not just another Thursday

friday the 13th is just another day to me, besides the obvious that its a TGIF.

thursday, on the other hand, was a better day, thanks to one of my appointment patients.

i booked the Chinese middle-aged lady for a minor oral surgery for an extraction which could be routine but i did not want to take the risk anyway.. its easy to underestimate difficult cases and struggle in the end leaving patients frustrated and in great pain. i explained the procedure, warned her and assured her again and again.

she was anxious but she told me something that was least expected.

"i heard you are very good at extracting teeth! painless!"

"oh..?"

"yes yes.. all my Chinese friends say that the dentist here very good.. "

"ooh.. maybe they mean the other dentists in Limbang.."

"no no.. the Chinese dentist.. you.." (i am the only Chinese dentist here)

"oh.. thank you.. "

we proceeded with treatment, and having warned her and estimated a possible 1-hour surgery, she must have feared the worst. but lo and behold, the tooth came out in a few minutes without the surgical blade, and of course, without any pain.

"was it painful?" i asked as i wrote her medical prescription and filled in her sick leave form.

"no no.. good good.. really as people say..."

"probably so happens that a couple of your friends came and..." i tried to explain as i don't think i deserve such compliments.

"..no no.. if you are Really Good.. people will talk about it.." she interrupted. well, that's some truth to that, especially in small towns.

"and if you are Bad, people will talk about it too," i joked back.

"Yes! that's true.. i know of such dentists! the extractions are.. painful!" she said quietly, as if there's spies on the other side of the wall listening in.

"Really? you mean here in Limbang? must be in the past.." i was sure that my current fellow colleagues are all capable as well.

"yes.. last time.." she shook her head.. and thankfully she did not reveal any more than i should know.

"So, where are you working?" i asked her as i filled the sick leave form as i needed that information.

"SMK Sundar... "

"Sundar? in Lawas???"

FYI, Lawas is another town about an hour away after Brunei, equipped with dental services as well. why waste the time, petrol and cross the Brunei borders twice per journey? well, i suppose its normal to the locals to have their passport stamped 4 times just to go to the next town for short day trips.

"Lawas has its own government dental clinic and even a private dental clinic (there's no private dental clinics in Limbang).." i started to explain when she interrupted again..

"i know.. but.. " she shook her head for a while and i didn't want to probe further, "..i rather come here." definitely a smart neutral way to end her sentence.

this conversation is one of the most flattering things i've heard in the past 3.5 months serving in Limbang, if not the most.

"avoid rinsing.. make sure you bite on your gauze to stop the bleeding.. etc.. " i said before i left.

"thank you thank you.." she said.

"welcome.. take care."

the whole conversation took place in Mandarin... so none of my staff understood (i was the only Chinese in the clinic as well) which was good as some things are better kept for myself to savour.

as i said, friday the 13th is just another day, but thursday the 12th was a little sweeter than usual, thanks to that patient, although i would prefer to be good in other aspects of dentistry like restorative works or dentures than painless extractions. i suppose that's better than nothing though!