Still fighting parasthesia

So I got the "nerve" to call the dentist's office and left a message with the receptionist's voice mail, describing my issues and waiting for a response so I can schedule my first trip back to the dentist since November. So I've passed the 8-month mark and still have not fully regained the sensation in an area of my tongue on the right side. It's quite noticeable, and I hope it is not a permanent dead area, because when you are used to 100 percent feeling of an organ and that feeling is suddenly reduced, through no fault of your own, that is the pits. It's set for March 5 at 12:20 p.m. I'll let you know what happens.

Not 100%, and not happy

There is still a sliver of lost sensation in my tongue, on the right side. I'm thinking of paying another visit to the dentist who caused the paresthesia -- although I'm not sure what good it will do, ultimately, since he can't repair the damage - just monitor it. I no longer feel the pins-and-needles sensation of the nerves refiring on a daily basis; now it happens but on occasion -once every 10 days. Having a dead spot on your tongue is more than just annoying: It impacts your quality of life. It impacts my ability to trust a dentist with Novacaine, which I know I'll eventually have to use again. That's how teeth are; they break down. Here's the other thing: While I am no longer actively his patient, I still have a bill to pay - over $1,100 that is still owed to the credit card agency. Yes, I knew the risk when I had the procedure done in June 2012, but it was a simple sedation to replace 2 fillings and install a crown. Nothing complicated. Beyond follow-up appointments, which were not build, procedures, no offer of a refund. I am contemplating asking for a refund.

Almost in the clear

Progress has come in fits and spurts, but on what would be my two-month checkup with the dentist who gave me this paresthesia, I got the all-clear. My tongue was at about 90 percent from normal, the highest yet, and I have been able to feel those sharp jabs (a sign that the nerves are re-firing) that tell me the path to recovery is close at hand. The tip of my tongue is the "last" to come back to full speed because it is furthest from the strike point. I still feel the slight sensation of carrying a marble in the right front corner of mouth - the result of not being fully healed ... but as the days pass, that feeling is less pronounced. I still won't give myself the all clear until the year's end. The dentist tells me that he felt "this small" when the incident occurred, but he's glad at my positive spirit and tells me further appointments won't be necessary.

Pop rocks at 4 months

I used a new description to describe to a coworker what my mouth feels like - periods of non-improvement followed, almost out of the blue, by a feeling like I've got Pop Rocks. Those are nerve endings being rejuvenated, I'm told. Look, at this point, as odd a sensation as this is, I'll take progress in whatever shape or form it occurs. I still feel like I'm at 85% of where I was, and it just requires more patience to endure the run to the finish line.

Numbness is more than skin deep

One of the lingering issues of paresthesia, many sufferers will discover, is that what appears to be a cure is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I felt just about sharp point as the dentist took a tour around my tongue, ascertaining what I could feel. That is great news - proof that the recovery is occurring to those delicate nerves. I explained to the dentist that the paralysis still is evident when I try to speak certain words (there's an obvious impediment) and I still can't taste every food item 100% as there is still a feeling like I'm chewing on rubber bands. The next appointment is now 8 weeks away and he expects significant recovery by then. I'm amazed at my own patience level, about to celebrate my THIRD MONTH with this pain-in-the-ass-condition that I did not cause.

Tongue-tied

On a recent (August 12) Sunday afternoon, I gave a toast to my longtime friend, Barry, inside an enclosed reception hall built atop a large fishing pier in Kitty Hawk, N.C. The toast was in front of 80 people and I delivered it with aplomb only because the DJ handed me a microphone that allowed me to speak in a normal voice. Any scenario where I have to project my voice, unaided by technology, still proves difficult, because I lack the specific muscle strength in my mouth that leads to clear-sounding speech. In other words, precision deteriorates when I have to "speak up." The sensation on the top of my tongue has returned, however, it feels "marbled" and feels about 80% of normal ability. The side and bottom of my tongue is about 60% and I have no feeling in the right bottom of my mouth. I can only hope it will come back.

Still very frustrated. Still very annoyed at the dentist, and wondering whether the time for litigation is close at hand, given the worry I have about a permanent speaking disability.

Nine weeks - a setback

I can deal with the ups and downs of paresthesia as long as I can sense improvement. But today my day began with more annoying "ice" sensation on the right side of my tongue, and an inability to correctly pronounce many words without lisping. This is a disappointment as it comes nine weeks to the day since the dentist nailed me with the needle, causing the paralysis. Now, this time around at least the tongue has some sensation beyond the feeling of cold. It was crazy that I couldn't even tell I had a tongue in prior weeks when this has occurred. So it goes.