A tooth twinge, then a coma
‘If I had waited another 24 hours to receive treatment I would have been dead’
A Southland woman says she nearly died after ignoring a sore tooth and now she’s pleading with other people to get medical help straight away.
Janis Simonka said she woke up on a Friday morning with a twinge in her tooth but was too busy with family matters and chores to give it much thought.
By the weekend the pain started to worsen and her face began to swell, but she said she was not in a financial position to go to an after-hours dentist.
On Monday she was having difficulty swallowing and on the Tuesday she got treatment, but it was nearly too late.
Her son drove her to Southland Hospital’s emergency department where a dentist pulled out her tooth.
Simonka said she was put on an antibiotic drip and kept in hospital overnight, but continued to struggle to swallow and breathe when lying down, she said.
When a medic checked on her the next morning she was rushed from a normal ward to the critical ward and was told a helicopter was on its way to take her to Dunedin Hospital.
Once there, she was put under sedation and an abscess in her neck was lanced.
She remained in an induced coma for 24 hours before being brought out of it, she said.
‘‘I was a lot sicker than I thought I was . . . I think if I had waited another 24 hours to receive treatment I would have been dead.’’
She had spoken out about her experience because she didn’t want other people to suffer.
‘‘My main thing is I don’t want other people going through this. Don’t ignore the abscess in your mouth or the sore tooth, it can be deadly.’’
Simonka, who does not have a regular dentist, said she made the mistake of believing other things were more important than treatment, and the financial cost of visiting an after-hours dentist had also put her off getting help.
She believed others, including the ‘‘working poor’’ may feel the same in similar circumstances, which was why she had spoken out.
The New Zealand Dental Association said people with tooth pain should first contact their local dentist for assistance. When outside normal work hours, the dentist’s phone message or website should have contact details for their region’s after-hours dentist. Failing that, go to the hospital emergency department if the need is urgent.
Simonka said she was discharged from Dunedin Hospital after six days, which included several days in ICU.
‘‘After that it was lots of antibiotics and painkillers and no sleep. It’s taken a fortnight and I still can’t swallow properly.’’