HW 19 - Family Perspectives on Illness & Dying

When I was younger, I absolutely loved being sick. My dad would stay at home with me and I was allowed to watch TV while lying on the sofa. I was allowed to have ginger ale and lots of buttered toast. He would make me stay in bed or on the sofa; but would tell me to switch halfway through the day so I would get some movement. For this assignment, I asked my dad how his parents took care of him when he was sick. "The first thing she'd do was take my temperature". He also said that after his mom took his temperature, if he had a fever, he would go immediately to bed and his mom would call the doctor. I found this peculiar because it's a very similar system to how he treats me. We don't immediately take my temperature, the first thing I do is lie down in bed; then he calls the doctor. My dad said that usually the doctor will say something along the lines of, "Well those symptoms fall under ____. It seems that _____ seems to be going around lately. I suggest ____ medicine. There's no need to come into the office". He would then run out to the drug store, pick up ____ medicine, and I would take it.

While there is a correlation between the way he was brought up and the way I'm being brought up, I wanted to know if he  carried these habits personally. I asked him what he did when he was sick or feeling under the weather. "The first thing I do is rest. I don't want to jump to any conclusions about what is ailing me". So I asked him how long he would rest until he did something. "If I've been taking it easy for a day, and I still feel sick then I'll call the doctor to tell them my symptoms and if they tell me I need a certain medication I will probably take it". I found it interesting that he didn't call the doctor right away. When he was younger, as soon as there was a problem, the doctor was called. When I was younger, as soon as there was a problem, the doctor was called. But for my dad, when there's a problem he doesn't do anything until it gets worse. I think this is a strange strategy; to call the doctor for me and not for himself, I personally believe that if you have the best interest in mind for another person, you would care for them as you do yourself.

The pediatrician my parents chose for me was not an "average" doctor at the time. His practice isn't necessarily a mix between allopathic and homeopathic medicines, but I would not consider him an allopathic doctor. To sum up his philosophy; symptoms like coughing and fever are the body's way of fighting off illness; his objective is not to cause any harm only to cure. Some allopathic vaccinations and medicines cause symptoms that may not harm the body but can cause stress on different systems. His belief is that there needs to be a balance between caring for and monitoring your body, and when needed, medicate. My parents haven't really followed this philosophy when caring for me, because I used to take medicine whenever I was sick. I personally dislike medicine and only take it when a symptom becomes unbearable or an extreme nuisance.
I respect the decisions that my parents have made about taking care of me, and it's interesting to know where my dad got his habits from. If i ever do have children in the future, I think I would use similar methods to the ones my parents use when I'm sick; just maybe using a little less cough syrup.