Proffessional attidue

Hi everyone,
Well I successfully managed to spread my germies all through my house and one after one, my little family have succumbed to high temperature and snotty tissues, of course they all have it MUUUUCCCCHHHHH worse than I did!!
I dutifully took myself to the dentist last week for a filling, when I got past the Rottweiler receptionists it wasn't a bad experience I suppose, my new dentist is always considerate and notably respectful, which produces a strange feeling that I don't really understand!
I dunno, maybe, as time goes on I expect people to act in a certain way towards me and the 'disability' I carry around with me, so I gear myself up to deal with the reactions I usually get or don't get....wait, I am confusing myself, let alone you guys...
I avoid the Dentist at all costs, but you know, like everyone there comes a time when you just gotta do it.
My previous Dentist looked about 16 years old and to be honest, he was a cocky little sod, you know the type who makes little tutting noises as he inspects your teeth and mouth, when he clearly hasn't even lost his baby teeth yet. At the beginning of my appointment he asked me if I had any medical conditions or if there was anything he should know, so I told him about my sight and how the light they shine into your mouth hurts my good eye, its just uncomfortable.
So, he does no more than whack the chair down, position the effing light right in my face and orders me to open my mouth, after a lot of tutting and a x-ray, the chair is sprung back into its original uprightness, and he proceeds to talk to me like I am two years old and is pointing to a computer screen, trying to show me what he had so proudly discovered on the x-ray of my mouth, I was so fed up I just nodded while wondering how fast I could get out of the room, to this day I don't know if he just hadn't listened to me telling him I couldn't see his face let alone the computer screen or maybe he just didn't give a flying fudge, So, I have learnt to expect a less than caring attitude from these 'professionals'  this time I was ready with a negative mood and the unwillingness to want to communicate with anyone remotely Dentist related.
The Rottweiler on the front desk handed me a form and tells me to fill it in while I wait,
'its a update your personal details form, if you could fill it in'....small smirk...its in the smallest print you can imagine, the panic thing begins to rise in my stomach, so I say, 'my details haven't changed' thinking ahhhh got myself outta that one, but she smirks again, 'Nooooo, everyone has to fill one in'....right, love, you are now starting to piss me off,
'Okay, in that case please could you make the print larger on the form because I cant see it'...complete silence while she stands there holding out the form towards me, the other receptionists stop what they are doing and listen in, my receptionist takes a deep breathe and says NO,.....PINGGGGG there goes my patience, 'are you telling me that you cant either put that form into your printer and enlarge it, or change the font on the computer and print a larger one off?'.....'No because it has to be scanned back onto your notes'....'and you cant do that by hand for one form? and by the way I think I already told you my details haven't changed'....She sighed, pushed the form towards me and said with a lovely clear crisp voice, waiting room upstairs for NHS patients and didn't you bring someone with you to help you?
I swear if I could have been sure for a nice accurate punch straight in the mouth I would have happily knocked her two front teeth out, but I simple smiled sweetly and said, I thought that was your job as a receptionist, turned and prayed I didn't trip up the stairs as I stamped up them, swinging the form in my hand, which incidentally, I left in the bloody upstairs NHS waiting room!
So, now you see why I hate doing the dentist thing, but my new dentist, well, she really is quite lovely, she speaks with a gentle calm voice and explains every single move she is making, which I find extremely reassuring and relaxing, she is respectful but not in a patronising way, she always makes sure I am comfortable and provided tinted glasses so the light doesn't burn away what sight I have left!
On the way home I found my self deep in thought about the receptionist thing, isn't it funny how your reaction to something makes a difference to what happens next? In a way we are all responsible for changing the way things happen by thinking about our reactions to situations, and as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing, I could have just taken the form, took it home and got someone to fill it in for me, maybe I was being antagonistic, I felt a little ashamed, and I wondered if I had upset this ladies mood for the rest of the day, then I began to wonder if she was wondering the same thing!
And then I realised that maybe, just maybe I am thinking wayyyy to much into it, and again if I had been using my cane, perhaps she wouldn't have even given me the form, and that's the problem with the world, we are all ignorant to one and other, no one takes the time to look at someone and wonder what their story is, just because you cant see it, doesn't mean its not there, whether its a mental, physical or emotional problem, they are all problems most of us like to hide from strangers, maybe this woman had just lost someone, maybe her car wouldn't start this morning, maybe she trod in dogs crap on the way to work! They are all problems that change the way we function and have a impact on how we behave, wouldn't it be lovely if we all considered that every time we had to interact with someone?
All this thinking made me want to experiment, so on Thursday morning I went for a swim, my friend came with me, that's a real friend, not my cane! although I did take my cane, and I used it.
At the reception I asked for a disabled swim and one for my friend, instantly the receptionist looked at my cane, said certainly, looked up at my friend who instantly goes in for free as my carer. I wondered if it would be as easy if I didn't have my cane? anyway, I used the cane to direct me to the side of the pool, balanced it at the side and got in, other swimmers had seen me as had the life guard, I know this because everyone in the pool gave me space, and as you all know I am a crap swimmer so I asked the life guard for a marker at the side of the pool so I didn't swim too deep, he got me a bright yellow float and put it where I could see it, when he the time came for the life guards to change, I heard him say to his colleague 'just keep a little eye on that lady there, she is blind, but she seems to be doing ok'...I wanted to jump out of the water and give him a kiss, my heart was bursting with pride!
After the swim I went to Specsavers for my check-up, I watched the people around me, there was a woman getting upset because her glasses had broken and it was her husbands funeral tomorrow, the lady who was dealing with her glasses was fantastic, she took her to a little room and gave her a tissue and dealt with fixing her glasses as quickly as she could, to the other side of me there was a young man having a contact lenses fitting, opposite him sat a beautiful young lady who was talking him through the fitting, he was really struggling and I wondered if that was more to do with the young girl than the little piece of silicon on the end of his finger!
When I was called I found myself face to face with a very smiley man about my age, he said he had read my notes, and instantly turned into a complete professional, there was none of this...ohhhh how doooo you manage, or you are very well dressed for someone whose sight is as bad as yours!
He has compassion for his job and consideration and respect for me, he helped me but not in a belittling way, he even managed to use a consulting room down stairs so I didn't have to navigate their narrow stair case, all was fine at the end of the check-up, the lingering fluid build up in the bad eye has almost gone, so I left pleased and with the usual instruction to get myself straight to Moorfields if anything changes, all duly noted and Thank you!
Next week I have something exciting happening, but I am still nervous about telling you, still the old counting chickens before they are hatched thing, but next Sunday I will be sure to let you in on it, that's if I can wait until Sunday, don't be surprised if I don't blog before then.
Speak soon, take care x