I've had some health issues this summer and fall. One night, as I couldn't sleep due to this darn shoulder, I thought about health care. How does it stack up today vs. health care back in the day. I'm not one of those people who constantly reminisces about the "good old days" selectively weeding out the bad stuff. Because face it...there always was some... and there always will be! But here's what I know.
In small town Iowa our docs knew us from birth. And they cared. If you had a good doctor, like I believe ours was, you were in good hands. I remember Dr. Wilcox coming to our house and examining me in our formal living room. He took my temperature and gave me a shot in the butt - probably penicillin. He had a wonderful leather doctor's bag - similar to Mary Poppin's bag. I bet that thing held a little bit of everything! But back then...flu shots hurt like HELL. My sister still refuses to get them - traumatized from our childhood. (see, bad stuff)
Atlantic was blessed with good doctors. In fact even today as I visited my surgeon's office at DMOS, there was a picture on the wall of Matt Weresh - another orthopedic surgeon in that practice (not a shoulder guy). His dad John Weresh was an A-town doc. And for a Creston connection, I believe John's parents are buried at Calvary - the Catholic Cemetery in Creston. Another doc at DMOS - Devon Goetz, son of Larry, former Creston doctor.
Of course Dwain Wilcox's daughter Tressa went back to Atlantic to practice medicine herself. She treated Dad. It says a great deal about the profession and the parent that those children wished to follow in their footsteps...What does it say that neither Amy nor Jud have chosen to follow Paul and me into public service. haha. I don't blame them - it's not what it once was.
Our children were brought up with family doctors too - no house calls though. Sometimes for emergencies I would get Dr. Gandhi - who had an Indian accent. That was rough over the phone when one had a child with ear infection! Marty Meindl - was a pediatrician in Creston when we first moved to town. Mark Young practiced there and was our family doctor. He delivered Jud. Mark was the husband of someone I knew in college - small world!
The best thing about small town healthcare? The nurses. They would get to know you - and you them! Barb from Dr. Hoyt's office became a friend. I miss her!
Especially now. I call nurses who don't know me and don't seem to care as much as those who did. With the new medical software - which I think will be a good thing eventually - I dislike how the nurse spends her time facing a computer screen away from me. It's so impersonal! I think they'll eventually correct this with better computers - iPads? Besides taking my blood pressure, they hardly look at me. Ick.
Now I'm awaiting a specialists office to deem me worthy of a phone call. Really? Hmm think I'll shop around. Sigh. I miss Dr. Wilcox.
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