LineaLanoie's Weblog

This was quite a day.  I got to the office to pick up our tubs of stuff for the OR and to pick up my two staff people going along to assist.  I really didn’t expect to see Judy since I knew she was pretty sick.  But in she came and off we headed to the hospital.  We had a good anaesthetist today – this guy has a good sense of humor and he listens to the radio and drinks coffee while we work.  I guess he is working too but our hands are busy and so drinking coffee is out except for the breaks between cases. 

It is really incredible how much difference it makes working with someone who has a good sense of humor.  Everyone works more efficiently and the day has a lightness to it.  It is fun to work with someone like this.

Then we went back to the office and sent Judy home.  She probably shouldn’t have come in the morning, but she is such a conscientious person and she knew that I needed her help.  She went home, Trina was there today so she helped me get my afternoon patients done and Michelle who is about 7 months pregnant became exhausted – she has been working alone for most of the week with my partner since Trina’s kids were sick.  At the point where Michelle was about losing it from exhaustion, our hygienist pitched in and helped the others clean up operatories and even assisted me for a few minutes.  At the point where we all could have lost it, everyone there came through and pitched in.  We made it to the end of the day in one piece and all of our patients got the treatment they needed.  A couple of extra special sick and tired people got flowers today and they deserved them!

The one thing that struck me was that I have several staff members that I know are “evangelical” Christians.  Sometimes they are not there when they could really help out.  I know there is a fine line that is hard to walk when it comes to how one spends their off time – family or helping out a co-worker who is really too sick to work.  I don’t feel that I as the employer can insist that they give up a day off but I think that the other worker would have given up her day off if the other assistant had been too sick for something as important as a morning in the OR. She actually has done some changing of plans in the past tto do just that.  Going the extra mile for a co-worker can be a tangible example of love and friendship.  Self interest put first sure can destroy a relationship.  I think the assistant that came in today giving so much both to me and to the kids that we were able to treat is showing more of Christ’s type of love than the “evangelical “one. 

Not much unusual going on today for me.  Work was work – except that I got a call from a sick assistant this morning early.  She sounded awful.  There seems to be a flu like illness going around.  One of my partner’s assistants was also home because one of her kids was ill, so we were really short staffed.  I think this flu must also be affecting patients because there werer sure a lot that did not show up in the last few days. 

Tomorrow morning bright and early I will go to spend another half day in the operating room.  And I will be without my assistant unless she makes a very speedy recovery.  That will be interesting.  Dental assistants are soooo much help and I am used to working with one.  And time is always at a premium in the OR.  My dental therapist is going with me tomorrow but she has never been in the OR before so I will have to show her what is the correct procedure for setting up and such and that is the part of the whole procedure that I am not used to having to do.  As I say it may be an “interesting” morning.  Three kids to do and I don’t want to end up not being able to start my final and biggest case because I have run out of time.  Those OR nurses can be real bears when it comes to keeping a tight schedule!

Why is it that some people are just grouchy.  It seems to be that there are one or two especially grouchy people that come to see me.  They are always negative and no one enjoys having them come in to the office.  They doubt and question everything that you propose to them as being in need of treatment.  So it makes me very conservative in what I suggest.  I am reluctant to tell them the treatment they should have because I know they will question everything I say in such a manner as if to imply that I am suggesting it just to make money off them.  They end up hurting themselves because it is so difficult to propose a treatment plan that is in their best interest – that looks at a long term plan.

I have one especially grumpy old man and another especially grumpy old lady.  Today it was the turn of the grumpy old lady.  She should have been in for a cleaning a year ago.  We would like to work with her to get her gums into a healthy state.  But it is pretty hard when she refuses to follow our suggested treatment.  And then she acts as if it is our fault that her mouth is sore.  So every time we see her we have gotten to anticipate a complaint and a lot of whining – not just about the teeth and our work but about the world in general.  Makes you wonder what goes into these people to make them so negative.