We Don’t Understand Deep Dislike of Doctor Visits

CFers (as a whole) have to overcome a lot of the rest of the world’s fear or dislike of visits to the doctor while every kid would rather be playing outside than going to the doctor. We go every quarter, or even more often, so we have to be used to it and just see it as a part of life. Those who have CF centers who put them on IVs at the first sign of PFT drops have to get used to the hospital. It’s called “life” for us. Heck, I get excited to see the doctor when it is not a CF-related issue.

Then there is the rest of the world. We’ve got the stereotypical man who won’t see a doctor until the bump on his neck is the size of a softball, he is in advanced stages of prostate cancer, or any other number of ailments that can be fixed easily if attended to early on. My dad is somewhat like that, but I think life with me has rubbed off on him a bit so he doesn’t take it to the stereotypical extreme.

Then there is Beautiful. I thought it best for everyone’s sake to get her approval for this, since this is almost as much about her as it is about me now (all clear – good!). She loathes going to any doctor. They make you take your clothes off. They look at every freckle like it’s cancer. They put instruments in uncomfortable places. UGH! Did I capture your disdain accurately, Honey? She says, “almost… continue.”

She hates that she went to the doctor for the sole purpose of getting to the bottom of why she was feeling dizzy or sick to her stomach after every meal. When it came down to it being allergies and going on a paleo diet, she went from being a normally-eating person who felt like crap afterwards to someone who simply can’t eat those foods now lest things swell or hives appear. Gone are the days of restaurants and normal family vacations, which largely include eating – all of the time. She more or less wishes that she’d never gone to the doctor and just coped with the symptoms. Now she can’t go back. Her recent experiences also include vaso-vagal reactions to her allergy test AND shots, which we’ve discontinued and getting a literal taste of my ENT life when the allergist sprayed her sinuses and looked around with the scope.

I can’t blame her that now she doesn’t want to go back to that doctor, (or just about any other doctor) but now we have a need: foster care medical waivers. Ironically, I took mine to Sue when I was at the next building for my ENT visit and she had it filled out and signed and returned to me via e-mail the next day. I, the 33-yr-old CFer am medically cleared to be of sound health and mind to raise a child in a home free of dangers associated with any medical condition. Beautiful on the other hand…

Her doctor wouldn’t fill out the form unless she came in to be “checked out.” Sounds like a date gone wrong if you ask me, but I’ve always felt that way about that phrase. Next appointment time: March 2nd! So, after having these forms since May, we’re getting down to the last few things to do and the healthy person has a doctor issue because she’s healthy enough to go more than a year without going to her doctor.

My turn for an UGH. I need a moral of the story here, don’t I?

The silver lining of this cloud we call CF is that it keeps me in such close contact with my doctor and his super-awesome RN that I am not only cleared for foster care, but I didn’t need to make a special appointment to be sure I’m “still okay.” If I wasn’t “still okay,” they’d for sure know it. I also don’t have any major emotional or physical discomfort when I have to go in for exams or treatment. Well, there was that GERD test…

Anyway, I’m actually thankful for my experiences that make doctors no big deal, but I truly wish I could relate to my wife in her time of emotional discomfort.

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