Be prepared. Two very simple words that have been drilled into me since I was 12 years old in George Bley’s Boy Scout Troop 119. It is the Scout Motto. Whether it be rain, sleet, snow, or sun you should always be prepared for everything and anything. It was a concept I was unfamiliar with but adapted to quickly with a little guidance and an educational experience of Murphy’s Law.

Seven years later, those words appeared on a screen in my original EMT class in bold red letters like this: BE PREPARED. There is no excuse for not having what you need to get the job done. Get ‘R Done is the other popular EMS concept. If you don’t have what you need, then be prepared to get it and in my business that means right then and there. Trauma dressings, oxygen, stair chair, and of course a stretcher are just some of the things we use on each and every call. Does that mean that a size 8 French suction catheter should be overlooked because it is not used daily even though it is on the "800" or checkout sheet? Oh hell no! That tracheotomy patient is coming, and you better have that catheter ready to suck the shit out of their windpipe… and if not then you need to be prepared to suck it out with a straw from your soda if necessary. If you’re not prepared to get the job done, somebody dies. That is not acceptable. Simple stuff right?

So then someone needs to explain to me why it is that no one else understands these concepts. My particular example is what happened to me this morning at the dentist. As some of you may know, I’ve been undergoing some extensive oral work.

I’ve had six root canals and the top four front teeth I have are being replaced with individual crowns and posts. This is not cheap. In fact when all is said and done I will have in all likelihood paid out well over $20,000 for this wonderful experience. Now I know that perhaps had I taken care of my teeth a bit better it would not have led to getting the front four cracked and broken while in NOLA. I know that by putting off having them fixed right away has also led to my dilemma.

So now today was a big day. I have one post and temporary crown in, and the other three were supposed to be put in today. Once that’s done I get impressions or something done and permanent crowns. Then there is only one more root canal, a back molar root that needs to be removed, a few fillings on the bottom, and then I am pretty much done minus a cleaning.

So today I get into the chair. I get the gas. I get my shots. My mouth is numbed. I feel relaxed. The drilling starts. The grinding continues. He’s working feverously with sweat. The suction is sucking. Then, he calls for the posts. He asks for the “red, flexible flanged”. His assistant shows up with a tray. She hands him one. He starts putting it in and then stops. He takes it out and says, “You brought me the wrong one. I need the red flexi flanged.”

From the corner of my eye I can see her look at him from behind the blonde wisps of hair with hollow eyes, and in the thick Eastern European accent says, “That is it. That is the red one.” The suction is sucking cold air into my mouth causing slowly building agony on my back molars that are exposed and not numbed.

He becomes agitated and repeats, “I need the flanged one.” Turning back he begins to re-drill or grind whatever had been altered by the imposter post.

She scurries away and returns a minute later. She unwraps whatever wrapping there is and hands it to him. He’s about to put it in when he stops and says to her, “You brought me the wrong one again! I need the flanged one!” The air is getting colder on the back molar… and the agony is growing.

“There are no more,” she replies bluntly.

“There are no more?” he asks while the suction continues to suck the cold air past my back molar sending me into a tizzy.

“No. They were used yesterday and re-ordered, but will not be here until next week,” she replies sharply. Okay… SOMEBODY GET THIS DAMN SUCTION OFF MY FUCKING TOOTH!

Well needless to say… he drilled me, ground me, put holes in me, and now HAS NO POSTS!!! So now my three teeth have been ground to the gum line and they are sore as all hell. On top of this, since he couldn’t do the posts, he did the last root canal which by far has been the absolute worst one. Food… what food? How am I supposed to eat for the next week??? Right… now do you see why I am in the mood I’m in?

Be prepared. Really simple concept there people. Now if someone could teach that in dentistry school maybe we’d have a lot less patient on dentist assaults. Lucky for him I didn't sleep well last night and was too damn tired.