As luck would have it, my wonderful trip to New York delivered me with the creeping crud which we all suffered so much when we lived there. Ice cold plane rides up and back, freezing conference rooms where even the men were commenting on the chill and a hotel room set to a brisk 62 degrees resulted in a nasty sore throat.
I bundled up as best I could and even set my hotel room temperature to a toasty 78 degrees, but it was to no avail. By the time I got home with a slight tickle in my throat I feared that something was up. A friend of mine recently had similar symptoms after a trip out of town and it managed to turn into pneumonia, something that I did not wish to experience.
So what do we all do? First vitamins, chicken soup, green leafy vegetables and all the over-the-counter stuff we have under our sinks. All of that along with lots of water, lots of rest and many positive thoughts did not do the trick and by week’s end my condition was worsening.
What if I had access to a Tele-Doc service where I could call a physician and point my smart phone to my throat? That would have been a great resource and very inexpensive. I could also have gone to the local drug store medical office, but I have the good fortune of having a physician whose office has Saturday hours. What a quaint service and how WONDERFUL when I rolled in at 8:05 as patient #7! There are still some really great doctors who understand that some of us either hit our worst on the weekend or cannot get to their offices until the weekend. In any case, we have one in Peachtree Corners and I am fortunate enough to call that my primary care office.
Even more amazing than having access to a doctor at my time of need was the extra service they provide. How often have we listened to a doctor tell us what medications we need to take in what doses and at what frequency, only to realize we did not pay enough attention? Here, after the doctor discussed my plan of medication I was led to the nurses’ station where I was handed my medicines in small packets with instructions on them. Also, I was given a small slip that had the over-the-counter medications which I should use to supplement the stash I was leaving with.
What a novel idea: give the patient who is too sick to remember anything the medications needed, instructions in a simple format and save the patient an extra trip to the pharmacy. One-stop shopping at its finest.
If your doctor does not provide services like these to you and your family I suggest that you seek out those who do in your area. I have spoken highly of my doctor’s office before, but now I love them even more. Caring service considerate of my needs when I need help the most, what more could I ask for? Let me know if you need a terrific doctor in the Peachtree Corners area, I will be happy to rave about mine! We are Czajkowski Dumpel & Associates, Inc. are here to help you!