Bound, Aproned and Gagged
When I was 9 or 10 I lived in Yorkshire and I had to visit the school dentist, a Miss Nesbitt, having had the yellow card with a tick and a "G" on it.
The tick was for a filling and the "G" was (you've guessed it!) for gas or general anaesthetic.
The day arrived, cold and wintry February 1966 I think, and I sat in the waiting room with my Dad and several other apprehensive people - kids and adults. Miss Nesbitt,who was tall and pretty with red hair and wire-rimmed glasses, called my name.
I got up and followed her through the door to the surgery and approached the big black leather chair. Miss Nesbitt tied a long red rubber apron tightly around me and told me to sit down in the chair.She then told me to put my hands in my lap and fastened a black rubber strap around my waist, thus immobilizing me. I was just getting used to the cold rubbery apron and the strap came as a bit of a shock - I was suddenly wondering what I was letting myself in for...
The next thing that happened was that Miss Nesbitt said "Open your mouth please so that I can put this metal gag in to hold you mouth open!" Bound,aproned and gagged I was told to sit back in the chair and it was tipped back slightly so I was looking up at the bright lights.I watched with interest as Miss Nesbitt drew on some thin brown surgical rubber gloves,something I had not seen close up except on "Emergency Ward 10". She snapped the cuffs of the gloves back and stepped aside.
And then I saw it - a large black rubber mask coming towards my face.
The anaesthetist, a gray-haired man with a moustache, then placed the hissing black mask gently over my mouth and nose, pressing it down firmly.
"Take some nice deep breaths for me - in through your nose and out through your mouth. And try to blow up the black rubber bag when you exhale," said Miss Nesbitt.
At this point I noticed that she had a rather prominent bust under her white coat.
I took a long slow deep breath of the sweet rubbery-scented gas and began to feel slightly dizzy. As I breathed out I noticed the black rubber bag expand to its fullest extent. Then then I breathed in again and watched it collapse, limply. As I breathed more and more of the gas I felt even more dizzy and I had pins and needles in my hands and feet. I began to feel very warm under my rubber apron and there was a buzzing in my ears which was growing louder with each breath of gas. The black rubber bag swelled and collapsed in a very satisfying manner as I continued to breathe in and out through the black rubber mask. I seemed to have three points of interest - the mask and the bag and Miss Nesbitt's bosom which all seemed to be growing before my eyes as I breathed more and more of the gas.
I began to feel like I was falling. I was aware of a very strong chemical smell inside the mask which made me cough - I remember the mask was briefly raised at some point so I could breathe some room air - and then immediately lowered again. I continued to fall. Then everything closed in on me. And went black.
The last thing I heard was someone saying as if from a long way away,"He's under now!".....
I woke feeling sick and dizzy with a hole in my gum and blood in my mouth. I also had the powerful sense that something momentous had happened.
And so of course it proved.
There was a sequel to this dental experience.
As it was a cold Winter's day I was advised to wrap up well on the way home. Maybe I didn't wrap up well enough because I got cold in the socket and my face swelled up. I was confined to bed.
Then a couple of days later I had a visitor - Miss Nesbitt herself!
It was a rainy day when she came to see me. She was dressed in a plaid skirt, a green sweater - and, the icing on the cake, a green rubberised satin mackintosh.
It had a broad belt and a big hood which completely covered her red hair.
When she unbuttoned her mackintosh and sat down on my bed her sweater displayed her charms to perfection . We had a lovely chat. She was concerned about my swollen face, but we also discussed having gas at the dentist.
I said I had enjoyed my time under the black rubber mask.
And she said that she had always liked being "put under" with gas herself. She liked the smell of the rubber.
The warmth of the room brought out the rubbery smell of her mackintosh and when she gave me a big hug and a kiss before leaving I enjoyed the experience of being clasped to her rubbery bosom immensely. It left a lasting impression on me.
I may say my mother had always worn rubber mackintoshes (she had several) but this was something totally different.
Hope you liked my narrative and that you can find a place for it on your site.
Regards
Peter A
You bet I liked it, Peter! Thank you so much. This use of gas in dentistry hit a pretty well-defined group of children I guess - it was superceded in the mid-20th century with the jab was it not? I don't suppose it affected everyone in the same way, but still, what a great gift they werre bestowing, those grey-haired men in white coats, without realizing it! Getting rid of one kind of ache and giving you another I suppose, but what a terrfic new ache to have! We would all love to hear of later developments of course...
Best wishes
Lorraine
Knock-out Nurse
In my 20's I had a bad crash flat-out on a racing bike on a closed road time trial. I succeeded in breaking my right wrist.
In the ambulance on the way to hospital a beautiful blonde nurse called Amanda gave me gas and air through a big black rubber mask which she held over my face. The wonderful rubbery smell and the gas and air had me floating away in the back of the speeding ambulance.
A little in love and high as a kite I breathed through the mask which Amanda held for me with one hand and held my good hand with the other.
Feeling low and in pain I faced surgery a short time later to repair my broken wrist and Amanda said she would come to the theatre with me as her shift had just finished and her dad was the surgeon who was going to fix my wrist.
True to her word she was there in the Anaesthetic Room as the anaesthetist prepared the gas machine. She looked adorable in a green cap and gown with a surgical mask hanging loose round her neck. She held my hand again and told me that she was going to watch my operation from the side of the operating table.
The anesthetist was almost ready to put me under and Amanda pulled on some surgical rubber gloves and prepared to leave my side. Fuzzy from the pre-med and feeling brave I asked if Amanda could hold the mask and put me under. She readily agreed and the anaesthetist passed her the big black rubber mask with its twin rubber hoses and turned on the gas.
Amanda gently placed the soft black rubber mask over my mouth and nose and asked me to breathe deeply through the mask. Her rubber-gloved right hand held the mask firmly over my face while the other hand pulled my head back and supported my chin.
I took slow deep breaths of the rubbery scented gas which the anaesthetist said was nitrous oxide with a dash of oxygen and I looked up at Amanda who was smiling down at me over her surgical mask. As I breathed more and more of the gas I began to feel very relaxed and floaty and I was aware of a huge erection which I remember hoping that nobody would notice while I was in theatre.
Amanda said that I should just keep taking deep breaths and drift off to sleep and that she would see me afterwards when I woke up. I breathed more and more gas and everything became very distant and blurred and just faded away into blackness as I went under the gas and knew no more.
The operation was a success and Amanda was there when I woke up despite the fact that she should have gone home hours ago. She came to visit me a few more time while I was in hospital but sadly nothing romantic came of it.
Just a hospital crush I guess - drugs, gas, an injury and a very pretty girl in a nurse's uniform. The stuff of dreams: I still think of her sometimes to this day...
Peter A
Peter, you certainly know how to make the best of a bad thing. Thankyou!
L
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