Its been long since i've written something in my blog... Maybe i was waiting for an event worth mentioning... And henceforth, i found one.... My First Patient.Currently i am posted in the Department Of Endodontics. Me being one of the last roll no.s of my batch, had to wait for a considerable amount of time for my first patient.
Today, 27th Feb 2012. I got it. I knew it was my turn to get the patient today... So obviously was charged to optimum. Did not have my lunch, skipped it and sat in the department setting up my instruments, the excitement was too high.
Ad my mentor approached with the patient towards his dental chair, i started hovering around him like a planet in its orbit. He checked the patient, meanwhile i took a sneak peek at the patient's chart... He had 2 caries... One on 27 and other on 37. So i took a long breath and whispered to my mentor... "Sir, can i do the 27?". He looked at me with disbelief. A 3rd year asking for a maxillary tooth prep as his first patient? He smirked and asked me... "Will you be able to do it?". "Yes Sir" i replied. "Go ahead" He said.
The patient was of my age only, a college going student.... He looked at me with fear and i looked at him with equal amount of the same... Perhaps a li'l bit more.
As i started, i found my hands shaking for first few minutes... Like a drug addict on withdrawal. I realised how much easy was it in the pre-clinicals when there was just a phantom head. The breath of the patient condensing my mirror.... Handpiece slipping form my hand... But somehow i managed to get hold of it and my guts... And proceeded.
My good friends standing by my side.... In case i need any help, they were there. I owe a big thanks to them.
Working on a real human being is entirely different experience, the subject could feel everything i was doing... the whatever i did was affecting him permanently. I was in control... of another human being.... the feeling is hard to put in words.
Lets get back to where we were....
Called my mentor after each checkpoint i crossed... Got it approved and continued.... After 1.15 hours... Took a deep breath and requested my mentor to check the work i've done. "Good job" He said. And it was done.
As the patient stood up, "Thank you Doctor" he said. I smiled and nodded.
