Dispatch 006
Buckle up…
Some of you may have noticed there was no Dispatch last week. It was my intention to send one later in the week, but many of you also know I have been struggling with some health problems lately.
On Tuesday, when Dispatch 006 was originally meant to go live, I was receiving two fillings, my first dental work other than wisdom tooth removal ever. I’ll be 31 this upcoming Sunday. I talk a lot about my impoverished upbringing in Arkansas, and given the stereotypes surrounding the Ozarks and Appalachia, it should come as no shock that I come from an area where dental care is a luxury. Most members of my family have rotting teeth, brown teeth, missing teeth, etc.
My teeth have always been relatively healthy. Knowing I didn’t have access to dental care meant that I cared for them well, though I have one extremely crooked canine tooth that was pushed back in my mouth by an unwieldy baby tooth that didn’t fall out until I was 14.
I’ve always been self-conscious about this crooked tooth. It’s been my dream since I was a teenager to get braces. It would correct the off-set of my bite, and I would be able to smile without covering my mouth.
So I began the journey of figuring out how to get affordable braces without dental insurance. I signed up for a health credit program and went to the dentist, hoping to have braces within a week or two of my visit.
The only problem was, an unexplainable shadow was found beneath one of my molars. Thus began an odyssey of being bounced back and forth between dentists, orthodontists, periodontists, and endodontists. I’ve experienced swelling and pain in my left jaw for years, and have had many, many tests and scans done in an attempt to find the source. I had reached a stage in my life in which I’d given up and accepted that I would always experience this swelling and pain.
Now, let’s fast-forward. Two-and-a-half weeks ago, I had surgery for another condition, endometriosis. This left me with three abdominal incisions. The incision in my belly button popped open at some point, and last week I went to my OB for a wound culture to make sure it wasn’t infected. I have lupus and am on multiple immunosuppressants, including two forms of chemotherapy, so infections are very, very serious. (My lupus symptoms began after my wisdom teeth were removed at 18, though it took around 6 years to diagnose. I do believe this is all related… I digress).
The wound culture came back overwhelmingly positive for a very rare bacteria called Actinomyces neuii, which causes a condition called actinomycosis.
The bacteria that cause this infection typically live in dental plaque. It can result from: dental problems, such as decay and poor oral hygiene. trauma to the mouth or face, if particles of dental plaque enter the mucous membrane.
If this condition goes untreated, it could be fatal. And it was found in me because of a wound culture taken from an unrelated surgery.
After an infectious disease consult, I’m on a new round of antibiotics and awaiting an appointment to explore further diagnostic and treatment options.
Clearly, I’ve had a lot going on and a lot on my mind. But I remain hopeful and in high spirits. My lupus has fought remission since my diagnosis, baffling my rheumatologist. We have seen little improvement in my routine bloodwork despite being on almost every lupus medication available.
I believe this condition is the key to everything, and I believe treatment will change the quality of my life for the better for the first time in a decade.
But all this has got me thinking a lot about the horror of dental work, teeth, the pushing and pulling of bone, and how it’s said that the first thing people look for on a first impression is a smile. Why are we attracted to exposed, sticky, wet bone?
So, without further ado, I present Dispatch 006: The Dental Issue.
Medusa Publishing Haus
Yesterday I unveiled the official Medusa logo on Twitter! It was designed by UK-based artist lauzeart. I’ve worked with Laura many times and am always delighted by the outcome.
Submission Calls
Scissor Sisters: Sapphic Villains Anthology, an anthology from Brigids Gate Press edited by Rae Knowles and April Yates, will be accepting submissions May 1 - May 31. Scissor Sisters seeks to reclaim the trope of the predatory lesbian. Read more about their submission requirements here.
Why Didn’t You Just Leave, an anthology about people who stay in haunted houses, is set to be released by Cursed Morsels Press and edited by Nadia Bulkin and Julia Rios. They announced submission dates and guidelines today. The open call begins accepting submissions August 1, 2023. More information here.
Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror from Ghoulish Books, edited by Sofia Ajram, opens submissions on May 1. Submission guidelines can be found here.
The Pleasure in Pain, a collection of queer erotic horror edited by Roxie Voorhees, will accept submissions from June 1 to July 1. Submission guidelines found here.
Vagina teeth, anyone? Still a stranger to her own body, a high school student discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence. Teeth (2007) is free to stream on Tubi and Pluto.
Tooth Horror Book Recommendations
Thank you for reading this week’s Dispatch From Heck.
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Have a great week!
Mae
I hope you finally get some relief 🖤