By the way . . . Why my daughter needs her own GP
BEING a doctor and a parent can be a tricky combination. Not only is it hard to be objective about your own children, but sometimes it means you let things slide.
I’ve noticed an issue with my five-yearold’s gait over the past six months, and last week I finally got round to doing something about it. Like most medics, rather than go the conservative route of seeing a GP and getting a referral, I took every opportunity to ask various medical family members if she was OK.
In the end it was suggested I see a ‘proper doctor’ rather than randomly seek counsel on the beach or after a boozy dinner party. Fair call. But that very mention of a ‘proper doctor’ sent me into a tizz. There’s an inner pride when I declare that Darcy never gets ill, never sees a GP and isn’t part of the Calpol generation. As well as being a bit obnoxious, that stance, I now realise, is rather stupid. I’ve spent a decade on the telly telling people that boasting about not seeing a doctor doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not sick!
As I sat in front of the consultant, I had to confess that my daughter didn’t really have a GP and I’d already unofficially asked three different doctors about the problem. I sheepishly announced that this issue had been going on for six months and I had no excuse for not bringing her sooner.
For a moment I was wracked with guilt. What if I had let this go too far and the damage was irreparable? Of course, like most things where kids are concerned, it turned out to be nothing. I left reassured that the problem would right itself and my delay in seeking advice wasn’t detrimental to the resolution.
I learned a valuable lesson. As a parent your children should never be your patients. I should know this — my dad was a GP dad and I didn’t see a ‘real’ doctor until I was 24.
While this experience won’t see me beat a path to the doctor’s door for every spot, cut and sniffle, from now on, when it comes to my daughter, I’m going to step back and pay someone else to do the doctoring.