Ok so going to the dentist is painful- but it can't kill you can it??? (Dentists)

Member Name: Trishajs

Product:	Dentists
Date:	21/10/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I lived to tell this tale

Disadvantages: Any surgery is scary

I have a very very real phobia for of Dental Surgeries, but I have found that I am in a unique position- the dentists are afraid of me- very very afraid.

They are so afraid that they refused to treat me, including my local Hospital- they just were not willing to treat me. One London Hospital also declined, in fact it took me five years to finally find a dentist that was willing to look after me- so ten out of ten to the special needs department at Eastman Dental Hospital in Grays Inn Road London, who took me under their care and gave me what can only be described as excellent service.

I am sure by now you are asking why - let me explain - I was in a dentist's chair and I went into anaphylatic shock- my whole body was shutting down, I could not breathe. Once in casualty, it was like a scene from ER, I was surrounded by Doctors and nurses. Needless to say they saved my life with massive doses of anti-histamine, a nebuliser and steroids and most importantly adrenaline. I had been dying because of an allergic reaction to something- to this day we know not what- as they said it was too dangerous to try and find out.

I was left with vocal cords that had hemorrhaged while I was fighting to breathe- mentally stressed, but otherwise physically unscathed.

But I still needed my dental work completed, but no one would do it- I was now afraid of dentists, but they were more afraid of me.

When I meet someone who is afraid of dentists, and they ask me if I am- I have to try and cleverly change the subject- knowing my tale will only make them worse. I remember being at work once, when a new employee was declaring nobody in the world was more afraid of the dentists than her- my colleagues all glanced across at me- I just smiled- trumping her wasn't going to help her fear at all.

Let me finish by telling you what happened when I was discharged after a week in hospital- the dentist who had been treating me telephoned me at home- now lovely I thought- he is ringing to see how I am- but he wasn't - he was ringing to tell me how much I owed him for the portion of the treatment he had managed to do before I collapsed.

You couldn't make it up!!

Summary: Three Cheers for Eastmans Dental Hospital