No longer an option

A few weeks ago, I received a phone call. I was surprised because the number was familiar, already saved in my contacts, yet it was a number I never expected to call me - that of my GP doctor.
This was my latest GP. Аs I already told you, I went through three doctors in the span of a year, trying to find someone normal, and above all, a good person, in this strange region. And no one ever - neither here nor while I lived in the capital, where my GP was a truly decent person and a good doctor - ever called me for any reason whatsoever. That’s why I answered the phone with curiosity.

"It’s time for your tetanus and diphtheria vaccination this year," the woman on the other end told me.
"Oh, well, no one has ever called me about a vaccine like that before," I replied, flustered.

"Are you refusing the vaccination?" the woman asked immediately.

"No... well, I didn't say that," I began. This was yet another instance where I failed to react appropriately to an unexpected phone call about an important matter. This has been happening to me constantly lately. I simply stop thinking when someone calls with demands. I don't know what kind of symptom this is or what is happening to me, really.

"What I meant to say is that no one has ever called me about vaccines, and in my entire adult life, I have no recollection of ever receiving this vaccine." I do know, of course, that it is supposed to be administered every 10 years. But looking back, I really have no memory of any vaccinations over the last 20, or even 30 years.

"All right, come and let's talk then," the doctor said.
"When?" I asked, perhaps out of a desire to stall.
"Is tomorrow convenient?" she asked immediately, and it became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to stall.
"All right, I'll come tomorrow."

The next day, I arrived a little earlier than my scheduled time, hoping to get the appointment over with sooner. However, there was another patient in the consulting room. The door was open because it was sweltering and the air conditioning wasn't working, by keeping the door wide open, the doctor was evidently trying to ensure at least some air circulation.
That way, I heard everything being said inside. And the conversation went something like this:
"Do you drink water?" the doctor asked.
"No, I don't drink enough, I hardly drink any at all," the patient replied.

Later, when he came out, I saw that he was an elderly man, not the oldest, but old enough, and clearly in poor health. Аs he left the office and saw only me in the hallway, he didn't even seem to notice me, though, in a place full of generally rude and odd people, that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
But I saw that he was moving with effort, he was focused on his movements and, in short, didn't look very well or particularly healthy.

"You need to drink water. You need to drink a lot of water," the doctor said.
"But I can't," the patient said. "I've never been able to drink water in my entire life."
"Well, you have to start drinking it now. There is no one who is allergic to water, or for whom water doesn't agree with them. After all, our bodies contain so much water..."
"And do you move around?" she continued.
"Well, I can't really move around much in this condition."
"I'm not asking you to move around by walking. It's good to do some exercises. Chinese gymnastics are very suitable. Look it up online to find out more and start doing the exercises."...

When the man stepped out of the office, I couldn't tell whether he was troubled, desperate, or simply indifferent to what was happening to him and his condition. Perhaps he had long since resigned himself to the fact that his condition wouldn't improve -perhaps he had been told as much and convinced of it, and ultimately, no one was even making an effort anymore. That didn't surprise me in the least, given my own experience with the doctors in this town.

"I’ve come for the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine," I said later, when she invited me in.

"So, we aren't going to administer the vaccine, then?" she shot back immediately.

That wasn't how I had pictured the conversation when she told me yesterday to come in and talk. I had assumed we would discuss the situation and my condition, and that she would offer her opinion, though, in the end, I might have stood my ground as well.

There was a moment when I even thought that no matter what I said or what arguments I presented, the doctor would somehow force the vaccine on me, even by using physical force. That might seem like a pretty crazy assumption, but who knows these days? Still, I really didn't expect the matter to be dismissed without any discussion at all. After all, I was counting on that very discussion to help me decide whether or not I wanted to get the vaccine. I was pretty much 50/50 on the issue.

For one thing, over all these years, I was once attacked by a cat from behind, don't laugh 😅, and stopping the bleeding was quite difficult then, yet I don't even recall getting a tetanus shot back then. That was when I was a schoolgirl. Later, a few years ago, I was attacked by a dog, but it bit me through my trousers and didn't manage to break the skin on my leg, so there was no risk of infection. So, what are the chances I’d need a vaccine like that in my daily life? True, I live in the countryside, I have two outdoor cats, plenty of others roam the yard, along with wild animals - anything could happen at any moment. But then again, I could die at any moment for all sorts of other reasons, couldn't I?
And the very fact that I have never received this vaccine in my life, meaning I didn't need it before, cannot convince me that I need it right now.

"My health was quite precarious last year, and I saw numerous doctors; my immune system is very weak, and I think that any intervention, whatever it might be, could be fatal," I said.

I wanted the conversation to continue. I had brought all my documents, test results, and medical reports in a folder to show them. I expected my health condition to be discussed and a decision to be made based on facts, rather than statements like "I want" or "I don't want."

"All right, sign here now," said the doctor. "You need to sign a statement declining the vaccine; otherwise, I’ll have trouble with the authorities."

Her words reminded me of my second-to-last GP, who kept up the lie for two years that I was entitled to only one specialist referral per year. She used to say: "If I give a patient more than one referral, I get into trouble with the authorities. If I don't provide an additional specialist referral, patients complain about me, and I get into trouble with the authorities again. So, I’m always in trouble."
The very same doctor who misled me in this manner failed to contact my partner, who is also eligible for vaccination. Will she face trouble with the authorities for not even calling him? We aren't talking about whether he would sign anything or actually receive the vaccine.
Yet, this doctor now believes there will be a problem if I don't sign a refusal form.
The truth is, she hadn't summoned me to talk or discuss my health, she called me in solely so I would sign the paper, sparing her from some imaginary trouble with the authorities.

All the while, I kept trying to tell her about my condition, and that led to the following conversation:

"Do you drink water?"
"No, I don't."
"You need to drink plenty of water. Start today."
"Do you exercise? Chinese gymnastics are very suitable..."

I could almost picture myself arriving to see her with some serious acute condition, only for her to tell me to drink more water and do some exercises.
Oh, yes, and a raw food diet.

When I asked her what that meant, she said - fruit, vegetables, and raw nuts, nothing else. Well, I don’t deny the power and benefits of fasting, but I, for one, certainly wouldn’t give up meat or bread. As for raw vegetables, even the Chinese question their benefits. Furthermore, I would argue that we cannot paint everyone with the same brush when it comes to diet and beneficial foods. And last but not least - I know for myself that I’ve tried so many things: exercises, dietary products, supplements, vitamins, topical products, medications, and all sorts of other things. Nothing has yielded results for anything. That is why a doctor who proposes just three basic solutions - water, a raw-food diet, and Chinese exercises - for all types of diseases, conditions, and ages does not strike me as entirely serious.

I told her during the conversation that, whatever happens to me from now on, I won't see a doctor because there's no point. And her immediate response was, "See? That’s exactly what I’m saying, too." 😂

Back then, somehow because of her presence, I accepted it as completely inevitable, and my attitude toward her wasn't negative, on the contrary, I found her interesting. But now, as I write this, I realize that this woman wouldn't have given me a referral to a specialist either, had I gone to see her with some ailment. Just as I had trouble getting one from my previous GP, and from the one before that as well. It’s simply that her attitude toward me isn’t as rude and brazen as the last GP’s, nor as unhinged and deceitful as the one before that. But she fits quite well into the picture of strange people, yet just the next strange person in this inhuman region.
Wait, I haven't lived anywhere else for quite some time now, it’s possible that people everywhere are the same, not just here. And it’s possible that finding a decent GP is no longer an option at all. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for your time! Copyright:	@soulsdetour
	Soul's Detour is a project started by me years ago when I had a blog about historical and not so popular tourist destinations in Eastern Belgium, West Germany and Luxembourg. Nowadays, this blog no longer exists, but I'm still here - passionate about architecture, art and mysteries and eager to share my discoveries and point of view with you.

Personally, I am a sensitive soul with a strong sense of justice.
Traveling and photography are my greatest passions.
Sounds trivial to you?
No, it's not trivial. Because I still love to travel to not so famous destinations.🗺️
Of course, the current situation does not allow me to do this, but I still find a way to satisfy my hunger for knowledge, new places, beauty and art.
Sometimes you can find the most amazing things even in the backyard of your house.😊🧐🧭|