March 28, 2008...9:00 am
An apple a day…
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. If the doctor is smart put the apple away.
So went a comic take on the classic proverb when I was at college. As I turned on the ignition of my car at the parking lot of my primary care physician yesterday afternoon, I muttered to myself “Oh! I love my doctor!”. The intensity of my emotion surprised me. It is not often that I acknowledge people like my doctor or my teller as people I like rather than as professionals doing their job.
On my drive back to work, my mind went back to the first doctor I ever remembered. A Dr Prakash in SB colony in Coimbatore. After that there were many doctors I have been to none came close to usurping the family doctor image that Dr Prakash held. Till yesterday. I formally replaced him with my primary care physician here.
Other than the fact that an appointment with him meant a wait of an hour at the minimum, I have no gripes. In fact, I look forward to the infrequent visits to the doctor office. I like chatting with the nurse, thumbing through those issues of People that I look at in the grocery store but do not buy. Watching other people in the waiting room wondering why they were there. Most of all I love that my doctor when he walks in to the room looks me in the eye with a twinkle. I half expect him to tell me to help myself to candy at the reception as I leave. I like his firm handshake. I love that he looks like the epitome of health. He does look like he is in the pink of health. I love the way he patiently looks through my entire file and revisits old issues and asks with concern if all is well. He asks after my family. About my mom, bro, sis and husband. He makes me feel human and takes the time to instill in me a trust that is not easily won. I feel comfortable talking to him about my mental health and physical issues knowing he will not laugh at me. End of the day I am impressed with the fact that he takes his time with the patients and makes me believe he enjoys his job.
Now, do we really need to buy so many apples?
10 Comments
March 28, 2008 at 9:51 am
Tell me who the PCP is?
March 28, 2008 at 10:45 am
I found that with one exception(he was P’s doc thankfully! not mine
), the docs I visited there were really good. Each had their own way..but each one made me feel good end of the meeting. I was even telling LG this one day, that if ever in the remotest possibility that I ever have another kid; I would love to have the same ob/gyn who delivered A. He was never the real personal guy types…but neverthless made me feel comfortable and I trusted him completely. The peds that A had were wonderful. None of them really pushed pills. They let us be what we were as long as we did not deviate way too much. Guess the docs there are trained that way. But then, I always have liked all the docs I have interacted with even here 
March 28, 2008 at 10:46 am
btw, I hope all is well with K and you…hoping this is just a regular annual physical visit which went well
March 28, 2008 at 11:42 am
oh you remind me of my doc back home…nice blog topic, thanks for the trigger
March 28, 2008 at 11:53 am
Yeah, that’s what it comes down to sometimes - good bedside manner. That is so important for me too - I think that is a huge part of a doctor’s job. We had one such doctor back in Singapore - she knew everything about my family’s history - and she’d spend about 10 mins with the actual problem and then 30 mins chatting - what I really liked was that she open to the idea of alternative remedies besides the traditional medication.
I’m glad you’ve found your doctor
March 28, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Finding a good doctor is like finding a perfectly fitting attire - hard to find but you are so glad when you finally find one
Glad you have found yours.
March 28, 2008 at 2:37 pm
‘his twinkle in the eye’ , ‘ he is in pink of health’ and he is in good spirits..all because he eats an apple everyday…as a good doctor he expects you to be ‘in pink of health’..for sure keep eating apples..doctor will be happy too
happy weekend!
shy
March 28, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Hi Laksh. I’m glad to hear that your visits to the Dr’s are always a positive experience. This is a good thing. For sure, you will have a long and healthy life
.
On another note, in recent times, the reputation of the profession has been questionable, with accusations of Dr.s putting $$ ahead of patients. No doubt, there are a few “bad apples” out there. But, as the saying goes,..a few bad apples do not make for a rotten barrel…”
As for me, I’m still on the quest of finding THE doctor…. (wish me luck
)
March 28, 2008 at 5:23 pm
ooh what of those apples that your colleague left you with?
March 30, 2008 at 10:58 am
@Anamika: Will email you
A friend took most home to make apple pies.
@Apar: I have usually had only good experiences with the docs I have been to. Just that none made the kind of lasting impression my current doc does.
@UL: Welcome. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on what this triggered
@Bavani: Well put. I like my doc for similar reasons. He is open to listening about alternative treatment options.
@Akay: Super analogy!
@Shy: Apples are my new best friend
@spillay: Tons of luck!!
@Roop: They were all gone
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