Medics should equally seek medical care from professionals

It is a common saying for patients and the public to ask if doctors and health practitioners also fall sick. Well, doctors and health professionals do fall sick and even die just like everyone. The health system of countries varies from one to another, and here in Nigeria, there is a shortage of personnel, a lack of necessary hospital equipment, and poor remuneration constantly ravaging the health sector in addition to other factors. I have told people to hold on to health professionals they may know, as the next few years may spell doom for those who do not know health workers directly so as to facilitate access to quality health care.

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My most difficult health journey was from September 2023 to mid-2024. It is not unusual for medics to engage in self-medications, and even when we attend to others, it is right to say that we may miss diagnoses. When medics fall sick, it could be more troubling or less concerning, depending on the symptoms. The perceived risks are usually different. Of course, if I had a swelling, I would easily think towards tumors and maybe malignant tumors. The public may not care much, and perhaps, where it is said that 'ignorance is bliss.'. The symptoms I had in September 2023 were pointing towards the gastrointestinal system, as I had commenced with increased passage of loose stool. I got a medication to stall the symptom because of the engagement I had at work, but what was expected to last a few days gradually prolonged into weeks.

Fear and anxiety began to creep in as the symptoms were beginning to be generalized rather than localized. I do give myself intramuscular injections when the need arise. Most of our diagnosis are based on 80% of history taken. Coincidentally, I had a troubling ailment just a year before, August 2022 where I treated malaria with parenteral and oral medications only to discover that what I had was a pharyngotonsilitis. Then, I began to wonder if my sicknesses were annual in nature. Fast forward to 2023 when I was terribly sick and indoors, my crave for fried meat was out of ordinary. In fact, I almost consumed a whole fried chicken in a day and my friends wondered if I was pregnant or not even though I am a male.

I took the courage and walked up to a hospital, ran a few blood checks like the full blood count, and even viral screenings. The results were fairly normal except for the elevated packed cell volume, which must have been as a result of dehydration. Unfortunately, my thoughts were scrambled at that instance, and all I wanted was to correct the anomaly, which made me donate a pint of blood around such time. The tests were repeated two weeks later, and results were more satisfactory; however, they showed some levels of sepsis.

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During this whole ordeal, my care was mostly by myself rather than consulting medical colleagues. However, reaching out to them became quite helpful as my diagnosis and treatment became more tailored. Should I say that the ill health was rather prolonged with associated comorbidities coming to light, especially as regards family history?

Relating with colleagues and even senior medical colleagues was not only mentally relieving but also associated with better prognosis.

So yes, medics do fall sick, and it is very important for medics to seek care and treatment, as it is possible to miss the diagnosis, probably as a result of scrambled thoughts or anxiety.

Here's my first post in this awesome community. Hope to stick more around.

Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.