Sunday, January 20, 2013

Buttons & Surgery Update

Many years ago, I used to be a button collector.  Not a collector like most of you probably think of ... a prim or crafty person who buys a jar of old buttons at a yard sale or at the local peddlers mall.  No, I was an actual "sure I'll pay $25 for that button" button collector.  I had some real treasures in the button world.  After a while, like many things I've dabbled in, one day I woke up & thought "why in the world am I doing this" & I sold the whole shebang of a collection for about 1/4 of what it was worth ... but it was out of the house & thus made room for my next collecting venture, whatever that was ... lol!

When purchasing those collectible buttons I did come across a few types that I really loved & could not part with.  One type was the plastic novelty buttons used on children's clothing in the 30s/40s/50s.  The others were old utilitarian buttons such as underwear buttons, mother of pearl, bone, & various china buttons.  I didn't have a whole lot of either of these types but I did keep the ones I had with the thought that I would use them in future crafting projects.

Over the past year or two I have been looking for more of these old utilitarian buttons when we are somewhere they might be for sale.  I have had no luck at all finding them.  I have also been unlucky when bidding for them on eBay.  The price has always been bid up much higher than I'm willing to pay, & I can only assume that the reasonably priced "buy it nows" were snatched up the minute they were uploaded because I never saw any.  Well, recently ... maybe because it's so soon after Christmas & many people don't have a lot of extra money to spend right now ... I have been able to win a couple small lots of old utilitarian buttons.  Hooray for me   : )

Most of the small button lots I've won ... 3 or 4 ... have been quite nice, but on Friday I received one that was so bad I actually was wishing I had put on rubber gloves before I touched them.  They were grossly filthy things ... not something you could tell by the auction photo.  They were mostly china buttons with a couple MOPs.  I needed to clean them, but ugh!  Then I got a pretty good idea ... either that or I remembered this from my old collector days.  John has to use those denture soaking tablets every night for his partial.  I thought soaking these buttons in that kind of solution might work quite well so he gave me one & I did an overnight soak.  It worked wonders!  There were still quite a few buttons that I had to use an old toothbrush on ... or scrape them with a single edge razor blade or push a toothpick through the holes to get the crud out ... but most of them didn't need anything else done to them!  I then washed them all off in a soapy solution, rinsed well, & dried them with several paper towels, finally placing them on a fresh bit of paper toweling for the air to get them thoroughly dry.

Naturally I had a bit of a "moment" while going through this final button cleaning process this morning.  I had a small plastic container which I was soaking them in.  I placed it in the sink & then got my strainer to dump them into & rinse them before using the toothbrush & other tools to get them thoroughly clean.  As I placed them in the strainer, the thought occurred to me that it might be a good idea to put the drain cover over the sink drain, but then I thought "nah." I figured I would be careful & not lose any buttons.  After getting about 3/4 of the buttons done, one of them popped out of my hand & went down the drain.  I immediately thought "hmmmm ... I should put that drain cover on that drain."  I looked at the drain cover, just a few inches away, but again thought "nah."  The very next button I was working on then popped out of my hand & joined it's friend down the drain.  It struck me as a rather comic occurrence.  I just shook my head & finished cleaning the rest of the buttons without mishap.

On Friday I went back to the endodontist to have my stitches removed.  Although not a pleasant experience, it was not horrible & was over relatively quickly.  He talked with me a bit more about the surgery & I discovered that I was somewhat confused about the procedure from the start.  I often referred to it as "gum surgery," but it was much more than that.  He made his incision through the gum right above the crown where that infected root canal had occurred.  I had that much right.  However, the damage that the infection caused to that point ... the hole that it had eaten away in my bone ... that was my upper jaw bone.  I asked him how large this hole was.  He said it was the diameter of a nickel ... that's a little over 3/4" ... & slightly over half an inch deep.  Good grief!  No wonder a bone graft was involved & no wonder he was doing so much cutting & scraping & no wonder this all resulted in such pain!  To get the full impact of this, go get a nickel & place it up above your lip between your lip & the right side of your nose at the right edge of the nostril.  It boggles the mind.  We discussed what he will be doing with the other infected root canal & thankfully that will not require the same type of surgery.  He will simply address that one like a root canal ... drill up through the crown & then clean out the infection that way ... because that infection basically just began in the last year or so.  

I am doing much better now.  Yesterday was the first day I could make it through without having to use pain medication.  I still have a bit of soreness & a bit of swelling, but nothing major.  Thank you once again to everyone who gave me their good wishes & prayers.

I also want to welcome all my new followers! Welcome!  I am glad you came to visit my blog & decided to stick around   : )   

I hope everyone is having a great weekend ... & an especially productive one if you are participating in IHSW   : )   I've been doing as much stitching as I can ... not a whole lot, but some ... & I will share the photos soon.

26 comments:

Vickie said...

Oh Shirlee! You poor dear! I am so sorry for the junk you're going through. I have a tin full of old buttons from my Auntie Ethel. I used all the white ones for assorted crafts to decorate the house with years ago. I still have the button wreath, it is pretty.
I am still praying for you. Have a relaxing Sunday. I am stitching away! It is 9º right now!! Yucky poo!

CalamityJr said...

Your surgery boggles my mind - and I work in a dental office! I'm so glad you're feeling better today. Hang in there! Sorry you lost a couple buttons, but the rest of them are beautiful.

Angie said...

Glad you're feeling a little better from the surgery~hope you continue to do better. I haven't stitched anything in a couple of weeks now, trying to get things organized around here. Hope to start on my stitching to do list today. Hope you have a great day!

Anonymous said...

Hello

Those buttons look great.
I'm glad you are starting to feel better now.
Have a good week.

Judy said...

Glad to hear you are doing much better. Hopefully when you have the next one, it will go much easier. Why is it we get rid of something and then want it again? I do the same thing. I also have the same luck as the button in the drain---only mine would be my most favorite of the bunch! Have a nice day.

Judy heartland stitcher

Myra said...

I love buttons Shirlee and it seems we are not alone. Even the not so old buttons are pricey when you find them at flea markets and such.

I am glad your pain has lessened and the next procedure won't be as invasive as this one. You deserve a break!

Prayers still being sent your way.

Mii Stitch said...

Glad you're feeling better & loved that button story!! They all look so pretty & cost too much for what they are :D

cucki said...

Hello deary...Those buttons looks so pretty....
I'm glad you are starting to feel better now....love for you..
Have a good day dear xxx

Catherine said...

Oh yuck ~ what a procedure!! So glad you are finally starting to get some relief. Continued prayers for a speedy recovery!
Love all of your buttons!

Kathy Ellen said...

Having had some dental surgeries too, my heart goes out to you, for all that you have endured. Hope that each day gets a little better.

I can understand your love of buttons. They are fascinating and wonderful to collect. One of my most treasured times, when I was a little girl was the times that my grandmothers would let me go through their button boxes, looking for treasures to make string necklaces. It sounds like you have some fabulous collections, difficult to part with too.

Blessings for you!

gracie said...

Hopefully things you will soon be healed and feeling much better.

Kaisievic said...

Great post - I must share a post with you of the button boxes I have inherited from my mother!

Peggy Lee said...

Love those buttons! I acquired most of mine from Ebay. I still giggle when I call them underwear buttons.
Your ordeal with the dentist is making me cringe...I broke a tooth on a kernel of popcorn last night. I'm one of those who is afraid of the dentist. I have to call in the morning for an appt. UGH!! I'm glad the worst is behind you with this one.

jennifer768 said...

You poor dear! Ouch, that sounds terribly painful!So glad that you are feeling better and will continue to keep you in my prayers.Love the buttons,sorry that you had to go through so much to get them clean.I just had to giggle about the escapees.Hugs,Jen

marly said...

So glad you're feeling better. Sorry about the lost buttons, but I guess the second one didn't want his friend to go alone.

Carol said...

Ugh--that procedure sounds downright miserable, Shirlee--I'll bet you'll be so glad when your dental work is a thing of the past (other than the normal cleanings!).

I love buttons, too, and was lucky enough to be given my mom's old button tin. My MIL's house was robbed last year and guess what one of the things stolen was--her beautiful jars of buttons! I was so sad :(

Anne said...

Oh my goodness. The thought of that root canal infection makes me shiver and be worried about my husband. I don't know if I told you this before, but he has a hole in his lower jaw and the dentist has mentioned skin grafting too. The problem is we don't have 1000's of dollars and it's not covered by our extended health care plans...yes we have two of them. I sure hope we can manage something soon as I read about your troubles you have had, it's wiser to get it done with earlier rather than later. I hope you are feeling a bit better today.

The button escapade made me laugh so hard!! Oh Shirlee, you should've used the drainer!!

Annette-California said...

Thank Goodness your pain has eased some. Praying for you till this is all over with for you Shirlee. I was holding my breath while reading about you cleaning the buttons. Are you going to use them? Have a pain free week. love Annette

Chris said...

So glad that you are feeling better and you are on the way to getting this completely resolved.
Hugs

Siobhán said...

Oh gosh, I hope you're on the mend, Shirlee! I enjoyed reading about your button collecting. I some how managed not to succumb to that, and wonder how I missed it. LOL

Have a good week!

Dawn said...

I'm still boggled that your infection is so bad and your other dentists never addressed it. that is crazy you've been living with this for so long! I am glad to hear you are feeling better!

geeky Heather said...

Holey shamoley, a NICKEL-sized hole??? Maybe it's better you didn't know after all! Glad the stitches are out and it's healing well.

Lovely buttons! Maybe the ones down the drain will have a lovely adventure. =)

LoriU said...

So I am curious since my DH just had to have a crown removed due to decay underneath....are they replacing your crowns after drilling through the crown to the decay? I just wonder if DH's dentist could be doing this another way and instead is just removing the crown so we have to pay for a whole new crown.

Hope you are feeling better!

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Holy crap, Shirlee!!! That's major business there girlie! I'm glad you are on the other side of it now and feeling better. Goodness, girl! Love the buttons too. I've always had an affinity for pawing through buttons thanks to my granny.

frontporchprims said...

The thought of stuffing a nickle there makes me laugh, but I am sorry for you. No wonder......glad you can make it without the meds now. I never knew there was such a thing as button collecting....for reals:) I bet you had so many neat ones. I loved buttons when I was younger, but mostly for crafting. They are fun to look at though. I bet the solution you used to clean them would work on lots of other stuff too. Sorry you lost two to the drain. At least they have each other!! ha ha.
-Steph-

Anne said...

New follower through IHSW. Love your button story, but yew,, they were dirty! Hope to see your stitching soon. Looked at some of your blog and you do some really nice stitching and finishes! :)