We’ve just been through quite a stress filled day.

As a parent, I hate it when Dearest Son has to get any sort of treatment done. It makes me very anxious, to the point I’m wishing I could go through it for him. I know, I know, he has to learn to deal with all these things in life but it’s the mamma lion in me that just wants to protect at all costs. Most parents are the same.

So Monday was stressful. We had to go to the hospital in Inverness to the ‘big’ dental clinic. Dearest Son needs to have several teeth removed before he can have braces put in and according to his regular dentist this is a very common thing to happen now. Our mouths are often too small for the number of teeth we are growing.

I don’t know when this started happening but here’s the bit I find hard to swallow – I had the exact same thing happen to me. When I was around 7, my dentist pulled out many teeth and slapped a brace in. I remember this all happening on the same day but I could be mistaken about that. What I’m not mistaken about is that I had all 4 out on the same day with lots of numbing injections in my mouth. I had been brought up ‘not to cry’ about such things so I just curled my toes and got through it somehow.

Dearest Son has a great dentist but he still hates getting any work done and as for anything involving injections? Forget it!

His dentist is well aware of this and so made arrangements for the extractions to be done under more special conditions. Dearest Son wanted to be completely knocked out and that terrified me too so we agreed to talk to the specialist dentist and see what could be done.

After eventually finding the place (no map was included with the appointment letter. Would have helped), we sat in a large, sparse waiting area.

We were called in and there were 3 very nice women who spent time going over the options and assuring Dearest Son that they wouldn’t do anything he wasn’t happy with. He did say he wanted ‘knocked out’ but after discussion, he has agreed to go for the next level up: He’ll be very sedated but he’ll be conscious enough to tell them to stop if he isn’t ok. Apparently many people who have this think they’ve been asleep and don’t remember the treatment afterwards so this is the next step. Two appointments have been arranged and they aren’t till early next year but I’m still anxious about it.

I can stay with him until the sedation kicks in, then I’ve to leave my baby alone with strangers who are going to pull out some of his teeth. So yes, it is weighing on me and I can’t help it!

I barely slept Sunday night and after driving there and back, I was exhausted. I find that hospital a very stressful place to be. In fact, the last time I was there was 8 years ago and that was the last time I saw my mum.

So, I’ve got till the middle of February to get a handle on my nerves – cue the herbal teas and meditation! I’m not looking forward to any of this but I keep telling Dearest Son he has to keep his ‘eyes on the prize’, as I know he has always been self conscious about his teeth not being perfectly straight. I need to keep reminding myself of the same thing.