Dental Visit Gone Terribly Wrong
I went to my dentist to get a cleaning from the dental hygienist. When she said she was going to sit me up I waited but only had a severe pain in my left foot. Somehow the dental chair was high in the air still in the reclined position but my left foot was caught between the foot rest and the metal bar that was on the reception chair that had been to the side of the dental chair. My left foot was holding up the chair (chair was probably 17 lbs.) . She never asked if I was ok and never called the dentist in. Looking back I was in shock, my thought processing was not working correctly, I even felt sorry for her but couldn’t figure out why and I walked out of the visit. Several hours later I could barely walk and stayed at home crying and icing my foot and leg. My family doctor told me my foot would be feeling better in a week then when I was getting even worse she had put a note in my file for the receptionist that she was not looking after me for this. I went to my Ortho (had a left knee replacement 5 months prior) who saw where the metal bar went across my foot and he said he couldn’t put me back to work. I basically had very little medical care because no one wanted to see me other than my physio and chiro. My chiro said he couldn’t bare to see me limping anymore and ordered an x-ray which came back abnormal thus the Ortho ordered a MRI. I had a severe sprain to my ankle. A year later my physio wrote a letter to my Ortho and a MRI of my pelvis was ordered. I had two partial pelvic tears (left hamstring and right hip. That explained why I could barely sit. Both doctors barely saw me and gave me very little direction in my care. My family doctor during an internet appointment cut her connection off so that was the end of the appointment- her receptionist called me and said “technical difficulties” and I never got most of my appointment. Basically she was trying to get rid of me. One month after the incident I did get a personal injury lawyer because who goes to their dentist and gets maimed for life! My lawyer sent me to a Trauma Specialist and I have life altering injuries plus was forced to retire early. My new family doctor is also playing these games as she wouldn’t give me a referral to a foot/ankle clinic in Toronto. My family doctor sent me to another Ortho but he wouldn’t do a referral to the foot/ankle clinic although he had the Trauma Specialist’s report. My physio gave me a letter which forced the Ortho to do the referral and the appointment is in a month. I hear there’s a stigma some doctors have against looking after injured people. Also my new family doctor uses medical gaslighting because she said I must have anxiety and that’s why the ligament in my ankle ceased up when I was on the exercise bike with my physio. Medical gaslighting is labelling someone and blaming a patient’s physical symptoms on psychological factors. I am looking forward to this upcoming appointment because I know I have another injury above my left ankle (this was questioned in the Trauma Specialist’s report). I want proper imaging on this area and treatment for this other injury. My life has dramatically changed to the point I can barely walk. I’d like to gradually get back to regular life again. I’d like to limp less and have less pain. I’d like to be able to grocery shop, go up a ladder to paint my living room, cut my grass and do some gardening. I’d like to be able to clean my house rather than have to rely on the Roomba vacuum. But it’s also the mental impact on me related to this injury as I’d like to have less anger and feel like I have some control over my life. My pain specialist, chiro, physio and kinestheologist are all giving me a letter for this upcoming appointment requesting proper imaging as I have lived with this injury for over three years now.
