Visits to the doctor can jeopardise your health

As the days get shorter, this was always the beacon for colds to lay siege to my son's ear canals and ride painful attacks on his sensitive middle ears. Especially when he was younger, this led to him having a standard response to every possible question, accusation or request during this time. It was: «What?»
Concern about his hearing drove me back to a paediatrician's surgery one day. After lunch, I had taken my daughter to her piano lesson and then rushed through the city with my son to get to the doctor's on time. With an autumn gust of wind, we sailed into the practice, where two practice assistants greeted us with protective masks and a presumably friendly smile. We were told to take a seat. But no, not in the waiting room, because there were children there with a contagious skin rash. But there was still room here in the corner.
We sat down on an uncomfortable chair and waited. As there were none of the usual distractions in the waiting area, I played what felt like a hundred rounds of «Schäri, Schtei, Papier» with him while watching the hustle and bustle in the surgery. More parents with small patients streamed in, others left the practice and rubbed their hands with disinfectant solution on the way out. Eventually I had to ask my son for a «Schäri, Schtei, Papier» break. «What?» he said. And then: «How much longer?»
We waited. To make conversation with the practice staff, I asked if they were wearing the masks because of the flu. «Oh no», the masks told me, «but this practice is a meeting place for all kinds of illnesses, so you'd better protect yourself». I decided not to touch anything and to wash my hands thoroughly at the next opportunity. I told my son the same thing. «What?» he replied. And then: «How much longer?»

«What?»

I then asked the protective masks whether they were vaccinating against the flu - after all, they were wearing the matching outfit. But they just raised their eyebrows disapprovingly and replied that the doctor only vaccinated high-risk patients and then mumbled something about vaccine damage. I imagined the damage the flu could do to my family if she put them to bed with a high temperature for four weeks.
After waiting for forty minutes and having to answer the question «How long will it be?» ten times with «I don't know», followed by «What?», I started to get nervous. My daughter would soon be arriving home and standing in front of closed doors. So I cautiously asked the protective mask how much longer it would take. I was told to expect half an hour.
I grew up in a family of doctors and have great respect for the work that doctors do. I also know that people are not machines and that their maintenance sometimes takes longer than planned. But with the prospect of having to wait for over an hour in a tortured chair between masked but unwilling practice assistants and possibly catching who knows what, I was ultimately more worried about my own mental health than my son's ears.
Folding myself out of the chair, I decided to help the doctor, who I was sure was completely exhausted, manage the appointment and not put her through our non-life-threatening ear problem. «How much longer?» asked the son. «Not any longer. We're going, you'll have to put up with your ears a little longer.» «What?» he asked. And then: «Oh, it's not that bad anyway.»
© Tages-Anzeiger/Mamablog

About the author
Michèle Binswanger is a philosopher, journalist and author. She writes on social issues, is the mother of two children and lives in Basel. She writes regularly for the Swiss parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi. Subscribe to our free newsletter now.