(Written sitting in a doctor’s waiting room)
The question looks absurd. When do you go to a doctor ? Whenever you have some medical problem ; it does sound obvious.
Reality is something different. Many of us would have heard stories as how ‘so and so’ neglected a problem and let it aggravate so much that it has resulted in some permanent damage or worse.
Have you come across stories of how going to a doctor or a hospital has caused irredeemable damage to one’s health as well as to the bank balance? Not very often .
How many people are going about with stents when they don’t really need them ? How many people have overpaid the hospitals for necessary treatment and not so necessary treatment? We will never know. How many of us have been worrying sick about some disease that we never had ?
In an ideal world, when a medical problem crops up , be it a fever or a fracture; you go to the appropriate specialist and he makes a quick and accurate diagnosis and fixes it.
But it is never an ideal world. Say, you see some rashes on your skin; first you ignore it and when it starts itching too much , you go for an OTC ointment. Instead of getting better ,it might get worse.
You then see decide to see a doctor. Well, it could be a fungal infection or a symptom for any underlying condition like diabetes. The blood tests start. The complete blood count might throw up other issues.
Then you see a dermatologist as well who would focus on his area of specialization.
After months or even years of going about blood tests and experimenting with diets (allergens) one is still not sure of the cause for the rashes. I am aware of a case where the reason for a chronic skin problem was finally traced to a tooth decay; yes, once the bad tooth was extracted, everything was hunky-dory .
If you are lucky , you find the problem or else you keep going to every specialist, go through a battery of tests, undergo many experiments on medicines , diets and life style changes all the while paying your way through every experiment . The mental stress one goes through , sitting in doctors ‘ waiting rooms is something not quantifiable.
It is under these circumstances that one has think ten times before seeing the first doctor, as once you get into the conveyor belt, it’s difficult to come out ,half-way. It’s like Hotel California ; you can check in but not check out.
All these problems can occur when the doctors and hospitals are very well meaning.
Again we are living in anything but an ideal world. Hospitals are run with profit motive and every expensive equipment has to earn it’s cost from the patients. The insurance company , that you have thoughtfully bought medical insurance from has to cut costs by finding loopholes in your claim.
You can’t change the external world. Only thing you have some degree of control is over your own actions.
So, from the miracle of modern medicines we are back to basics ; regular exercises, moderate diet, good sleep and good air and water. Not surprisingly most doctors give this piece of advice for free, along with their expensive prescriptions.
Dhoop ,paani, mithi, hawa;
Kayi rogon ka yahi dawa.Sunshine,Water,Earth, Air
The ultimate remedy to many an ailment.
You address a very common issue very honestly. Whether a stitch in time will save nine or whether it will open up a “conveyor belt consultation ” of doctors eliminating possibilities instead of going in for minimal testing.
Then you have the armchair doctors whose credibility is provided by Google and their subscription to various medical sites which shell out a newsletter on weekly or some even on daily basis. They add to your dilemma by either describing personal experiences or of friends/relatives to seek alternate/second opinions.
True, Ash. In India , as they say everybody is a doctor.
My doubt is that even the certified doctors also becoming ‘arm chair doctors’ as they hardly ask any questions to make a diagnosis based on clinical history. They just look at your reports and decide the course of treatment. How will they gain real experience when they don’t know what a patient is going through before, during or after the treatment?
You are bang ON. Few days back we had a birthday celebration party of Girish in Pune and while Kayaking my comments were exactly this ie all elements of nature we were enjoying. And yes, I have got into a loop of Tests in recent times as I reported to ECHS Pune for the reasons – loss of 5 kgs over 3 to 4 months. Your blog is motivating me to write my experience
Thanks for the comments Deepak. I am aware ,I am not sharing any pearls of wisdom , but expressing my own dilemma. Yes, it would be nice if you can share your experiences either in the comments section or a separate post.
It’s a minefield out there. Pharma companies, corporate hospitals and related professionals, ironically labelled the healthcare industry, have this conflict of interest in their DNA. A healthy person is actually anathema to their business. So they would attempt to gather the maximum load onto their conveyer belts, starting with ‘free check-up’ camps and cheap packages for comprehensive full body tests. They would be harming themselves if they were to not squeeze maximum mulah from those journeying through their portals. One hears heart wrenching stories of dead men kept on ventilators and operations performed on corpses!
Thanks for bringing out the dilemma we all face the moment we hear the first rumbling sound in the machine. May the rare breed of doctors who really serve humanity with sincerity increase!
“Sarve santu niramaya”; better before having to enter the gates of a hospital.
Bharat, you paint a very scary picture.
To see a doctor, is maybe the last option, I take. Your gut feeling, understands your body well. Sometimes you go immediately, example , when you get stung by hundreds of bees, other times , you do mental analysis. Normally your decision is right, to try your own path to good health. Even when you go to a doctor, remember your body symptoms are best known to you, and your doctor is there to understand those symptoms. There will always be uncertainty, and we have to weigh our risks accordingly.
Very true sir. Fully agree.
Having worked in the so called best hospital environment for the past several years, and continuing to do so, I would differ to a fair extent. Have seen doctors of such hospitals rendering sane easy advice. It’s only when the doctor is on a platform wherein he/she has an individual commercial interest, that he/she will resort to extras.
However the small time crooks are always there, but they are not encouraged by the large hospitals who have their reputation on line.
Harish, this is not to cast aspersions on big hospitals or small hospitals. It is just loud thinking of a common man on the question of whether to see a doctor or not and if so when .
Waiting for a day when there is universal free healthcare. No harm in dreaming.
Feel that a Neo Syndrome has been created in the affluent Society that Nothing Wrong with Me. See lots of pamphlets of Full Body Check Up. There after it is Social status Symbol to talk about in Group. Every three to six months seen people getting into it. Thereafter consultation with specialist on deficiency found in the Report. Invariably our Society was found deficient of Vitamins.
Playing with Minds.
Fear Factor fetches lots of Money.
You could stir up a hornet’s nest while venturing into the subject! Let me join the party. I feel that modern medical science in its quest for scientific perfection has lost the plot. No single doctor is today competent to handle a simple medical situation like common flu. The GP has a look at your tests…finds them wnl and cannot decipher the cause of cough. He dare not put his shining pocket torch into your mouth lest he oversteps into ENT specialist domain. ENT spec appears confused as the throat is not red and feels the problem is probably further down the throat(sic)…but he can’t say lest he is accused of stepping into the domain of thoracic expert who if visited, would like to have a third scan so as to rule out one being referred to an onco…while you wait for the specialist merry go round to be over, enough medicines (every doc you visit has to prescribe to justify the seconds that he has spent listening to you), have been dumped into your body to upset your stomach(cause acidity, nay oesophageal reflex)!!! Finally a wise man steps in and shows you the way to a bengali doctor(thats what the RMPs were called in the good old days) round the corner in his obscure shop who would give a losenges look alike pill and advise to keep quiet for 48 hours and lo behold cough is kaput!!!
Very True.
We allow our body to heal itself with little bit of help from self medication.
When to stop that and seek professional help is a delicate issue.
Other factor is the belief that it will not happen to me.
Inconvenience caused due to running around for series of tests and consultations also puts one off.
Prevention is better than cure and catch it early should be followed.
The happiest person is one who doesn’t have to go to the doctor or the police. Good health needs moderation in eating and drinking, reasonable activity and being stress-free. It’s not funny how much stress we can give or how much we overindulge in the ‘good’ things. Keeping things simple isn’t that easy. Yoga, pranayam and walking have helped considerably
Thanks to all for your valuable comments. I am pleasantly surprised to see that most us seem to believe in preventive health care and when challenged , letting the body heal itself with minimum intervention.
Yes Murali. That’s the ideal situation when you let the body heal itself with minimum intervention. But do remember prevention is always good, not only in medicine but in all fields, be it ecology, defense services, finances etc etc. So there’s nothing special about preventive medicine. It has always been a important part of the MBBS curriculum. But it’s important to know how far do you go to let the body heal by itself. Thus the question to be answered is not ‘To see or not to see … a doctor ‘ but WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR.
sir, I agree. I have also mentioned in one of the replies
………….It is just loud thinking of a common man on the question of whether to see a doctor or not and if so when .—————-
Thanks for your comments