It’s 4am and I can’t sleep. I want to sleep, but moments after I lie down, my face starts to hurt and the pain escalates to near unbearable levels almost immediately. I get up and pace, walking laps around the living room holding my head until the throbbing subsides. I breathe a sigh of relief because maybe I can finally sleep, but no. The cycle repeats.

I broke a tooth a couple weeks ago. About a third of it chipped off and the remainder was half filling, half hollowed out tooth. I take care of my teeth, but they are weak. I have a mouth full of fillings and crowns. And now, a broken tooth. And then another broken tooth. I went to the dentist on Friday thinking they would tell me I’m going to lose one tooth and get a filling in the other. I allowed myself to be hopeful that maybe it could be fixed the same day. But that is not my luck. While it appears to be a medium sized cavity, the X-ray shows that it is hollow. I have an appointment for two extractions and two fillings, because of course I need more dental work than I expected, at the end of the month. And now I’m sitting here considering turning my computer back on to play Diablo and pull an all nighter because every time the pain subsides enough to relax a little, it comes back with a vengeance and I’m pacing again. I won’t do that though. I will continue to suffer in silence until I fall asleep. I’ll wake up feeling fine. Tonight’s suffering will be a vague memory that replays tomorrow night. But tomorrow I’ll feel fine. I’ll make it through the day on one dose of otc ibuprofen. I may even get in a decent nap. But that might be all I do because I can’t focus on anything.

How the fuck am I supposed to do this for 10 more days.