The Dentist's Visit from Hell
I was 5 months post left knee replacement and going back to work as a Registered Nurse in a week when I went to my regular dentist for a cleaning and checkup. For this appointment they had switched me to a dental hygienist who I hadn’t seen for a long time. I remember entering the room and noticing the room was much smaller and the reception chair was right beside the foot of the dental chair (not that any of the rooms were very big and all rooms had a reception chair in the room for your purse or a parent to sit on). Three quarters into the appointment the hygienist said she was going to sit me up so she could polish my teeth from the front. The back of the dental chair did not move to sit me up but I felt the biggest pain on my left foot. I lifted my head to see why I was in so much pain. The chair in the reclined position had gone up high in the air with my left foot trapped under the side of the 17 lb. reception chair. The hygienist never caught any of this happening. I had to yell to the hygienist who was still behind me that my foot was caught. She must have pushed some buttons because the back of the dental chair then sat me up and the whole dental chair was lowered. There was silence. She never asked if I was okay and never called the dentist in. I think I was in shock because my thinking wasn’t clear and I couldn’t figure out why there was silence. I even started feeling sorry for her for some reason but I couldn’t figure it out. She finished polishing my teeth then sent me out of the room. I had some small pains from my left ankle area but in being in shock I thought I would maybe be only bruised. I got home and within a few hours I could barely walk. I stayed at home for a few days and kept icing my injuries hoping it would go away. I called the dentist’s office to let them know about the incident, the reception chair beside the dental chair was a safety issue and that I was impacted by this incident- the only thing the receptionist said was that I was tall (I’m 5’9"). I saw my family doctor who saw by bruised foot one week later and she said my foot would be feeling better in a week. Two days later I saw my Orthopedic specialist who saw the imprint of the metal bar of the chair in my foot and said he could not put me back to work- he said he would see me in several months which was a code word to his secretary who gave me an appointment in 5 months. Over the next few weeks my limping was worse and the pain was excruciating. I called my family doctor who had put a note in my file for the receptionist that she was not looking after me for any of my injuries related to this. I called the Orthopedic specialist leaving a message and received a message back that he hadn’t operated on me for anything related to this injury so he wouldn’t order anything for pain. I put myself on a crutch. Six weeks after the incident my chiropractor said me couldn’t bare to see me limping like this anymore and he ordered an x-ray which showed abnormal fluid in my ankle. I took the x-ray results to my Ortho and he ordered an MRI which showed a severe sprain with significant injury to one of the ligaments. I’ve never been right since, still limping badly, they found 4 partial pelvic tears (both hamstrings and both hips). I tried to go back to a modified job but then my union turned their back on me and allowed my work to take a desk job away from me and put me on a Covid floor walking and standing all the time. I had to retire early because my family doctor wouldn’t recognize anything and wouldn’t send me to a specialist for pain until my physio sent her a letter. My personal injury lawyer who was floored at the inadequate medical care I was receiving sent me to a Trauma Specialist for an assessment who did a report indicating I probably had more injury that wasn’t diagnosed because the doctor’s didn’t want to do the CAT scan to diagnosis this other injury. My new family doctor sent me to an Ortho who had the report and only ordered a simple x-ray of my foot. He did not order the CAT scan- at my next appointment he yelled and glared at me when I returned again with a letter from my physio demanding for me to be sent to the foot and ankle clinic at Toronto Western Hospital. I know I do have more injury because if I do many stairs I get extensive bruising in my foot, heel and above my ankle area which is indicative of a ligament injury in my left lower leg. This happened over 3 years ago. My appointment at the foot and ankle clinic is Feb 27/23. My chiro, kinestheologist (who releases the tension in my muscles every week), physio and pain specialist said they would provide me with letters to take to the foot and ankle clinic requesting that proper imaging be done so that a diagnosis could be arrived at. I can’t walk more than 1 minute, can’t sit more than 45 minutes, can’t stand more than 1 minute and can’t crouch. Hopefully something will be done finally on the 27th. I hear there is a stigma by some medical doctors against injured people but unfortunately this also includes my new family doctor.
