to complain about the dental hygienist hurting my back?

[herecomesthsun]

I had a section 4 months ago and went to the hygienist this week. Obviously I was lying down during the session. When it came to the end of the session she switched on the back of the electronic chair to go up. I was sitting at a funny angle and my back got caught. I yelled "ow ow" very loudly but she did not turn the chair machine off so it kept on going up, with my back more and more squished.

I was surprised that she a) did not stop the machine b) did not offer a single word of apology. I turned and looked at her and she gave me this sardonic little smile. "Oh," said she, "you clearly have a bad back".

Well, I do get twinges from time to time (But it wasn't playing up particularly bady before this appointment).

"Oh," she says " you need to do some yoga then".

Well no, actually, I have been advised by a very good yoga/ pilates teacher to wait longer for my section scar to heal before I do core exercises. And no, I don't want advice about exercise or my back from a dental hygienist.

And yes, I would like you to have stopped the motor on the chair so it didn't hurt my back any more when I was obviously in pain, and I would like you to have apologised and not to have looked rather smug and sort of pleased that you hurt me. And yes, I do mind paying you to behave like that towards me (private dentist unfortunately).

The practice does not seem to have another hygienist. If I complain, it would be awkward seeing her again, so I might need to change practice altogether, possibly with the rest of the family, so inconvenient for them too. There is a second practice in the village though.

Also, i do feel a bit awkward about complaining. So I thought I would ventilate here a bit first and see whether you all would...

I think YWBU to expect her to know to stop the chair without asking her to. Also, it sounds like she was suggesting yoga to be helpful and make conversation, she doesn't know about your particular requirements.
Sorry about your bak though, sounds sore

Back* argh, fucking iPhone!

Why didn't you shout "stop lifting the chaiiiirrrr" instead of "ow"?

erm "that hurt?" I was so astonished that she did not have the common sense or decency to stop the chair back. It also was quite a quick thing, a matter of seconds, and obviously was the end of the appointment.

I thought she was trying to imply that the back pain was there already, possibly, and so she wasn't entirely responsible for it. Without actually apologising for causing me pain.

Also, we live in a village with a lot of retired folks, so you'd expect a bit of care in getting people up and down off the treatment couch, I bet they see people with worse back pain than I had when I went in.

Blimey, I think "Ow Ow" sort of implies pain, at which person a normal person might stop and ask the cause of the pain, and having been told would apologise and not make smug suggestions about yoga.

YANBU. She sounds like a smartarse.

Hygienist at my dentist is rather strange. Has afetish for flossing. Does it walking down the street

I wonder if your time to complain has passed, though. I wouldn't want to see someone who is either so uncaring, or has such bad moods that they forget common courtesy

erm, if I were the HP doing something and the patient shouted "ow" very loudly I would stop what I was doing, and check on them? (Am a HP by the way)

By the time I might've said "Oh could you halt the rise of the chair back because it is squishing my back badly" the back would already have gone up (it was quite fast, strong motor).

She knew I had just had a baby because I was pregnant when I saw her before, and we hd chatted about this.

I would not expect her to offer advice about back pain or exercise post partum and think that for someone who does not know much about these subjects, not a good idea to pontificate about them, as its very easy to do more damage.

I saw the hygienist on Weds pm this week. I don't think the time to complain has passed.

no, you're right - I don't mean it's not worthy of complaint, complain if you want, but I wouldn't want to see her again, anyway. I think once a HCP has treated you like this it's hard to come back from (for me) - something to do with being in a vulnerable position

The hygienest probably thought you had a bad back and were saying ow because of that not because of the way the chair was moving, as you say it was over in seconds so she may not even had time to stop the chair or even to process that you had said ow, and that it could be in connection with the chair moving. She should however have asked what was wrong and if you were ok. Suggesting yoga was just a conversational thing, why on earth would you take advice about yoga from a hygienist? She wasn't pontificating she made a passing comment that anyone could make. I think you could complain about her not asking if you were ok but the rest just sounds like you are a bit sensitive.

Erm, why do I sound sensitive (curious)?

Re pontifcating, she has a rather supercilious, overbearing manner, so was very insistent on the yoga thing! which I thought was inappropriate when I was saying mildly, no, no, have been advised otherwise etc. and then she was saying in a`rather grand way "but yes! then you must find someone who will do baby yoga with you..." She clearly knew FA about any of this but was v dogmatic.

I thought re squishing me in the chair, which was the main problem, was completely out of order. It would be appropriate to say "I'm going to sit you up now" first and to halt the chair if someone is in discomfort. I think with electric recliners you do need to be careful of how you move people up and down. If I complain I could at least stop this from happening to someone else. I am trying to balance up the pros and cons of a complaint vs letting it go and not bothering!

You sound pissed off. If you complain it will make you feel better, from the sound of it. You are right - there must be H&S rules about the chairs

In your op you just say she suggested yoga, your further details now make it sound that her giving advice about yoga was inappropriate and not just an off-hand comment. If those details had been in your op my reply would have been different. You just sound like you dont like her TBH and that is fair enough. I would make a complaint, it may help other people, and don't go back to see her. I do however maintain, no matter what her attitude was like why on earth would anyone take advice about their back from a hygienist.

why on earth would anyone take advice about their back from a hygienist. exactly!!

If it was too fast for you to say more than ow ow....then it was too fast for her to react and turn it off! YABU. Ow ow could mean that ANYTHING hurt...not your back.

But she didn't apologise. That's just ..... weird

Nerd oh she understood that it was back pain, she commented "you have a bad back". So she got what the problem was. I would have thought that she was standing plumb there with her finger over the button for the chair (she was behind me).

I think YABU to complain for the same reasons as other posters: a matter of seconds, the 'ow' could have been from anything. I don't see what H&S has to do with it. I'm assuming it's an otherwise 'safe' chair or they wouldn't use it. For disliking the woman YANBU. You sound argumentative.

I think you seem fussy and over-worried about this. Maybe your position after you said OW could have indicated your back hurt....dental workers have a lot of people saying OW all day...they're probably used to it.

Hmm. I tend not to lose my temper immediately - and didn't in this situation, but yes am quite capable of being argumentative, in that I do try to follow a line of thought through.

I'm labouring the point a bit because one does on AIBU threads - one needs to, to have the discussion - and because I am trying to think whether or not to make a complaint/ write a letter so am trying to think it though.

Thinking back to my other medical interactions in the past year or so, I am used to HPs making me comfortable/ helping me up/ checking that a change in position is comfortable, not in an over the top way, but as part of a routine if getting me laid down on a couch and getting me up again, even if a motorised back rest is not being used. That seems fairly standard to expect to me, the more I think about it.

re "my position" I was sitting in the chair, turned round to face her with a puzzled expression on my face, so I don't think I was giving visual clues on that account, I think it was just obvious that my back had been hurt in context from me crying out "ow ow" when she was moving the seat up.

You've also been pregnant for the past year so of course you've been pampered a bit. I don't think this woman's crime merits a full blown complaint. These things take a life of their own and it's likely to cause her a lot of trouble for no gain at all. A few seconds' discomfort and a lingering feeling that you were patronised about the yoga thing. People aren't automatons, allow for minor mistakes. If you're a HP I bet you make your own. Just occasionally

FootballFriendSays oh, HPs get complaints for a whole variety of things. Squishing someone's back and causing them quite a lot of pain - back continues to play up today though not painful all the time- would be pretty good grounds on that score. I have no doubt that the practice would make a formal apology if I wrote in, but I am not much bothered about that.

I don't think taking a little care over someone's comfort in that way is "pampering" either.

I am quite able to make my own mind up re bad advice for back pain etc but, apart from being patronised, I think it is not good practice to give bad unsolicitied advice!

I think there is a gain in that there are a number of areas here in which she could improve her practice. I am asking myself whether it is worth the hassle of a complaint/ possibly my whole family changing dental practices to get this gain.

sounds as if she could do with some feedback. Next person she hurts may not get off so lightly (and actually it's a bit of an assumption that you have, if it still hurts today).

I've never met someone whose username is do unlike their disposition. YABU & nIghty night.