Column: Something About Nothing

Recently I have ended up in the emergency room and at urgent care for various illnesses. It is very apparent that I have white coat hypertension when I enter either of these facilities. Not only does my blood pressure spike, but I start babbling. I would like to blame my incoherent babbling on my illness and that could be part of it, but I blabber wildly even for routine doctors visits.

My pulse also starts racing, and I feel like my body is going to meet the floor at any minute. Some of that is illness, and some of that is phobia. It is amazing that any doctor could make any diagnosis when I am in that state.

While I was in urgent care the other day, I had a calm medical professional. I have to wonder what she thought of my ranting and my agitation. I offered more than she probably needed to know about my symptoms. I am sure what came out would have led her to believe that I need perhaps more help than she could give me. Her calmness was a breath of fresh air, and I believed she was going to make me better. Now that is a great feat when someone is hyperventilating all over the room.

I do not know why I react that way in the doctor’s office. I do know because I react that way that I take longer to visit a doctor and that means I take longer to feel better.

I started my journey the other day trying to make an appointment with my doctor. It would be days before I could get in. The clinic is practically next to my home. When you are feeling awful it is hard to drive then wait in a waiting room.

Since my clinic was not a possibility it meant a trip to Albert Lea and urgent care. My wait was only 45 minutes, and everyone there was great. It was confirmed that it was good that I decided to seek a doctor that day. However, when you are sick, sitting in a waiting room is hard. Many, many people do it every single day. There is no way to get around it.

I remembered the medical care when I was young. If I had the flu or was sick my mom would call the doctor and he came to us. That was so much easier than dragging a sick kid out to infect more kids.

That is not an option these days, but I couldn’t help but think how much easier it is to wait in a comfortable bed for the doctor to arrive. I don’t suppose a clinic would consider recliners or stress-less chairs in a waiting room.

The bottom line is this: Don’t let your white coat hypertension keep you from seeking medical advice early. And if you are a babbler like me, I hope you get a medical professional that is kind and understanding and can see through the babble.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net.