When do you go to the doctor? How quick are you to consult with a doctor when...

Yup, I agree. With kids nowadays, just a slight cold or fever, we would go running to the doctors. When I was a kid, it was always some hot nasty herbal drinks and lots of blankets (to sweat out the fever!). Even now, I delay going to the doctor for a cold/fever. If the fever lasts a week, then I would start to worry and go to the doctor!

as we get free medical treatment in the uk i think its easier for us just to take a trip to the doctors if we are feeling unwell. I always go to the doctor if my daughter has a rash and i go if theres a problem within my pregnancy. As for an injury well you just know if its damaging or not so you make your own decision there as to whether or not an x-ray os needed!

I try to keep away from the doctor as much as possible. Its kind of phobia for me to take so many medicines. Its actually a hangover from my childhood days when mom was all alone with me and so she never took any risks and one sneeze and I would be off to the doc. Now of course I am all for body's own immunity to fight it out first...its only after a few days that I feel the need for going to the doc. Its the same with my son...his wrist is a bit swollen now, something of a lump that's a little painful to touch...if it doesnt heal in a few day's time,I too would have to take him to the doc. What homemade treatments do you have for sprains in children?

Hi miamilady..when I was younger, we never went to the doctor either. In fact, I can only remember one trip really..i had burned my throat with hot macaroni...lol..oh and one time i badly sprained my ankle skiing...oh yes, and another time I got hit by a car...lol...But for simple illnesses..we never went either, We just considered we had a cold or flu and dealt with it. It wasnt life threatening so we didnt waste the doctors time. It seems now, that many more people visit the doctors. With my family doc, there is a 3 week wait to see her, so I hope I dont get sick!

I go to my doctor when I get fever, I will not wait for this, maybe I seldom get fever when I became an adult, so that's the very bad sign I am very sick. I go to hospital when I can't stop the bleeding of wounds.

we rarely go to the doctors, but I am not stupidly anti-MDs. I listen to the signs that my body is giving me, and a fever is not a sign to rush to the doctor. A fever is your body's way of fighting off illness, so I just make sure to drink a lot of fluids, and I will usually try a homeopathic remedy such as belladonna before anything else. I also have a young daughter, she is 12 months old, and we've brought her to the doctor about 4 times in her life. I started bringing her to well visits, until I realized that if you were not vaxing, there really was no reason for them besides height and weight measurement. So the other three times were for an ear infection- which I stupidly took her to a doctor for, they gave her antibiotics that didn't work, and I ended up curing the ear infection with garlic oil and colloidal silver. Then she had a yeast infection, that the doctor told me to use the colloidal silver spray on, and the last time was for pink eye, just to confirm that it was in fact conjunctivitis and nothing else! So I would say in general we try not to have sick visits, but injuries are a whole nother story. It really depends on the severity/pain.

yep I do the same thing with the fever and the x-rays I really don't get hurt nor did my son that much so I just play it by ear, but what you are doing sounds like what I would do as well.

I don't bother with the doctor any more unless I'm really, really sick. I prefer to use herbs and home remedies. I had a bad experience with some tablets the doctor gave me once and it put me right off visits. Having said that, my Mum used to take me when I was young. I have scars everywhere from falling off my bike, catching my knee on a brick wall whilst jumping over it, falling off my scooter and putting the unprotected handle through my forehead and catching my foot on a sharp piece of cinder. That's all passed however, and I'm not at all confident in my doctor any more, so I try not to visit. Brightest Blessings.

Hey, Iam quite unwell for last few days and and i just consulted with my doctor this evening. Its nothing but a flu but its getting diffciult for me to work with the cough and fever. I am also quite reluctant to go to doctors for any reasons but due to the nature of my work i can hardly remain absent and its a physically demanding job so i tend to visit a doctor immediately. My fever is ok now but the cough is there so hopefully it will get better soon. Cheers, Tutul

I agree, it is dificult to decide when to go or give it time first. The problem is sometimes that you wait a while then the doctor say that if you had come earlier, it might have been not as bad as it is. I also wait as long as possible, but I am single and only have to worry about myself. If you have children and you decide to wait and the effects are worse, which could have been prevented, you will feel very bad to have put the child through something that could have been prevented. Dificult being a parent, i suppose as a parent you must trust you instinct, or maybe rather be safe than sorry. Many blessings, enjoy the kids while they are yours. One day they they have to decide whether to go or not. One day when they are older and they don't feel well you might be the one asking 'have you seen a doctor.'

When I was growing up my grandmother was the family doctor. She believed in the laxative procedure. It was horrid. I recall iodine on the tonsils and such. Now that I am older and on my own I go to the doctor more because I can't handle much pain and I don't like to feel bad. Not sick very often. If it is just a cold I will wait and see if it gets worse. If it does I go. I just don't care to be sick.

Well I'm thinking of consulting a doctor for 3-4 years.Few years back I had an oral infection, for which I had to consult a doctor.But after few days when I thought of going to a doctor the infection was self cured.Again after few days it came back,since then I'm postponing the issue.I get some or the other reason to put behind this issue.But I'm very serious about it now,because if I'm not serious about that then that infection will become serious...

Hi Miami, This is a great question and one that I wrestled with when my kids were young. I am more likely to send my kids or husband to the doctor than I am to send me. I have the advantage of knowing I'll be ok. But with kids, especially young ones, it can be hard to be certain. Here's a personal experience. My daughter, aged 8, came home complaining that her wrist was sore. She was playing in the playground, swinging around on a metal post, like the ones for tether ball and she landed hard on the ground. She seemed ok. We got her to flap her hand up and down and there didn't seem to be any problem. Her dad, apparently asked her to help take some groceries in the house and there didn't seem to be too much trouble. However, some hours later, she was still saying how uncomfortable it was. I sighed, figuring on sitting hours in the ER room for a sprain wasn't going to be fun, but they say when kids complain for more than 15 or 20 minutes about the same injury, red flag. Sure enough, she had broken her wrist. She had no problem with up and down motion, be when the doctor tried to get her to move her wrist laterally, OUCH! Poor kid! I felt so badly! After that, she went pronto to ER if she complained of any problem. Since the wrist, she has also broken her ankle and a toe! Trust me, I don't mess around with her.

i go to the doctor when i am badly ill or if i cannot tolerate my sickness. during my pregnancy, i always go to the doctor for the check up. if i have colds and cough i just drink medicines that can be brougth over the counter.

Most people go to the hospital now at the drop of a hat - that's why the insurance is so high it seems! When we were growing up, hospitals were for "deadly" stuff... Even going to the doctor wasn't something I remember doing often when I was a kid. I remember having this horrible fever for DAYS once and I'd go down and sleep by the front door because the draft that came in under the dorr cooled me off. My mom would wake up and give me some brandy tea (brandy and hot water) and send me back to bed. I remember going to the doctor for shots, but not because we were sick. My sister went to the hospital each time she broke her arms. I don't think my brother went to the hospital when his thumbs were smashed between 2 boats, but he must have to make sure they weren't broken... My youngest has been to the hospital twice for stitches (in the same month) once for croupe, and then once for his tonsils - but that one was planned. I don't think my oldest was taken to the hospital until he was in his early 20's, he was REALLY sick at work, they were freaking out and called an ambulance for him. I remember last summer when they told me to go straight to the hospital or call 911... I cried because only really sick/hurt people go to the hospital!

I can't afford to go to the doctor... meanwhile I've got chronic illness which requires me to update prescriptions...Other than that, here lately I"ve tried to depend on time to deal with all illnesses, and no serious injuries for a long time--knock on plastic as if it were wood. DR...

I try to wait as long as I can if with easy things like a cold or a flu. But the last time I had the flu, just a few days ago. I had to get in touch with them and have some med. I got it from one phonecall, did not had to see a doctor. Just a phone call to take care of the medication. I got the medication and I still have some issues with coughin...other wise I am pretty back to normal.

i avoid the doctor if i can. Because i dont like to waste their time i only go if im ill for weeks on end and have no idea what is wrong. If its nothing serious i try and deal with it myself. Most of the time i manage to but i dont trust most doctors as i find that they tell you what you already think is wrong with you.

I usually only consult my family doctor when my home remedies didn't works well on me. As for my toddler, whenever he's sick, i usually will bring him to consult my family doctor the very next day. As for fever, i usually had keep stock of it. So, whenever i or any family member got fever, we will eat the fever medicine at home first, if still no sign of recover then, we will consult our family doctor. If, it was serious problem, then i will directly go to hospital for an x-ray or full medical check-up..