Trading places: What to do when your doctor can't see you due to illness

Woman having a headache. (Courtesy/istockphoto)

Do doctors ever suffer from the same illnesses as everyone else? In essence, that's a mute question. Doctors are only human, and are susceptible to any illness you can think of. They aren't spared any symptoms either. Once afflicted, they go through the same diagnostic and treatment processes as anyone else. Only difference is their medical background opens up multiple pathways and choices as they navigate appropriate medical care.

The main matter that comes up when doctors are unwell is what to do with their patients. If your doctor is caught up with a medical emergency, there isn't much they can do about any pending appointments in their diaries. Their life is at stake, and everything else must wait. But if what is afflicting them is chronic, adjusting their own medical care to suit ongoing commitments to patients tends to be the norm.