Last weekend my fiance, Derek, came down with a dreaded full body poison ivy-poison oak reaction. He had the works....oozing vesicles, pussy bumps, red raised itchiness everywhere! He's no stranger to this process and he prepared his mind for days of this working out of his system. Together we tried a variety of treatments to try to relieve his symptoms. Some things helped - but no magic bullet was found. Derek still went to work and continued life as usual. But finally we decided a trip to see our favorite doctor was indicated to see if steroids might help relieve the pain and discomfort.
The doc gave Derek a prescription for prednisone and a homeopathic. He also recommended a variety of other topical treatments most of which we had already tried. Derek decided against using the prednisone because of the long list of side effects. The homeopathic visibly provided relief. I noticed whenever Derek took it, he would lay down and sleep (where some of the best healing happens). However, it still took time and patience for healing to really occur in this case. A week later, Derek has pretty much recovered, with his skin looking better everyday.
I'm not writing here to talk about the ins and outs of treating poison ivy or poison oak. Although I sure could at this point! What I really learned from this experience came about after our visit to the doctor. Derek surprised me by thanking me for taking him there. I was surprised because it didn't really change what we did to treat the rash or speed up the process that much. But nevertheless Derek was grateful for the perspective and caring that his doctor provided for him. It made me wonder about the healing power of a doctor's visit in itself.
Through this quick visit to the doctor, Derek came home with more than just a prescription to improve his body symptoms. He also left with a feeling of being acknowledged for the pain and discomfort he must have been experiencing. This can mean all the more when it comes form someone who has seen a variety of illness, like your doctor, and they can really put this into perspective for you. Derek's doctor gave reassurance that he was on the right path to healing and also provided warnings of what to look out for in the upcoming period which provided a sense of peace of mind. But most importantly he gave Derek compassion and caring which provides a healing that can't be matched by any prescription.
Next time you are struggling to get well, don't forget to try a visit to the good ol' doc. They might be just what your healing process needs.
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