May 10, 2017
Dear Dr. Hobbs, Chris, and Judy,
This is a thank you note, but somehow thank you seems too superficial, so let me explain my thanks from my (the patient) perspective;
Thank you-
To Judy
Who makes small talk with me while I am checking in and distracts me as I am trying to decide if I will faint first or throw up or do both
For the straight back chairs in the waiting area for those of us with poor backs
For not telling me how pale and awful I look after the implant procedures
Walking me through where to sign the credit card receipt as I am still deciding whether I will throw up or faint
For kindness and patience
To Chris
For asking how I am – not how my tooth is
For getting me settles and comfortable
For asking if I want eyeshades – so helpful
For offering me music and showing me how to use it and not rolling your eyes when I cannot figure it out
For making small talk to I am distracted from throwing up or fainting (do you sense a trend?…)
For reminding me after the procedure not to jump out of the chair (good reminder for those of use with orthostatic hypotension!)
For explaining three times the post op instructions (sorry but post procedure I am mildly surprised I survived so need to refocus to what you are saying)
For your patience as you re-explain the instructions three times
For answering dump questions
For marking the important parts of the instructions with a highlighter
For the take home kit – so very useful including the extra 2×2’s from the operatory tray
For kindness and patience
To Dr. Hobbs
For treating me like a person and not the host organism for #12 and #30 teeth (why doesn’t everyone do this??)
For insuring that I am completely numb
For continuing to insure I am completely numb
For putting Vaseline on the corners of my mouth as a preventative measure
For telling me step by step the plan for the day
For giving me “jaw breaks” (why doesn’t everyone do this?)
For checking on my every few minutes
For having interesting conversations over me that are not blood pressure raising topics (this one was on movies – Red Riding Hood as I remember)
For informing me of progress
For a positive upbeat attitude of “we can do this” (much appreciated!)
For helping calm me about my fear or airway compromise (34 years of research on this topic has made me super sensitive about patient airways and aspiration risk)
For asking about my family
For prescribing me antibiotics – too many horror stories of infections from my colleagues who were NOT prescribed antibiotics (why doesn’t everyone do this??)
For calling the next day to see how I am doing
For kindness and patience
For caring…
As you can see a simple thank you does not cover the breadth, depth, and scope of what you do and this list is far from comprehensive! Please know how appreciative I am.
Sincerely,
B. S. T., PhD, RN, FAAN