good thing? A seat between us. I’m sure, by looking at me, they were as happy as I was because I couldn’t refrain from using some sort of clothing mask. I already had my collar pulled up to one side of my face and was pretending as if the fragrance of my fabric softener was so pleasant I might want to do a TV commercial. I doubt my subtlety was working but I didn’t care. If someone was going to flaunt their stench so that an entire airplane had to suffer then I must take drastic measures. I had to protect myself, my stomach, my watering eyes and especially my breathing apparatuses from giving out on me in my time of extreme need.
At this point, all of my Essential Oil friends are asking, “Where are THEY?” Unfortunately, on the return flight, I had packed them in my checked baggage. I know, right? Never again will I board a plane without Thieves or Stress Away!
Finally, I resorted to praying. (You knew I would try to make this spiritual didn’t you?) It went something like this:

Dear Lord, I wondered if you would do me a favor? I know it is a first-world problem and I have much to be thankful for. But if you could see fit, before this plane takes off, to bump me to First Class I would be forever grateful. If you think I am being overly dramatic, how about just sending a slight rushing wind to blow continually to my right for this overseas, extremely long flight? Okay, I will take anything at this point that gets my mind off of the fact that I could close my eyes and easily assume I am in a men’s locker room. After the game. Thank you in advance for anything you can do. Amen.

Thankfully, I believe He heard my prayer. Somehow it did get better and I eventually settled down to play Angry Birds and read a good book and hope that the in-flight meal didn’t contain any meat products. Of any kind.
The day before, we had flown out of Malta, in the Mediterranean, after three weeks of teaching and training in that beautiful island country. Here are a few more pictures if you have missed any of my posts. Gozo, Comino and the Blue Lagoon were absolutely amazing!
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The moral of this story? It has a second part! Tune in tomorrow, same Bat time, same Bat channel for the conclusion with the story from the FIRST flight. (Update! You can read Part 2 here!)

 

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The-Daniel-Fast-A-DevotionalThe Daniel Fast Devotional is still going strong! This week I was privileged to be a part of a podcast interview on the Apostolic Informer with Host Rob Barrow. He allowed me to talk about the book, how it came to be, what is a Daniel Fast, etc. and even give away a book or two. Folks, I don’t do well listening to my own voice, yikes. But Rob is doing a great job getting information on district happenings within the UPCI for Indiana and beyond. Take a listen here and get your copy of The Daniel Fast, A Devotional, today!

Sharing with Sunday Stillness, Weekend Brew, Dance with Jesus, Happiness is homemade, Making your home sing, Good Morning Mondays, Inspire Me Monday, Mama Moments Monday, Living Proverbs 31, Modest Monday, UNITE, Titus 2sday, Testimony Tuesday, Homemaking Linkup, A Little R & R, Wedded Wednesday, Happy and Blessed Home

What is YOUR favorite Essential Oil?

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3423I have been experimenting with my Young Living Essential Oils the last few weeks and have a few victories to share!

Always the skeptic, I have to see to believe, the proverbial Doubting Thomas, or Doubting Nannette in this case. But even though I know that Believing is Not Necessarily Seeing in the spiritual, for me and EO’s, I must have proof!

A couple of weeks ago, preparing family Easter dinner, I burned my finger on a pan while retrieving it from the oven. It did not feel good. I tried running it under cold water but couldn’t stand there all day waiting on it to feel better. I whined around a few minutes and then, finally, remembered my Essential Oils. I grabbed Lavender, good for so many hundreds of uses and minor burns and applied it directly to my finger. If I had counted, I would say I made it to about ten or fifteen and the pain was gone! I was shocked, to say the least. I have witnesses (smile).

Then last week The Sweetheart came down with a cold. He insists on having a couple each season it seems. His throat was sore and he was very congested and stopped up. Instead of listening to him complain I grabbed my oils and went to work. I applied Thieves to his throat (I love Thieves! It smells so good and does so many great things!) and layered Frankincense and Lemon on his chest. He commented that his throat felt better immediately and he certainly could breathe better. What?! You mean they actually work, even on skeptics.

And finally, for now, tooth pain. I have lived with way too much pain lately with different teeth, dentists visits and the very unpopular root canal. I have had a couple of broken teeth that have caused me much distress. I applied Thieves directly to my tooth with a cotton swab and to my gums. The taste isn’t so pleasant but it certainly numbs the area and brings quick relief! Cloves is also known to work great for tooth pain but I did not have any of that. Thieves contains cloves, rosemary, eucalyptus, cinnamon and lemon so it worked great for me!

Yes, and I am finding more and more uses for them in my daily life. I love to diffuse so many of them throughout the day, especially Peace and Calming, Purification and Joy blends and of course Thieves!

thieves

 Here are some of the benefits and uses of Thieves:

Thieves® essential oil blend was inspired by the legend of four 15th-century French thieves who formulated a special aromatic combination composed of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals they used while robbing the dead and dying. Young Living’s one-of-a-kind Thieves blend, crafted in the spirit of that legendary combination, can be found in all of our Thieves products. When taken internally, Thieves supports healthy immune function*, and it includes Eucalyptus radiata essential oil, which may help maintain a healthy respiratory system.* When taken as a dietary supplement, Thieves is an ideal complement to a daily wellness regimen.*

  • Put a few drops of Thieves essential oil blend in a capsule and swallow with water to support your immune system
  • Put in a few drops of Thieves essential oil blend in your dishwater or dishwasher to thoroughly clean dishes and eliminate odor
  • Rub a drop or two mixed with a carrier oil all over your gums to support gum health.
  • Dilute 2 to 6 drops of Thieves oil 50/50 with a carrier oil (such as coconut oil) and rub on your chest and upper neck.
  • Diffuse, diffuse, diffuse!
  • Make your own hand soap with a couple of drops of Thieves and you have your own Antibacterial Soap!
  • Rubbing it on the bottom of your feet helps it get into the bloodstream quickly.
  • Add it to your oil pulling regimen to get rid of harmful bacteria.
  • Treats canker sores, can balance blood sugar, heal skin infections, internal and topical antibiotic, can treat digestive candida, kill mold and mildew, helps the healing process of colds and flu, kills airborne germs and much, much more!

What do you use Thieves for in your home? What would you say is your go-to favorite Essential Oil and why? Share with our readers your tips and tricks with EO’s!

Want to get started with your own Essential Oils collection? Go here to my website or contact me at ynannette@gmail.com for any questions!

 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.