Everyone I’ve spoken to in the past two weeks has mentioned their children catching colds lately. It seems that spring has sprung and so have cases of strep throat in our school. Since my oldest has had her tonsils out in October, strep hasn’t invaded our home but we’ve had our bouts of other viral activity in here. From the flu to bronchitis, my kids have had their share of illnesses- but a few days ago after my little guy received a viral diagnosis I started it feel a little off. I just couldn’t tell- was it a cold or was it just allergies? I felt like I had a head cold, without a sore throat he had. He had a fever, I didn’t… and let’s be honest- who really has time to go to a doctor when they have three kids at home, one of which is sick? I don’t … and while I do realize I have to take care of myself so I can take care of my family and that whole spiel, there just simply aren’t enough hours in the day.
So, I put a call in to Doctor On Demand. I’m no stranger to this service as I’ve used it in the past. I just needed a quick diagnosis- do I need cold meds or allergy meds? Are my symptoms something to be concerned about? Would I need antibiotics? There’s a popular medical website that will basically tell me the worst case scenario for my runny nose- which will most likely have me being a nervous Nellie til my symptoms subside and I see I’m not dying, after all. For the cost of an office visit to my doctor and without the added expense of finding a babysitter or having to change everyone’s schedule so I can get to a doctor, I was able to video call a REAL doctor and get their medical opinion. Oh, and the average wait time for my doctor is about two weeks. TWO WEEKS! The last time I called in for an appointment I was so disappointed in not being able to get an immediate appointment when I was sick, despite having personal insurance. Imagine if I didn’t have insurance!
It turns out my itchy eyes are a telltale sign of this clogged face being a run of the mill allergy reaction- most likely to the increase of cut grass and pollen count in my area. The Doctor On Demand stated I can take any allergy meds that have worked for me in the past. Whew! That was close! This mama doesn’t have time for a doctor’s visit or to be sick! Calling Doctor On Demand was seamless and so easy- it was like a doctor making a house call without the fear they would see the mess that lurks behind closed doors. I was happy to see so many categories of personal health they deal with- including mental health.
Shortly after having my son I felt that something was off. I knew all about the baby blues and knew a lot of my issues stemmed from being in a lot of pain from the c-section and not anticipating it to be so bad. Then, a few weeks after we came home from the hospital my son ended up back in the hospital for an illness, which sparked anxiety in myself. At this point I felt useless because I was in pain, isolated because I didn’t want him to get sick again, and meanwhile I had two other children who needed me and I just couldn’t be there for. The idea of having a mental health doctor within arms reach at any given time would have helped me tremendously at that time, because I know I wouldn’t have mustered up the energy to actually get out of the house to go speak to someone.
In support of Mental Health Awareness Month and its commitment to delivering compassionate care year-round, Doctor On Demand will cover the cost of a visit with a board-certified physician to provide an assessment and recommendation for treatment for those suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression.
You can download the app or head over to Doctor On Demand to find out more and see the list of illnesses they treat.
Compensation was provided by Doctor On Demand. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Doctor On Demand.