Emergency Dental Surgery in the Philippines!?

Dec 21

DAY 62 – DEC 16 – EL NIDO, PALAWAN – PHILIPPINES

I got up at 5:30am to go for a drive with some people we met to visit their cousin’s farm. Very interesting!! Chickens, pigs, dogs, cats, roosters, you name it.. all walking around the yard.

I was back home by mid-morning, had breakfast – then Tina and I walked around town and along the beach until 2pm. We took a grab out to our hostel for the next 2 nights.

The driver dropped us off at the side of the highway. Now what!? We walked down treacherous stairs and found the hostel. Jorg stayed here as well 6 months ago.

We walked around the corner, I stepped into the main area of the hostel, not knowing they were in the middle of their staff Christmas party. The second I stepped in to the room, the entire building exploded screaming ‘WELCOME HOME!!!! WELCOME HOME!!” I wish we got that on video. Then they started yelling ‘HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY’. Tina grabbed her phone and got the tail end of it on her phone, I started dancing with them haha.. what a welcome!

We settled in, came down the sunset ate some street food, and joined the 8pm karaoke. I sang 3 songs, and the manager asked me to sing a duet. Super fun night! The entire hostel was sort of hanging out together – singing, dancing. Everyone so friendly.

I snuck out and went upstairs to my bed about 10:30 I think. Great first day at the new hostel.

DAY 63 – DEC 17 – EL NIDO, PALAWAN – PHILIPPINES

Got up, grabbed some coffee overlooking the low tide and sunrise. Then we walked to Vanilla Beach. Wow! Love it!!

I could not stay out of the water. It was bright aqua blue. Every time I find good sand and water, I lie in the sand and give my head and hair a full sand scrub. Pile as many huge cups of sand into my hair as I can and scrub like shampoo. Felt so good!

I went to sit at the restaurant for a nice lunch overlooking the beach. Met some great people. Ended up, I took a tuktuk back home to shower and pack, Tina stayed to walk around some more.

Got back to my hostel, and ran into a girl that was on my last tour – and we really wanted to connect again. She was leaving the same day so we spent 2 hours together chatting. I showered, then hung out with one of the guys at the resort I had chatted with the night before. Great guy, we had so much in common – we talked for a few hours. He’s from Seattle, so pretty cool to meet a very like-minded person across the ocean at a random small hostel.

We ran into town on his motorbike to get his laundry from the laundromat. I ordered some dinner and headed to my room to prepare for the super early morning. Had the worst sleep ever. Every time I have an early flight the next day, I cannot fall asleep. The thought crosses my mind that I won’t be able to sleep – and it’s like I create that reality… UGH!!

DAY 64 – DEC 18 – EL NIDO, PALAWAN – PHILIPPINES

Super early morning, got a tuktuk to the tiniest airport in El Nido. Flew to Manila, 1 ½ hour flight. Took a grab to our hotel.

Say what people may, I like Manila! I chilled for a bit, then Tina and I went for a bite to eat. Then wandered the streets. A man saw me taking a photo, which was the alleyway to his howe (I had no idea) – and he came up to me and said, ‘you want to see my house? Come with me”. We followed him through back-alley type tall concrete narrow passage ways until he said, ‘this is my home’. He took us in. and on to the FIFTH floor of very steep stairs!!!

He was from Pakistan, she was from the Philippines, married 29 years. The most wonderful people, we had a great visit. We stayed about an hour. He and his wife offered to drive me back to our hotel, Tina stayed out walking and I wanted to do some work. How lovely are these people!!

Tina whatsapped me a message about 5pm telling me she found a dentist office. I asked her to go inside to ask a few questions. They facetimed me and told me to come down. Within minutes I was in the dentist chair.

My right back molar has been giving me grief for prob almost 2 yrs. My dentist at home has tried to fix it I think 3 or 4 times. So I have been eating only on my left for that entire time. My left back molar about 2 months ago or so chipped but I didn’t think much of it. turns out that was a crown / root canal that chipped. With eating only on that side, I was hard on it and on this trip, it became loose while eating, it was the creepiest feeling. Plus I could taste and smell my tooth. Imagine that one. So totally disgusting.

He informed me that the one root was completely broken off on that left back molar. He said the tooth is dead and has to come out. The only option really is an implant.

He proceeded to shave down my right back molar that my dentist attempted to do 3 or 4 times already (and in the process my dentist also shaved off part of a wrong tooth, which now every meal catches food that I need a toothpick for UGH… I never had that before… maybe time to change dentists!?) This guy shaves it again and VOILA, he fixes my right back tooth that has been giving me grief for this long!!???? He invites me back for 10am the following morning so he can order the supplies and fix my left side.

Imagine.

DAY 65 – DEC 19 – MANILA, PALAWAN – PHILIPPINES

What a total runaround to try to pay the dentist. My bank only allows a small amount withdrawn each day (gotta fix that), they do not accept VISA, and I am on my last day in the Philippines, I have no cash left. We went around and around trying to figure this out. Came to an agreement.

Remember, I had to be at the airport by 1pm and it was a 20+ minute drive. We finally started on the tooth and as it goes, ran into one complication after another. This was a nightmare surgery. Yes, we went into the SURGERY room and he said this is surgery. I mean, this guy was good… but we were counting minutes. He could not get my tooth out, being a root canal, it was brittle and kept breaking every time he tried.

He ended up getting it out, putting in bone filler stuff that he ordered and got delivrered at 10am. Then he drilled the hole and put in the implant that he also received at 10am. If I didn’t opt for this, I would have to wait 6 months to put the post in, then another 6 months for the tooth to finish it. this helps me skip the 6 months.

We finished my tooth at 12:30. We had to go back to our hotel to get our bags, call a cab… our cab rolled up just before 1pm. We got to the airport a little late, got checked in and that’s a wrap for the Philippines. Mouth totally frozen, stitches to come out in 3 weeks, oh my… what a crazy ordeal.

The flight to Hong Kong was not even half full so we had room to stretch out. I had 30 minutes sleep the night before, so I stayed in the room – as well as not feeling great. Tina went for a walk, and that was it. great hotel in a great area called Kowloon.

PICS BELOW:

1 shocking to see signs like this when almost every time I go outside in Kelowna, all I smell is weed

2-6 walking the beach by our hotel, always finding hearts. and we found an art wall

7-8 FaceTiming Val & Jado

9-13 Eating street food in our neighbourhood

14-15 our new view at the hostel we stayed for 2nd half of El Nido.. Jorg stayed here 6M ago, same hostel on the beach

16 karaoke night having fun w peeps from all over the world

17 my morning coffee view, can’t beat it

18 rando doggies everywhere!! nobody owns most dogs around town

19 Annia - we met on a tour earlier in the week and hung out… ended up at same hostel.. she is from Easter Island - love her! we swapped gifts <3

20-22 hung out with this cool dude 2 nights while at hostel, so much in common! and we don’t live far apart at home - very cool how you meet people while traveling .. we were watching the sunset here, this hostel is in a beautiful spot!

23-24 staff at the hostel was super amazing

25 lovely Annie and I trying to take pics

26 owner of the hostel - great chats