May, 2008
So… the wisdom tooth swelling caused a problem with the nearby nerve. It has caused the left side of my face to become weakened or pretty much paralyzed. My wife and I have been relating it to Bell’s Palsy. It is the left side of my face that I cannot move, barely able to even blink an eye. I am seeing slight improvement as the days go by. Recovery can take a few days, weeks, months, even up to a year. I am on medication that should help a little.
It is an unfortunate situation that will keep me away from being in front of the camera for a while which is why .tv hasn’t had any new posts. Not just because I look like I had a minor stroke, but because it affected my speech as well. So until I am able to be on camera again and regain full speech functions, .tv will be off the air. HOWEVER! you can always e-mail me your questions as so many of you have been doing.
One things is for sure, I will continue to photograph! I’ve already shot 2 weddings with my left eye, since that one stays open. Normally I look through the lens with my right eye. I would love to be able to do that, but I can’t close my left eye. I have thought about wearing a patch so I can shoot, but what bride wants to see their photographer show up with a patch over one eye?!
The other dificulty is staring at a computer screen all day. Photo editing has become a slower and somewhat painfull process. I am working on photos as much as I can on a daily basis.
That’s all for now. I personally think it’s going to take 2 more weeks to recover.
The only wisdom I’m getting from my last remaining wisdom tooth right now is “you should have taken me out last year when you had the other one removed.”
So Friday it decided to no longer be impacted and to come right through. The area got swollen, and a nerve is being bothered to the point it looks like I had a stroke. The whole left side of my face just doesn’t want to work. I can’t even blink!
Somehow I shot Catherine & Carlos’s wedding on Saturday with my left eye instead of my normal way of shooting with my right eye. Thank you to Kelley for coming along with me to help! I can close my right eye, but not my left. So shooting right now isn’t exactly fun. The wedding came out fantastic and I can’t wait to post the pictures!
But for now… I have to wait until tomorrow to see the dentist and hopefully get this thing yanked. 
**UPDATE
Tuesday 8:30am So I wake up from hearing a big truck drive through our complex thinking it was our new washer and dryer (which they never called ahead for a delivery time)… I stretch out… hit the shelf above the bed…. everything falls down, including the glass of water that went right on top of me. The doorbell rings, the washer and dryer are here. And at that point I needed both. While bringing them in they put a hole in the wall downstairs! 6″ x 6″ triangular shaped hole. The dryer isn’t completely hooked up, I have to shorten the exhaust pipe. I’m thinking today would be a great day to have a tooth pulled. Oh wait… that’s at 10:30.
See you all in a few days!
6.01.2008
Wow I wish you a speedy recovery man.
6.02.2008
oh god – I JUST now read this—so sorry to hear about what happened. Although you know—an eye patch COULD become a trade-mark look! I’ve always though I need to start wearing like a big funny hat, or something that I get ‘known’ by
6.02.2008
I considered the eye patch! Then I considered how freaked out the bride would be if her photographer showed up with an unexpected eye patch.
6.02.2008
Hey RE: NOOO fun! I’ve had my own nightmares with wisdom teeth, don’t want to visit there again. Just to add a bit of humor, I think that learning to shoot with your left eye can only benefit your craft. Half of us are dyslexic anyway! Hang in there.
6.04.2008
Krystal and I wish you a quick and full recovery. We hope your brides understand and are being patient with you.