Dental Pain & US Hospital

I was feeling sleepy today morning. After longtime, it was a relaxed day with minimum mails and work. So, I got some time to browse through net in office http://www.ndtv.com/ to update myself on news of terrorism and election campaigns.

But one of the problems was my dental pain. Last to last night I haven’t had a sleep and pain killer was not working. It was severe, so yesterday after lunch I had to go to Hospital. Pabitra was with me. We went to Longmont United Hospital and they send me to emergency.

So I thought it might be a good move. I was suffering from excruciating agony and urgent attention was needed that time. Before the final doctor asked me what happened, 5 more specialist, Nurse to receptionist everyone asked me about my medical background, present feeling, what medicine I took, do I take drugs etc etc. I was almost fed up. I was even more surprised when a general physician came to me for Dental check up.

She told that I have no visible infection and she will put a pain reliever injection, to my utter surprise she injected in wrong place. I would have been sued her, if she not she is good looking, I granted her the fault.

But I was terribly offended with the medical system. I had medical insurance so I escaped majority of the fee, but the intolerable pain was still there before I called a dentist and took antibiotic course. But the remedy is still not complete as I neither did any filling or root canal. I am afraid to do it here.

Had it been India, it would have been much easier. Neither I had to visit emergency for dental pain, nor had I minimize it without proper treatment. We have many ready-made facilities back home. We can reach to dentist any time, we don’t have to maintain costly insurance, and health is free to certain extent. Even when I was in EU, it was absolutely free of cost. Health is absolute necessity, which should come free, but alas, developed countries like US don’t have it. During these recession 50% people are not able to maintain it properly, so they have no medical coverage. I wonder how this can be the best country of the World.

But the hospital was quite good. The infrastructure was excellent and they made all possible investigations of not to make any serious mistake. I liked one of the funny question of one nurse “Had you been asked to admit in our Hospital, Do you like to be visited by any religious leader? If yes, what is your choice”. I told though I am Hindu, I am open to all religion. I go to Church also. She laughed.

Now I am quite ok and looking forward to go to India next month to permanent cure.