Goodness gracious, that sounds like a dental nightmare! Sending all the good vibes I can muster your way, pronto!
Sounds just dreadful! I’m so sorry for your pain and anxiety right now.
One thing I would recommend is asking your doctor and/or your oral surgeon if a combined ibuprofen/Tylenol regimen would be okay for you right now. They work a little bit differently than each other to relieve pain, and many people find that using both of them relieves pain as well as narcotics without the side effects. If you don’t like the narcotics, you might be able to use that instead, and lower your overall Tylenol intake to spare your poor liver a workout.
Wow - so sorry to hear it, banjoDavid. What a lot of pain and yucky stuff - here’s to a speedy recovery.
I hope you can still find joy making music while you are healing…
Ah, wow, thats terrible. Best of luck to you man, and you have all of the above from me.
Here are some more good vibes for you banjoDavid. Love the name, by the way.
I’m hoping that every day is a little better than the last, for you.
You know, you’ve probably heard this before, (I heard it from Steve Martin), but you just can’t play a sad song on the banjo. So pick away, you may not be able to smile, but a little Foggy Mountain Breakdown may pick you up.
Found it on YouTube:
Hope you get all healed up soon and back to doing the stuff you love.
My brother had his jaw wired shut when he caught a baseball with his mouth (line drive). It was a long time ago, and at the time it really sucked. But now it is a distant memory and has had no lingering effect on his life. This too will pass. You have a good name for good vibrations. 
Ouch. This sounds like it really sucks!!
On the bright side: at least you can do the IV antibiotics at home vs. being stuck in a hospital… aside from my opinion that “a hospital is NO place to be when you’re sick” :p, about the only thing I can imagine that would be worse than hospital food, would be hospital food that is pureed for a jawbreak patient. Blech!
Speaking of which, since you’re going to be on a liquid diet for a bit, one thing you can do to get vitamins and fiber is smoothies. Either all fruit-based, or “green smoothies” where you start out with some veggies (I like starting with spinach and usually add a few baby carrots), blenderize them with some water until they’re finely-ground, then add assorted fruits until the whole ghastly-looking concoction tastes good. I wind up putting a pretty high percentage of fruit vs. the veggies. Always a banana if I’ve got them, a few frozen strawberries, a bit of whatever fresh fruit we have, some bits of frozen fruit which help give it a nice chilled slushy texture.
You can add yogurt to that for more calcium or protein; I know people who add tofu and/or flaxseed.
I use a regular blender for mine (I’ve started doing these since I can’t eat salads at the moment) but if you’ve ever been craving a BlendTec or VitaMix, this is your excuse
They really look vile. I mean, as in “why would you DRINK that??” and my kids were doing the “EWWWWW” thing when I made one up. Then I let them taste it and they begged for more.
Ooooh - good idea!
When I had surgery a few months ago, on the 4th day afterward I wanted to be narcotic-free so I did exactly this during the day. The combination kept the pain under good enough control that I was able to be “clean” during the day (I took a narcotic at bedtime though).
I’m pickin up good vibrations
she’s givin’ me excitations
ooh ah bop bop good vibrations
she’s talkin’ bout excitations
ooh ooh Ooh good vibrations
CHECKING BACK IN WITH YOU FOLKS
My pain is less, my mood is a LOT better.
The home health nurse came by this morning and I started the IV antibiotics. It’s a lot of steps to keep things sterile, but logical and I figure I can use the half hour calmly listening to music and meditation.
I’m back to teaching, and my students and the other teachers at the school have been caring and concerned. I have a studio mix session tomorrow with old friends and band mates.
Thanks for the Steve Martin link, I was teaching a student* Foggy Mountain Breakdown* this evening. I’ve been playing it for over 30 years, and I saw Steve Martin in the early '70’s, before he was a hit. He was touring doing stand-up, and a hell of a banjo player back then.
He’s coming to town next month, and I will go the the show.
Being back to my real life helps. Reminds me of who I am, that I’m not just a victim of awful medical circumstance.
I’m eating blended soup, protein drinks, yogurt mixed with milk, all through a straw.
I’ll try the blended veggies and smoothies.
Thanks to all of you, and I hope I can be of help to you folks.
Banjo lessons, anyone?
Love
David
By the way, I also read the thread,
“What is up with people and their drive-by relationship threads?”
The lack of follow-up on some threads has bugged me at times, too. I WILL keep posting.
Great to hear you’re feeling better! Thanks for the update!
Would love a banjo lesson! I play guitar and piano and I’ve picked a bit at a banjo, but not all that successfully. It’s a tough one. My brother taught himself, but he’s like that with instruments. I’m the one who took years and years and years of piano lessons, and he’s the one who can pick anything up and play it. Bastid!
Healing notes continuing your way
ON LINE BANJO LESSON #1
The 5 string banjo is tuned to an open G chord. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings are tuned same as 2, 3, and 4 on the guitar. The first string on the banjo is a D, and octave above the 4th string, and the short fifth string is a high G, an octave above the 3rd string.
To get started playing bluegrass banjo, you need 2 fingerpicks, and a thumb pick. The blades of the fingerpicks cover your fingerprints.
The style uses 8 note rolls of even timing.
Start with Thumb, Index, Thumb, Middle, Thumb, Index, Thumb, Middle, written as
T I T M T I T M
Play the 3rd string with the thumb, 2nd string with index finger, 5th string with the thumb, and 1st string with the middle finger. THEN REPEAT.
When you get that, you can vary the first note with the 4th string instead of the 3rd string, all the others are the same.
Playing the strings open gives you a G chord.
C chord is made by fretting the 1st and 4th strings at the second fret, and the 2nd string at the first fret. Use your left hand MIDDLE finger on the 4th string, RING finger on the first string, and the INDEX finger on the 2nd string.
D7th chord uses the MIDDLE finger on the 3rd string on the 2nd, fret, and the INDEX finger on the 2nd string first fret, same as the C chord.
Work on this stuff, and keep me posted.
You can play SO many tunes with G, C, and D7th chords.
Mess with this, and then we’ll do lesson 2.
Love
David
BY THE WAY, the fast part of Dueling Banjos is C C G G D D G G. You can use these chords and these rolls as a start!
Ah, you’re going to force me to go fix the broken string on my guitar now… I actually learned to pick (not banjo style though) on the guitar- got fairly decent at it, but it’s been awhile. My callouses have disappeared. This sounds like fun.
I don’t have a banjo, but the next time you’re in Nashville, I would take a guitar lesson and sing with you.
Glad to hear you’re feeling a bit better. The spaceballs (that’s my term for the at home IV antibiotics) aren’t too bad. I even hooked up to them at work when I was taking them. Tip: even though you’re limited to liquids, do try to treat your digestive system kindly. Antibiotics kill some of your good bugs too.
I’m requesting Soldier’s Joy if you’re taking them. Tips later. 
You just gave me a reason to pull out my banjo. I’ll be ready for Lesson #2 in a couple of days.
Glad to hear that you are feeling better.
Don’t worry mate,you’re in good hands, it’ll all go well.
But sending some good vibes aswell.
Been there. I know how much it hurts. If sympathy will help you’ve got mine.
Oh! I missed this thread until now. I wish I played the banjo; I’d pick mine up and join along with you. But since I don’t I’ll just offer up some prayers for your recovery and continued improved spirits! Be well and stay well, David!
Ellen