Dr. Mom

When I was in high-school I fancied the idea of going to medical school, but the intricacies of organic chemistry made me change my mind. I did get to study medicine while raising two kids, at least to the degree of having a competent opinion on common childhood illnesses. Most parents do, I guess.

From the first pregnancy guide to researching obscure conditions on the Internet - a parent has to learn a lot of medicine, even if it is just to asses the situation to know when or if a trip to the doctor is necessary.
The first tool a mother gets to rely on is instinct – knowing your child you can tell if something is definitely wrong or it's a minor problem.
Over time, I've bought several fancy digital thermometers, but I got fed up with them breaking down so for many years now I made do with a simple touch on the forehead. That won't give me a digital reading, but it's good enough to know if the fever is too high or just moderate.
I've learned patterns – if the little one is running a fever I know he won't eat anything for a day or two – it's very annoying, but at least I know he'll survive.

Doing your own research is essential when your kids fall ill over the weekend, when you can't reach your doctor. Is it just me or are kids prone to do that around major holidays or an a Saturday? Sunday would be too easy, as most problems can wait till Monday...
The worst experience I've had was being stranded in a Turkish resort with a burning-hot child showing signs of meningitis, while the so-called 24/7 medical assistance turned out to be a confused waiter offering to call an ambulance. After going over the symptoms for a hundred times and doing the glass test on the kid I decided it was probably just too much sun.
Every parent knows how to deal with a sore throat or an upset tummy, but it's the scary illnesses that keep them frantically searching for clues. Reading the same things on a hundred different pages, just to make sure there's nothing to worry, everything's under control.

Capitalism has definitely improved medical services in my country, but going to a private clinic you know they'll put your kid through a lot of unnecessary tests when the problem is obvious. When my eldest had a nasty fall and hit her head as a child I went from one doctor to another just to make sure there is no concussion. But it was my first child, I was a newbie – now I know all the symptoms by heart so when my mother hit her head a couple of months ago I was confident she didn't have a concussion before reaching the ER. She did have a CT scan, just to be sure, but the doctor suggested we also see a neurologist, I gave him a Nice try look and told him No, thanks. He did not insist.

It's not just a question of money, it's also about not putting your child through unnecessary procedures. Another time I've had to deal with suspicions of meningitis I decided to gut with my gut feeling and treat the kid by myself as I was afraid a doctor would want to do a lumbar puncture to give a definite answer. Too painful, too risky...

Being a good 'honorary' doctor means knowing when you're out of your league and seek an expert opinion. Like in 'The disappearing sharp nail mystery'. The baby was fine, but there was a high chance he'd swallowed it. Eventually, we went for an X-ray as I decided I couldn't risk ruptured intestines and sepsis based on a hunch. The baby hadn't swallowed it, so that mystery was never solved.

Like all parents in the world I was quite panicky with my eldest, now I'm way more relaxed, but fact is a parent never stops worrying, even when the children grow up.
It's in the job description.

Thanks for reading

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