My 41st Birthday (The Ordinary Moments)
Welcome back to The Ordinary Moments, a photo adventure which celebrates those very special moments – or the very ordinary.
It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I turned 41. I like to celebrate in a few different ways with important people in my life. My actual day is usually spent with Sukh and when the kids return from school, we tend to go for an early evening meal. It’s small, it’s intimate and it’s special.
We had already had lots of quality time together as we had just returned from a holiday in the Dominican Republic. It was a holiday to remember and we all had a fantastic time.We arrived early on Tuesday morning jet-lagged and exhausted after an overnight flight.
Sukh, Shalini and Shivam crawled straight into bed when we got home after the two hour drive from Manchester Airport. But I wasn’t able to just take that much-needed nap.
During the last two days of our holiday, I came down with pain in my gums on the bottom right hand side. At this point I just figured I had an ulcer or had some food had gotten stuck in my teeth and caused an irritation. It was bearable at this stage so we continued with our day. We’d waited such a long time for this holiday so I didn’t want to focus on pain or any negative thoughts.
By Sunday morning, I was in so much pain. I hadn’t slept a wink because by now my throat was so sore. It hurt to swallow and the pain in my gums had both intensified and spread. Sukh had a peak and said it looked inflamed. He thought it could be caused by my wisdom tooth. I could barely open my mouth to talk or to eat because my jaw ached. I started taking painkillers regularly because we only had a day left and I didn’t want to ruin it for the kids.
We left for Punta Cana airport the following morning and I was so upset by this point. My head and right ear ached, there was a sharp pain in my throat and my gums were throbbing. I don’t know how I got through the long flight and drive home.
It was only 8am by the time we arrived at our front door and it was too early to ring my dentist so I patiently waited it out, feeling groggy from the flight. At 9am, I called my dentist but the receptionist said as I wasn’t a regular enough patient to warrant an emergency appointment! I had a bit of a rant at her because this was just ridiculous. She said emergency appointments were only for regular patients and because it had been a year since I’d last been I was not a priority case. I was fuming and she suggested I ring NHS Direct.
They were great and got me the number of a dentist who could see me that day. I made my appointment but it wasn’t until lunchtime and was 30 mins away so I tried to nap as best I could for an hour before showering and driving to the dentist.
I had indeed got an infection because of my wisdom tooth, which has been visible for years but there’s not enough space for it to push through. Until it comes through a little more, there’s nothing they can do. I was prescribed anti-biotics and boy, did they make me ill! I had a loss of appetite, dizziness and nausea but I figured I could cope with it for five days as the pain was so bad by this point.
It was my birthday the next day and all of my plans went out of the window. Diwali also fell on the same day this year and I was so excited at the opportunity for double celebrations. Sukh was going to take me out for a lovely breakfast. When the kids returned from school, we would go to the temple to light candles, have a fireworks display at home and then visit my parents and in laws. There would be lots of sweet treats and delicious food cooked for Diwali at both homes so it would be quite a treat.
We did none of that as I was too unwell to leave the house. I felt so drained, in pain and the anti-biotics were causing headaches and blurry vision. It was by far the worst birthday I have ever had.
To cheer myself up, I rang my amazing friend Anjla at Cake Couture and ordered a birthday cake for the weekend. Yes, I know it’s vain ordering a cake for myself but I needed the pick-me-up. I was positive I was going to fight it and get better and make up for losing the day.
My dad and sister had already planned to order me a cake and surprise me with it but I had beat them to it.
We spent Saturday evening at my mum’s house. My sisters and their families also came round. I was finally able to make up for both my birthday and Diwali. Even though the anti-biotics were still knocking me for six, the infection was clearing and the pain in my throat and gums was now minimal.
I’d hardly eaten all week so I stuffed my face full of delicious food. It was a fun evening and the fireworks display that Sukh took care of went down a treat with everyone. It hadn’t gone down exactly the way I planned it but it was enough to put a smile back on my face.
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Oh that is so sad. What an awful pain you must had. I’m glad it’s better now and that you got to celebrate your birthday!
Wow what a gorgeous cake. You look so good for 41 I would never have guessed. Happy birthday by the way X #Blogstravaganza
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Thank you so much – what a compliment xxx
Happy belated birthday and so sorry to hear of your horrible experience with your tooth. Tooth pain is awful as it spreads so far across such a big area. There’s nothing at all selfish about ordering your own cake, and what a work of art. I’m pleased you were able to enjoy it after all the aggro of your tooth #Blogstravaganza
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Aw thanks Emma. Yes I managed to make it up a little xx
Happy 41st birthday. Sorry about the tooth but that cake looks delicious. ? #thatfridaylinky
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Thank you – yes the cake was scrumptious x
Oh you poor thing, what a miserable time for you. That cake was so beautiful though. In your position I would have done exactly the same! Happy birthday lovely! #blogstravaganza
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Thank you hun. It was a horrible time. The cake was delicious so that made up for it x
That cake is incredible – I hope you had the most wonderful of birthdays. I can’t believe you’re 41 – I thought you were mid-thirties like me! x
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Aw thanks so much Donna – what a compliment xx
Happy Belated 41st Birthday lady! Glad to know the pain has minimized. You look absolutely beautiful. #ThatFridayLinky
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Thank you lovely xx
Oh no! What a shame to be ill on your birthday, tooth pain is horrid. I’m glad that it cleared with the help of the antibiotics. Your cake looks delicious! Thank you for sharing your post with #Blogstravaganza
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Thanks Jo. Yes it was tough but I made up for it. The cake was super delicious x
Oh no, what a way to spend two celebrations. I hope the cake was as good as it looks, and that you’re feeling lots better #stayclassymama
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Thanks Charlotte. Thankfully I managed to pull something back – and the cake was scrumptious xxx
Phew ? xx
Happy birthday Lovely! I’m glad you enjoyed your day and cake despite not feeling well and having the difficult encounter with the doctors. I hope you are much better now! Thanks for joining us at #BloggerClubUK 🙂
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Thanks Becky. Yes it was an awful time but I managed to pull something back x
Happy belated birthday wishes!!!! I absolutely love your cake it looks so pretty, I hope that the year of being 41 is a wonderful one for you and your loved ones xx Thanks so much for linking up with #ABloggingGoodTime
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Thank you so much xx
You deserved the cake! I used to be a dental nurse and saw people in agony so you have my sympathy: I hope the wisdom tooth comes through so you can have it extracted and never have to go through that pain again. Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama