ER visit this morning....

[nelly1313]

Could someone please help? I had to go o the er this morning after leaving work. I have an absess in my tooth that has spread into the jawbone and surounding areas.  I was literally cryng from the pain. The problem is ... I am on 24mg Suboxone a day.  They gave me Ultracets to take, and the dentist last week gave me Vicodin to take for the pain. they switched my antibiotic because the infection was not clearing up but getting worse. I seriously can nottake this pain any longer what can I do? I today alone, have already taken 8 es Tylenol and 6 Aleve,since this morning. Will it hurt me to take some of the pain meds prescrbed? The dentist and the er Dr. both know that I am on Sub,but they said the meds wont hurt me. when I asked the pharmasist he was unsure. What can I do???HELP

[nelly1313]

I think you are right they are probally just lazy....

[NautyOne]

wow.....thats scary.  I guess there's only somethings the dentists can handle in the office.  or they are just lazy.  I remember when all dentists were on call and would see you at two am if you need them>   times have changed>  darn keyboard>

nauty>>>>>>>>

[nelly1313]

The absess was in the bone itself, it cannot even be seen by the naked eye. It is that deep. No they could not lance it, and they put me on Clindamycin 300mg to leave with, as they also gave me 2 injections of antibiotics in the er. The Dr. said that the only way to get to the infection is by taking the tooth out first. The infection did spread out of face area and into my body. That would certainly explain why I feel like total sh-t everywhere. I have had fevers of 102.5 and up non-stop even with anti-fever meds. That, nautyone is the reason for the er in the first place. It was not just as simple as ambesol. I think with being a nurse and all I could've figured that one out on my own..lol  The dentist I have also referred me to the er because he had said the roots were so deep that he would'nt touch it. I needed to go to an oral surgeon for the extraction process.  I do hate that I have had over 8 months clean with the help of sub, but know that I have taken hydrocodone I feel like I have failed. I know that I honestly used the pain medicine for actual pain, but I still feel bad. I guess that's just life. Well enough rambling on and on..gotta go thanks everyone...

[avisg]

Not all dentists have an emergency numbers and seeing that the infection had spread into the jaw and the surrounding areas its a good thing she went to the ER ...... If an abscess is bad enough it can be deadly ...

[NautyOne]

you can also try ambesol or clove oil on a q-tip or gauze  hope you feel betta.....

nauty..............

[NautyOne]

who goes to the ER for a tooth abscess ???  you have a dentist?  I don't get it.

[3 1/2 yrs sober]

I have a question for you!  Do you know excately which tooth is hurting you?  I had a dental implant and another tooth extracted about 3 weeks ago, and I am in terrible pain still.  I am on Clindamycin now and it is working much better on the pain, but it it still there and I cannot really tell where the pain is coming from, because it is hurting on the side of my face close to my ear.  

[anotherfinemess]

do you have osteomyelitis in your jaw bone?  If not, can they lance the abcess? I hope they finally got the antibiotic therapy right.  I know you're a nurse and must know about the MRSA epidemic right now.  Are you feeling any better?

[nelly1313]

I haven't taken Suboxone now since 4pm yesterday. That actually has been over 24 hrs ago.  So do you think I'll be ok if I take something?  Also I have been using a lot of ice on the area, that has been somewhat helpful for awhile. I did try to take an extra suboxone the other day.  My dr. gave me an extra 30-8mg pills incase I needed an extra one for pain at any time.  That was a joke,that did't help at all.  Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it...

[IBKleen]

I am so sorry that you are in that much pain.

Unfortunately, with the Suboxone, the pain meds won't work. Like lurker said, you will need to stop the sub in order to take the pain meds. Sub has a long half-life, 24 to 36 hours, so the meds will not work for a while.

Icing is also a great idea and it is soothing.

Take care of yourself. I hope you feel better.

[sarab7674]

Hang in there. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[lurker]

My sub doctor told me that if I needed emergency pain med for something like you have, to stop the sub, wait 8 hours and then take the drug - at a higher than normal dose.  he said it may take more than 8 hours or more than 2 doses of narcotics but it will work.  You could also try taking a little more Suboxone- he also said I could take an extra 8mg to see if that would help.  He did say that often it doesn't and you need to wait 8 hours and then take the Vicodin.
Icing the area will also help.  You can wet a towel and freeze it and then hold it over the affected area for 20 minutes sevveral times a day.  You could also use a bag of frozen peas if you don't have an ice pack.
Good luck - hang in there and hopefully you'll get some relief soon.