One more tooth gone

One non quilt related picture below.

Yesterday's dentist adventure was a wild time. Let me tell you what happened. I managed to get an appointment with the dentist at the clinic at 12:30. I explain that I need to be pre medicated. Can they phone in a prescription so I can pick it up before my appointment? No, the doctor must talk with me before getting a prescription.

I knew there would be paperwork to complete and a prescription to get; so I arrive at 11:45. I get to the window where the receptionist says "sorry, we're going to lunch, come back at 12:30." I ask if I could at least start with the paper work? Is it done here or downstairs with the bookkeeping office? She replies its done here and can't be done until she comes back from lunch. So I sit and wait....

At 12:45 she returns. I go to sign in. The receptionist tells me I have to go to bookkeeping to fill out the paperwork. Huh? I asked about this before she left for lunch. I go downstairs where I find a note on the door "at lunch, return at 1:15." So I sit and wait...

In the meantime my jaw has started to swell more. It's not hurting at the tooth anymore.... it hurts in the swelling underneath my jaw.

The bookkeeper returns from lunch. I fill out paperwork. I tell her how I could have done all this while the receptionist upstairs was at lunch. The bookkeeper sympathizes and tells me to fill out a complaint form and put it in the comments box. Evidently there have been a lot of complaints lately. I decided not to add another one. Complaints evidently don't work because the receptionist is still there.

I go back up stairs to the dentist office and sit to wait again....

Finally at 2:00 I get taken back to the dentist where I get x rayed and told to take a seat.... the dentist will be with me shortly.... there is a repairman there fixing some of the equipment and the dentist is talking with him. So I wait again.... My jaw is swelling more.

At 2:30 the dentist comes in and starts looking at my mouth to see which tooth is the problem. I explain... I need to be pre medicated. She says quite calmly.... we don't pre medicate anymore. Huh? I've been told my whole life by every doctor and dentist I've ever seen... to never.... ever.... get any dental work done without pre medication because of my heart condition. Even simple cleaning is enough to cause my death without the medicine.

The dentist explains that the medical community has decided the risks of death are not as important as the resistance of germs to penicillin. In other words... my risk of death is not important enough anymore. The new strains of infection fighting germs win the battle of whether or not to pre medicate. My jaw hurts so I have to trust her judgment... plus reading the medical journal for myself.

The dentist looks at the x rays then at my jaw.... finally.... By now it looks like I have a golf ball in my mouth.... and it hurts! She tells me I must go to oral surgery at the hospital.... right now! It can't wait... who came with me? how did I get there? do I have a car? I explain that I got there by bus and was alone. She runs to the receptionist to get a taxi voucher for me to get to the hospital right away. As I pass the receptionist she wants me to stop and pay for today's visit.... Huh? What did they do that I must pay???? I just look at her with a grin and say.... I'm going to lunch right now... I'll pay when I get back.

The taxi is waiting for me by the time I get down the stairs. He rushes me to the hospital. I'm in a panic now... I rush to the oral surgery. The receptionist there asks... do you have an appointment? I explain I'm sent there from the clinic. Again she asks... do you have an appointment? I reply again... I'm sent there from the clinic.... she says one more time.... do you have an appointment.... I just hand her the x rays and the papers from the first dentist. She looks at them and walks back to where the surgeons are. When she comes back she tells me they will see me so take a seat....

The waiting room is full. Not one empty seat. So I stand and wait.... and wait.... and wait... Finally a couple of seats are empty. I sit and wait.... and wait... by now it looks like a bright red golf ball on my jaw. And it hurts!

Along about 7:30 the waiting room is completely empty except for me. I finally hear my name called. I go back to the oral surgeon who looks at the x rays. He asks for the stuff that is used to numb the mouth. I can't remember what its called. I get the shots. While I wait the 30 seconds dentists usually wait for it to take effect I ask about the pre medication. Yes, its true, they don't pre medicate anymore. He pulls my tooth. I'm not completely numb yet.

He writes a prescription for penicillin and tells me to return on Monday. Penicillin? The same medication they wouldn't give me before I had a tooth pulled? What's wrong with this picture?

I call for a taxi to take me to the drug store and home. It cost me $34 to go 18 blocks, with a stop at the drug store along the way. I get home, I call my daughter to tell her what happened, and immediately go to bed. I feel awful.

This morning, the knot on my jaw is still there and still painful. You guessed it! I believe the surgeon pulled the wrong tooth. Maybe the knot will go away later.... if not.... I guess another tooth will be pulled on Monday when I return to the hospital.

I've been reading about the "don't care attitude" written about by several members of the blog ring. Members are writing about everyone from sales clerks to doctors who have "don't care attitudes" these days. I have added one to read too.

Oh well, my work must get done anyway. I'm headed to the studio to do what work I can. I don't want to read a blog somewhere accusing me of having a "don't care attitude."

Just so you know..... see how it goes below my jaw and is red color? Uh, don't look at all the wrinkles.