Doctor, heal thy self!

[houseelf]

O.K. Does anyone else think that it is a touch hypocritical that physicians rarely go to the doctor? I set up two appointments for my dh in August because he will be on a rotation with more reasonable hours. It was no small feat on my part to find a dentist and an optometrist willing to see patients for a 7 p.m. appointment without having a few months notice. Instead of thanking me, my dh grumbled and moaned that I shouldn't have done this. He hasn't been to the eye doctor for 5 plus years. It takes everything I have to not break out a sarcastic remark like "Umm, sweetie, don't you think that it is kind of important for surgeons to have good eyesight?"



But it is even worse than that. I can't even THINK about scheduling a physical for him. His response is that HE is a doctor and if he has a problem, he will take care of it. (Puhleez--he must be able to magically divine his own cholestoral panels and blood sugar levels.)



I guess that I am just struck by the irony of his refusal to go see a doctor. Does anyone else run into this? It is very frustrating and I feel a little like his mother. No wonder why a man's life expectancy increases when he marries and a woman's life expectancy decreases. The stress of taking care of them sucks the years off of us!



Kelly
Edited by: kmbsjbcgb at: 7/29/02 10:21:40 am

Jon hates going to the doctor as well. He could be on death's doorstep and still loath the idea of seeing a doctor. Go figure! Although, when he's sick he definitely wants ME to take care of him.



Jennifer

[mommax3]

I can totally relate to this -- my husband went to work during his last year of residency after having diarrhea and throwing up all night long -- he had another resident put him on i.v. fluids and he kept right on working, even though he needed to stop people in mid-sentence sometimes so he could run to the bathroom. It was a largely administrative rotation, and he was nervous that the whole surgery schedule would fall apart if he wasn't there. (The sad thing is, it probably would have.) Of course, when no mention is EVER made to residents about taking sick days, this is to be expected. (Like no one is going to get sick in four years of working 100+ hours a week -- yeah, right.) I was furious with him all the same.



He is required to get physicals, dental exams, and eye exams through the military and is supposedly given time to attend these appts., so that is a mercy at least.



Sally

[DCJenn]

Ahh, well- I live in Hypochondria, USA. He never has a 'cold' but some sort of 'itis' or allergies or something. Not that he does anything about it- except get himself allergy meds.



However, he's required to have an annual physical with all of the necessary tests- Uncle Sam requirements. Also, they are required to have military issue eyeglasses (yes, those ever lovely Birth Control Glasses) etc so that if they should be sent somewhere they can go at a moment's notice. They all had to get immunized and have new glasses ordered, have physicals completed etc. this past fall. (after 9/11). Apparently somewhere they are storing bags that are ready with their gear if they need to go somewhere. I think they even had to get gas masks etc for these deployment bags. They had to get signatures from each department stating that they had completed each task. I guess the Army knows these guys wouldn't do it if it wasn't required.



So, I guess my answer is only under penalty of being fired does my husband get his annual physical!



Jenn
Edited by: jloreine at: 7/29/02 9:52:48 pm

[Meenah]

When we got married, Jory hadn't been to a doctor since medical school (he is 50!!!). I wouldn't marry him until he had a physical by the physician of MY choice!!!!

Luanne

OMG, Luanne....that is unbelievable!!!



Thomas is also the same way....and he also never has just a cold...If I have a headache, it's 'psychosomatic'..if he has a headache, it's likely a 'brain tumor' and he evaluates it in a sitting position, a lying position...running throught the house to see if it makes it worse (and he thinks MY headaches are psychosomatic ) but he avoids going to the doctor as well.



Kris
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[houseelf]

Ugh---he just had a case added on at 6 p.m. tonight so it looks like I will have to reschedule....this is such a pain.



BTW-that is hysterical about Thomas. If Sean's lymph nodes are swollen, he always postulates that it could be cancer. Meanwhile he had the nerve to LAUGH at me when I asked for an epidural after only three labor pains. The Nerve!



Kelly

This cracks me up-



I finally got Paul to go to the dentist (I won't even say how many YEARS it had been) and he puted and threw a tantrum about how they would just "hurt him on purpose". They found his wisdom teeth were cracked, and begining to decay so he had to have them removed. Oh my gosh, the drama that went on! He was worried they would soemhow break through his sinuses and infect his brain (or something weird like that --- i can't quite remember). Miraculously he survived .... what babies these guys are!

One evening a few months ago my fiancee was convinced he was having a heart attack! He came into the room describing all of his symptoms to me......though I am not in the medical field I told him it sounded like heartburn, lol. Of course, he was irritated with my less than enthusiastic reaction. He then proceeded to get out his stethoscope and made a point of laying on the floor in front of me, trying his best to look as if he might die at any minute. Once again, he did not appreciate my laughter, lol. Well, after about 20 minutes I told him that we had better call an ambulance right away. I began to pull on some jeans telling him all the while that we should get him to the hospital as soon as possible, lol. Amazingly, his symptoms seemed to disappear almost immediately! Guess I should add here that my fiancee is 24 years old and in great health, lol.

[SueC]

last winter my husband fell down on the ice--he ended up going to get an MRI to rule out a bleed in the brain. Another time when he had the flu, he went to the ER to get IV antibiotics. Although he hasn't had a physical for as long as I have known him, he has had many "medical emergencies"!

It drives me nuts! My husband is a PGY-7 and hasn't been to the doctor since high school! And he's only taken one sick day since he started residency (and he literally couldn't roll over without throwing up)... now I really want a sick doctor to take care of me when I'm in the hospital...

And yes, he has many friends who have just hooked up to the iv for a while at the hospital when they're sick. Also, when he had a ridiculously ingrown toenail, he finally (when he could no longer walk on it anymore and was suffering constant bleeding from self-operating) had another surgery resident rip it off one day. Gross!

Really?

That's nuts to have yourself hooked up to an iv while you work!!! Wow...I wonder what motivates that? Early in Thomas' residency training he had surgery. It was outpatient, but was quite soar afterwords...and he went to work the next day with those ice bags that you pop to make work...and taped them to himself all day! 8O

Kris

[Phoebe]

Wow

I am picturing a grown male walking around the hospital with ice bags taped to himself. Sounds like an athlete. I have also heard of residents walking around work hooked to IVs for fluids.

My husband is convinced he has hyperthyroidism, but won't go get checked out. I think once in high school, his finger got smashed in football practice and he used a screw to relieve the pressure. It doesn't sound very sterile.

Jennifer 8O