The Doctor Diaries

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While out to dinner with my family, I recognized a mom and her three kids as patients of mine. We both waved and said hi. Later, as we were leaving the restaurant, she stopped us and said she wanted to thank me. "You saved my life," she said. "Remember a few months ago, I paged you around midnight because I was very sick and my own doctor does not take after-hours calls. You told me I probably had meningitis and sent me into the ER." Of course I remembered this. It isn't every day that I get paged by a parent for "grown up" medical advice. "I had seen my own doctor that very day," she went on. "He had said I just had migraines and dizziness. But you listened to me that night and recognized the symptoms of meningitis. If I hadn't received prompt treatment, I might have died." By this time the mom was close to tears. So was I. My wife and I gave her a big hug. I told her I was very glad to have been able to help, and it was good to see her well.

As I reflected on this encounter later on I realized several important things about myself. First, I tend to grumble and complain a lot about being paged after hours, especially at midnight. However, THIS is just the type of call I love to get, even in the middle of the night; a very sick person, who doesn't realize just how sick they are, who needs prompt medical attention. Second, I know I didn't really save her life. She would have probably gone back to her doctor the next day and been diagnosed correctly (I hope). But you can imagine how great it made me feel to be stopped in a restaurant by such a grateful mom who really believes I made such a difference in her life. That is what being a pediatrician is all about - being there for both kids and their parents, not just for the runny noses and coughs, but also for the really important things.