I was totally ready to listen to Snackie Radio tonight - had my whole evening planned around it when my damn tooth (I cracked a back tooth when I fell on my face post bag pack last week) but then, as invariably happens, when I plan things, I had to go out.
The tooth pain (because ache just doesn’t cut it for me) has been mild most of the week - a kind of mmmmm pain as opposed to a throb - one or two painkillers a day…
On Thursday it turned into a throb mmmm throb mmmm throb pain - maximum dose of painkillers a day…
Yesterday it upped it’s ante to throb throb throb throb - maximum dose of one and a few of another… making me a little dozey (which is why the cat had to take over)
Today it hurt to open and close my mouth, and painkillers just weren’t working. Not being one to fuss though I thought I cold just get through it, but when I couldn’t type anymore because I was shaking from the pain enough became enough and I called NHS Direct… who were totally unhelpful in that ‘I’m listening but not hearing you’ way. They wanted yes/no answers to questions that are all shades of grey like - Is the pain severe and made worse by biting on the tooth?
Well, yes the pain is severe, but no it isn’t made worse by biting on the tooth, it’s made worse when I release from having bitten down so… is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?
… is more or less what I said and the person on the end of the phone said ‘Please just say yes or no’.
Anyway after 15 minutes of trying not to scream down the phone, tears running down my face, they told me to ring the Emergency Dental people (with whom I have had previous experience) and hung up.
So, I did as I was told… and the answerphone said:
“Our office hours are 6:30pm - 8am Monday to Friday and 8:30am to 10:30am Saturday and Sunday”
What bloody sense is that? Out of Hours (to me) means out of sodding hours! So am I to assume for the rest of Saturday and Sunday they expect peopel to just be fine?
Anyway, I wasn’t taking this lying down (mostly because it hurt too much) so I called a cab, told the family I was off to A&E, and changed my shoes.
Then I changed what I was wearing, and then changed my shoes again. By which time Mum had decided she was coming with me (and we had the official handover of care. She is becoming the ‘parent’ and is now officially allowed to nag me and tell me what to do again).
At the hospital the receptionist told me all they’d do is give me more painkillers… and the Triage nurse told me they would only give me more painkillers as there was no dentist in the hospital (to which I said something along the lines of, ‘come on, not even a student?’ incredulously… which she may not have heard as a thoroughly unattractive amount of dribble had now appeared…). I had, of course, gone into ‘grin and bear it laugh through the pain’ mode which meant that no one was taking me seriously; which meant I was getting angrier and angrier but unable to show it…
She marked down my pain as ‘mild’, sent me back to reception where I burst into tears. Another half hour wait (it was very quiet) and another nurse came and got me. I told Mum to stay in reception because I didn’t want her near any more sick people than she had to be and sat down in a cubicle.
The next nurse to come asked me more questions and took my temperature (with the ear thing) (36.3C in case you were wondering) and then after I told her my woe told me that I needed to have it taken out… but not there… and not today… tomorrow… and that I shouldn’t have taken that many painkillers… but here were some more (different) painkillers… but I’m not sure as she did appear to be the tiredest person in the world. She couldn’t think of the word ‘practice’ and asked the same question twice… I suggested she have 40 winks in the cubicle… She turned to me and said ‘I wish…’
It’s just not fair how hard nurses have to work…
I took my pills with me and came home… Mum in full fuss mode. The pills made me slightly floaty and the pain has only just returned so they will do me tomorrow while I am at work… trying to get a very late or incredibly early appointment.
But not on Wednesday, as that’s when I get my blood results back!
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