A pain-filled week past

It's been over a week since I sustained some cracks on the right corner of my mouth.

Last Wednesday, I was working on my Korean grammar when I noticed (because I was trying to pronounce one word) that it was a little difficult to fully open my mouth without straining both corners of my mouth. With the help of the bathroom mirror, I discovered a few cracks (couldn't make out how many there were) at the right corner of my mouth...while the left corner was just a little dry. My Bigelow rose lip balm usually works in situations like this - but the cracks did not close up with Bigelow's this round. Soon my smile grew lop-sided as the right corner of my mouth swelled up. The inflammation was so bad that I could not open my mouth (to talk, eat, laugh, smile or sing) without wincing in pain afterwards - because the scab that formed over the wounds would rip again every time I did. Whenever the scab ripped, it would tug on the wounds below and jolt my pain-receptors to their senses. What agony! Fluid (whether serous, cloudy with pus, or bloody) would ooze out every time the skin over the right corner of my mouth was pulled taut. All at the same time, there was an itchy rash around that area. I felt, and am still feeling very ugly. Moving house, Ben's weekend away and the anticipation of worship-leading that Sunday only tripled my stress and misery.

Finally, on Monday - after nothing worked (and due to my fears that I would be scarred for life) - I went to see the doctor. He prescribed me a cool, topical anti-inflammatory (Kanolone) suspended in oral, minty-smelling paste, as well as antibiotics and oral anti-inflammatories. Kanolone was supposed to soften the scab so that I could peel it away, exposing the raw wounds underneath for better contact with the ointment and healing. Why is Kanolone cool, you ask... Well, whenever I apply it on my wounds, it kinda looks like my own skin - except that it's shiny and a little translucent! Also, it wrinkles at the places where my cracks are. However, it can't stay on the wounds too long... after a while, you get to PEEL it away along with the softened scab beneath. The peeling part is quite painful, as you can imagine (I shall not go into details). Now that the huge scab is gone, I've been alternating between tea-tree oil and Manukkah honey in order to heal those 4 big cracks/cuts. Perhaps, I'll use Bio-Oil when the wounds are nicely healed so that the scar (hopefully none) won't be so apparent. Anyway, I hope and pray that I'll be OK soon. There are multiple ulcers inside my mouth; I woke up with blood in my mouth this morning; my throat is a little sore; I've been thirsty the whole day and my gums are kinda swollen. I don't know if I am reacting to something... but I'm drinking loads of water, no worries.

My friends have been asking me what happened to the side of my mouth. No prizes for guessing what the commonest suggestion for the etiology was! And it only came from my seminary friends too, haha!

Gonna wrap up this post with a picture of our farewell luncheon (for Wilbur) taken on Sunday.

from left to right: Lee Ming, Daniel, Uncle Choo Hin, me, Wilbur, Peky, Amelia, Aunty Lilin