get a regular doctor!

Had she listened to what her body was telling her and sought proper medical attention immediately - from a doctor she knew and could trust - Mary's story of permanent hearing loss might have had a happier ending.

“I didn't have a regular doctor because I was rarely ill,” says Mary, “but I can see now how important it is to develop a good relationship with a primary care practitioner – just to have a checkup when you are feeling well – so that when something does go wrong, you’re dealing with someone who knows you.”

“When I experienced a pain in my left ear I ignored it, expecting it would sort itself out,” explains Mary, “but by the fifth day, the pain was excruciating and I dropped by a medical center close to my workplace, thinking that I all I needed was stronger painkiller and I’ll be OK.”

“The medical center was extremely busy that day and if it were not for the fact that my head was screaming in pain I would have walked out.”

“Instead, I waited my turn and when I got to see the doctor I did not mind that I was not thoroughly examined,” explains Mary. “I just wanted to get out of that place as fast as I could, get my pills and get back to work.”

“For three more days I literally stuffed myself with painkillers and carried on as best I could at work,” says Mary. “Rather than listening to what my body was telling me, I put my faith in the painkillers and kept on working.”

“I was working, but the painkillers weren't.”

“On the third day at work on painkillers, I picked up a ringing telephone and received a fax screech in my painful left ear that sent me reeling,” says Mary. “That screech remained in my ear and was so alarming that I made an appointment with a specialist who diagnosed a massive ear infection and a perforated eardrum so big it needed an operation to patch it.”

“It’s possible that a regular doctor, if I had done, may also have been too busy to examine me properly,” says Mary, “but had I taken time out of my busy life to develop a relationship with a good doctor, I think he or she would have been more inclined to take care of me better than someone who didn’t know me.”

Read more of Mary’s story:

listen to your body

body language

deaf and dizzy invalid

listen to your husband!