Your Doctor’s Pet Peeves

Doctors have a wide range of annoyances that they deal with everyday. Many doctors may be annoyed that you complain about sleep problems or tooth decay caused by smoking, but you’re unwilling to try to quit! Here are some things that your doctor wishes you wouldn’t do. Your Ophthalmologist hates when… his patients insist on licking their contact lenses and putting them back into their eyes. Dr. Maloney from L. A says “They would be better off rinsing the contacts in toilet water than in their mouth because the toilet has fewer germs!” If you are guilty of this, try to carry a bottle of contact rehydrating solution with you at all times. (P.S Tap water isn’t any better than saliva) Your Dentist can’t stand it when….patients use their teeth as weapons. Yes, they hate it when you bite down on their hand or on their utensils, but Dr. Golub-Evans from NYC really wishes his patients would stop using their teeth to chew ice, open rappers, chew bones, and hold pins. Your Oculoplastic Surgeon wishes that you won’t…. run to the mirror immediately after a procedure hoping for instant results. All cosmetic procedures take time to show their full results. If you look bruised or sensitive right after procedures, don’t sweat it – it won’t last long.

Your General Practitioner is annoyed when… patients jump from one product to the next in hopes to get the best deal or best price. Dr. Gaboriau from Washington says that other doctors will tell him that patients will try many drugstore products, putting out lots of cash, only to complain about not getting the results they expected. Some over-the-counter remedies work well, but if you are hoping for real results, save yourself the expense and see a doctor.

Most of all, your Doctor wishes you wouldn’t… treat your car better than you treat your body. Dr. McMillin from Texas says “Just as your car needs regular checkups and oil changes to keep it running in top form, you need to practice preventative medicine on a regular basis”. This means getting an annual physical with a Pap smear, a clinical breast exam, a mammogram (for women over 40), and glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure checks.