WHEN DID MY DOCTORS BECOME SO YOUNG?

When one reaches “un certain âge,” one can expect to have more frequent encounters with doctors. It was during a recent encounter with a doctor whose specialty defies rapid pronunciation, that I was struck by how young she appeared to be. Of course, she was younger than I am… way younger.

I’m at peace with that fact because I know her brain is younger than mine, and probably has far more plasticity. She can remember a ton of information, while I’m at the quarter-ton stage. She is aware of the latest and best treatments, protocols, and medications for her patients. And because she is she, chances are she had to study harder than her male classmates. She needed to be smarter, more resourceful, and very competitive, and she needed to own these qualities since her first day of kindergarten.

But where was I and what was I doing when this “young-doctor-thing” began happening? Apparently, I was duped by the unfounded assumption that my doctors would always be older than I am. After all, they’d always been older during my first fifty years of life.

It all began with Dr. B., the kindest pediatrician in all of Philadelphia. He could take the ache out of your ears by simply showing up at your house. I removed myself from Dr. B.’s patient-load during my first year in college. After many years of appointments with him and countless booster shots, I finally relented and agreed to start seeing a different physician. Despite the tremendous trust I had in him, I agreed there was something slightly off-kilter about my driving a car to an appointment with my pediatrician.

Then, there was Dr. L., the dentist I first saw when I was eleven years old. He had a “no pain” policy. At the first suggestion of a toothache, all you had to do was phone his office. Holiday? Nighttime? No matter. He would drive through a snowstorm to open his office and ease your mind-numbing hurt.

My mother was a patient of Dr. L. as well. She trusted his intelligence and forthrightness enough to ask him if he knew any orthodontists who treated “Negro” patients. It was 1962. “Negro” parents couldn’t expect to make an appointment for their kids to see any random orthodontist listed in the phone book.

The typical vagaries of adulthood resulted in my seeing other doctors, all of whom continued to be older. With one exception, I equated their age with their wisdom about all things medical. The exception was a doctor I went to during the throes of an upper-respiratory infection. That doc gave me an Rx and did a blood draw. Three days later he phoned to tell me I had sickle cell anemia. I assured him I didn’t have that condition, my parents didn’t suffer from it, nor were they carriers of that genetic trait. Furthermore, at my age (30-something,) I believed I would have known if I had sickle cell anemia. I should have suggested that he might consider not looking at every Black patient who entered his office as a textbook case of diseases common to people of African descent. I never set foot in his office again, so I don’t know if he ever expanded his knowledge of diseases.

The real impetus for my writing about doctors in general and young doctors in particular, is a set of recent encounters my spouse and I have had with a new collection of specialists. Each one of these young professionals has impressed us with their knowledge, skills, and competence. Each one has answered every question we’ve asked and encouraged us to pose more queries. When we’ve explained our joint presence during exams and consultations, and identified as a married, lesbian, interracial couple, not one doctor has blinked. They’ve acknowledged our dual presence and addressed both of us.

This former teacher and her former counselor spouse appreciate being accepted, respected, and treated with kindness. We’re fortunate to have encountered a new generation of medical practitioners. We appreciate these young doctors, nurses, and PA’s. Tremendously.

©Renée Bess

Renée Bess is the author of five novels, the co-story collector of a Goldie Award winning anthology, and a frequent blogger, (www.thewidewindow.com) Her last book, Between a Rock and a Soft Place, is a collection of her short stories, poetry, and essays. Her books are published by Flashpoint Publications, and they are available for purchase at all the usual places. http://www.reneebess.com