Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How the pandemic affects this pediatrician’s family

Lauretta Stombaugh, DO
Conditions
April 6, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

It’s the high five I’m unable to give to that five-year-old patient after I check his red throat. It’s the song I can’t sing while I look into a toddler’s ears as they cling to their momma’s neck. It’s the hug I can’t give the mom who just lost her father to cancer two weeks ago. These are the things I’ve missed over the last few weeks. This is the human factor missing during my telemed visits. It is a way for us to help our patients and still practice the art of medicine. It all just feels different. It’s like learning a new art in an effort to connect. While I welcome seeing my little patients in their own environment, bringing me their favorite toy and waving at me because I am “in their computer,” I still wish it was a face to face visit. Every. Time.

My essay for my entry into residency was about the human spirit. I thought then that I knew what that was, and I did to a certain degree, but now it’s meaning has deepened some. Times like this are difficult. Change is difficult. But what it gives us as physicians is an appreciation for what we had before. Appreciation for what it means to focus on patient care first as we struggle to fade out the distractions of this virus, the endless articles, the constant worry for those we love. We step into our cars each morning and think, “Is today the day?” We open our eyes from another fragmented night of sleep and think, “Oh. It is real.” We place our contaminated shoes into a bucket in the garage, spray them down with disinfectant, tightly seal the top, and wonder, “How many more times will I have to do this?”

Then, there are our children. I have always looked forward to my kids exploding out of the garage door when I arrive home from work. When they were little, I would pull in, and by the time I turned off the car, four screaming kids would bust out of the house, with and without clothes on, yelling, “Mommy! You came back!”

One would always trip over another as they ran to be the first one to reach me. Now? They still run towards me, but I meet them with, “Hi guys! Stay away. Wait until mommy changes and showers. Don’t touch me yet. Don’t touch my stuff.”

They have adjusted quite well to having two distracted parents still working in health care. We have all enjoyed more time together, even with this crisis hanging above. The challenge for me has been shielding them. Once every few days, one of the older kids has a moment. If they hear us talking about the virus, I’ll hear that panicked voice saying, “What does that mean? Is that bad?”

Or at bedtime, one will cry and list all of the things that they are missing: friends, vacations, activities, us when we leave for work. Our responsibility to shield them becomes greater as we try to teach them how to focus on the positives: family time, sleeping late, more fresh air. But the load is heavy. We can’t answer them when they ask how much longer. We can’t lie. We can’t really explain why we don’t know. Then it’s our time to distract them, bake another batch of biscotti, and move on with the day. For today will repeat itself tomorrow.

Lauretta Stombaugh is a pediatrician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

COVID-19 has shown us that Americans are sicker than we thought

April 6, 2020 Kevin 1
…
Next

Coronavirus is forcing us to confront addiction treatment paradoxes

April 7, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease, Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
COVID-19 has shown us that Americans are sicker than we thought
Next Post >
Coronavirus is forcing us to confront addiction treatment paradoxes

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Lauretta Stombaugh, DO

  • How a community rebuilds from devastation day by day

    Lauretta Stombaugh, DO
  • A pediatrician’s reflections on resilience and rebuilding in Asheville after the hurricane

    Lauretta Stombaugh, DO
  • COVID: Perspective brings growth

    Lauretta Stombaugh, DO

Related Posts

  • How the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for social media training in medical education 

    Oscar Chen, Sera Choi, and Clara Seong
  • Why this physician marched during a pandemic

    Raj Sundar, MD
  • 5 ways to maintain family bonds in medical school

    Micaela Stevenson
  • The first day of medical training during a pandemic

    Elizabeth D. Patton
  • Reimagining medical education from within a pandemic

    Kasey Johnson, DO
  • The basics of the MMR vaccine from a pediatrician

    Roy Benaroch, MD

More in Conditions

  • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

    Kara Wada, MD
  • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

    Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH
  • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

    Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD
  • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

    Kristen Cline, BSN, RN
  • Why regular exercise is the best prescription for lifelong health

    George F. Smith, MD
  • When the weight won’t budge: the hidden physiology of grief, stress, and set point

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...