If you are vaccinated, it is safe to visit a doctor again! I imagine you all, like me, are busy having your various body parts checked out. That eye exam you put off for a year despite knowing that your long distance vision was worse; that wax in your ears that was causing you to say “excuse me, what did you say?” too often; the dental exams you dreaded in 2020 and were able to put off by excusing the pandemic; that annoying skin mole your dermatologist used to monitor for you every year.
In order to bring yourself up to date, you are likely making a lot more appointments these days. What has changed the most in 2021 is the doctors themselves. Most of them now offer telehealth, which allows you to talk to them via Zoom or FaceTime or even just on the telephone for a minor issue, instead of having to come in for a visit. The doctors seem to like these new approaches, and I absolutely love not having to drive somewhere, find parking and wait in a waiting room for a 15 min consultation I could have done on the phone.
The doctors’ offices have changed too. There are people constantly wiping surfaces and door knobs. There are two jars for pens — one for clean sanitized ones, and one for used ones. Who knew pens could transmit COVID-19? (I’m not sure they can, but just in case….) There are signs on the chairs “Do not sit here” so that you don’t get too close to others in the waiting room, or, in some cases, you have to wait in your car until they call you in. Everyone is still wearing masks, making it a little harder to understand them from a distance. The staff in the central “corral” who almost always seem too busy to look up when you come up to the desk, now wear masks and seem even more intent on their computers than ever. The offices are now cleaner than they have ever been, and I’m quite sure the incidence of common colds and flu have been reduced and will be reduced throughout the year because of increases in pandemic hygiene.
Many doctors now are using portals and email to make it easier to schedule an appointment, cancel an appointment, get the notes from your latest visit, or send an email or receive an email about a question you have. I like not having to wait on hold or listen to the latest set of instructions for what number to press to find the person who will keep you on hold even longer! If your doctor does not offer these convenient ways to stay in touch, you might ask why not. Some patients don’t like these new ways of communicating, but I imagine doctors and receptionists like it, so they are probably here to stay.
It would be great if you could have one-stop shopping for all these various body parts we take care of. Having to coordinate your own care, find a provider for every body part and make these appointments is sometimes tedious and frustrating. But because of the fragmentation of American health care, it is not likely we will see that changed any time soon. Kaiser may come as close as any system to offering some coordination of care for their patients. But if we are not Kaiser patients, we will have to continue pursuing help for our various body parts, one at a time, for many years to come. I would love to hear from you about your experience in keeping yourself in shape in this (almost-post) pandemic world!
Yes , yes, yes. I so very much relate to your post. I finally made an appt to go get my ears checked…a combination of wax, eustachian tube clogging, and aging hearing lost. I just want to know what is what. And the dentist with be in a month or so… Let the serious flossing begin. And the facing of the pandemic pounds…. Added to pounds that I already needed to lose. And so as my body needs attention… So does my house and the deck area. I’m afraid we are all a bit overgrown and need weeding.
I also am fine with telehealth and Zoom meetings….. No worries about parking, crowds, etc…. And it’s easier to refuse to register my weight. I know it’s there…. Must I look at a number? It will just make me want to eat more….
And so we get back to whatever the new normal will be. And I’m grateful to still be alive and able to work on these things. And to share laughter about them along the way (when the tears have not taken over temporarily) …. It’s all part of this journey of life that we are on. So we’d best buckle up!
Glad it resonated!!