Divina had to wait months to get an appointment with the dental hygienist. Remember all of her healthcare is provided by community services and volunteers. It leaves little option.
We are blessed to be able to get her dental care at no cost. She qualifies for the volunteer clinic and has to re-certify every six months with proof of qualifications.
We were sitting there in the lobby of the LVIM. My brother gave us a ride down there today just to spend some extra time visiting with us. Then as i’m thinking how he should write an article about the book he’s reading, I realize he is leaning on the contribution box at the clinic.
Why did it not dawn on me before to use the LVIM as the official charitable donation. It’s not schizophrenia specific, so in the future we may find another charity especially for schizophrenia research 🔬🧐 It makes perfect sense to give back to the volunteers who have been so generous with their time to care for Divina. It truly is a lovely way to practice medicine.
The atmosphere is completely different at the clinic. People are pleasant and kind. They want to help you. They are there to take care of you. It’s inspiring and I will figure out a way to give back either with funding or time as I approach retirement.
While we were there, It was a bit traumatic for Shade. The hygienist, being a volunteer, was someone who spoke English as a 2nd language. She was first hard to understand. She also was older, her hands trembled. She was a bit less delicate than Divina is accustomed to. It was quite painful for my baby girl, and I felt at odds sitting in the room watching her clinch her body while the volunteer was obviously trying to help her, yet also hurting her.
I stood up and went over to caress Mija’s ankle. We like to rub each others foot tops to draw attention away from the pain point and think about another area of the body. It has helped a lot and I’ve mentioned to my dentist each time that they need a reflexologist to give foot massages while doing dental work to relax and distract the patient from painful procedures of the mouth.
When I got up the hygienist was alarmed, and stopped, asking what was wrong. She was defensive, even though I did not say anything, nor my daughter. I just stood there rubbing her foot tops over her Sandles. It disturbed the hygienist and she kept asking what’s wrong. I just mentioned that I was helping my daughter relax. It did not help. It got tense for a minute.
She asked Shade if she was okay and finally she understood she was in pain.
That only signaled to the hygienist to explain how poorly her teeth were maintained and how to prevent this from happening in the future. Divina was clearly in a bit of shock. 😮
I was torn between wanting to get her out of there and wondering why she didn’t get up herself and leave. She had so much respect for the woman, I guess she just couldn’t.
Afterward we went to dinner with Tio Phil. Kyoto buffet. Simple and delicious. Nothing hard or harsh. Shade was so out of it from the day, when she returned to the table with her plate, she went to the empty table behind our booth. She didn’t realize she had left her uncle alone just behind her.
When I returned back with my plate, she stood up and I went to sit next to her, neither of us noticing her uncle sitting directly behind her. We just thought he was outside on the phone. But little things were not adding up. Where was my purse, where was the silverware, where were our drinks? I turned around and there he was on his phone still waiting for us to return, without even noticing us behind him.
It was funny and sad all at once. Folks at close table were commenting on what was happening and giggling with us. It was so bizarre and surreal. I still don’t know how 3 people could be so close to each other and not grasp what happened.
Anyways, it is 1 am. I need to sleep to perform JOB and MOM functions tomorrow. It was just important to note this day while I could remember it. Clearly if I cannot find my own dinner seat, I’m in no condition to remember events a day away.
Night Night.
We shared that over in the other blog!
Stay Positive | Be Blessed | Share Often
LaLa 👋