Worth a complete beehive of anyone's money

[JamezF]

Maybe...

I had to go to the dentist this afternoon for a consultation regarding the removal of one of my wisdom teeth. It has been growing forwards and outwards for a while, regardless of the fact that I'm well into my fifties and I should be past all this palaver by now. My regular dentist said it was really a specialist job so referred me to one of his colleagues, hence the consultation.

I'd only been in there five minutes including the opening pleasantries when he said "Ooooh, that looks really pretty ugly. And it's weeping a bit of pus." It has been a bit tender once or twice over the last couple of weeks, but clearly it was worse than I realised. "Tell you what", he said. "my diary is pretty full at the moment but my next patient won't take very long, so we've got time for me to take it out now if you like."

Eventually I talked myself into accepting. They had to take blood samples and all sorts. After enough anaesthetic to put an elephant to sleep, much crunching and grinding and wiping of his footprints off my shirt front, "All done!" he announced. "That was an absolute monster!". Yeah, like I hadn't realised that.

It's my brother's wedding this weekend and I'm on a baby-food diet until it heals and cool non-alcoholic drinks only. Then I have to go back in a week to have the stitches out.

I'm off to overdose on the strongest painkillers I can find in the house before the anaesthetic wears off...

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm off to overdose on the strongest painkillers I can find in the house before the anaesthetic wears off...

Just man up James.
I had six weeks of radiotherapy to my mouth and throat. Now that’s real pain.
Still here.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Maybe...

I had to go to the dentist this afternoon for a consultation regarding the removal of one of my wisdom teeth. It has been growing forwards and outwards for a while, regardless of the fact that I'm well into my fifties and I should be past all this palaver by now. My regular dentist said it was really a specialist job so referred me to one of his colleagues, hence the consultation.

I'd only been in there five minutes including the opening pleasantries when he said "Ooooh, that looks really pretty ugly. And it's weeping a bit of pus." It has been a bit tender once or twice over the last couple of weeks, but clearly it was worse than I realised. "Tell you what", he said. "my diary is pretty full at the moment but my next patient won't take very long, so we've got time for me to take it out now if you like."

Eventually I talked myself into accepting. They had to take blood samples and all sorts. After enough anaesthetic to put an elephant to sleep, much crunching and grinding and wiping of his footprints off my shirt front, "All done!" he announced. "That was an absolute monster!". Yeah, like I hadn't realised that.

It's my brother's wedding this weekend and I'm on a baby-food diet until it heals and cool non-alcoholic drinks only. Then I have to go back in a week to have the stitches out.

I'm off to overdose on the strongest painkillers I can find in the house before the anaesthetic wears off...

James

Nice to get urgent action actually urgently. in a couple of weeks you'll look back with relief.

 

[JamezF]

Nice to get urgent action actually urgently. in a couple of weeks you'll look back with relief.

Yes, it did sound like we might have caught something early that had the potential to get a lot worse.

James

 

[Redcap]

Ouch !...and maybe have a small top-up of analgesia at the wedding...purely for medicinal purposes of course

 

[JamezF]

Ouch !...and maybe have a small top-up of analgesia at the wedding...purely for medicinal purposes of course

It was amazing how fast the rest of the family went "Oooh, you can drive!"

James

 

[BeeAdmin]

Are you completely healed now and everything okay? And what a heck of a day you had.

 

[JamezF]

Are you completely healed now and everything okay? And what a heck of a day you had.

Yes, thank you. All seems to have healed nicely. I've moved on to other disasters now

James

 

[Somerford]

chronic tooth ache is almost as bad as childbirth which is not as bad as kidney stones.

 

[Garry R]

We have just been informed that our dental practice which was NHS is going private only at £23.50 per month each covering 2 routine appointments per year and then pay for any treatment. Oh, and £9.50 as a joining fee. So the household now has an extra £500 per annum to find. And here was me thinking that I had paid in for 40 years for all this through NI contributions. Apparently when they advertised for NHS dentists they got zero applicants. The resistration process for the private treatment has been a farce as you can reach the online form OK but they forgot to send the individual code number out to patients (it's in the post) and that was more than a week ago and still no sign. Hope the treatment is better than the IT skills.

 

[Garry R]

In a similar vein - pardon the pun - my blood tests for my diabetic clinics are now being done at a "hub" eight miles from home on a walk in basis rather than two miles away at the doctor's surgery by appointment. I can do it no problem but what about someone who can't drive who used to be able to walk locally to have it done. With 3-4 of these tests per year that's two more days of my life tied up as against 2 hours in the past - not to mention parking charges. I wonder when they will charge a fee to allow you to be grumpy - they would make a fortune!!

 

[Wilco]

Contact local MP asking government to mandate dental regulator to require that all dentists in private practice spend a minimum of, say, 20% of their time on NHS patients.

 

[Malcolm B.]

I wonder when they will charge a fee to allow you to be grumpy - they would make a fortune!!

I'd be bankrupt within a couple of days! I was given a "Grumpy Old Man" tee shirt a while ago.

And here was me thinking that I had paid in for 40 years for all this through NI contributions.

Me too!!! It's just as fraudulent as the big companies who spend all the Pension Pot money leaving their staff with nothing.

We are very lucky (I think) with our Doctor's Practice.
They have a couple of surgeries, one a mile away and the other in the next village 3 miles away.
I too was due a Diabetic checkup.
The Chief Victualing Officer made the appointment.
"It's a telephone consultation this time" she told me.
HUH??? Are they working towards email or even A.I. consultations? were my thoughts.
The confirmation message on my phone gave the appointment time AT the clinic in the next village.
At the appropriate time we arrived at the surgery, expecting to be told I shouldn't be there - so I could point to the text message!!!!
I appeared to be a figment of their imagination on the 'Automatic Check In' screen. "Here we go." I thought "I'm about to be told that it was a telephone consultation and that I should be waiting at home."
I smiled at the receptionist ( the IT problem was not her fault ), held out my phone and told her that I was a figment of their imagination.
She looked carefully at the message. She checked her computer and smiled sweetly at me. "Your appointment is tomorrow!" she said with a grin!!!
I had the option now to choose a Face to Face appointment.
Best of all, when I finally met the Diabetic Nurse, I was told I was now out of diabetes and "In Remission."
This was down to strictly avoiding sugary things, eating less and a lot more exercise.
The food and diet is all controlled by my dear Mrs B., So the improvement all due to her!!
Malcolm B.

 

[JamezF]

My dentist discontinued their NHS contract during Covid. They claimed they'd had to do so much work to be able to treat patients safely that they were treating NHS patients at a loss. I'd bet they're not the only ones who have done that. The entire setup with the NHS and dentistry seems bizarre to me, I have to say.

Not that the local GP surgery is much better these days. They have basically said that unless you have an urgent issue (though presumably not so urgent that you'd go straight to A&E) they don't want to speak to you. I need to see them about a non-urgent issue and have had to fill in a web-based form and "they'll get back to me in a few days".

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

We have just been informed that our dental practice which was NHS is going private only at £23.50 per month each covering 2 routine appointments per year and then pay for any treatment. Oh, and £9.50 as a joining fee. So the household now has an extra £500 per annum to find. And here was me thinking that I had paid in for 40 years for all this through NI contributions. Apparently when they advertised for NHS dentists they got zero applicants. The resistration process for the private treatment has been a farce as you can reach the online form OK but they forgot to send the individual code number out to patients (it's in the post) and that was more than a week ago and still no sign. Hope the treatment is better than the IT skills.

Dentists need to make a profit to run their business and invest in innovation and staff. The NHS contract has made this impossible.

 

[Murox]

Dentists need to make a profit to run their business and invest in innovation and staff. The NHS contract has made this impossible.

Yes it was a government initiative that changed the way they were funded, I think it was termed streamlining and improvement.

 

[Rory Fields]

chronic tooth ache is almost as bad as childbirth which is not as bad as kidney stones.

Kidney stones are v painful but a knackered back from a too low desk tops my list. Nearly.

 

[Rory Fields]

Just man up James.
I had six weeks of radiotherapy to my mouth and throat. Now that’s real pain.
Still here.

This feels like the start of The Four Yorkshiremen sketch In 2007, I hung myself and ended up in a coma on life support for 3 days. When I woke up, the headache and stomachful of blood I vomited up (they'd pierced my oesophagus during intubation) were horrific. Kidney stones is second for me, chronic pain from the back due to workplace negligence is tops spit for me - unstinting agony that let's you get 2-3hrs sleep max and job, beekeeping - all gone to ****. 4k wasted on physios and now I'm broke, would cry if it wasn't darkly amusing

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My dentist discontinued their NHS contract during Covid. They claimed they'd had to do so much work to be able to treat patients safely that they were treating NHS patients at a loss. I'd bet they're not the only ones who have done that. The entire setup with the NHS and dentistry seems bizarre to me, I have to say.

Not that the local GP surgery is much better these days. They have basically said that unless you have an urgent issue (though presumably not so urgent that you'd go straight to A&E) they don't want to speak to you. I need to see them about a non-urgent issue and have had to fill in a web-based form and "they'll get back to me in a few days".

James

I consider myself fortunate in that our local medical centre looks after me diligently although appointments sometimes require a couple of weeks wait to see a particular doctor. At least the option of telephone or face to face is still on the table and I think I know which option is best for any particular consultation I might seek. No point exposing the doctor to unnecessary risks when word of mouth is adequate.

 

[Newbeeneil]

In 2007, I hung myself and ended up in a coma on life support for 3 days.

My thoughts are with you Rory, I hope you are in a better state of mind nowadays. My brother in law was successful with his attempt and we as a family live with that every day. Good luck.