The Dentist-a saga of dread

 

The Dentist - a saga of dread

Sick with dread and anticipation my hands dripping with perspiration,

I rigidly sat wide-eyed with fear in that most abominable of all places-

The Dentist's chair... 

He must have thought me a fool; overhead pictures from nursery school,

And models flashing perfect pearly whites in an effort to allay the dread and fright

Of what I knew would be a horrible ordeal their pretty pictures wouldn't make less real-

My fear of the Dentist... 

The cool decor was aesthetically pleasing, designed to be for the releasing

Of jangled nerves and whites of fear-filled eyes, every effort made to disguise

That this was the home of the Marquis de Sade whose thrills were gained by the screams I made

in moments spent in the barbaric hands of one most thought of as a 'caring' man-

The Dentist... 

Oh, he cared for me in his own strange way by his actions and the words he'd say-

The intimate probing of every tooths' surface , his caring advice on how to brush them till flawless; 

but I thought it was a little queer how he got excited when in my mouth he'd peer,

And I felt suspicious of a guy whose great delight was to become aroused by the shape of my bite...

And it turned me up as he became turned on as he explored every tooth with his forked prong

And announced with relish and fiendish delight that I had decay in the top tooth on the right,

And I looked upon him through sunglassed eyes which hopefully  would enable me to disguise

The loathing and dread I felt at his touch which still was quite awful despite rubber gloves

And I felt the fear of him come as a great heat, knowing that now Sade was in for a treat-

I hated with the hatred I reserved for him alone as into my enamel he swiftly honed...

How strange that his breathing was so relaxed and so sure and mine was so fast that I wanted to roar

And tell him to stop that I was suffocating, but I knew that it was no use remonstrating,

For  this torturous bard had a job to be done, and I panted and sweated as if I had just run

As I wanted to do before I entered his door, for my tooth had stopped aching the night before,

And I purposed right then and there in my heart to forgo all sugars and sweets for a start,

And to floss and to brush till my little gums bled, to avoid this man who filled me with dread- 

This most hateful of men,

The Dentist... 

Through goggled protection his eyes suddenly glinted-and I knew from experience what they hinted-

The moment of fear to give me heart palpitations; the filling was so deep that I needed injections,

And my mouth which till then had dribbled quite freely, went dry as a chip as I acquiesced weakly,

And I gripped the side of the chair with such might that my perspiring hands sported knuckles of white

As he bored the needle right into my brain- (Well I guessed it was there from the amount of pain),

Then just as I felt it was too much to bear, I suddenly felt that my nose wasn't there,

And so I relaxed and dropped my arms and surrendered unwillingly into his charms,

And let him have his way with me, knowing gums and enamel his only interest to be,

And his sole desire and ultimate plan was to cleanse all teeth of the scourge of man-

My greatest foe and Sade's greatest delight, the one thing we agreed on, the one thing to fight-

Sade for the money and the thrill of the chase, me for the desperation in avoiding this place- 

The dentist's 

  

© Glenys Robyn Hicks  

Invisible illnesses hurt as much as a broken arm.

So yesterday I got my tooth seen at the dentist. I was overjoyed that she managed to save it. It was a gruelling 45 minute sit in the chair.

Those of you who suffer from fibromyalgia know that sitting stretched back with one's head tilted to the side is not an easy pose to stay in. Add ankylosing spondylitis and polymyalgia rheumatica to the mix, and it's a half hour of torture.

I must say though that the lady dentist was very patient, kind and efficient. I told her about my many ailments as required for a new patient, and I was amazed that not only did she know what fibromyalgia was, but was very careful to not touch my neck roughly. 

She also gave me double the novacaine because she knew I would be very sensitive to pain.

It so happens that her friend suffers from fibromylgia and she has a really bad time of it. To have the dentist allow me to sit up and have a rest every ten minutes was a blessing. In fact, she was a godsend.

She lowered the chair as far as it would go as I got out, and being aware of my torn knee ligaments in both knees, she helped me get out and stand up. 

Today, my tooth is not aching at all, but my jaw, ear and neck are. I suspect from the injections and keeping my mouth open for so long. I have TMJ as well.

Today I have been doing meals, cleaning my kitchen and folding washing whilst medicating with paracetamol. I have had to take it every 6 hours, but it is what it is. I am still better off filling the tooth as opposed to pulling it.

My plan for tonight's meal is to make a sweet curry pork dish with rice. Chris loves that and it's easy to do in the slow cooker.

My online shop will be coming in an hour or so, and I will put that away. That's it for today.

I loved that the dentist took fibromyalgia seriously. It's not often that it is. When you find someone like that, the validation lifts one's spirits. Thanks goodness some people believe that invisible illnesses hurt as much as a broken arm.

 

He's feeling fairly ordinary.

It's been a busy day today. I have a broken off tooth that needs to come out. We had to be at the dentist's by 8.30am and it was an hour long drive. I was being fitted in as an emergency and was warned I could be waiting for up to 2 hours to get seen. 

Two hours passed by waiting and I was then told they couldn't see me today. They gave me a list of dentists I could see but it was too late to be seen today. 

So we drove about an hour away to see a house that we have applied for to rent. It's so nice and the inspection is tomorrow afternoon at 5pm. I hope we are successful. We have told the landlord we are looking and he was fine. 

When I got home I rang a few dentists on the list and I have an appointment midday Thursday for an extraction. My tongue is sore as the tooth is quite sharp. With my fibro flaring and TMJ, I am just about out of my tree with pain. 

My twin sister and my son have Covid and continue to feel sick, but she's feeling a little better, but my son has man flu. I am so glad Chris and I haven't got it....

I am already in my PJ's with my electric blanket on.  I have rung my son to see how he is before I go to bed.  Not so good. He's feeling fairly ordinary. 

 

Walking like Tin Man!

So my right knee has been hurting for six weeks since I drove for five hours a day when Chris wasn't feeling well enough to do it. I was hopeful that it would come better, but unfortunately it hasn't and it came to a crescendo two days ago.

Making a pivoting step to turn round and grab something out of my fridge, I felt a searing pain that nearly made me pass out and I thought I had torn the meniscus in the right knee as well as the left one injured three years ago.

With pain still from my jaw following a dental extraction that saw my jaw planed which then brought on a bad fibromyalgia flare, the pain in my knee saw me getting wheeled into my doctor's office 2 days. I cannot put any weight on it at all and it feels unstable.

Two days later and Xrays under arm, we returned to the doctor who told me my ACL ligament had snapped and sheared off some of the tibia with it. He rang an orthopaedic specialist for a look at the films and a second opinion.

Turns out the tibia is intact, but I have a bony stone behind the knee called a fabella. I am having a MRI tomorrow which will tell us more and indicate what treatment is available for the ligament damage as well as the fabella.

I am unable to put any weight on it and have been told to rest the leg. I have been given Tramadol to cope with the pain.

So I am looking at getting a shower chair and possibly hiring a wheelchair. We find that easier for Chris to use as I am concerned about him pushing me especially with his heart problems.

For the next few days at least, it's rest, pain relief and trying to remain positive as I walk like Tin man in the Wizard of Oz!