I had doctors and dentists as two separate items on my list of 100 things I am grateful for but on a day like today, I can't think of one without the other.
I love all of our doctors as well as their nurses and office support. We have found medical professionals who have never instilled a sense of panic in us. They tell it like it is, they take time to listen, and they deal with my questions without feeding into my worries. All of our doctors have same-day sick appointments. They also have very little staff turnover, which I feel speaks highly of the overall environment these doctors have created.
We are blessed with good health so we actually see our doctors & dentists infrequently*, yet I never feel like just another patient. They all take time to ask about our lives outside of the office and beyond the concern which brought us to them that day.
I sent Kayla to the dentist on her own this morning because I am so comfortable with the staff in Dr. Fratkin's office and because, well, she has her own car and I could sleep in ;-). I called when I thought the appointment might be over. Peggy at the front desk knows me well (I tend to fuss a bit whenever I walk into a dentist's office...hate it!) so I figured she wouldn't mind me checking in. They had already sent Kayla on her way so she wasn't late for school and next thing I knew I was talking with Dr. Fratkin directly who took the time to share all of his observations and recommendations from their appointment.
Colin came home from wrestling practice yesterday with a skin irritation. Since he is wrestling and in close physical contact with others, I knew that we should get it checked right away. I wasn't worried about whether he'd be able to actually see a doctor today, though. Because I knew that if I called this morning, I'd get a set appointment. No waiting in a sick room to see whichever doctor was available. West End Pediatrics got me an appointment this morning with Colins' regular doctor. Love it! And I know that Dr. Dawson will simply state what's going on without causing unnecessary alarm. And, he'll answer any other questions I happen to throw at him ;-). By the way, he studied at St. Lawrence University and you know that northern connection always helps.
I few weeks ago I made my very first appointment with a dermatologist about one spot which was concerning me. Dr. Tran looked at it and immediately and said "oh...that's just a wisdom spot [her nice way of saying an age spot] and it's nothing to be concerned about but I can remove it if you'd like." When I told her I'd wait because it was fine medically, it was a part of me, and I didn't want to spend the money, she did not give me any pressure. And while I was there she decided to do a full examine, found a legitimately concerning spot, and removed it right away. She didn't say that I had to come back for the procedure because she hadn't allotted enough time. She didn't try to convince me to have the wisdom spot removed, botox injections, or anything else which would have given her more billables. And during the 'surgery' to remove the one spot, she, her two nurses, and I carried on a relaxed and funny banter. No stress. No tension. (And the spot was nothing afterall.)
My families' medical team may not be unique, but it is comforting to me. It is built on mutual concern for our medical and dental needs, and relationships with the professionals as well as their teams which insure a sense of comfort for when, God forbid, things aren't quite right.
So as much as I hate going to the doctor or dentist for fear that I'm going to get bad news, I am thankful for the doctors and staff who make the process 'pleasant.'
* I really do mean it when I say we see these folks infrequently...it just seems like when it rains it pours. Days like today it seems we've got a revolving door to medical offices but this is highly unusual.
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