THE VISIT
There are only a few places that I dislike or find uncomfortable. However there is one place that has the power to reduce me to a nervous, stressed out individual. If I had a choice, I would not visit this place at all, but circumstances dictate that a visit is expected about twice a year.
When the date of this engagement draws nearer, my normal, contented disposition changes and I become rather cranky and irritable. Sometimes I cancel this engagement or postpone it for a few months. This, however, is a waste of time, as I only put off the inevitable. I have tried in vain to change my attitude towards this place. Just recently Ted and I received an invitation from the place and I was tempted to ignore it. Ted insisted we accept this appointment, so off we went.
We arrived at the room and were greeted by a pretty, smiling, young lady who welcomed us as if we were the best of friends. After taking particulars we were seated in comfortable chairs to wait for, you guessed it, THE DENTIST! As I gazed around the room I wondered why the reception areas in Dentist Surgeries these days all look the same. The Receptionists are young, pretty and very confident, the decor modern and inviting, the music soft and relaxing and an abundance of reading matter is stacked neatly on the coffee table. All of this is to give the victim a false sense of security.
All too soon another young lady appears at the door in front of us and announces in a loud voice, "Yvonne Lewis." We walk up the corridor and she chats away as if we are going on a pleasant outing. Then we enter the room. The rooms are always similar with cupboards, equipment, the chair and the drill apparatus which so reminds me of an evil robot. The Assistant invites me to make myself comfortable in the chair and relax until the Dentist comes. What a strange sense of humour she has, I think to myself.
After a few minutes in walks the Dentist. He sits down opposite me, smiles confidently and proceeds to question me about my dental habits. Now I am a brusher not a flosser, and when I offer this information he seems quite disappointed. He proceeds to explain the advantages of being a flosser and I hold back an angry retort. This Dentist must be just out of his teenage years and I am in my senior years and still have my own teeth. I start to bristle and I just want him to get on with his business. A bib is placed around my neck and sunglasses across my nose and the operation begins. The chair is lowered until my body is horizontal and the masked Dentist is bending over me. My whole body is rigid, my hands clenched tightly, my pulse racing and I am feeling very vulnerable.
My mouth is wide open and now the Assistant is in on the act. Taking turns for a place in my mouth is a suction device, a water spray device, and the Dentist is intent on scraping and scratching away at my teeth. As I have a health condition that causes me to suffer from reflux, especially when I'm lying on my back, I desperately try not to belch in his face. This is very worrying. Also I find it almost impossible to swallow with my mouth wide open. In spite of the suction device my throat is filled with saliva, probably from my nervous disposition. My tongue also has a mind of its own and independent of me resists the invasion of foreign instruments in my mouth. The Dentist finds this annoying and keeps asking me to relax my tongue. So now I have to concentrate on relaxing my tongue as well as the rest of my body.
Having to have a tooth pulled or a filling is a worse scenario. The noise of the drill is chilling and I hate the taste of blood in my mouth. A needle certainly prevents any pain but afterwards my mouth feels and looks like Botox gone wrong. It is at this time my mind drifts back to the poem by Pam Ayres called "I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth."
I quote, So I lay in the old Dentist's chair, And I gaze up his nose in despair, And his drill It do whine, In these molars of mine, " Two amalgam," he'll say, "for in there."
In spite of my negative approach, I must admit that dentistry has greatly improved over the years. I remember the old pump drill and the very basic waiting rooms. A bad experience when I was very young has probably been the cause of my dislike for all Dentists. My Mother had taken me to the Dentist to have a tooth removed. The Dentist, who was not child friendly, gave me an injection and after some time started to pull the tooth. I insisted that I could feel the pain but was told that I was telling lies. The Dentist was quite angry with me and continued pulling. My moans soon turned to screams which brought my Mother running. When the tooth finally gave way, it revealed twisted roots and a large abscess. This was the reason the injection did not take. I was crying, the Nurse was trying to comfort me, the Dentist was trying to explain to my Mother, and my Mother was threatening all sorts of revenge on the said Dentist. It was quite a show.
At last my visit is over. The Assistant presents me with sample toothpaste and some dental floss, for encouragement I feel. The bill is paid but I refuse to make my future appointment. I may return in six months or twelve months, who knows? As I walk out the door, my heart rate returns to normal and I breathe a sigh of relief. The first verse of Pam Ayer's poem comes to my mind and I laugh out loud. I quote again,
Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth, And spotted the perils beneath, All the toffees I chewed, And the sweet sticky food, Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth.
Yvonne. December, 2011.
MY FIRST MEETING WITH BORIS
Our daughter Wendy was only twelve years old when she arrived home from school one afternoon with a worried look and a letter from the School Nurse, who was visiting the school at that time. The Nurse wrote that on examining Wendy she found evidence that Wendy may have slight scoliosis or curvature of the spine. To say we were surprised would be an understatement as, in fact, we had never heard of scoliosis. Today most people are aware of scoliosis but 33 years ago the term was almost unknown.
I quickly tried to reassure my anxious daughter that all was well. She was tall, slim and fit and had no signs of back ache. We were sure this was not serious and felt certain the Nurse was just being cautious. As I worked part time at the School, I was able to make an appointment for an interview before work. Early next morning Wendy and I were seated across from the Nurse ready for our discussion. She explained in detail the signs of scoliosis, then had Wendy lean over and touch her toes. Even I could feel the curve of her spine and see the start of a hump near her left shoulder. We had noticed that Wendy's left leg was slightly turned in when she walked and apparently this was another sign. We were given a letter to take to our local Doctor and made an appointment for the next day.
Doctor Roy confirmed the Nurse's diagnosis and immediately made an appointment with a Specialist. X Rays were taken and from them we viewed our lovely daughter's curved spine. The pictures showed her spine was shaped like a large S that crisscrossed the straight line drawn where her spine should be. We were told Wendy would have to have another x ray in two months to see if the curvature was stable or had deteriorated. Then they would be able to determine if she would need a brace or an operation. The operation involved steel rods being put along the spine to straighten the curve. Not a pleasant thought! If the brace was used she would have to wear it 23 hours a day for quite a few years.
The next x ray revealed that Wendy's spine had deteriorated rapidly and was now just under 40% curvature. We had the option of operation or brace but took the Specialist's advice and made arrangements to travel to Brisbane for Wendy to be fitted for a brace. Ted and Wendy travelled down by plane. A cast of Wendy's torso was made and numerous measurements were taken. A couple of weeks later the brace was ready. It completely covered her hips, had a steel rod down her front, two steel rods down her back and held her neck upright. A small belt at the back was pulled tight to hold her rigid and straight. She could not move her head and it looked so uncomfortable. The tears formed in my eyes as I looked at Wendy in this contraption and wondered how she would manage. Seeing my distress my brave daughter hugged me and said, "Don't worry Mum, I'll be alright." So began our four and a half years with Boris Brace, as Wendy called him. Boris joined Wendy on Valentine's Day, two days after her twelfth Birthday. She always joked that he was her first Valentine.
Changes were made to accommodate Boris. Slats were put under Wendy's mattress so she and Boris could lie flat. A large above ground swimming pool was constructed in our back yard as swimming would help her back. Wendy would arrive home from school, discard Boris, swim quite a few laps and then shower, all within her one hour of freedom from her brace. During the summer she suffered badly from the heat. We had special powder to dry her skin to help prevent heat rash and methylated spirits had to be rubbed on her skin to toughen it. Even though she wore a light singlet under Boris, the rubbing and pressure would cause her skin to become thin and irritated. Although it was distressful for her, her attitude was that there were a lot of people far worse off than having scoliosis .Wendy's eating habits were changed as she could only cope with small meals all through the day. Overloading her stomach caused pain and discomfort.
Wendy's friends and our family were wonderful and supportive. Her brothers referred to her as the Woman of Steel and she used Boris as a weapon when they annoyed her. At school she was encouraged to join in some sports but it was a little difficult with a rigid body and no movement of her head. I remember watching her play volley ball with her friends and their encouraging calls of "To the left Wendy," and "Forward Wendy," and similar calls, as she could not lift her head to see the ball. Wendy was a member of Girl Guides and she and Boris went on many camps together and they both coped very well. In Year 10 the two of them went on a Guide trip to the USA and were billeted with Guiding families. Wendy and Boris rode a mule down into the Grand Canyon, visited Yosemite National Park, climbed the Inca ruins in Mexico, went to Disneyland and many other exciting places. Boris proved a hindrance when Wendy was refused admittance to some of the more adventurous rides at Disneyland. She was not impressed! In spite of their love hate relationship, Wendy and Boris enjoyed many adventures during their four and a half years together.
Boris was to stay with Wendy until her growing spurt was complete and this was determined by taking x-rays of her hands and wrists. When the Specialist informed us her growth was complete, Wendy jumped up from her chair and joyfully hugged him, much to his pleasure. However, it was still a long process as Boris was to be removed slowly in stages that took about four months. Wendy will always have a curved spine and probably will have some problems when she is older but without the help of Boris her body would have been bent over, damaging her organs, and she probably would have ended up in a wheel chair. She has grown into a tall, lovely woman who is now a wife and mother to two lovely daughters. We are so proud of the way she conducted herself during her time in that brace. Boris is still with Wendy. He lives in their garage. Although he caused her heartache and pain at times, there is no doubt, that for a few years he was her closest companion.
Yvonne. February 2012.
