"Only" 25 Years???

I had tons of periodontal fun this morning. The worst part is the shots. But soon afterwards everything is numb so they're worth it--they're just kinda creepy. I have to remind myself: "You've got 5 tattoos! Needles are not your worst nightmare!!!" They told me I'd want to take the whole day off from work, so I did. However, now I'm at Job #2 since that's pretty laid back and close to the house, so hey. I am on 500 mg of Ibuprofin and an antibiotic and smoothies and soup and lots of liquids to promote healing. He ended up, once he got inside the gum and got a good look around, having to do bone grafts. He did 2 and they cost $400 each--WOW. I mean--WOW. But now he says that hopefully, when he rechecks the area in 4 months, the bone grafts will have taken and if so then I will be good for about 25 years or so. Jesus help me. Still--don't want dentures, that's for sure.

I still do not understand where this gum disease came from, and seemingly out of the blue. But the idea that all the incredible stress of the past 3 years affecting my immune system is a valid one. And I also reflect from time to time, how amazingly and KNOCK WOOD on my desk here, I really have not been sick in the past couple of years. I noticed that once I got married I stopped having sinus infections 3X/year like I was accustomed to getting. And I stopped getting the winter and summer colds I always got. Sure, I was diagnosed with allergies, but that's totally manageable compared to those fucking sinus infections that always laid me out for a week at a time--again, 3 times/year typically!!! I attributed some of this non-sickness and lessened amount of illness to marriage making me healthier, as the medical and social science literature suggests that it does. However, now I wonder if it just started manifesting itself in my gums instead. Why not? Science is some amazing shit.