“Hey, what do you know about doctors?”.you may wonder!Well, I’ve been visiting doctors more often than you may be visiting your grocery stores these days!If you still need convincing, I’m only too glad to share my woes!(nobody else listens!)
Well, it all started when I got a fever sometime in April.Once I recovered from that, it was the awful cough and cold which lasted for nearly a month.After that, when my cough reduced and I was beginning to feel hale and hearty, I went meandering near a construction site in my college campus and I had big iron rods falling on my head from a truck.At the beginning I thought I would suffer from amnesia perhaps and might say “Who am I?. where am I?” but thankfully it was’nt that bad. I just went around in college looking like Tom(from Tom n Jerry) with a swollen head. When my head was beginning to look its regular shape.I fell off my Scooty.I was balancing on my bike and speaking to my friend near the parking space(I was’nt even on the move).and the next minute Thud.I was down on the road with my bike on top! I was hit by an idiot on a cycle who was trying to beat the traffic signal .Result-a hurt ego(for having sustained injuries coz of a cycle) and an arm sling around my left hand. I also had to deal with everyone’s careless.“Oh, its only your left hand na?”.Grrr.I am a lefty! Now the arm sling is off but I’ve caught the cold again.and as I am typing, I have already sneezed four times. Ach^&#@#ooo!(that was me sneezing!*)
So all these incidents led me to go to the doctor every other day!Though I have nothing against doctors and personally think its a very noble profession, I still hate going to them. I literally have to be pulled to a doc and that usually happens after a lot of reassuring, scolding, cajoling and threatening by my parents.
The personality of the doctor matters a lot to me. I hate going to doctors who are the “quiet” and “thinking” type. They examine you and then go into deep thought.while you are left twiddling your thumbs and wondering what the hell is wrong with you.
I also don’t like to go doctors who seem to be in an absolute hurry.Recently I went to an ENT specialist. He was obviously on his way out when we entered the room. When we asked if we could come another day, he insisted on examining me. At first, he gave me such a stare that I felt like a murderer rather than a patient. And then he thrust his stethoscope on my chest. When I just started to explain my problem, he asked me to open my mouth wide(ending all my attempts of conversation). After that, it was the cold-blooded stare again. In order to ease the tension, I tried smiling at him. He chose to completely ignore it and went about writing a prescription and told(read “ordered”) me to meet him after a week. Obviously, I didn’t go back to him.
I like doctors who can smile a lot and also talk a lot…a doctor who is relaxed and is willing to listen to you. A good doctor would explain to you patiently what is wrong. A doctor who has a sense of humour would be a real bonus. This other doctor I went to was very friendly and sweet. When I went to him the second time complaining that his medicines did nothing to improve my cough, he examined me and said he was going to cast a spell on the new medicines. And then very dramatically he closed his eyes and said something, a la Harry Potter style. A wee bit kiddish for the serious-minded but I really had a good laugh. And his spell did seem to do the trick. I got better.
We all like our family doc and they love us too but it would be better to meet a specialist rather than a general physician to have your problem examined. For example if you had a fall like me, an orthopaedic would be a better choice than the general practitioner. Of course, it would be better to go to a specialist recommended by your family doc rather than try out somebody new.
Ask friends, family members and colleagues’ opinion before choosing a new doctor.See if the doctor is experienced and has had patients before. If it is your first visit to a doctor, you can start off by having a friendly conversation with the others in the waiting room and check out if they have been to the doctor and also find out more about his/her expertise. If you are the only person in the waiting room on those peak hours, trust me my friend, you have’nt done your homework properly.
The staff of the doctor also plays a key role. The doctor may be fantastic but at the end of the day, the nurses are the ones who are going to poke those long needles on your body. So it is better to check out the hospital premises and the staff before entrusting yourself with the doctor.
I saw an NDTV report yesterday about a fake doctor. The man was’nt even a certified doctor but had been practicing for ten years. So, it would also make sense to check out if the doctor you are visiting is certified or not. But honestly speaking, I don’t know how to do it without sounding rude. Maybe, checking with the hospital records would be a good idea.
Choose doctors who are easily accessible in case of an emergency. There is no point if you are in one city and your doctor stays in another.
Like everything else in this world, the most important thing is that you should be able to trust the doctor and feel comfortable with him/her.
Have a fun-filled, safe and healthy life…Aha.look who’s talking? Ach$@#%&$*oooo!