Are you avoiding going to the doctor and dentist because of covid?

The dental office rescheduled my cleaning twice, but I finally went in last week.
I haven’t rescheduled the follow-up eye exam that got canceled, but I don’t think I need it.
The infection I had was treated by phone and medication (picked up at the pharmacy).
I have had to take two other people to the ER, and I’m sure I would go, if necessary.
I am somewhat more hesitant.

Yes and no. I would often go a whole year without visiting any so it’s not that unusual. But I am wary of going right now as Covid cases climb in my county.

I don’t worry about going to doctors. But, dentists and eye docs still freak me out. And I really don’t want to have to stay in a hospital for anything.

I would go if I had a concern, but I’m skipping regular checkups/cleanings until after a vaccine. My parents are high risk and I don’t want to be the cause of their deaths.

Like @gorillapaws, I am avoiding regular check-ups and cleanings, but I would go if necessary. I am compromised in a bunch of ways, it would seem to be imprudent to take any chances.

I’ve postponed my regular dental cleaning twice until September and an unnecessary doctor’s visit that was today. I did go to my optometrist and eye surgeon because my eyes have gotten really bad. I would now go to the doctor’s if I were sick and to the hospital if necessary.

There were no doctor visits during the shutdown, which ended, in NY, around mid June. I had scheduled, pre-shutdown, my appointment for my annual physical in mid July. I just went to that appointment a few weeks ago. Last Tuesday I went for my dental checkup. Today I’m going to the dermatologist. Thursday I’m going to the optometrist for annual appointment and then my daughter goes for her second orthodontist appointment since the reopening. So no, we are not avoiding the doctor or dentist.

The dentist, I must say, had all kinds of precautions I was impressed with. The reception area had an air filter running and each room had this same air filter. There was some new thing they put in my mouth that caught the aerosolized spray that comes out into the air. Each room had a plastic barrier (like a heavy duty shower curtain) hanging in the doorway. There were lots of hand sanitizer stations. When I had to fill out the documents, the receptionist let me keep the pen. I saw the receptionist cleaning the door handles and counter with spray.

@jca2 Yes, I felt very safe at my eye doctor’s too.

Yes.

No. I’m avoiding going because I lost my health insurance due to Covid. If it wasn’t for that I would have gone to both more than once.
I’m currently trying to battle this God awful itching by myself. Wish I could go to the docs to find out what it actually is instead of guessing and Googling. God I’m miserable.

@Dutchess_lll I am so sorry that you are in this miserable situation.

I am forced to go to the hospital (infusion) at least once a week.

No concern at all. They have their shit tight. No visitors, strict checking of everyone, masks required, bottles of sanitizer all over the joint.

There is even a button-pusher for the elevators.

Buuuuut. I probably wouldn’t go to the dentist right now. But I no longer have teeth so not a problem.. Thanks mouth/neck cancer!!

I haven’t gone for my quarterly diabetes check in, but my numbers are good and I’m avoiding sweets with minimal carbs, so I’m not worried — yet.

Thanks @janbb. If Kansas would get their shit together and expand Medicaid I think I’d be covered. As it is I’m trying to diagnose myself. I’m trying all kinds of stuff.

@Dutchess_lll :: I’m good friends with a old mod here that is a real life doctor. I could drop her a email/text/call and see if you two could get together over chat/email/facetime. Maybe she would be willing to hear your symptoms, or since it is a rash, take a look.

Shoot me a PM if interested.

@Dutchess_lll: Might it be poison ivy? I just went to the dermatologist for a rash I’ve had for almost two weeks. He diagnosed it as possible poison ivy. It’s just a few spots on my arm. I don’t do gardening or pulling weeds but I do use the garden hose which lays in a bunch of bushes. I am guessing that when I pulled the garden hose, it had ivy oil on it. The dermatologist prescribed some prescription strength cortisone cream.

@Dutchess_III I did a couple of telemed visits (two different services) and I think it was just $45. Maybe that could be an inexpensive option?

My husband had what was diagnosed as an allergic reaction to plants (he had been gardening) and they told him to to take Claritin and prescribed him a prescription cream that was really good. He had been itching like crazy over a week before he finally went to the doctor. I think it would have lasted weeks without the super duper drugs.

Do you still think it’s shingles? Shingles can easily last 3 weeks of horrific itching and drag on beyond the skin healing. Did you get the Zovirax prescription you mentioned?

It’s not poison ivy. I know what that looks like. Trying to work with the doctors now.

@johnpowell I’ve got Rarebear.

@Dutchess_lll

My best wishes to you and KS, in getting Medicaid expanded ASAP!

Thanks Gov. Kelly is pushing for it.

Sorry I derailed this question. To answer it, if I had insurance I’d still be going to the docs. I wouldn’t hesitate.

The silver lining on the covid cloud, could be the virus removing some of the obstacles to Medicaid’s expansion. ;-)

I hope so. If Kelly had been in office when the ACA was passed we’d have it. But she wasn’t. That moron Brownback was.

Good point.

When I was little, I’d get poison ivy that looked like festering, leaking mess. What I have today looks like a rash. Doctor said it’s a mild case (relatively mild). I look forward to it going away with the cream. I’m hiring a landscaper to pull up some weeds and hopefully eradicate the poison ivy.

I am allergic to it. That’s how I know it’s not that.

@Dutchess_lll How did Covid take away your insurance?

@Dutchess_lll: I am allergic to poison ivy. That’s why I have a rash from poison ivy. If you are allergic to it, you will get a rash from it.

I know. I’ve had it in the past from catting around in the woods by my house. My sister got severe cases of it. So did my daughter. My son made my wedding arch out of giant thick poison ivy vines! I got a bit of it. He wound up in the hospital.

Nope. I haven’t had a reason to see a doctor recently (I last went in January before all this started) but I’ve been to the dentist twice since March. As long as everyone’s taking precautions, I’m comfortable going.

My husband lost his job in outside sales. He’s 68 so he’s just going to apply for Social Security.

@Dutchess_lll: Maybe you have poison ivy, is my point.

Well hopefully I’ll get into a doc and I’ll let you know @jca2. I really think it’s shingles.

^^I hope you can feel better soon. Let us know what happens. No problem with the derail, you are obviously in a lot of discomfort.

Thank you.

I’m allergic to perfumes (fragrances) and alcohol. It gives me asthma and other symptoms. I do not avoid doctors and dentists because of Covid; I avoid them because I prefer to breathe.

I do go to a naturopathic doctor who is actually sensitive to my problem, and she sanitizes her hands and airs out the room well before I enter. Most medical doctors tend to blame me or just ignore my problem, and many or most wear fragrances! They don’t get it.

@snowberry With covid I have come to realize I have a reaction to whatever chemical is in the Clorox wipes and also Mr, Clean. Before covid I never used them, except an off chance that someone else had wipes at a party or something. Alcohol and bleach seem to still be fine, no problems. I’ll have to PM you for information about what you are using to kill germs. I use soap and water most of the time, but that is not always convenient.

I can feel my bronchial tubes sticking to each other, or maybe it is just inflammation. I have had a rumble in my chest and gurgle low in my lungs, in my back for MONTHS. I have been to two doctors and I feel like they are not really listening to me. Last appointment, my annual with my cardiologist, once I started to talk about my lungs the whole thing devolved, she would not listen to my chest as I wanted her too, only listening to my back, and I forgot to talk about something else I was concerned about. Plus, she scheduled a heart echo for me, because I think she thought I might have had covid, which was most likely $156 wasted, and another time risking being in a small exam office. Doctors can be incredibly frustrating when they just won’t believe patients and listen.

I have an appt at the county clinic at 10:45!!!! It’s just after 10 now. It will only cost $25!!!!
I’ll let you all know. Thanks for lending an ear

@Dutchess_lll Great! I hope they are able to give you some quick relief.

They can ampute my skin if they want.
I think it’s one of three things:
1. Shingles
2. Scabies
3. Rabies. (Actually I forgot the third thing, but “rabies” flows so nicely with scabies, don’t you agree?”

Oh wait. 3rd thing is an over growth of yeast.

4. Babies- congrats!

Babies????????

It’s yeast.

I only said babies because it rhymes with scabies & rabies.