Hellish Wisdom Teeth Extraction Down Under. AUSTRALIA!!!

[Cherrypie]

Hi all, I wasn't sure how many Aussies were on this forum but I have been reading it for years because of my dental phobia I developed as a child. I got my wisdoms removed under General Anesthesia this week... My experience is in the public health system which I think is similar to NHS? Basically I had to wait early mornings for an appointment at the dental clinic and then got referred to a specialist and then another specialist before being put on a waiting list. Because I hadn't seen a dentist in years I needed some other dental work done which they agreed to do at the same time. I was scheduled to go in for surgery at 7am and confirmed this the day before only to be told about an hour after confirmation that I was bumped to 9am. That sucked but it happens. my next drama was meeting an anesthetist assistant who told me to suck it up that I was getting IV induction after requesting gas. I fought this hard til the time I went into surgery and only 2hrs before I went in for the op they confirmed I was getting gas. show up to the hospital and have to wait 3hrs while my nerves were going mental. They let my fiancé stay with me and hold myhand while I was knocked out due to a previous bad hospital experience. They also had it written down that he would accompany me in recovery so I'd never be without a support person. And while he did stay while I was put to sleep, they refused to allow him in recovery and I was so scared and panicked being alone with the meanest nurse. She poked me awake, moved me around before I was ready, tried to force feed me through a straw and then yell when I coudnt eat a sandwhich after wizzie removal. She was rude and downright mean when I requested my fiancé, I was so scared and she was cruel. Finally she agreed to let me go if I was so desperate to see him and she yanked me up and then pushed me down the hall while I was telling her I felt really ill. She yelled at me that I couldn't vomit because I had refused my sandwhich (While my mouth was numb and I was full of blood and stitches) I begged her to let me sit I was so dizzy and I attempted to sit down when she yanked me so hard I am bruised with a dislocated shoulder. I immediately turned and promptly puked all over her, blood and the sprite she forced down my throat. She threw me to the ground where another nurse helped me to a chair and then the woman dragged me to the waiting room where I ran/stumbled and screamed as much as I could for my fiancé. He half carried me to the car and we left. They didn't bother to ice me at the hospital so I swelled and bruised so badly, it is day 5 after the op and I can barely eat, I am so swollen, in so much pain I want to die. This is the public health system in Australia but being a student I couldn't afford the $5000+ to get it done privately. My friend got it done privately and he was treated like a king- given jelly and icecream and iced right away and taken care of so well. He was fine the next day. So I am currently living in my own personal hell and will never ever ever go back there where I was treated so horribly. Don't be afraid, just be aware and make sure your wishes are well known. Yes I will be complaining to every possible place about my mistreatment so hopefully this doesn't happen again.

 

[carole]

Hi Cherrypie to the forum.

This is one of the most disgusting thing I have ever heard or read. I really hope you do complain. I would also ring the hospital and ask to see the consultant that removed your teeth, making sure your boyfriend never leaves your side. If anyone objected I would say that you already have a complaint would they like another.

I have never heard of anything so stupid as to ask someone that has just had an extraction to drink through a straw, that is a big NO NO.

I am sorry you are still in pain, could you see your own doctor and ask for some pain meds stronger than the ones you have at the moment. You can make ice packs yourself and hold them on your face.

I hope something unmentionable happens to the sadistic nurse that abused you. I am hoping and I believe that this will not be the normal treatment people will get in the hospital.

You could do to see someone to check your mouth though. Do you have a follow up appointment.

I don't know if they gave you any aftercare instructions but you should have been from 24 hours after the op rinsing with warm salt water and gently letting it dribble out of your mouth. If you haven't been doing this already, try it now it might help relieve the soreness and help you heal.

When I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth out years ago, I was a couple of weeks before I felt more like myself. I also had bruising and stiffness, so if you have don't be worried about it.

I hope the animal that abused you gets dealt with. She is a danger to patients throwing them about the way she did with you. This makes me so angry, it is so not needed. A little bit of care doesn't cost anything.

I think you are very brave and don't let this idiot stop you from getting treatment in the future, although I understand how your confidence has been totally destroyed.

YOU DID NOTHING WRONG

I wish you Happy healing from now on and I hope you feel better soon. Although I suspect the mental damage may take longer

 

[hartsada]

I agree with everything Carole said. Barbaric is being nice. What kind of place does this to people? I hope you have better days ahead I hope by the end of the weekend you can relax.

 

[Cherrypie]

Thankyou both for the support, I have found myself a nice dentist who does take his time and is very caring of y phobia so will continue to make the 2hr drive to his new clinic to see him. This was not the same doctor who took out teeth because they were difficult I needed an oral surgeon. The nurse gave me a sheet of paper with some things like salt water rinses and said to do it when I got home but I had already read on here to wait 24hrs and thank god I read here about the straw thing too or I could sense I would be in more agony. I did actually see my GP yesterday who prescribed me stronger meds and in liquid form- I was so happy I sat there crying in his office. So at least it was slightly less hellish though being in the hospital my fiancé got the flu which he consequently passed on to me- terrified of the first time I sneezed I just froze. Haha Have been sneezing all night with no dramas and am praying no dry socket later but it has been well over 72hours. I still have a yuk taste in my mouth and occasionally accidentally brushing the stitches with my tongue makes me want to barf.. Coming on here and reading the success stories made it more bearable to go there with my head held high knowing I would be okay and trusting the docs to take care of me- well I came out thinking a completely different way and wanting to get out of there. I spent the next day so sick because of the GA that my partner wanted to take me to the hospital and bundled me in the car but I deadest refused to get out. I thought I had done the right thing in preparing all my wishes and having them documented and triple checked prior to admittance but apparently this means nothing. One question- how do I hit enter or tab or something to separate my paragraphs on here instead of one long never-ending paragraph?

 

[carole]

I am glad you are feeling better, I am twice as happy for you that you have a good doctor and a lovely dentist that will take good care of you now.

We have had this problem with the paragraph thing before, the cure is in the little boxes that appear under the font/size and letter size in the reply to thread bit that comes up. But I cannot remember which one it is. Maybe if you play around with them you will find the one that will give you a new paragraph.

If in the meantime I find the person that found the way to do this I will come back and let you know.

 

[Cherrypie]

UPDATE
It has been 12 days of hell. I am swollen, hurting and my jaw goes from being able to open a few centremetres to nothing the next day. I have had one normalish meal of mashed potato and some mince but that was too much for my jaw so now back to mushy foods.
I am still feeling so confused and hurt about what happened to me in the hospital. I finally got a copy of my medical report and there was no mention of anything I had requested in terms of my support person or special needs written down anywhere. Am so incredibly saddened that they didn't bother to write any of it down and I had to repeat myself 10times that day, making myself more anxious.
I am not myself anymore, I can't do anything because I get so dizzy when I try and do too much, the ringing in my ears and headaches are driving me up the wall and I can't sleep anymore with nightmares and flashbacks.
I haven't had the strength to officially complain yet and I don't know what I am expecting to happen, an apology would be really nice and recognition they hurt me would be really great but how does it work in the medical world? Will it just get pushed under the rug?

I've had my post surgery checkup with the dentist who didn't even see me on the day and he said I was fine and I'd be better in no time. 12 days later... when is soon coming?! I want these damn stitches out now, they are driving me nuts- when will I know if they are safe to come out? Am going to yank them out myself if no one will help me. Nothing is weighing more on my mind than wanting to stop the surgery but not being able to and then being powerless with those awful nurses around me. This experience has done nothing to help my dental phobia, if anything I think I am worse.
They did a dodgy job on the fillings, they are rough and pointy and didn't even do them all like they said. Suppose as everyone says I should be grateful I got it done at all but I really don't feel grateful. I feel violated and hurt.

 

[carole]

Could you go and see the nice dentist you have found, I think you should be feeling better than you are after 12 days. I don't know who you complain to in Australia, maybe someone on here does and hopefully they will come on to help with this.

I do think you should see someone now, I don't think you need the stitches in now either, but you really need for someone to have a look and see what is going on.

Your own dentist may be able to polish the fillings for you and smooth then out a bit.

Sorry you have had such a terrible experience, you didn't deserve it, and you shouldn't be grateful that you had treatment when it was this shoddy. You have every right to feel how you do about the nurse and everything that happened to you. This treatment was given to you without your consent so amounts to abuse.

I know you agreed to the treatment but your wishes were not taken into consideration when requested. This is not acceptable. Please don't think that all hospitals and dentist are like this, they aren't but I understand how betrayed and afraid you feel.

I hope you keep us posted on your progress, as slow as it may be. Please see someone with your mouth and let them advice you.

 

[Davee]

My God Cherrypie, what a nightmare you have been through! I can't think of any nurse who would try to force a sandwich down anyone who just came out of GA. Clear liquids and maybe a cracker would suffice. For her to put her hands on you and hurt you is just criminal. This would NEVER be allowed at the hospital I work for. If management did not get rid of such a nurse, her peers would. Just shameful.

You asked how it works in the medical world, and I can only advise you on how it works here in the US. For a complaint against a nurse to be taken seriously, a letter to the Chief Nursing Officer is most efficient. I have never seen a complaint written to the CNO go without a full investigation. If you can not find the CNO write your surgeon a letter. He/She will usually forward this to the nursing officer and it will be dealt with. In the US these complaints are taken very seriously, and even if the nurse can weasel her way out of her conduct for that complaint, he/she is forever on the "radar" and is considered a potential lawsuit and threat to patient safety.

What is least effective is a phone call. So please avoid that.

I hope you feel better and heal very soon. I also worry that this experience will effect how you feel about all medical professionals. You may need some counseling to help you deal with the trauma.

 

[Cherrypie]

Hi,


I do feel differently about all medical staff, I wont step foot in a hospital ever again. As a psychologist in training I do recognise that I have been through a trauma and am taking steps to make sure I seek out the proper help from a professional but after everything it's hard to talk about.
My biggest fear about doing this wasn't the pain or the surgery in general because I know people have to be trained to operate on me and most pain can be controlled with medicines. The biggest fear was being alone in the hospital and losing control. After having all of my needs disregarded I just wanted to stop it and go home but when I decided this, the anesthetist just held the mask tight on my face while I fought to pull it off. I want to get an explanation as to why they felt the need to do that when I explicitly said enough and I wanted to leave. I had been treated like crap in the weeks leading up and on the day was pushed back and forced to wait 4hrs with mean people around.
I should have gone with my gut and not even shown up.

As for update- it is day 14 and the stitches are still in, only one side has fallen out and I am still doing non stop salt rinses. Plus side I ate some slow cooked sausage the other day in tiny pieces and managed a bit of pasta too so finally getting a taste of real food. My jaw is still stiff and slighty swollen still but pain has dropped, discomfort is still up there but overall not feeling like I want to die so there is improvement!

thankyou all for your kind words. I need to be realistic with going to the dentist and the 4hr round trip is too much to handle right now so have made a booking to see a new dentist closer to home that seems nice enough. I picked a small family practice with top of the range lasers and laughing gas so that at least I can be calm about knowing I can be off my face haha.

Has anyone used the laughing gas before? I have not ever used it or any other calming agents before the dentist because I wanted to be in full control the whole time. What's laughing gas like and do you have waterlase in the US? It's relatively new-ish in Oz so curious to know more. I know it makes a funny sound but do you feel it?

Another random question but I actually kept my wisdom teeth- yay- and I want to get them cleaned and stored properly- does anyone have any idea about how I do that??

 

[Cherrypie]

UPDATE
48 DAYS LATER I have bad headaches, my jaw wont fully open, I still have a slowly healing hole and I cant chew food. I am so sick and tired of mashed potato and apple juice, it is doing my head in!!!!!!!!!
Everytime I open my jaw it clicks from side to side as in a zig zag pattern and I am just over the headaches and going numb everytime I chew.
Slowest freaking recovery ever and I am not normally a slow healer. Any words of advice to get me through would be great. Any recipes for mashed foods would be welcomed too!!

 

[carole]

Have you seen a dentist since you went for the check after the removal. Sorry you are still feeling so bad.


Did you put in a complaint about the way you were treated?

I hope you heal and feel better soon

 

[kittykat]

I do feel differently about all medical staff, I wont step foot in a hospital ever again.

Has anyone used the laughing gas before? I have not ever used it or any other calming agents before the dentist because I wanted to be in full control the whole time. What's laughing gas like and do you have waterlase in the US? It's relatively new-ish in Oz so curious to know more. I know it makes a funny sound but do you feel it?

I was scarred by a dentist and then felt differently about all medical staff as well. I was very scared for a long time of anyone in scrubs... now I'm a nurse

I use laughing gas (nitrous oxide) everytime I'm there. I need to be in full-control and even with the sedation, I am still 100% aware of what's happening. It just makes you feel like you don't care about what they're doing!

I have no idea what waterlase is.

As for the nurse, I would never stand for that type of treatment. You need to take some serious action against her. She was endangering you when she gave you a straw and tried to force-feed you. I'm not sure what's up with the abuse from medical professionals in government-funded healthcare, but in the USA we do not tolerate shitty service or half-assed work at all.

You should find a dentist to redo the fillings or they'll keep causing you more pain and anxiety. I know it's hard to heal emotionally right now, but the longer you put off going back (obviously not to the same dentist), the longer it will take you to heal, physically and mentally.

Good luck. I'm always available to talk if you need to.

 

[Cherrypie]

Thankyou for your advice, I've only just gotten back on the forum and saw your message. I have no idea how to chat on here but would love someone to talk to about this.
I have seen a psychologist and she has diagnosed me with PTSD because this has affected me greatly with nightmares, anxiety and I just don't function anymore. I have tried to say something to the hospital but they just told me to get over it. I do have the option of taking the complain higher, I just don't have it in me to to do it yet.
I haven't been able to get the fillings done yet but I am saving up to get it done all at once.
I got it done on the 14th may- Update- it is nearly 5 months and I cannot chew because my teeth are effed up, the gum looks disformed and feels weird, the jaw is in agony, I can barely open it and half of the face is still numb. My therapist actually is from the states and she said the same thing- no one would put up with this crap over there but no one seems to care here.
Thankyou for your concern, if you can message me that would be great to chat- I have no idea how to do that on there. I am too anxious to try the laughing gas but something's got to give soon because I can't keep living with this pain

 

[sincitysoul]

Cherrypie - That sounds like an absolutely nightmare-ish experience! Hopefully, you will soon find a more caring dentist who is willing to remedy those dental errors.


As far as laughing gas, I was a faithful user for years. The dentist I had prior to my current dentist was mainly for kids (I went to her from 3-4 years old to 17-18 years old) and was a big advocate of using the gas. There is really nothing to be frightened of! I'm not sure how they do things in Australia, but here in the states, it's this little nose piece that sits on top of your nose. I used to tell my parents that it made me feel weird (because I wasn't sure how to describe the 'at ease' feeling it created), but I quickly realized that I preferred that feeling to being scared during the entire visit - and I was terrified (I once bit this dentist because she refused to remove her hands when I was in a panic. I think I was maybe 7). I grew to look forward to going to the dentist if it meant I got to use the gas! My current dentist no longer offers the laughing gas, but as I'm sure is the same case for you, there are numerous, numerous other prescriptions that you may be able to get that will help you be relaxed for your visit.

Best of luck, Cherrypie - I hope this is all resolved soon!

 

[Cherrypie]

UPDATE

7 months later and my jaw is so achey- and I keep getting headaches I just want to die. The new dentist has confirmed my numbness in my face is permanent and I am still coming to grips with this. I have been seeing a psychologist who has diagnosed me with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which isn't surprising after what I have been through. I have another surgery scheduled in January to try and fix the teeth the other surgeon damaged I am terrified of going through this again, but the surgeon left a massive hole in a tooth he was supposed to fill and it hurts so bad I can barely sleep so I need this new surgery to fix everything.
I so badly want to yell at the stupid surgeon who did this and the nursing staff for treating me so horribly. I can't even think back to that day without crying and feeling sick. Sorry to be such a downer but finding out I wont smile the same and that my face is numb and being in worse pain than before the operation is so much to deal with, I am only 24. this isn't supposed to happen ;( I appreciate being to vent on here, thankyou all so much for the support. I wish I could sue the hospital but I really don't have the mental strength to go through that while preparing for this next surgery... Wish me luck, it's under GA again. Any tips for going under again??