Beth Cramer- Caring

In January of 2013, I had my wisdom teeth out. The appointments up to that point had made me feel less nervous than originally. I had never went to the hospital or had other surgery before (I was a pretty normal, healthy woman/girl most of the time) so I was very nervous. Up until this point, I had been having anxiety about someone cutting into my mouth. I was prescribed sedatives to take the night before to help me sleep and in the morning so they would have no problem giving me the IV when it came time for the surgery. I don't remember much of the morning or getting to the doctor's office. That time period is laced with patches of knowing what was going on. I remember walking into the office and taking the elevator up. I remember being in the chair and a nurse asking me what I was listening to on my iPod. Then I was being woken up and the surgery was over. I was walked to a recovery room where I wanted to sleep so bad but they kept prodding me awake. The drive home was spotty as well. I don't remember walking into my house at all but I'm told I did it all by myself. The next thing I remember, I am waking up on the couch with a very sore mouth and ice packs on my cheeks.

I am so thankful that I spoke up and told them I was having anxiety about the surgery. They did everything they could to make me comfortable and make me feel safe. The aftermath of the surgery was horrible (I ended up with dry sockets on one side), but at least they did everything they could to care for me and make me comfortable.

I am sure if they have not given me those sedatives and the IV, I would have freaked out beyond belief. I was so worried. And I am glad there are people who are doctors of the mouth because my wisdom teeth were not growing in correctly (2 of the 4 were basically sideways) and it was very painful. Though I had a horrible, painful experience, many people have even worse experiences with wisdom teeth and other issues with the mouth. In the end, I was lucky.

No government or church intervened in my care. We did use health insurance to cover part of the surgery but my parents were able to take care of the rest of it. Everyone at the doctor's office was really nice, accommodating, and made sure I was getting the best care possible.

I think doctors go into their field because they like to care for people. They like to make people feel better when they are in pain or sick. Sometimes, it doesn't work out for the best, like for my grandmother when she passed away a couple days after my surgery. However, doctors know how to handle these experiences through training and practicing.

I think the carers in Never Let Me Go feel the same way as doctors. They like to bring a little bit of sunshine into someone's life who really needs it, who might be hurting pretty bad and need to take their mind off it. I think that is why Kathy was a carer for so long. She saw the need in some people and was able to gauge what they needed specifically from her. When they needed silence, they would look out the window together or go for a walk. When they needed to talk or listen to stories, she was ready. I think this type of care is overlooked. The clones didn't have a family to come visit them like my grandmother did before she passed away. Instead, they had their carers. Having someone there while you go through a hard time like a surgery is the most important part of recovery in my opinion.