I've been "away" from blogging a long time and actually feel like I'm just getting back to being part of the human race again. I've had a busy summer and fall with lots of activies, traveling, teaching, nursing a friend through several surgeries, etc. I've also been dealing with chronic jaw pain since July. I've grinded my teeth when I sleep since I was a child so it was no surprise to me when the dentist said that's what was causing my pain. After getting a dental guard and chipping, cracking, and putting a hole in it (yes, I'm a grinder!), I still had pain which came and went but was never completely gone. To make a long story short (yes it's already long!), I actually had a tooth that was fractured but never hurt until Thanksgiving when it got infected. By this time, it was completely broken in half. After a very long painful weekend, I got into the dentist and then after a round of antibiotics (3 days) and painkillers (thank goodness!) g...