Did anyone else find the switch from ice to heat kinda nerve-wracking? I kept second-guessing myself, worrying I'd mess something up... but yeah, warm compresses really did help loosen things up. Glad I'm not the only one who googled every little symptom, lol.
Yeah, switching from ice to heat was definitely a bit stressful for me too. I kept wondering if I was doing it too soon or too late—like, is this gonna make the swelling worse? Or am I messing up the healing process somehow? Honestly, I probably spent more time googling than actually applying the compresses. 😂
Did anyone else find themselves setting timers and alarms just to keep track of when to switch? I had my phone buzzing every 20 minutes reminding me to swap out ice packs, then later warm compresses. Felt like a full-time job for a couple days there...
And speaking of googling symptoms, I swear every little twinge or ache had me convinced something was horribly wrong. At one point, I was pretty sure I'd given myself some rare complication because my gums felt weirdly itchy. Turns out that's just part of healing... who knew?
But yeah, once I finally got comfortable with the heat packs, they really did help loosen things up and ease the stiffness. Still, I'm glad that part's over—gum surgery recovery is no joke. Glad I'm not alone in being overly cautious about all this stuff.
"Did anyone else find themselves setting timers and alarms just to keep track of when to switch?"
Haha, yes! I had alarms labeled "ice off," "heat on," etc. Thought I was being overly obsessive, but glad I'm not alone. Recovery anxiety is real... better safe than sorry though, right?
Did you find the alarms actually helped, though? I tried timers at first but ended up ignoring half of them... just went by feel after a while. Wondering if being super precise really makes a noticeable difference in swelling or healing time.
I get your point about timers—I personally found them a bit stressful. Instead, I just kept track roughly, switching ice packs whenever it felt less cold. Didn't notice any major difference in swelling compared to friends who timed it precisely... everyone's healing seems pretty individual anyway.
