Its not easy to find a good Dentist yet I managed to find a Dental Service for Disabled People in Liverpool that has changed my life. I did have a Dentist, it was the same place I had been going to for years. They then had a change in staff, then closed for 7 months with no explanation and yes it did make me question what was going on but as they knew all about me and my ME I was happy to stay as a patient.
Fear –
Dentists really do scare me as when I had to have my wisdom teeth out I had to be put under general anaesthetic, when I did come round after the procedure they told me that they had to chip away some of the bone to get the teeth out which left me in a lot of pain. If we add to that braces as a child and the dreaded tightening, ouch.
When I started getting a lot of pain in my lower jaw I really thought it was wisdom teeth and as I only had 2 out the first time it was a possibility, it turned out that I needed to have root canal on a tooth which had broken in 2. After reading one to many scary stories I had well and truly freaked myself out. For me the real problems started when I had one Dentist who told me I needed the procedure but they warned me how close it was to the nerve , then when I did make the appointment I was told I needed to go to a different dentist half way across Liverpool as they couldn’t do that level of anaesthetic.
As I hadn’t been able to attend the last appointment I had to go back for a check up first as it was a new dentist again, he went over the procedure again while trying to upsell a mouth guard from his private practice price list. So we arranged the date to have it done but as I was particularly bad at the time I had to cancel, after that he refused to see me again. Yes, I had done this in the past but as everything had previously been agreed I thought it was going to be Ok , but as this was with an old member of staff he would not be allowing that.
When you have an illness like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis it is very difficult to be able to agree to anything and I had even said that rather than book an appointment why not just let me call on days when I am able to leave the house to see if they had any cancellations but no he refused that idea too.
We choose our dentist when we moved to the area based on location nearest to us and luckily when I was confined into a wheelchair the practice had access so when I needed to look for a new practice not only did it need to be open in a Pandemic it also needed to be accessible to my chair which is big. After days and nights of pain I had to call 118 to explain my situation and this opened up a whole new world for me as they sent a dentist out to my home, I was absolutely flabbergasted. He was able to prescribe antibiotics for the infection which had developed and caused my face to swell, he told me that they do have an actual service for people like me. It’s times like this that I wish that this all came with a handbook.
Merseycare –
The next step was for my GP to refer me to a dentist who works with people like me and as I come under Liverpool I was referred to the MerseyCare team. If you are in Liverpool or surrounding areas here is the link https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/our-services/liverpool/dental-services . If you are outside of Liverpool I would advise you to cont`act your GP , call 118 or search domicillary dental services within your area. My GP had to do the actual referral but it was done quickly.
Within a few weeks they had contacted me and went over all of my history as well as my care needs, the lady who called me was amazing and for the first time in the longest time I truly felt that someone was listening. I was assigned to Nicola who set me up on a video call so she could see the swelling and we went over things like my medicines. Due to my face being so swollen she made an appointment to come out at a time that was convenient for me. After going over everything comprehensively we agreed on a treatment plan over 2 sessions as she wanted to see how i was after the first proceudre. Next she made arrangements for me to attend a Dental Practice really close to my home but the best thing was that she had taken enough time to read up on my condition so she understood that I have good days and bad days without me having to go over everything. She had taken a hugely terrifying procedure to me and she had taken the fear away.
The feeling of relief I felt knowing that if I was unable to attend we can rearrange took so much anxiety away. As unfortunately things like stress, tension, fear can cause an increase in adrenaline which makes me crash leaving me very ill.
Unfortunately because of the amount of time that had passed from diagnosis meant that I had to have the tooth out ,while that injection into your gum isn’t the best feeling she had even preemted this and applied a numbing cream to the area for me without me having to ask. Just knowing that she understood and had listened to how much I feared this made me trust her even more. They really left me feeling comfortable in a dentist chair again and while I did need to have another appointment for further treatment I have had to cancel it due to how ill I have been recently but I’m not scared to make that appointment again.
Its time for change –
On too many occasions I have experienced crazy scenarios when it comes to my health care. If you have to visit your GP and you are diagnosed with something or your condition needs further investigation then you are referred to another Dr or department. If I take my Endometrosis as an example , I am referred to Gynaecology which is another appointment, if my pain is increased then most occasions I need to have a scan which is another appointment, for the results it is then another appointment and then a further one for treatment. How am I supposed to get to all of them when I am completely bedridden ?
Lets take it a step further and introduce a little logic to the scenario after all we are living in an age where this is possible. A few years back on top of my Myalgic Encephalomyelitis I was severely ill and unable to keep anything in for 3 months! I was taken into hospital via ambulance and as some very high inflammation markers had shown up in my blood I was admitted. It got worse very quickly and I had to be put into a private room. Each time a member of the the nursing staff entered my room they had to wear a special apron and gloves which had to be disposed of as soon as they left the room. My Consultant wanted me to have a tube put into a place that I don’t think tubes should ever go so I asked to be put under general anaesthetic when the appointment was made it was for light sedation, nope! So I called and explained everything again but it was like banging my head against a brick wall.
I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis as well as Endometriosis, problems with my liver , De Quervains Syndrome in both hands as well as recurrent problems which I need investigating yet 4 years later they have still not been investigated. To see one of the departments that I need to see I have to go to my GP to start the ball rolling again as they have to instigate it, right now I do need to be back under each department which straight away will be 5 appointments. That’s without any scans, ct scans, physio appointments, investigations or whatever else will need doing. Why in 2021 are we not treating the individual instead of the illness as surely if I need a procedure to investigate my colon and my Endometriosis wouldn’t it be more cost effective for the NHS to carry out both investigations at the same time ? Am I seeing things too simply ? Why can’t people have video calls appointments so that we can attend regardless of other circumstances be it health, ability or being unable to get off work.
Due to the severity of my symptoms my GP has to come out to my home as I am unable to make it to the surgery unless it is for a procedure , I havent been able to attend the surgery in the last 2 years. I know how lucky I am to have such a good GP as I hear all the time of people having to fight just to get an appointment let alone someone out to their home. Surely the Pandemic taught us just how easy it is for us technology to work with our treatment saving time , stress as well as a reduced risk of further infection.
I hope this is helpful to someone,
Love Always
Alisha 😘