10 May 2013

dentist appointment

dentist appointment this morning.  before the age of 16 I didn't mind going to the dentist.  mr spencer,  nope not frank, was funny, kind, understanding.  even the school dentists weren't that awful.  so I had no problems. 

I had one white filling at the age of 17, the filling took 45 minutes, I was agitated and uncomfortable.  age 16 I had a POTS thing going on until the age of 18.  so slap bang in the middle of feeling ill.

the next twenty years I avoided going, always thinking the uneasiness was down to anxiety, as I had been told by the doctors.  since being dx with eds/pots I realised the problems weren't 'in my head'.  having the chair slightly tilted helps, so im not completely flat.  when I rise, rise slowly out of the chair so I don't get palps and a head rush. 

im back to pre-16, im fine going.  considering the long hiatus in dental treatment im not doing too badly.  2 white fillings have been needed in the last 2 years.  today a little clean, which resulted in my jaw coming out!!!  the side of my cheek felt like I had a enormous cyst, I realised that I couldn't shut my mouth, dribble central, I slowly eased the jaw back into place.  slight pain afterwards, everything was ok.

I like my new dentist, much like the old one.

4 comments:

Achelois said...

Hello em. Gosh after twenty years to only need two fillings. That is the good part. The eds/pots and dentists can be so very problematical for some. I am very pleased for you that you have found one you like. Massaging the muscle bit sort of between the ear and the jaw can help post clean to help the spasms. I freak hygienists out as I bleed so hectically during a clean, that I have to have mini appointments not quite a tooth at a time but nearly. Perhaps suggesting breaking the clean up next time into two or more appointments will help your jaw. Just a little thought. I must say very brave of you to go after a break of twenty years. I can never work out which I hate the most going to the hairdressers or the dentists. On balance its the dentists. When I wrote my blog I am sure I mentioned some pretty horrid dentist situations.

Its so nice to see you in my reader, I don't really look in it nearly as often as I should but seeing you there made me think I shall look more often.

Shelly said...

I hate the dentist!! Glad everything went well!!!

em said...

hey achelois,

I think I remember you saying about trips to the dentist.

my jaw has always been lose, sloppy, out of kilter. professor.g, asked me to move the joint up and down, he could hear the noise it made and said I had TMJ. so im not that surprised it happened. I certainly think next time a few more frequent breaks inbetween cleaning is the way to go, thanks for suggesting that.

you poor thing with the bleeding. is it painful?

i think i remember you also said you may have P.O.T.S?

as i was told i had anxiety, i always thought that i was freakishly scared of certain things. yet my standing pulse is so different from my sitting, that act of just getting up, with the burst of adrenaline that we potsies receive is the true physical anxiety.

the hairdressers, i didn't go to for a number of years. now i know why;

1. sitting bolt upright in the chair.

2. blood pools in the lower legs, not getting enough blood back to the head, dizziness, heart, palpatations.

3. heat intolerance, the places are so hot.

4.light sensitive, bright lighting, sets migraines off.

you put together all of the above with P.O.T.S and the physical symptoms will come across as anxiety.


denstist for my is lying flat.



take care of yourself lovely to hear from you.x

em said...

hey shelly

i so hated the dentist too.

hope you don't mind me mentioning. have you ever done the poor mans tilt table test?

i know you have suffered from anxiety and an ed for along time. you are so strong, and fighting against anxiety all the time. your intelligent and know all the ins and outs of why an anxious person thinks in certain ways.


i used to be so frustrated that i was determined to overcome this nuisance that was 'anxiety', yet try as i would my body wouldn't budge.

the poor mans tilt table;

lay down for five minutes, take your pulse. then stand up for a couple of minutes than take your pulse, if your pulse has risen more than 30 beats per minute, or rises above 120 bpm then maybe you could have POTS. POTS affects the autonomic nervous system, which affects the automatic responses your body gives out, im sure you may know all this being a nurse!

also are you double jointed? flexible? sufferers of Ehlers Danlos experience so many symptoms, yet the obvious one is bendy joints as a starting point.


and please ignore all of this if it doesn't apply, im just on a mission to spread the word. i suffered for so many years, when a diagnoses could of changed my life.

take care.x