BRB: Currently at Coachella
Coachella here I come! It's finally time for Weekend 2 of the highly anticipated arts & music festival. Follow me on my journey because I will be updating this post LIVE throughout the fest! I will do my best to keep this going throughout the three-day experience. Check in on the blog every few hours to see what updates I've made.
Related reading: Coachella Outfit Ideas
Thursday, April 21, 2016
+ 3:02 a.m - I'm up. I'm groggy but up. Final packing moments then we're off to Indio!
+ 3:51 a.m. - We're leaving San Diego!
+ 3:53 a.m. - Never mind. Now we're getting gas.
+ 4:10 a.m. - En route to Indio! 101 miles to go.
+ 5:51 a.m. The sun is starting to rise! I love those cotton candy skies. Just a few miles away now.
+ 6:10 a.m. We're in the car camping line! Yay!
+ 6:24 a.m. Just heard a girl ask her friend "wanna start drinking after I put my makeup on?" I'm too old for that. Haha.
+ 8:12 a.m. - The car camping line is moving; waiting to get checked by security. It's hot already.
+ 10:06 a.m. - We are almost done setting up camp. Our next-door camp mates offered us a nice cold beer which we accepted gratefully.
+ 11:23 a.m. Fred & I have been drinking water because it's already nearly 90°. Currently checking out the information booklet they gave us upon arrival. Free blowouts & updos at the Beauty Bar & Barber Shop y'all!!!!
+ 1:24 p.m. - Woke up from a much-needed nap & now walking & exploring the camp area.
+ 2:26 p.m. - Some girl rode past us on her bike saying "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you." & then squirted us with her watergun.
+ 6:48 p.m. - We just woke up from a second nap. It's been brutally hot so most of the day has been spent finding shade & drinking water.
+ 8:18 p.m. - You have no idea how much more comfortable it is now that the sun has set & it's cooling off. Night & day difference. Literally. Currently making chili Ramen & we finally cracked open a beer.
+ 10:51 p.m. - Just found out about the recycling program on the campground so we might take up the offer of collecting cans & water bottles. We went to the activity center & charged our phones but now we're back to the campsite to wind down.
Friday, April 22, 2016
+ 12:35 a.m. - Enjoyed a couple hours with our neighbor & had some Jamison. Bedtime.
+ 8:48 a.m. - We woke up & rejuvenated ourselves. Now eating breakfast which is eggs, veggie sausage, & broccoli with cauliflower.
+ 11:41 a.m. - We took an amazing shower using a bucket of water & soap. It was so refreshing & necessary to rejuvenate ourselves after a very hot first day. We turned in our cans, so far we have 96. Currently getting ready to head out for the day.
+ 12:04 p.m. - Just entered the fest.
+ 12:43p.m. - We made it for Sheer Mag's set. I found an AIR CONDITIONED bathroom which was heavenly. Got Afters ice cream: Cookie Monster Milky Bun. Amazing.
+ 1:38 p.m. - Jackfruit nachos are a thing & they're delightful. Currently at the Frances show; she's lovely live.
+ 3:40 p.m. - All right all right all right. We saw Lapsley & she seriously rocked! Wow! We just finished watching the HEALTH set from up front at the barrier! Currently making a pitstop at our camp site to re-up on ice cold water & have our first beer of the day.
+ 11:59 p.m. - Oops time passed. We saw Foals, ASAP Rocky, Ellie Goulding, & LCD Soundsystem. We had lavender Earl Grey & double blueberry donuts. I told Fred I didn't think they were worth the price but he disagreed.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
+ 8:50 a.m. - We put our canopy back on. Hopefully, the wind won't be as terrible. We certainly saw our fair share of dead & damaged canopies. We're tidying up our tent & campsite. Fred's allergies are flaring up with all the dust & black boogies are definitely a thing for everyone. Our dry ice has been a miracle worker & kept our water & food nice & cold. Highly recommend.
+ 1:28 p.m. - We made some breakfast of eggs, refried beans, broccoli & cauliflower, veggie sausage, & a crappy homemade version of sorbet to cool us off. We took another campsite shower, bought some ice, & now we're trying to stay hydrated. It's 84° but feels much hotter.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
12:36 a.m. - I apologize for the lack of updates on Saturday but I was just enjoying the moment. Some of the highlights were: catching part of Deerhunter, AlunaGeorge, Vince Staples, a bit of Grimes, vegan Jamaican food, Guns N Roses, Ice Cube who brought out Dr. Dre at & Kendrick Lamar. Such a good day.
+ 6:19 a.m. - Someone's alarm went on & hasn't been turned off in several minutes. Woke up & went outside. It's a joy to have some brisk temperatures in Indio, if only for a moment.
+ 7:38 a.m. - Hello from the Connected Lounge. I'm updating this on an ancient laptop; it should be in a museum. Charging our phones here as well.
+ 7:38 a.m. - Hello from the Connected Lounge. I'm updating this on an ancient laptop; it should be in a museum. Charging our phones here as well.
+ 11:08 a.m. - We took a refreshing bath/shower this morning & made some breakfast. I got a piña colada smoothie & Fred💖 got an iced coffee from one of the camp vendors. Our next-door neighbor campers left this morning because their tickets were invalid because they were scammed. Very unfortunate.
+ 4:14 p.m. - Started off the day with De Lux then PRAYERS. Both were great. We caught Joywave then ate a churro. Now Wolf Alice.
+ 7:48 p.m. - A wave of exhaustion hit me, so I'm back at the tent trying to take a little nap before Sia.
Stay psyched & read my Coachella posts from last year:
My Gingivectomy Recovery Experience
I'm drooling, lying on the couch, eating a liquidy black bean soup, watching CSI: Miami on Netflix while the left side of my mouth is completely & utterly numb. How did it get here? Why is saliva falling out of my mouth? What's going on? Well, let me fill you in. Wondering about the gingivectomy recovery experience? How bad is the gingivectomy pain? Keep reading.
DAMN YOU WISDOM TEETH! There I said it. Some of you may have experienced a wisdom teeth extraction. It's a pretty standard procedure to get them taken out since many of us don't have enough room in our mouths to keep them. If you do, you're lucky! The wisdom teeth are technically your third & final set of molars; they usually pop up in your teens & 20s.
I got my wisdom teeth removed in 2013. I had three of them. My recovery was relatively easy. Of course, there was a bit of discomfort & some aching. I slurped on some soft foods & liquids, relaxed & let it all heal. There were no issues. Now fast forward three years. I'm not a doctor, so don't take this as medical advice. It's just my own gingivectomy recovery experience.
What is a gingivectomy?
The gum tissue where my wisdom teeth were & my current molars are decided to heal up stupidly, causing infections & other issues. My dentist recommended getting the extra gum tissue or deep pockets removed. So I did. The surgery is called a gingivectomy, where excess gum tissue is removed to reduce diseased tissue & pockets that trap bacteria in the deep pockets. It is a surgical gum disease treatment. I split the gingivectomy procedure into two procedures because it was more most cost-effective through insurance. I already did my right side a couple months ago. Now for my left side.
Depending on the severity, your gingivectomy procedure may include major gum removal or reshaping the gum line. It may take several visits to the oral surgeon / dentist office. Your dentist may use local anesthesia to numb the area.
- Neosporin
- Q-Tips
- Face Ice Pack
- Soup
- Advil &/or Tylenol
- Reading pillow
- Aura Cacia Chill Pill essential oil blend
Gingivectomy Procedure Survival Kit
You'll need:- Neosporin
- Q-Tips
- Face Ice Pack
- Soup
- Advil &/or Tylenol
- Reading pillow
- Aura Cacia Chill Pill essential oil blend
What can I expect after a Gingivectomy?
Day 1: Gum Tissue Removal
The procedure took about an hour to remove gum tissue. They applied a topical numbing cream & then injected me with something to ensure my gums were totally senseless. No pain. All I felt was a slight pinch. I was awake during the procedure & kept my eyes closed most of the time. That's the beauty of local anesthesia. It's pretty freaky to open your eyes & watch people with a scalpel hack away in your mouth's gum tissue. I could feel the slight discomfort & tension of the scalpel on my teeth as they removed excess gums. Mine used a scalpel, but your surgical procedure might use a laser to remove loose gum tissue.Now I'm lying in bed eating soup & avoiding chewing anything on my left side. My mouth is still numb but the feeling will go away in a couple hours. Today is all about icing my mouth & just resting & recuperating. The healing time for the gingivectomy procedure took a couple weeks. Soft foods for the next few days. For a surgical gum disease treatment, it didn't take too long.
Day 2
For the first 24 hours after the operation, I'm supposed to ice my left cheek with an ice pack for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off. I didn't strictly follow this. Every four to six hours, I took two Advil & a Tylenol as ordered. I followed the pain-relieving guidelines after my numbness subsided & the aching came through. Some facial swelling. At night, instead of taking the Advil/Tylenol combination, I took two Tylenol PMs. Always read the label!Oh my lord. My jaw is sore. I can open barely my mouth to a third of its capacity. So much discomfort it feels like someone sucker punched me in the face a few times. Rinse with a solution of warm salt water every 6 hours, or follow doctor's orders.
FYI: During my first procedure I received a cut right at the corner of my mouth/lips during the stitching part. Apparently, this is called angular cheilitis; thanks for the info Google. Any movement seemed to open the wound & keep it cracked. My advice to you is to specifically request for them to lubricate your mouth & lips to avoid this error in the future. I asked for Vaseline twice during my second procedure & this absolutely helped.
Since I woke up with an incredibly sore mouth, I did the Advil/Tylenol combination & iced my cheek. I felt better after a couple of hours. Today I'm supposed to do a warm saltwater rinse instead of the 15-minute icing intervals. I did a rinse in the morning & in the afternoon.
Day 3
I didn't take any pain medication today. I'm a little sore but nothing I can't survive. I'm sticking to mashed foods, soft foods, liquids, & soups because I can't chew on my left side. The foods & liquids are not delicious but what can you do when you're in pain?Day 4
My gums are doing well. I did a saltwater rinse. Even though I'm not actively trying, I can feel the stitches in my mouth. As ordered, I've been using the Peridex solution every day & night on the gums rather than brushing them. Other than that I brush my teeth as usual, simply avoiding the affected area. Same foods & liquids. Can't wait to eat real food.Day 5
My mouth & gums barely hurt at all, no pain! Yay! I can somewhat chew & eat.Day 6
My stitches are coming out. My jaw feels funky though. I think it's a bit sore from being open during the procedure & having to exclusively eat with my right side.Days 7 - 10
Everything is almost back to normal. Healing well. There's only a mild sensation of awkwardness in my jaw & gums.Day 14
I feel back to normal. I visited the periodontist today & he said everything looks great. There's a bit of swelling & healing left, so he wants me to come back in two weeks. My tip to those who are getting a gingivectomy surgery: if you're healing well, schedule your checkup 3 - 4 weeks from your initial procedure to allow time to heal, so you don't have to keep come in multiple for a 5 minute check up.Day 21
I came in again & my periodontist said everything looks great & my gums are healing appropriately. He wants me to visit for a final check-up in six weeks.
Day 32
I went to the dentist today & the dental hygienist could tell which side was most recently done. I obviously can't see that far into my mouth. It's interesting that although I don't feel any particular discomfort, it's evident that the tissues inside my mouth take time to recuperate 100%.
Final Thoughts: Gingivectomy for Gum Disease
Oral hygiene can help prevent gum disease, bleeding gums, tooth decay, etc. I hope this helps anyone who's considering a gingivectomy surgery. At the time, everything felt sore & achy & I couldn't wait for that feeling to go away. Now I can feel a big difference in my mouth & know it's going to help my gums & teeth in the long run. The gingivectomy recovery was tough but not horrible. If you have any problems, immediately call your doctor. Make sure to follow-up with your dentist during the recovery. The gingivectomy pain level wasn't too horrendous and got better.Follow your pre & post-operative instructions. At the time of this surgical procedure, it was covered by insurance but it can range by age. Ask your doctor/oral surgeon if you have any questions or experience any issues.
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