Renovation project - a filling, an allergic reaction and a fire alarm! - Wednesday 24th October 2012

Renovation project - a filling, an allergic reaction and a fire alarm! - Wednesday 24^th October 2012

We have had a fantastic few days with family; it has been so nice to see everyone. We are spending a few days at John’s parents whilst we wait to move into the house we are staying at.

Last night I managed to break a piece of a tooth filling so we set off for Manchester dental hospital, which has a drop in service between 8.30 am and 9 am.

The place is amazing and we can’t believe it actually has a security guard on the door, John wouldn’t let me take a photo of him, but I wasn’t sure that people would believe me without photographic evidence, but please believe me he is there! This is very different to our little French village.

I fill in all of my forms and take a number to be seen, 

The dentists are final year dental students with a professor over seeing their work. All went well and I explained that the last time I had had a local anaesthetic I had a bit of a bad reaction and fainted, we had a discussion about this and came to the conclusion that it was probably because I hadn’t eaten before the anaesthetic.

Time for treatment and the first injection goes in, all good then part way through the 2^nd injection I feel funny and have a struggle to breathe but I can’t move and tell the dentist, the 3^rd injection goes in and I just manage to move and say something before my head flops back, I try to move again and speak but all that comes out of me are strange noises before I start to fit!!!!!!!! 

This is scary enough for me and the dentists but just to make matters worse as I start to fit the fire alarms go off in the hospital, talk about bad timing! The dentists call for assistance and I have a team of nurses trying to calm me down and stop my arms from thrashing about as the fire marshals are trying to evacuate. It was the most surreal experience as it was almost like an out of body experience, I could see and hear everything, but could not speak (other than make sea lion type noises) and my arms were waving up and down like a demented windmill.

I hear someone saying that I had to be evacuated and the nurses arguing that I could not be moved, then the oxygen mask was put on me, I calmed a little and we agreed to try to get on a wheel chair but the moment I sat up I passed out, so then it was a case of trying to get a hospital bed for me, with the marshals still trying to insist that I could use a wheelchair, the nurses were insistent that this was not the case and would only be considered if they saw smoke! (All the while reassuring me and trying to calm me down). This went on for a couple of minutes or so I thought. I was finally able to get on a hospital bed and was wheeled outside, where John was at the door, his face when he saw me really made me panic. It was about another 5 or 10 mins before I finally stopped shaking and was able to remove the oxygen mask.

John had been trying to get back into the building to find out what had happened to me, and was stopped at all attempts by fire officers and security (at least now we know why they have a security officer on duty!)

Apparently there were a few hundred people evacuated and at least I provided them with some entertainment whilst stood outside in the cold.

It turned out the episode had lasted almost 30 minutes in total, not the couple of minutes I thought it to be!

John was shouted at for trying to take a photo, you are not allowed to photograph hospital staff, so I was not able to show the faces of the fantastic team that helped me, but we did get one of me looking like crap on a hospital bed!

When we returned to the dentists room the poor dentist that had been treating me was in a state of shock and the professor asked if my mouth was still numb, I replied yes, thinking he was just checking and then he said right lets finish the treatment! This was probably for the best as I don’t think I would’ve ever been brave enough to go back again.

The decision was also made that I am never; ever to have an adrenaline based local anaesthetic again.

We returned to the hospital and left a box of heroes’ chocolates, as I cannot possibly thank the team enough for their treatment.

The rest of the day is spent with me dozing and sleeping, after an early night I didn’t get up until 12noon the following day, which was a miracle as I never tend to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time.