The Tooth Fairy

This is not for the feint hearted! it's been a strange old week, my mum has been unwell. Spectacular nosebleeds. However hats off to her GP. Who spent 3 hours checking her and getting bloods done oh and an urgent referral to ENT. Who ever says the NHS are rubbish and need review have not experienced our local practice. The set back meant I wouldn't let mum go shopping no she had to rest. The rule in our house is no school, no play. That applies to everything, if you are too poorly to do one thing , then you are too unwell to do owt! But she was allowed to visit dad. A very strange visit. In the week, I visited alone, he looked poorly, very poorly. He wasn't moving and not awake fully. Interacting, but then again not. Today, he was up and dressed. He looked , to use a Wigan phrase... Bloody belting! However, I would like to describe the conversations as reasonable, but utter bollocks would be more appropriate. He was rude, and as my mum kept telling him, nasty. He has developed a habit over the last year of teeth grinding. This makes me slightly nauseous. You don't really know he is doing it. It sounds like a mouse chewing or scratching. Then you realise he is doing it. Saying stop makes no difference. So I try to distract him. His right hand has been firmly tucked inside his waist band through the first half of "From here to eternity" I was beginning to worry. I asked what he was doing but some nasty reply kept coming. Not rude or obscene, just dismissive. Eventually he brought out his hand and placed nothing on the table. It was on balance a good day, he had a drink and could manage it so they had given him a table......progress. A few moments later I wondered why he kept looking at the table. All the while screech screech screech of his teeth. Then I saw it. A tooth. He has ground his teeth so low he can wriggle them..... and pull them out. Now that is gruesome. I had an idea that he could no longer recognise pain receptors . His second knee , after his recent broken leg, at hip level gave that away. But pulling out his own teeth.....come on. The care assistant checked and yes it was his. He can't express pain, but continues to inflict it. I hope that I never get to the stage where pain is my only feeling.