2023
WARNING… this is a very long post, it is going to cover all of 2023 and it has been monumental so be warned, lol.
January – Antalya, Turkey
So I finally decided to take the plunge and get my teeth fixed. I’ve been really unhappy with them for many years and have put off having any treatment because basically I am dentist phobic after a traumatic incident that happened to me some 30 years ago. I have been looking around and thinking about it for a long time and every time I have the funds to do it I buy another bike lol, but not this time, this time I’m going to put my big grrrl knickers on and get it done. The cost in the UK for this treatment is astronomical.. £15,000 and up… ok so I am looking abroad to find somewhere that will be able to do a good job for a mega phobic patient. Some friends of Gloria’s have recommended Magic Smile in Antalya, Turkey, I do some research and they get 5* reviews across the board and the cost is less than half of here in the UK so no brainer, that is where I am going. Of course I am terrified, but they get tremendous reviews and with a personal recommendation that they will be very gentle with me, I have booked myself in.
The first visit is for a week, they will do all the dental foundation work and then I will have to return in March, again for a week, for the final fitting. I arrive late on the Sunday evening ready for my first appointment on the Monday morning. Magic Smile fees include all accommodation and breakfast, transfers to/from the airport and also to/from the dental appointments.
The next morning I am due to be picked up at 10 am, Turkey is 3 hours ahead of the UK, but as I am an early riser I have plenty of time for breakfast and a quick look at the local area.. the hotel is just a 1 minute walk from the sea so I put my best croc forward and off I go. The weather is lovely, warm and sunny and the scenery…
beautiful isn’t it.. I’m looking forward to seeing more of it later, but first a coffee methinks, ahhh there’s a Starbucks… well it would be rude not to..
I return to the Hotel and the cab comes to collect me…
and very nice it is too… don’t think I have ever been in such an elaborate vehicle before…
I arrive at an ultra modern, clean and very impressive facility where I am greeted by very friendly people, most of whom are in white scrubs, though some have blue or black tops.. don’t know what that means. A guy with perfect English sits down with me and takes my details, he explains that I am going to go into another room where he will take some 3D scans of my mouth, which will be reviewed by the dentist who will do my work and then they will sit down with me to discuss my treatment plan in detail. Just some 10 minutes later the same guy asks me to accompany him and we go into the scan room where I will have the images done. I am a bit shaky, but of course it is all quite harmless and over in a matter of minutes. I need the loo… now that is impressive, yes I know I’m easily impressed but I’ve never seen this before, I must video it to share with Gloria
I return to the comfortable waiting area and again what seems like only a few minutes later a young woman joins me and of course in perfect English asks me to join her in another room. I am instructed to take a seat in the dentist chair.. now I’m starting to panic.. I tell her I am an extremely nervous and phobic patient, but she reassures me that this is just the consultation, the dentists will take a look at my scans and then will explain my treatment plan.. whew. A few people gather behind me looking at a huge tv displaying my scans, they are talking in Turkish of course so all I can do is wait and calm down.
The young woman comes back and explains the procedure and what will happen, I am already shaking, but it has to be done… that is why I am here. She tells me to take a seat in the waiting area and someone will come to take me upstairs to the dentist so the treatment can begin.. WHAT!! no, no, no I’m not ready.. she tells me not to worry, it won’t take long and it will be soon over. She says they will take good care of me, I don’t feel that reassured, but I have come all this way now so better swallow your fears gal. Within a few minutes a young woman in a headscarf comes for me and escorts me up the sweeping staircase, she doesn’t speak any English but she is smiley and very friendly. She takes me into a room where a man is waiting, he tells me, again in perfect English, he is the dentist and he will be doing the operation. He is going to extract all my teeth and insert 8 implants, four on the top and four on the bottom.. this is the treatment I am having, it is called All-On Four implant surgery and I am fucking terrified!
So some 2 hours later I emerge from the room looking like a hamster.. I mean seriously huge cheeks! All my teeth are gone and I have been jabbed, stabbed, drilled and filled so now all the implants are in place. I will be taken to a local pharmacy to pick up my meds, pain killers and antibiotics, but in the meantime I am told to wait in the reception area. I am given two frozen ice packs to hold against my cheeks while I wait. Then the pain breaks through the novocaine, and I have had a lot! Wow, I don’t ever remember this level of pain in my life, it is excruciating, I am almost crying. The young man comes to talk to me and reassures me that the worst is over and this will pass quickly, just keep using the ice packs. I am still in agony so they offer me some strong painkillers while I am waiting for my ride. Eventually the cab arrives and takes me to the pharmacy, the pain is not subsiding so all I can do is go to bed and wait it out. Of course I now have zero teeth… eek, how can I eat? The hotel, which is very nice by the way – the Azuu, must have the Magic Smile franchise I guess as they have a special Magic Smile menu that consists of 3 set meals all of which are soft foods. I don’t feel like eating right now, but maybe I will give it a go later.
I am not due to have my next appointment until Wednesday to give my mouth time to settle down. They will take impressions of my mouth in order to make a new temporary prosthetic for my lower jaw which I will wear with my existing upper denture until I return in March for the second week when my new full set of final teeth will be made and fitted.
The following day and the pain has finally reduced to aching. I make my way down to the breakfast area and see there are lots of people having dental work done staying here.. some of whom sport their empty mouths quite happily and some, like me, who wear face masks when out in public. I manage to suck my way through soft bread, very loose scrambled egg and a few beans in a tomatoey sauce… better than nothing.
As I’m free today and feeling a little better I decide to do some exploring, so take a taxi into the old town. I visit Hadrian’s Gate, a very well preserved roman arch that leads into the market area… very touristy…
they seem to have a thing for Freda Kahlo for some reason, my granddaughter’s favourite artist. I really enjoy wandering around the old town, and spot this on my travels:
The next day I go back to the clinic and the staff I met on Monday all come over and ask how I am feeling, they really make me feel supported and are very kind to me, I have nothing but good things to say about them and the treatment so far. Again the young woman with the headscarf comes to collect me and we go upstairs into a different room where a woman dentist, (she has a black tunic), tells me she will take my impressions today.. I start to shake… she holds my hand and tells me ‘ok ok ok, no worry, ok ok ok’, she is very sweet. The procedure takes just half an hour and then I am released for the day, I will need to come back tomorrow for the fitting of the temporary prosthetic, just in my lower jaw, I will continue to wear my existing denture for the time being. Once downstairs I am approached by the young woman who seems to be in charge to some degree, (she was the one who explained the procedure plan to me on Monday, I don’t know her name so am going to call her the Manageress). We go into the office and she shows me examples of teeth for me to choose the colour. Once done it is back waiting for the cab to take me to the hotel.
I ask the cab driver if he can drop me near to the marina for a look around, he says he must ask in the clinic.. he comes back and says yes he can do that.
I enjoy a lovely walk around the old port area, some very interesting boats here too..
The next day again I am taken to the clinic, met by the staff who are all very sweet, escorted by the headscarf woman upstairs to my dentist.. ok ok ok… (she says this a lot to me, while stroking my head… just so lovely). She then proceeds to fit the lower temporary denture which has been made for me and they have also managed to eliminate my overbite.. I am very happy with the results so far and, despite the pain, would recommend Magic Smile to anyone considering dental implants. Before I leave, the Manageress takes me into the office.. time to pay the piper, I pay half now and will pay the remainder when I return for the next and final week of treatment.
I am staying til Sunday so once I am recovered I decide to arrange a tour.. I look on Trip Advisor and select a full day trip to several sites starting with the Sakalar Falls
I must say I am pretty impressed, I don’t think I have ever seen a river in such a tumultuous flow.
Next we head over to Manavgat to visit the greek ruins of SIDE including the Athena and Apollo Temples
We are then taken to another ancient site at Aspendos to visit a very well preserved roman amphitheater… now that is really impressive
After this we arrive at a fairly run down building that has rows and rows of trestle tables. The day ticket includes lunch, but of course I can’t eat it as I am on a soft food diet for the next couple of weeks. I do try to eat what I can, but the guy seems really offended when I refuse the main course.. he really insists I must try it. In the end I lose my rag a little and tell him I can’t eat it, I’ve had dental treatment… grrrr
It’s a pretty full on day for sure, so next stop is to see an ancient Roman Aqueduct… it is also a shopping opportunity as there are stalls here and we are ‘gently’ encouraged to buy.. I resist.
Next stop is the ancient city of Perga, an enormous site where we are left to our own devices for an hour and a half… bit too long for my liking to be honest, but very interesting all the same.
I have really, really enjoyed the day…. so much to see and a little bit exhausting, but am so glad I did it.. well worth the time and money for sure.
My final photos of this trip…
That’s it.. all done until March when I must come back for the fitting of the final prosthetics.
Now you may be wondering, why are you writing a single blog entry for the whole year? Read on….
February to April – London, UK
On the 13th February 2023 the weather was beautiful so I decided to take Piggy for a blat to Southend on Sea… a lovely ride there, but wasn’t able to stay in Southend as there didn’t seem to be anywhere to park my bike… I mean I already suffered a parking ticket there a couple of years ago so was not prepared to chance it and give them any more of my hard earned dosh.. a quick stop and ride through was all that I wanted anyway really so I just make my way home via some nice twisty roads instead. As I near London I join the A13, a major fast road, which connects with the A406 north circular round to where I live.
I arrive at the traffic lights to join the north circular at what is known as the Beckton roundabout, notorious for the number of accidents there, I of course make my way to the front of the traffic as usual and patiently wait for the lights to change. Just as they go green I take off to beat the traffic when suddenly a blue van comes from my right cutting across me into my lane so I have to swerve slightly right to avoid going into the back of the van. I then look in my mirror and see a large yellow lorry bearing down on me and seconds later it hits into me pushing the bike out from under me. I crash into the front of the lorry, roll down and under the vehicle. I remember everything, but more especially the large wheel coming towards me and thinking that’s it I’m dead!! I try to roll away from what is most certainly death, but the wheel comes into contact with my right ribs and pushes me along the ground before coming to a standstill. To say I was screaming in pain would be an understatement, (and I thought the dental treatment was bad)! The next thing a man comes over and just stands next to me, I am face down so can only see his feet and lower legs, he doesn’t speak to me and then I hear him on the phone saying ‘He’s lying on the ground in a pool of blood’… he then disappears without once asking if I am ok or anything at all. Next another man comes to me and tells me he has called 999 and an ambulance is on the way.. I am in so much pain it is unbelievable. The first man is then joined by another man who tells me they will move my bike and then a woman appears on my right who tells me she is Lisa an Accident and Emergency consultant, (I really wish she had told me her last name, I would have liked to thank her). I ask her to please give me something for the pain, but she does not have her bag with her so she cannot do anything. She says they are sending the helicopter for me and it should be here soon. Each time someone comes to me they ask me my name, after many attempts to get them to understand my name, (Pauline, Porkerine, Puddledeen), I give in and say Pat, just call me Pat, (the English version of my name that I hate).
The next to arrive are the police who seem to have gone through my belongings and found my phone so they have called Gloria to let her know I have had an accident, they say they will tell her where I am being taken. I can see them out of the corner of my eye, they seem to be taking a statement from a man who I presume to be the bastard who mowed me down and then couldn’t be bothered to see if I was ok, I hear him saying something like… ‘he swerved in front of me, I couldn’t stop’ to which I shout – ‘liar, liar’.. . After a while I do hear the sound of the helicopter arriving overhead, but Lisa tells me they cannot land so I must wait for the ambulance which is going to be 15 minutes… OMG I wish someone would give me something for the fucking pain.
Eventually the ambulance arrives and the paramedics go to work… they cut everything off of me, and I mean everything, so not only am I bleeding to death, but it’s the middle of February and I’m lying on the tarmac naked, (I later learn that they have stopped all the traffic at the roundabout so I presume lots of people had a really good view… embarrassing or what!). They then stab me in several places with hypos containing ketamine, morphine and another very powerful pain killer, which I cannot remember the name of as by then I was pretty much out of it. Having said that I do vaguely remember being put on a gurney and rolled into the back of the ambulance.. all I remember after that though is some pretty psychedelic visions I can tell you.
Some time later I come to in A&E at The Royal London Hospital Trauma Centre with Glo by my side… I was very happy to see her for sure. At this point I am not feeling any pain at all, but I was full of a narcotic cocktail of course. Later a couple of police officers arrived and told me that my bike had been removed to the police pound and I would need to have it collected from there by whoever is going to deal with the repairs. They did say the bike looked ok, not too much damage as far as they could see. They also told me that the driver had been cautioned after failing a roadside drug test!! WTF, unbelievable to think that this arsehole was high whilst driving, no wonder he didn’t seem bothered to have almost killed someone.
I ended up being in hospital for a little less than 3 weeks having undergone major surgery to basically sew my right leg back onto my body… I now have a 15 inch scar running from the middle of my right hip down to under my foo foo.
Here’s some photos.. not too explicit or gruesome I hope
I also had 4 broken ribs, a severely cracked right hip both top and bottom and cracks to my lumbar vertebrae from L2 to L4.
I’m not really feeling any pain, as the next photos show only too well….
The worst and most prolonged injury is also related to having my leg almost ripped off, this is what’s called a degloving injury where my derma has separated from my muscle causing a huge swelling known as a seroma. I have two of these, one on my right hip/buttock which is enormous and one on the top outer thigh, I am still undergoing treatment for both of these more than a year later.
In terms of my recovery, after I left hospital I spend the next month or so on my living room couch, just trying to walk again… starting off with a walking frame, then crutches and then a walking stick. I have carers coming in morning and evening to help with personal care, which is a little embarrassing at first but I soon get used to it as they are all very nice and respectful women… of course I did get used to this in hospital too as I was not able to stand for a while unassisted and certainly couldn’t walk too and from the bathroom.. the bed baths were also an experience but I loved my hospital bed, so comfortable and of course my morphine pump, too bad they took that away as soon as they could… damn!!
Obviously I’m in no fit state to go to Turkey and have my teeth done so this will have to be postponed until I am ready.
Now I’m home I get to arrange Warrs Harley Davidson to collect my bike and sort out the repairs.. they sent me some photos of the damage.
and a bill for the release fee, £125! The total repair bill is assessed to be £6000, which I have to pay from my own insurance and claim back from the driver. I have instructed accident specialist solicitors who are working on a no win no fee basis, but I will have to wait years to see any compensation if at all.. my main compo is the fact I am alive because believe me I am very, very lucky to be still here for sure.
On top of all of this I leave Dykes on Bikes London.. I’m not going to go into the why’s and wherefores, albeit to say it was a tremendously painful and devastating decision, the club that I set up and was so proud to be a member of just disintegrated before my eyes and I was not in a fit state to deal with any of the bullshit, either physically or mentally… end of story.
So why haven’t I written my blog sooner… a very good question.. I don’t know the answer to be honest, the psychologist came to see me when I was in hospital and we talked about trauma and mental health and I really felt fine, I was still on a morphine pump and other interesting drugs at the time so was reasonably euphoric to say the least. Shortly after I left hospital I knew that I had to get back to work and also to get back on some form of two wheels. Of course there was no way I could throw my leg over a motorcycle yet, I mean I could barely walk, but after 3 months it was time to try and get back to my life and make some money too. It was at this point that I had a brainwave…. yes wait for it….
… meet Harley the scooter! This will be great for getting about in London methinks, well how wrong can I be? First of all, due to the accident my insurance quote is through the roof, over £700 to insure this baby! Still I have to go to work and I’m not up to public transport so I have to grin and bear it for now. For my first job I go to work with a regular client some 10 miles away but, despite still being on morphine and other nerve pain drugs, the pain of riding this on Londons crap roads is just unbearable. I manage but, after just a couple of weeks going to various places have to admit defeat! I was talking to a colleague who suggested I enrol on a remote video interpreting platform, so this is what I did and it has been a life saver I can tell you… Harley scooter has been relegated to the garage until I can make a decision re the future, and I’ve cancelled the insurance!!
May/June – Gibraltar/Antalya, Turkey/London, UK
As my wound and broken bones heal I am gradually able to move and walk better, albeit with a pronounced limp, however in May my surgeon agrees that if I am careful I can try to ride a motorcycle.. well you don’t need to tell me twice.
As it’s now May I decide to visit our apartment in Gibraltar for a week and, as the weather is so good, I take the opportunity to get the Harley Roadster out of the garage in Spain and take it for a ride…. absolutely fabulous
I must admit I was more than a little anxious and it did hurt to get on and off, but it was certainly good for my confidence and my soul.
I fly home and then 2 days later it’s back to Antalya for the fitting of my new teeth… can I really endure any more pain this year??
The people at Magic Smile cannot do enough for me, the hotel has two blocks, the reception side has a lift but the other block where the restaurant and bar are located does not. When I came in January I was on the restaurant side, but I cannot manage the stairs so request a ground floor room. They don’t have any ground floor rooms but they do give me a room in the reception block so I can use the lift.
I am quite excited to be back as I know the painful part is over and I will be going home with my new upper jaw teeth. I would really like to see more of the area, I have done the ancient ruins and amazing waterfalls on my last visit so once I know what the plan for the week is I will be sorting out some transport while I am here, a bike of some description of course; after all it is unlikely I will ever return to this place.
As before the cab comes for me on Monday morning for my first appointment and when I arrive at the clinic I am immediately greeted by the guy I dealt with last time and the Manageress, they seem genuinely concerned and ask how I am after my accident. I do think their customer service is quite outstanding I must say. Again I wait just 10 or so minutes before the dental nurse in the headscarf comes and collects me to take me upstairs to where ‘Ok-Ok’ is waiting for me. As soon as I am in the chair I begin to shake, I really don’t have any control over it, but the dentist is very reassuring.. ok ok ok… relax… she proceeds to fit the upper prosthetic and is screwing it into my implants that are buried in my jaw… this hurts… she is saying she can give me an injection… no I don’t want that because that hurts worse.. such a baby I know. My hands are shaking so much you can see the apron they have put on me lifting.. every few minutes she stops and asks if I am ok.. and when she is tightening the screws she says ok ok ok relax… in a very caring and soothing voice. The whole procedure is a very weird experience. Anyway, she next puts a dot on the end of my nose and chin and takes some measurements. She also puts what looks like small strips of carbon paper between my teeth to check the bite.
Next a man comes in and Ok-Ok has a conversation with him… they both come over and look in my mouth, while talking. Next the dentist removes the prosthetic and the man takes a drill to it, clearly adjusting it. She brings it back and puts it in my mouth… they gaze in and talk some more… she takes it out… he drills… she puts it back in. All this is done in Turkish, no explanation… Ok-Ok doesn’t seem to speak very much English, but as I say she is really lovely and I feel confident with her, but still shaking of course. Eventually she/they seem happy with the fit and she offers me a mirror to see the results…
Mmmm I’m not sure, I think they look fabulous but I also think I look a bit horsey!! I send this photo to Gloria to ask her advice.. she thinks they look great but I’m not convinced. I mention it to Ok-Ok and she says no problem we can get them adjusted. So she takes them out and says I will need to come back on Wednesday. Ok great, that gives me all day tomorrow to myself.
For the rest of the day I decide to explore more of the local area that I was in too much pain to see last time…
This is the Duden Falls
I also do some research for hiring a motorcycle… there isn’t much locally and all relatively expensive. Of course a Harley is out of the question, not only is it very expensive, but I am not well enough to ride really, especially if I don’t own it. I decide to go into the old town and visit a scooter hire place after my appointment tomorrow, I can see they have a ‘maxi’ scooter for hire and it is available so I’ll take a look and see if I can get on and off it ok.
The next day I am taken to my appointment, which I am hoping will be the last. I must say I’m not sure why I am here for a whole week, there isn’t much else to do as far as I can see. Back in the chair with Ok-Ok and she begins fitting the adjusted prosthetic, there are what seems to be several people behind me, coming and going in the room and Ok-Ok is talking to them whilst screwing into my jaw and then suddenly there is excruciating pain when she attempts to screw into one of the implants, I almost jump out of the chair and shout in pain… Ok-Ok steps back and says the usual ‘ok ok you are ok, relax’ I tell her no no no I’m not ok it’s not ok something is wrong… now I am crying. She says ok we wait… she pats me on the shoulder and motions me to lie back in the chair.. ‘relax’. I lay back but am really in shock, I was not expecting this… I start to think it was probably just a nerve as the pain quickly subsides and Ok-Ok reassures me all is fine and asks if she can proceed so I say yes. She starts to turn the screw in the same implant and I shout stop… I can feel it turning in the bone and it is frightening and very painful.. she stops again and waits. She asks if it is ok to try again, she will be gentle.. I am very, very scared but I agree to one more try… no stop it is definitely turning. Suddenly the room is full of people including the Manageress.. they are all talking.. a lot.. the Manageress comes over with Ok-Ok and translates. She will stop the fitting now and they will ask me to wait in the waiting area downstairs. They will take some scans and will discuss options and then she, the Manageress, will explain what is happening after that.
After the scans I can see a large group crowded round the tv screen in the room downstairs.. there is quite a lot of talking going on so I presume it is my scans they are discussing. Eventually the Manageress comes out and takes me into the office and explains that the implant has failed and so they cannot replace it this visit, I am going to have to return again in 3-5 months. The implant will need that time to heal and allow the bone to grow over. When I return they will fit another implant, but I will then have to return again in a further 3 months, once the new implant has healed, for a final fitting. They will not charge me any more money and they will make a whole new prosthetic for me at no extra charge, I will only have to pay for my flights. Of course as a self employed person I will also lose 2 weeks worth of income unless I can do some jobs while I am here, but I am not thinking about this right now, I am wondering what the hell is going to go wrong next??
So the plan now is that I will return tomorrow and Ok-Ok will fit the new prosthetic as planned, but only on 3 implants, leaving the failed one to heal. This is ok as the prosthetic will be fine on 3, but I must make sure I am not biting or eating anything too hard. It’s better for me to relax the rest of today and come back tomorrow when they will fit the prosthetic and then I’m done until maybe September or October.
While I am waiting for the cab back to the hotel I think I’m feeling ok so I would like to continue with my plan to hire a scooter. I ask the reception if the cab can take me to the old town, or somewhere nearby instead of the hotel. They agree this is fine…
I walk past a very quaint tea shop and decide that looks like a great place for some lunch… and it is.
After lunch I look for the scooter hire place. There are several scooters outside and I see the large one is going to be much too high for me to get on and off of with my bad leg/hip so I opt for a small 125cc. the guy is very helpful, but he wants to be paid in cash so I have to go off to the cash machine first and come back with the dosh. I ride the bike back to the hotel and later take it out for a spin up and down the coast road. It is so good to have the sun and wind on my face… the weather is just glorious, perfect for riding, I immediately feel much better.
Next day I go back to the clinic and it’s the usual procedure except the young man is also in the treatment room, he is there to translate for Ok-Ok. Once I am in the chair Ok-Ok says something to me and the young man says she said she is sorry and she feels very full in her heart for me… I really appreciate this and I know she must feel terrible about what happened. Thinking about it since yesterday I do think she took her ‘eye off the ball’ as I recall she was tightening the screw and looking away whilst talking to someone so to my mind it was her fault that the implant failed. Of course I may be wrong, but her taking the time to not only say this to me, but to make sure the young man was there to translate says it all in my book. I am not angry with her, but I am kicking myself.. if only I had not thought I looked horsey then none of this would have happened.
Ok-Ok fits the prosthetic without further incident and I go down to the ground floor and into the loo for a closer, private look in the mirror at the teeth. Aside from the terrible accident yesterday I do think they look great… OMG why oh why didn’t I just go with them as they were… it just isn’t my year for sure.
When I come out, the Manageress comes over and asks me to join her in the office. Again she tells me the plan going forward, that I’m to return in a few months when they will do a new implant and then again early next year for the final fitting. Now I need to pay the other half of my bill and then that is all for this visit.
When I get home to the UK I am still waiting for Piggy to be repaired, they are waiting for the paintwork to be finished, but I already have my planning head on. Summer is coming and the girls will be here for London Pride, (I am not riding this year, obviously), then I am going to Germany for Cologne Pride so it means I’ll have to go on the Himalayan Scram this year. While I have been laid up and after the debacle of my departure from London, Dori G, the President of DoB Rhine-Weser tells me that the Rhine-Weser club is discussing offering me an honorary patch as Emeritus Secretary and they will make a decision soon; I am absolutely delighted and very much hope they will decide to offer me a patch…
This really is a massive post… and it’s only the first 6 months!! I guess things can only get better from here right? Look out for Zweiter Teil coming soon to find out.
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