2 weeks ago I had a slight pain in my tooth, so I called my dentists to make an appointment, only to find I’d been removed from their list – well that wasn’t great news!
They recommended I registered and joined their private list to book an appointment, but I didn’t want to reward them for not looking after me, so I went to another dentists and registered there. This was on the Monday and I had an appointment for a check-up on the Tuesday, amazing that they could fit me in the next day 😁. The result was, I needed an old filling replaced as it was not doing its job. I then got another appointment for the following Friday to complete this replacement.
I had work booked in for the Monday – Thursday in Amsterdam, delivering sessions on a conference with one of our clients. This work had been booked in for 4 months and our sessions had been refined, re-designed and, finally agreed so I couldn’t miss this event.
In the mean-time, my tooth ache got really bad. I ended calling NHS 111 over the weekend to get an emergency appointment. I was contemplating cancelling my work and asking an associate consultant to cover my sessions. Fortunately, I was given antibiotics, took pain killers and managed to get on the flight on the Monday morning, hoping for the best.
I was still worried about my ability to speak as my abscess was making me look like ‘Desperate Dan’ and I needed to be pain free, so I could think! If you have ever had a toothache you will know what I mean. The pain takes over everything, there is nothing you wouldn’t do, or pay, to get rid of the pain. I had restless nights and was popping pain killers to get me through the week.
I am still waiting for the treatment to be completed as the last visit ended up being the start of a root canal procedure 🤨 which is, obviously, not painful at all!
The reason for sharing this story is that, none of the delegates knew of my pain, discomfort, my sleepless nights and worries / anxiety to do a great job. This makes me think of all those people who are in pain, can’t think straight and have ‘stuff’ keeping them awake at night. It might not be physical pain, which is often obvious, but it could be mental pain that no-one can see.
It could be working through an illness, dealing with a family member, trouble at home, financial pressure or the stress and strain at work becoming too much. With all of these, it’s important to take action. I knew my toothache was going to go away, eventually, so I had to manage the pain and get things done, but the mental anguish often has a long term effect and creates a daily challenge.
If you are feeling under the weather:
Don’t:
- Hide things
- Pretend it’s okay
- Ignore things, hoping it will go away
Do:
- Speak up
- Ask for help
- Use resources available
People do care, they understand and have, probably, experienced something similar them selves, so reach out and share. It really helps.