FAMILY DOCTOR - LAST GENERATION

It was in 1976. I fell ill and went to a doctor near my house. He examined me with a stethoscope and took my temperature, and asked me to take paracetamol. He also asked me to record my temperature and meet him 2 days later. He charged me Rs. 10 for the consultation.

That  day I had fever. Then there was no fever the next day. There was fever the day after that. I met him and told him. He said, “ Ah, Malaria. He prescribed chloroquine, one tab twice daily for three days. He did not take any consultation fee that visit. The medicine cost Rs. 6. I was fine within three days. He became my family doctor.

I finished my studies, and later became a medical representative. I met him now as a representative too.

I got married, a within  a year and half , was blessed with a son. Even though he was a very good doctor, he refused to treat my son as he felt that, that was the job of a pediatrician. He was very clear about being true to his profession.

Once  in 1988, my wife came down with chronic cough. She used to cough day and night. I had changed my residence to an area far away from his clinic, so I took my wife to another doctor who was close by. He prescribed cephalexin, which did not work. We went to a specialist, who preferred amoxicillin, which too did not have any effect. After three weeks of continuous cough, we met our family doctor. He saw both the prescriptions, and said, “ The medicines are right, only the dosage is not enough.”  He now prescribed a strong dosage of doxycillin, and within two days the cough vanished. The consultation had now become Rs.30.

In 1993, as I got up one early morning at 4 AM, to go to the toilet, I felt as if some one had pushed me against the wall. I was dizzy like crazy. I somehow managed to crawl into the bed, and lay worrying, about a probable brain tumor. 

I met him that morning, and told him my worry. He laughed, and asked me what significant changes I had made in my diet in the recent past. I told him I had got some free cheese, which I was hogging with relish. He said, “That is the reason for your vertigo. Fat and sweets decrease the circumference of the blood vessels. When someone is young, such a decrease does not cause any problem, as the blood vessels are healthy. But as one touches 40 years, the blood vessels become narrow due to aging. Further decrease due to diet leads to diminished blood flow to the brain, leading to vertigo.”

He asked me to lay off deep fried snacks, and frank sweets. With diet control, my vertigo vanished, never to come back.

A year later I developed high fever of 105 degrees. This fever never dropped, and on my doctor’s advice I took 6 hourly doses of paracetamol. This continued for 5 days, and I was getting worried. I asked him over phone , whether I should admit myself in a private hospital. He said ,” Wait till tomorrow morning 8AM. If the fever does not come down by then, do get admitted.  A patient of mine got admitted yesterday , and after doing all the tests, when his temperature returned to normal, they discharged him , with a bill of Rs. 12000. This is a new type of viral fever, and it will come down by the 6^th day.” Predictably I became normal by 8AM.the next day.

In 2003, when my father had his third heart attack, the doctors in the hospital prescribed a dozen medication, when they discharged him. My dad was a very talkative man. But after taking all the medicines, he sat listless, and drugged. Very often he used to faint, because a medicine which was given to reduces the work load of the heart also resulted in less supply of blood to the brain.

I took  the prescription, and showed it to our family doctor. He told me that none of the medicines prescribed would prevent another attack, and said that he would like to make some changes , in the prescription, provided I trusted him to do so. My experience with him for many years, had led me to have total faith in him. I said I trusted him. He just retained 2 of the 12 medication. Within days my dad improved and was his usual chirpy self.

Few months later, my father went into a coma. I did not know what to do. I pondered whether I should  keep him home or admit him in hospital?

My family doctor, came home, checked my dad, and gave me 2 alternatives. Either put a naso gastric tube and feed my dad, or put my dad in hospital on a ventilator.

I opted for the home treatment, and within 10 days my dad passed away gracefully, in peace, in his home, and thankfully not in a impersonal hospital ICU, fully invaded by tubes and machines.

I still visit him as a patient for all ailments and not once has he misguided my family. Today his fee is Rs. 150., in 2014.

He does not have a crowded clinic, but has his steady patients who believe in him. A bachelor, he spend much time updating himself on latest treatment  algorithms, and seeks to give the right treatment for all his patients. He also recommends his patients to responsible specialists, for diseases which need a specialized care.

Having a responsible family doctor, is a blessing. I have been blessed for 38 years. Now as he too is aging I pray for his good health and long life.