sidestepping the humorous implications; I am talking about a specific tooth pain, and I’m aware that the teeth are broadly within my head. This is about psychosomatic vs real sensation.
I have a hole in one of my teeth. It’s been there awhile, and most of the time hasn’t bothered me…. but these last two weeks it’s been bugging me. I’ve been taking pain killers, and most of the time they work. Last night it reached a point I actually took enough pain killers to feel “high”…. which I don’t even know how to feel about really
but then this morning, the pain was going in and out, and I got the distinct impression that if I did a bit of metacognitive work, literal mind over matter, I could get rid of the pain myself.
This is literally magical thinking, the definition of irrational belief, but because of the sorry state of the social sciences it isn’t a notion I can dismiss, or get someone else to dismiss for me. If I talk to a dentist, they’ll pull the tooth, because that pads their pocket. If I go to a therapist, they’ll try and figure out what I want and do that….. again not the best decision, just whatever I want most.
but it brings up part of what bugs me; how sick am I really? Could I recode myself out of this crisis? Should I?
The more I learn, the less I feel like there is an absolute truth… and conversely the less categorically I can call a belief “silly”, because as observed; I’m no better. All my pain could just be a manifestation of my hatred towards the outside world.
but that’s the other side; what good does it do me? Why would I _choose_ pain? Am I justifying all the drugs I’m on? That conflicts with the fact that I’d really rather sober up…. ugh.
I’m starting to get why most educated people just quietly kill themselves, because it’s not like very effective probing is going to be achieved…. as I say all these things, I understand my privilege…. and am all the more frustrated that it isn’t enough to bring me peace of mind.
5 comments
Sorry about the tooth thing. Sounds like a pain in the ass. I remember when I was in the hospital and I wasn’t in a lot of pain, but the nurses asked me if I wanted morphine. I said sure and I don’t remember feeling particularly good. Weird how people get morphine addictions.
About the mind over matter stuff, I don’t know. Maybe we can all will our pains away. I always wished that I could physically reach in to my head and rip out the things I didn’t like.
Hope things are going well on your end.
As someone with a chronic pain disorder, no, there’s no way to think the pain away. However distractions can make you forget for a while or at least make it more bearable.
In the clinic I’ve found the social board games to be quite effective. Whoever would sit down with another humanbeing and play a game in person nowadays though? The card games we’ve played manifested in my life afterwards, as I’ve been craving for that positive reinforcement.
Anyways, pal. I’d really check that tooth out, there’s a reason we feel pain! (Just think about the misery, people have to go through, who cannot sense pain)
So I tried to get in to see a dentist today, there’s only one I found that takes my medicare…. they confirmed they do take it, but they said new patients were being booked in July, and I needed to call at 8:30 AM any day I wanted to try for a walk in
I mean, I’ll try for that…. but that’s a bit early for me to be calling anyone, usually I’m asleep at that time. are they advocating I also stop sleeping? along with all the other things I can’t do because of my tooth?
You can’t handle the tooth! The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth so help me!
update to my update, I got an appointment tomorrow to have it looked at. So far I can’t tell if they’ll cap it or pull it, given that it is physically stable I hope they’ll be able to save the tooth.
that’s what ended up motivating me; the prospect of not getting a tooth pulled. I had the one next to it pulled a few years ago…. I still shudder remembering the pain..
that, and the pain killers kinda stopped working. They can take the edge off, but the pain is still there.
Pardon my lateness. I was sad to read, that you’d have to be in pain for several more months, but it’s no different here in the capital city.. Know all the spiel. But you got an appointment yay, how did it go?
I’m also dragging to get appointments in order, when they open at 8-ish. Sometimes I set an alarm and just do the call in my bed, and keep sleeping lol. Most of the time, I ask for the latest appointment available for the day.
As a judge I’d totally use that tooth line haha!
I’ve nothing against dentists but if they’d pull out a tooth, I might start getting a problem with them too.