Update on various fronts:

[stillane]

We'll start with the tale of the bird.

I called one of the rescues provided by wonderful people, and they advised me to return the little guy to open water. (The sooner the better, too, because it seems they won't eat in captivity.) Apparently, they've been getting a lot of calls about this particular species of late, specifically their habit of wandering where they aren't supposed to be. They need open water to take off, but they're doppy enough to wind up on ice and not be able to find their way back. Given that they also have the land speed of a drunken tortoise, this is not a healthy combo.

Friday saw me and a 70 year old woman attempting to find a clear patch of creek. Combined with the continued presence of vicodin in my bloodstream, I'm sure we made an interesting pair. We did, finally, find an appropriate zone, and the little beast was released. He didn't go far, though. Our fine feathered friend is still hanging out near the house, and my dad is off to visit him even as we speak. (Seriously, the man's gotten oddly attached. Any day now we're going to find him out there chucking shrimp from the shore and mournfully making duck-ish noises.)

ETA: Then again... The world's smallest avian idiot has now managed one better. Not only did he not fly away to freedom as predicted, he got himself frozen to the ice. Rather than let him become a tiny ducky popsicle, Dad put on the waders and ventured out onto the creek. The grebe is officially back under our roof, pending more information from the nearest rescuers. *sigh* How exactly do I convince them to take a critter which is not injured, just terminally goofy?

On the subject of teeth, more wisdom needed.

All of you who've had the grand extraction: how long should the pain continue to be fairly intense? I thought I was doing pretty good circa Thursday, but then not so much. I'm not sure whether I'm just being a huge baby about it, or if there's really something funky going on. I'm usually pretty good with pain - my knees dislocate of their own accord a couple times a year, and I snap them back in routinely - and I don't have a fever or any other obvious infection symptoms, just a persistent ache. My surgeon is flying below the radar over the weekend, and I need to start work tomorrow. Should I be planning a visit to him anyway? Is it normal to still be pretty sore five days latter? Am I the biggest wimp since wimpdom began?

Any and all advice is welcome, be it on the bird or the mouth.

Comments

[tenaciousmetoo.livejournal.com]

Um, hi, I'm Ten. I think maybe I haven't commented here in...well, a long time. Bad me. Doesn't mean I'm not reading, just that I didn't have anything to say.

Poor little bird. I can't imagine getting stuck to ice like that. I've only rescued city birds, so I don't know what to suggest for waterfowl. Glad you've found some folks giving advice.

As for the wisdom teeth, it's been a long time since mine were removed (impacted, all), but I do recall it was a long healing process. That said, it's good to call your docs when something doesn't seem right. Maybe they can suggest a pain reliever, or maybe they'll want to take a look and check for infection. Tell them what's going on; I'm sure they've seen it all, and can answer your questions. Feel better!

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Hi! *waves* Lurk, babble, flail wildly around the disco ball... it's all good. *g*

The bird seems to be doing fine today. We're working on a plan for keeping him fed, and he's looking reasonably content with his little paddle pool. So far, so good. Now if the weather would just decide to cooperate...

As far as the teeth go, I took the advice of you and the other wise ones and went to see the surgeon. Turned out I wasn't healing correctly and did need some help, but all is fixed now. Not only am I not hurting, I'm not even on anything stronger than ibuprofen. Thanks for the smart council!

(Also, mind if I ask about your icon? That's one cute pup.)

[tenaciousmetoo.livejournal.com]

So glad to hear that you're feeling better!

You know, Margie's been my default icon since I started on LJ, and I had the pic well over a year before that. I always post credit if someone else is the source, but I have no notes for her (except her name, which came with the file). I think maybe she was a DL from an adoption website. I just love the expression on her face.