What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well I hope so.
Anyone coming to Las Vegas knows it as a town where you can do many things you would never dream of anywhere else. Even when attending for business as I have this week there are lots of opportunities for fun, great food, shows and… well you know.
I have to say that my trip this week has been exceptionally different. However, what has happened here I would like to forget and never experience again.
Day one: I arrive in Las Vegas. It’s just a travel day. However, I had a tooth ache and thought I would have it check when I returned. Nothing to worry about right away.
Day two: I woke up with a swollen face from the tooth ache. It was obviously a an abscess. I contacted a local dentist that could see me right away. This was an adventure. They are an “on site” to the casinos dentistry. They are located in a high tech semi trailer which moves around. So I had to find them somewhere in a back parking lot between Circus Circus and the Vegas KOA. There I enjoy a good movie and three and a half hours of root canal work. I pick up some medication and pretty much miss all the setup for CES.
Day Three: Wake up looking like the elephant man. The left side of my face was so swollen I couldn’t recognize myself. My upper lip was swollen so I could not during unless I had a straw. I could hardly eat, not that I had any appetite at that point.
Day Four: Woke up even worse. I contacted the dentist at his personal cell number (yes I had his cell and home phone number. Wish my home dentist was like that). He said that was not normal (dah!). I went in and got some x-rays, this time he was located at at Caesar’s Palace in some back parking lot under construction. The teeth were normal but the infection had gone into the muscle and soft tissue. The antibiotic could not handle the infection so I got a new prescription. An hour after I took the prescription I could feel the change. I went back to CES and worked the Canon booth to the end of the show.
Day Five: I started to show some improvement. Work the CES show the entire day. I did get a call from the dentist to check up on me. They suggested I switch from the prescription pain killer to Advil because it was an anti-inflammatory as well as pain relief so I did. That too helped. At dinner I actually used the left side of my mouth to chew for the first time.
Day Six: This is the last day of CES. It’s a short show day in that it ends a 4PM but we do have tear down to deal with. I’m still swollen but feel a whole lot better.
Day Seven: Fly home. Still swollen pretty bad and in a lot of pain.
Finally on Thursday the swelling went down to where I looked normal. I still can’t smile without feeling the infected area, but I no longer look like elephant man. I’m hoping the PMA will be much less eventful.
