Ballymaloe not to be

The panel at Ballymaloe

A week ago, on the 18th of May, we were to be guest speakers in a panel discussion of Irish Winemaking, Past, Present and Future at Ballymaloe House in Cork. Instead, on Friday the 17th, I had emergency dental surgery to quell infection in my gums and save my tooth from loss or extraction. I don't know which prospect was more terrifying: speaking about growing grapes and making wine or lying in a chair with my mouth open for more than an hour under surgical assault?

I got the word a week before when I visited O'Brien for evaluation. As we planned a strategy, a cancellation came in for Friday the 17th. The doc said take the appointment or you may not get another for months. So I made the appointment. I felt bad as it had taken Alex days to book all the events we wanted to attend and the hotel, which had a no-refund policy. We lost money on both ends, and the surgery cost €650 plus the €200 from the first exam. It was an expensive weekend. 

We checked into the Victoria Hotel and treated ourselves to a fabulous dinner at Michelin-recommended Éan in Galway the night before. Worth it! Although I was annoyed at the hotel for giving a rate that was without taxes that added about €100 to the bill. But it was good to be right in the centre of town and a black from the periodontists' office as the appointment was for 9 am. 

I spent Friday and Saturday recovering from the surgery. Had an infection in my gums that wasn't resolving with antibiotics and antiseptics causing the loosening of a tooth. My brilliant periodontist said there was good reason why we should try to save the tooth. So, I counted 11 injections of lidocaine, three incisions, lots of hoking, lots of rinsing, treatment with ultraviolet light, insertion of bone regrowth graft medium, glueing of several teeth together for stability, and finally three sutures in the back and 5 in the front. An hour and a half later, I was on my way home, thanks to Alex driving. Quite woozy afterwards. 

The pain is not too bad but a seal that feels like chewing gum stuck to my teeth is annoying. He said we'd done everything humanly possible. Now it was up to God to decide the rest. 

No solid food for 4-5 days. Stitches will dissolve on their own. Followup in three weeks will see if it worked. Back to Galway 7 June. 

More than a week later, I realised that the sutures were gone. I am healing. Ballymaloe another year.