Woot Canal

"Not today! There's no way I can do it today," I told my dentist on Tuesday when he said that root canal would be necessary. I had a very good reason. That evening was the very first rehearsal for the newly formed Sapporo Symphony Chorus [see entry from Sept. 12th].

The next day was also impossible because of doing the narration [see entry from Sept. 13th], and yesterday I had to teach. So the operation had to take place this morning.

Even though the left side of my jaw and tongue were loaded with anesthetic (I get extra since I still felt some pain after the first and even the second dose), I used self-hypnosis to make the whole experience more comfortable. Since I had just come back from India, it was easy for me to visualize a temple.

During the whole operation, using self-hypnosis, I was picturing the roof of a beautiful, golden temple being renovated. The construction was necessary to make the temple even more beautiful, so the noise helped as I imagined the replacement of eaves and statues. Every time the specialist moved, a light shown into my eyes, just as there would be a light streaming in through the roof of the temple, reflecting on the gorgeous, sparkling interior.

As a result, the operation was actually pleasant as well as comfortable. The team who worked on me is in the photo, including the specialist on my right, the assistant next to her, and my regular dentist on my left. All were part of the team that helped make my body, in particular, the roof of my body, a more beautiful place.