A PENSIONER says he is forced to tape his mouth shut to sleep as he waits for NHS treatment.
David Haith, 82, is suffering from a jaw displacement and suffers excruciating pain when he opens his chops.
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The Bournemouth man can’t eat properly and has been on a diet of soup while waiting for help.
Sleeping is now a problem for Haith, who tapes his mouth and places a tie around his head to stop his jaw opening at night.
He describes the feeling of waking up in pain like being jabbed with a “hot poker”.
The retired journalist said: “I have no idea what caused this jaw problem.
“I just woke up one day in constant agony as well as bad headaches.”
He has been referred to a specialist at Poole Hospital but he says it could take months to get an appointment.
“Eating is really painful so I’m just living on soup at the moment,” he said.
“If my mouth opens too wide during sleep I get this searing pain like being jabbed with a hot poker which is why I’m trussing up at bedtime.
“So in a desperate bid to stop the pain at night I have been taping my mouth shut and placing a tie around my head.
“It is difficult to sleep taped up because it’s hard to breathe but it seems to be the only way to avoid agony.
“I’ve tried to contact the hospital temporomandibular joints clinic to find out how long I have to wait for an appointment but I can’t get a response.
“But the general feeling is it could take months to be seen.
“Apparently a specialist will still only diagnose the problem and I will probably be referred back to the dentist for remedial treatment. So this could drag on and on.
I get this searing pain like being jabbed with a hot poker.
David Haith
“I could go private but why should I have to when I’ve paid in all my life.
“Life like this is grim, I’m just hoping that the NHS will find a speedy way to help me.”
Haith said he has thought about attending A&E with his complaint due to the agony, but he says he suspects he will have to wait several hours only to be referred to the same clinic.
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Dorset said: “We appreciate it can be distressing for patients when waiting for appointments and our teams work really hard to ensure these are as timely as possible while taking into account the clinical priority.
“We would encourage our patients to contact our patient advice and liaison service to discuss any concerns they may have around their care.”
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