https://lssattitudeofgratitude.wordpress.com/2022/05/12/throwback-thursday-38-visits-to-doctors-and-or-dentists/ word prompt this week is about doctors and dentists.

1) Where doctor/dentist appointments a regular part of your childhood? I remember having multiple fillings as a child, but then decided I wouldn’t go through all those fillings again. I make sure I keep up the health of my teeth, but recently I changed to an electric toothbrush. I’ve seen all the adverts about gum disease, but thought when my gums started to bleed it couldn’t be that. Now I understand what I need to do and thankfully I was able to reverse the damage.

2) Did you go for well-checks or just when you were ill or in pain? I used to go to the doctors if I am in pain. I don’t tend to let illness stop me from doing anything. If my family are ill I make sure they go to the doctors. My husband was given a blood pressure machine, and I though I would try my own. Turns out my blood pressure is as high as his.

3) Were you frightened by the medical professionals? If so, were there specific reasons? I wasn’t ever frightened of the doctor or the dentist.

4) Were your parents afraid of medical professionals? No, they were never afraid of going to the doctors or the dentist.

5) Was waiting in the exam room stressful to you? Not really, I trusted that the doctors would be able to find the reason behind what was wrong with me.

6) Did your early visits result in your being afraid of needles? I’m not afraid of needles, but my husband and daughter are. When she was getting her vaccine as a child I remember her smiling at the nurse, until they gave her the injection. The look she gave the nurse was pure hatred. When she got her COVID vaccine, she told me a story of the nurse circling her when she told them she was afraid of needles.

7) Does the sight of your own blood bother you? Not really, but I freak out over other people’s blood. My husband is the total opposite. We were in Asda a couple of years ago. The guy in front of us keeled over, smashing his head on the floor. I’ve never seen so much blood. I panicked. My husband took control of the situation, made sure he was okay before the professionals took over. I was so proud of him. Yet, if he sees his own blood he will faint.

8) Did you ever have the need to go to an emergency room? When my daughter was about a year an a half. She crashed into a cabinet, and the speaker fell on her head (She still has the scar today). I panicked, but my husband did everything right. An hour later she was running around the emergency room, with me asking could I go home. They said no because it was a head injury, and they needed to check if she was okay. She was, and we all slept well when we got back home.

9) Did your early experiences impact your current attitudes about medical care? We are lucky in the UK. We don’t have to pay for our medical care. Our doctors, in the main, are well trained. I would never feel like it was the wrong thing to do in going to the doctor or dentist.