Operation Smile: Pulling Teeth

9/7/2015

Today was one of those days where, I look back at the events that occurred and I think to myself, did that really just happen?

It actually started on Sunday, when a mother of a child who had been accepted to get surgery came up to me and said she wasn't feeling well. She was exhausted, didn't have an appetite, and her body hurt - but mainly her head and her teeth. The mom and daughter, along with two children, were staying with a family friend in an outlying neighborhood of Tamatave, and had to walk back. I asked if she would rather stay at the patient shelter, and she said then her two sons wouldn't have care. She was worried about her ability to take care of all her children. So we arranged to have her, her youngest child who was getting cleft lip surgery and her two older brothers to stay at the patient shelter.

The same night she came to us saying her teeth really hurt and asked for medicine. We were waiting from an OK from the doctors, but when a response wouldn't come we have her some Tylenol. Later, the doctors said that was a good choice and this women should come see the dentist tomorrow.

After waiting for the car to take her to the hospital for a few hours, I went to get her from her room and found her in tears, she was in so much pain. I said we were going to the hospital and that, hopefully, we can see the dentist soon and she won't hurt so much anymore.

We arrived at the hospital, the woman, her little daughter, another volunteer (Gabe) and I, and the dentist was especially busy but said she would see her as soon as she could. This must've felt like forever for the woman, but luckily a operation smile volunteer gave the little girl bubbles, so passed time a little quicker. (How couldn't it? Bubbles are great!) 

I went in to the OR with the woman as Gabe watched her child, making sure she wasn't worried and that she was fed lunch. The dentist  said her teeth needed to be pulled - maybe all of them - but that wouldn't be possible to do in one visit. So the decision was made (and agreed upon by the woman) to pull the teeth. I, now the agreed upon translator for this woman, stood/kneeled by her side as the doctor pulled 10 teeth from her mouth,ncluding a rotten wisdom tooth and the draining of a infected abscess. At one point I was supporting her head with my hands, as the dental chair was...less than ideal. I, needless to say, I was quite proud of my ability to not pass out or vomit everywhere. In fact, I wasn't really queasy at all! The woman's entire appearance seemed to get lighter after the pain medicine started kicking in, as if a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders (or her molars...) 

And, similarly, I felt a release of tension, as this woman now didn't seem to have as much stress about taking care of her child after surgery because she was hopefully of being healthy herself soon, and I felt like I was a little bit of a part of that. And you know, that's a good feeling to have.

Written 9/20/2015

The next day, her daughter got cleft palate surgery. When she was in post-op, another volunteer, Gabe, and I were the ones translating for the nurses. The little girl was fighting the nurses to not take the medicine. Gabe sat down, she climbed on his lap, and she drank the medicine without a problem. We had her other children come visit and it really felt like they had accepted us to being a small part of their family. At one point, the other patients parents had joked that we are now part of their luggage they must take back home.

I am hopeful that both the mom and daughter are recovering well and I am very thankful for all of Operation Smile’s help in making their lives a little less painful, a little healthier, and overall, a little better.