I if could give no stars I would. I have one wisdom tooth and it was not hurting me. I was not in a…read morerush for an appointment because there was no pain, but I made an appointment and March was their earliest slot. A couple of weeks later the wisdom tooth fractured, but still no pain. A few weeks after that, pain started that was quit severe and my right Jaw looked like I was storing nuts for the winter. I call OMS and I state that this is an emergency and I need an emergency appointment. The receptionist told me about my March appointment. When I said emergency, she should have got off her behind and check with one of the surgeons to see if they could fit me in, she did not. She kept on telling me I had an appointment in March.
After that encounter I was in pain and very angry. The next day my sister took me to the ER and they managed to get me an emergency appointment for a St. Luke's dentist on chew street. The doctor looked in my mouth and said I don't do extractions. My question, why did they send me there if this dentist did not do the service I needed? However, this doctor gave me a new referral with STAT for the urgency and a list of all the oral surgeon in the Valley. Instead of leaving this dentist office I started calling and found a dentist that had an emergency slot for the next day. This doctor stated that this WAS an EMERGENCY and asked if I wanted to remove the tooth that day. Long story short, this dentist removed that fracture wisdom tooth and drained any infection he saw. I was giving post op instructions, but the next morning I looked I still looked like a chipmunk and the pain had me rocking and crying.
My sister took me back to the hospital in Allentown (St Luke's). I was told that I needed to be transferred to the Bethlehem location. I waited in the ER over night and at least they gave me pain medication. The next morning the ER doctor told me he was getting transport arranged and I was going to be admitted directly from the ER to the Bethlehem OR. Once I got to Bethlehem I was taken directly to the Operating room. Even though the tooth was gone there was a raging infection that had been brewing for some time. This surgery seems to go well, but I was still taking pain medication, and could not open my mouth wide enough to eat. I went home the next day and I was happy to sleep in my own bed. I went out to make sure I had things I needed before the snow coming the next morning. On the way home I got a call from St. Luke's Allentown informing me to go to the Bethlehem hospital because one of the blood cultures came back positive. I was admitted and have been fighting the infection with IV antibiotics since, long story short I had Septis.
As I write this I am propped up and still in the hospital.The surgeon put in two drains; one inside my mouth and a drain on the outside of my face and gave no instruction on How they are to be close, especially the drain inserted by my jaw line. This surgeon only concern was about how everything looked better and telling me that I did not have pain when I felt horrible pain; did I mentioned this was a ST. Luke's OMS surgeon! I wonder if I punched him in the groin, could I tell him what pain he was is feeling. That goes to show you that the "color of care" and racial health care disparities are alive and well. My main concern is the sepsis in my blood could have a major issue with my heart, Pacemaker, and other vital organs. With all of what I said, this could have been avoided if the OMS gatekeeper could fit me in when I originally called. If my surgery was done at a reasonable time and date, the infection would not have grown because it was first time that tooth socket would be open due the extraction and, most likely I would not had to drain, instead of days later allowed the infection to grow.
I will never get the time returning to ER, hospital stay, and slow recovery at back. I am really disgusted with St. Luke's OMS and would never go to them for anything ever.
(Updated 3/15/2024) With all the IV antibiotics, two weeks later I developed Clostridioides Difficile and a horrible UTI. C-Diff is highly contagious and the symptoms are diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, and basically feeling like you want to die. Once again all this could have been avoided. I am still recovering from this horrible infection. You can read about this https://www.cdc.gov/cdiff/what-is.html.n
If you read what the CDC has to say about C. Diff; this infection could have killed me. Shame on you St Luke's OMS.
The first part of this review was written at the end of January while I was still in the hospital, but was not posted.
Dr. Karen Glover DM/IST
