About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
When my daughter complained of an earache, my heart sank. Not because I felt bad for her (of course I did) it’s just that I knew I had to take her to the doctor. Welcome to sickness in winter! Fabulous!
Because it was the weekend, I had to take her to a walk-in clinic. FABULOUS! As far as walk-in clinics go, the one we frequent (notice the word “FREQUENT” as in “FREQUENTLY”) is OK.
But, there is nothing worse, to me, than waiting in a walk-in clinic, especially in winter, when it is packed. There was news recently that hospitals were getting rid of magazines in waiting rooms. I was like, “THANK GOD!” I think the same should be done in walk-in clinics. Personally, I always bring my OWN reading material.
How is it that people feel OK picking up a magazine in a walk-in clinic knowing where they are? The person who was reading the magazine just before you is here to see a DOCTOR because they are SICK. And you’re flipping the pages, licking your fingers and…OK; I’m making myself sick.
When I took my daughter to the clinic, and saw the line up, I honestly thought, “We’re going to get so much sicker waiting here…” (It was kind of like voting for the last mayor. Which would be the better of bad options? Stay here and catch something more severe or leave with the earache and hope it goes away?)
But I do know my daughter’s earaches don’t go away by themselves.
We had to wait. I knew exactly the kind of medicine my daughter needed (we’ve been through this before). I also knew the sounds of hacking everywhere were driving me into a state of panic. “Don’t touch anything!” I said to my daughter, as we signed in. I was Purelling her hands (and mine) every five minutes.
We were arriving with an earache and for sure going to leave with pneumonia, or bronchitis, or strep throat, I thought, after ten minutes of listening to the chorus of coughs. There was one woman who was so lethargic she couldn’t bother to cover her mouth when she was hacking. I did feel bad for her but I also felt like screaming, “COVER YOUR MOUTH!” I swear I could feel germs land on my face!
I find this fascinating. Who doesn’t know not to cover their mouths? I was once in a yoga class in a ritzy gym and sneezed (just a dust sneeze) and woman asked me to cover my nose (kind of hard to do when you’re in crow position…. anyway.)
But at walk-in clinics, it’s like everyone has forgotten this.
And then there’s the worry of the doctor on call. You’ve waited in line, you know your daughter better than anyone, and yet, still they’ll say, “Yes, it is a bit red. But let’s wait a couple of days.” Getting a prescription out of them is like pulling teeth. (My line is this: “We’re getting on a plane tomorrow. So why don’t you give me the prescription and if it still hurts in two days, I’ll use it.”)
In any case, we probably WILL be back in a couple of days. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back with strep throat or bronchitis. I’ll bring my own reading material.
Do you worry you or your children will get sicker visiting the doctor than they already are? Will you think twice about reading magazines in waiting rooms? What’s the most annoying thing about your local walk-in clinic?
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