Recently I had an doctor's exam in which a very minor issue was discovered. I had just come back from vacation and was well rested and relaxed, and eager to get back to work and seeing patients.
However, the doctor strongly suggested I take the rest of the week off work to allow time for the issue to naturally resolve itself.
"The week off," I replied. "I just had a week off on vacation...and next week is Thanksgiving. I can't take a week off."
Well there I was. Just like I hear every day in our office I found myself pleading to the doctor, "well then can I just do this....or what about this,...or that."
The doctor kindly replied with a, "no you may not" to all of my inquiries. Then looking directly at me and right in front of my husband she added, "and that also means no shopping."
As my husband triumphantly repeated the 'doctor's orders' I could only hang my head in disgust. Afterall, I felt fine. I was well-rested. But because something inside was wrong and needed time to correct itself I had to stop everything I was doing.
So, for five days I was under doctor's orders for the first time in my life. While I took advantage of the time off to read magazines, plan a Thanksgiving menu, watch six movies, clear out the Tivo, and lie around a ton - I still wanted to be doing something other than what I was forced to be doing.
I wanted more than anything to return to the normalcy in my life and practice after a wonderful vacation and was forced to take time off.
I realized, sometimes in our lives, we're forced to sit for a minute.
And even though I felt great and wanted to ignore the advice of my doctor - I knew deep down she was right and I needed to simply comply in order to get better. Like I had found myself saying to patients a million times before, I found myself saying for the first time from the other side of the fence.
When I realized this all I could do was laugh and think to myself, 'sometimes even doctors have to take doctors orders.'
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