The Benefits of Having a Long-Term Relationship with Your Family Doctor

Kavya woke up with an itchy throat and a heavy head. She would have to call in sick to work today. But this wasn’t the first time this was happening. Usually, she’d just pop a pain killer and sleep it off. She went to ask her mother for a painkiller.

Kavya: Good morning, Amma. I’m going to skip work today. Not feeling good.

Mom: Oh no, my poor baby! Are you okay?

Kavya: Yeah, Ma. It’s the usual headache and itchy throat. Do you have a painkiller? I just want to sleep it off.

Mom: I do have one, but I don’t think that’s advisable. Maybe we should visit Dr. Kumar.

Kavya: Hmm, I don’t know. I’m feeling really exhausted and I don’t want to leave the house. I just want to sleep.

Mom: I understand, Kavya, but I think it’s about time we arrived at the root cause of this issue and tackled that. We can’t keep putting band-aids on this forever. It feels like you’re getting sick more frequently. It’s unprofessional to skip work so often, and I hate watching you suffer like this.

This was true. Kavya had been falling sick almost every 2-3 weeks. She’d be out of medical leave soon. Kavya thought about this for a minute.

Kavya: Okay, Ma. Let’s get a proper consultation. I saw a new app where you can consult with doctors with minimal effort. Maybe we can try that.

Mom: What is it with you children and your apps?

Kavya: Hahaha, it’s just so convenient Ma! I can sit at home and consult with a specialist. I just hate leaving the house when I am sick.

Mom: Okay, but Dr. Kumar’s clinic is only 5 minutes away. He’s been treating you since you were a baby.

Kavya: I just don’t like sitting in hospital waiting rooms. I feel like I’m going to catch something else from there since my immunity is already low.

Mom: No problem, we can call him up on the phone too.

Kavya: Why can’t we just try this app? I’m kind of curious how this works.

Mom: Well, Dr. Kumar is familiar with your health since your childhood. Remember, you used to have wheezing as a child? Dr. Kumar was the one who treated you then. I wonder if this illness is related.

Kavya: We can just brief the new doctor about my medical history, Ma. It’s not that hard.

Mom: Do you even know your full medical history, Kavya? Even I don’t have the full picture and I am your mother! I know an overview of course, but not the details. Only Dr. Kumar remembers all those things. Even now when I visit him, he remembers the details of the ankle injury I had when I was pregnant with you, and that I re-twisted that same ankle when you were a toddler; he still asks me about it too! He even remembered that I am allergic to Aspirin and prescribed a different painkiller for me, before I even had the chance to remind him. It’s like having a personalised health record that isn’t just on paper but in his mind.

Kavya: I know Ma. Dr. Kumar is an amazing doctor. He has been taking good care of our family for many years. I remember he was so kind and helpful when he was treating my wheezing. But I think I may need someone more specialised. I was googling my symptoms and I think I could be having an allergic reaction to something. I think I need an allergy specialist, and there is one on this app.

Mom: Could be, but I don’t trust Google. I really hate it when you google your symptoms, Kavya. Please stop doing that. Dr. Kumar will refer us to a specialist if it is actually required. He will also inform the specialist of your medical history and your lifestyle and co-ordinate your treatment and follow-ups. However, we still don’t know what the actual problem is.

Kavya: Okay, fair enough. I guess I never thought about how much a family doctor does behind the scenes. Dr. Kumar has always been our family’s support – from taking our panicked calls late at night, to always greeting us with a smile and a warm chat to put us at ease when we visit the clinic. I too trust Dr. Kumar.

Mom: Yes, Dr. Kumar has always kept an eye on our emotional health too. He even suggested a counselling psychiatrist for Grandpa. He had noticed how unhappy he had become after Grandma passed.

Kavya: Yes, he always seemed to notice there was a problem before we even realized it ourselves. Haha, I guess you could say that Dr. Kumar has helped save us in more ways than one.

Mom: Yes, I believe most doctors who practice family medicine truly care about the families they work with, and Dr. Kumar is a great example in our lives. He has always helped decode medical jargon for us and explained the problem in simple terms which we could understand. He seems to have a “sixth sense” about our family, from having studied us for so many years. I am worried this new specialist you want to consult will make us take an entire panel of tests, and then say that it’s a throat infection so please drink warm water and soup. And who could blame the doctor? He has no baseline data about us to go on. Unlike Dr. Kumar, he doesn’t know that you spend so much time talking yourself hoarse on the phone and have an addiction to iced drinks.

Kavya: Hahaha, agreed. I too don’t want to spend money on performing unnecessary medical tests. I’d rather spend it on shoes.

Mom: Hahaha, you and your shoes. Come, let’s give Dr. Kumar a call. He’ll know what to do.

As predicted, Dr. Kumar knew exactly what to do. After the initial pleasantries to put Kavya at ease, he got right to the point and asked her what her symptoms were. She mentioned the itchy throat and the heavy head. He asked her when she started having these symptoms, what she ate for dinner the previous day and whether she had been out late any time in the past week. Within 5 minutes, he had cracked the case. Kavya had gone for a late birthday party at her friend’s house the previous night, and they had celebrated with cold drinks and an ice cream cake. The party had been on the terrace and the night air had been rather chill. She had also not had enough water to drink since before she went to the party. Kavya was dealing with the beginnings of a sore throat and had a headache from dehydration. Dr. Kumar advised against popping the painkiller Kavya had planned to take, for her liver’s sake. He then suggested drinking plenty of hot liquids and advised rest for the day – maybe a chamomile tea if the headache got worse. Kavya was alright after a few bowls of soup and a short nap, and she then had the rest of the afternoon free to have a leisurely lunch and to spend some quality time with her mother!

Building a long-term relationship with a family doctor, ensures personalized care and a deep understanding of your medical history, leading to accurate diagnoses and effective treatments. It’s invaluable to have a dedicated general physician who knows your health intricacies, ensuring your well-being is consistently monitored and maintained.

 

 

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai Alwarpet – 044 4000 6000 •  Chennai Vadapalani – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801