An Impatient Patient

Happy Holi!!

Here I am... One tooth less than I was last week... Had a tooth extracted on Friday, and I must admit, it’s not as terrifying as it’s made out to be...

I was peeing my pants thinking about the amount of pain I’d have to undergo as the dreaded dentist pulled and poked at my pearly whites (ahem!)... However, I was in for a pleasant surprise, as the tooth came out pretty quick and easy, and the pain was nil after the first 3 minutes when he injected the anesthetic.

I hate the dentist... I mean not him/her personally (in fact, dentists are often very good-looking and sweet-natured!) but it’s just that their work, while being extremely important, is also excruciatingly scary. Do you think they like peering into people’s smelly, decayed mouths?? Eeyuck... Not my cup of tea, for sure!

My cap-less, root canal-treated tooth had reached the acute pinnacle of decay, and I knew I was in for trouble when my jaw started aching in the beginning of last week. Got no one to blame but myself for bringing this issue so far. But, Mr. Prashant Vanarse gets a 10 on 10 for doing a neat job of the extraction. Take a bow, boy!

This young lad answers your queries patiently and politely, and sprinkles a little bit of humor to make your interaction as pleasant as possible. (What sure helps is that he looks like the cute-boy-next-door, and he keeps boosting your courage.) He’s the awesomest person in the world if you need to say goodbye to your dentures. (Not that I’ve had too many done, nor may I ever have to go that way, I pray...)

Hey, I don’t mean to embarrass him if he ever happens to read this, so let me move on to another entity now – God!! Such an aesthetic fellow... Whoever would plan to have the teeth roots look so pretty and appealing! (I tried to google some pics for you to see, but none is as beautiful as the original... Sorry, mates. You gotta see them yourself. The delicate way in which the shapely roots come down to lodge into your gums... Wow!)

God also helped me counter the pain and trauma. I don’t know why my body tends to shut itself up against medical intrusion and my limbs and muscles refuse to loosen up when they perceive any physical invasion. I shiver all over, even after the treatment is finished; thank god for those robust chairs with strong arms...

But hey, I’m a good patient. I’m very obedient and I ensure I laud the doc for a job well done. I talk to him before and after the treatment, and I whole-heartedly praise his work and my alleviated aches. I also ask a lot of questions, and I don’t know whether that is good or bad, but it sure helps build the rapport... If I can make him feel nice and proud, it’s something he more than deserves...

I remember my visits to the eye doctor. As a victim of myopia (short-sightedness), I started wearing specs in the 6th standard, and I can vividly recall how jubilant I was when I realized I could now see clearly over a distance without being mocked by my peers. This ecstasy was nowhere comparable to what I felt when I tried contact lenses for the first time. As tears streamed down my cheeks, I kept screaming “Doc, you’re an angel... I can see! I CAN SEE!!” (As if I was blind earlier...) The sweet guy that he is, even his eyes grew moist at my emotional outburst...

It’s been a bad year, as regards my health. I’ve had a constant head and eye pain throughout this period (I’m guessing they’re related), and my complaints about body ache have also significantly increased. I also need dental treatment (apart from what has already been done), and need I mention I’m STILL petrified and anxious...

FYI, hypochondriacs are people who keep thinking they have some illness or the other at any given time. My aunt’s (bua) one, and my dad’s another. (Runs in the family, I think.) They enjoy being unwell. A visit to the surgeon makes their day, and any physician who pronounces them fit and fine is sure to have lost a client.

Me, I’m not a hypochondriac by a long shot. That is not even the last thing I’d be in my life coz I hate being ill. In fact, even when I am truly ailing, I make it a point to hide my weakness and pretend as if everything’s ok. I dislike sympathy and medicines, and I find nakhras in this area irritating. What’s the fun in showing the world you cannot resist diseases, and you’re weak?!!!

I’d rather be healthy and jumping, than surrounded by people who are pitying and advising me. Not only does it cause inconvenience to all, it is very annoying for the person him/herself to be at the mercy of another.

Take this as my public declaration, readers – please help me end my life if I happen to contract an illness that is all pain and no hope. Whoever wants to die poked and tortured to breathe a few more days or weeks? Euthanasia is not approved, it’s considered illegal, but if it can happen for animals, then it is more than recommended for humans who can talk and share opinions and preferences!

Love you, guys...
Until I die, and after that, too...

- Lonely Princess