Who Listens??

• Remember how I had trouble getting rid of a cold?

• Remember how the doc wouldn't even look in my throat and wouldn't give me anything for a viciously sore throat?

• Remember how I was getting new dentures?

Let me put both things together ... and demonstrate how people don't listen.

I picked up my new dentures on Friday, Aug. 28th. As the dentist was about to put his ungloved fingers into my mouth, I said, "I have a terrible sore throat; mind my germs." (To tell the truth, my main reason for saying this was that I never saw the man wash his hands. To be fair to him, he did have 2 rooms, so he may have washed in the other.) But his answer didn't console me at all. He said, "Oh don't worry; you should have seen some of the foul mouths I've put my hands in." YEEEEEK. That's exactly what I was worried about!!!!!

By the following Thursday, one side of my throat felt a little better but the other side was still puffed and very sore, so I went to the doc again -- a different one. I explained the whole story of a 3 week long sore throat and felt obliged to add that I also had the difficulty of a new denture that was rubbing and making my gum sore.
This doc "kindly" looked in my throat. The first thing he remarked on was that a big ulcer had formed where my denture was rubbing. "Oh yes, but that came recently; the sore throat is much older than that and it's in a different place." Then he spent 5 minutes explaining why my throat could feel sore from the denture -- referred pain, and other explanations that went over my head. My throat was getting sorer from explaining! He prescribed antibiotics, so I gave up explaining!

The very next day, I went to the dentist to get him to adjust the denture. He was quite doubtful that the denture had caused the ulcer. "Oh yes, it has only come since I got the denture; I had a sore throat for much longer but it's in a different place." Then he spent 5 minutes explaining why my gum could develop an ulcer because of the sore throat. My throat was getting sorer from explaining! He went away to rub the offending spot on the denture, so I gave up explaining!

WHO LISTENS????

Would it have helped if I had told doc #2 that doc #1 had seen me because of the sore throat, well before I had the new denture?
Would it have helped if I had reminded the dentist that he knew about my sore throat before the denture began rubbing?

By the way, both throat and denture ulcer are getting better!

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