What to do if something’s too ‘small’ to see a doctor.

I remember I felt incredibly confused.

I’d walked out of the doctor’s office with two scripts for different asthma medication and had immediately forgotten what she’d said about how to use it all. She’d said something about the spacer that I’d recently stopped using for my son.

I thought it was something for small children and that he was old enough to take his medication by placing his inhaler directly into his mouth. He was seven after all. Surely he could use an inhaler properly, like other children I’d seen doing the same.

I think my pharmacist knew I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. She can normally tell. Is it a good sign that you know your pharmacist so well because you are at the doctor so often with your children?

“What do you need today,” she asked kindly.

“All of this,” I said, handing over the scripts and my Medicare card.

“Mum, can I have chocolate,” my son started whining.

“No, put it back,” I said firmly however knowing if he asked me one more time I’d say “yes” just so I could have a moment of quiet.

My son was diagnosed with asthma when he was four. We were grocery shopping and he and his sister were chasing each other up and down the aisle. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. He was as white as a ghost and his lips were turning blue. We went straight upstairs to the medical centre and thus our asthma journey had begun.

There was no wheezing.

“Not all kids wheeze when they have asthma,” the doctor told me. “Some just cough a lot.”

"My son was diagnosed with asthma when he was four." Image via iStock.

That’s how I know when my son needs his medication. He starts to cough and he feels tired.

“Do you need a spacer as well,” the pharmacist asked me as she brought two inhalers – one purple and one green. Oh gosh, which is the preventer?

“Um, no, he’s seven now,” I said. “He can just use the inhaler.”

“Actually the new recommendation is that kids under nine use the spacer to ensure they get the correct dose,” she said as she rang up my purchases.

“Oh, shit, I threw the spacers away. Um, yep, give me two more spacers please.”

She then explained to me when to use which medication and how. I was feeling much calmer but still added a packet of those jelly beans you can only get at a pharmacy to my purchases. I was feeling dizzy, from too much information not low blood sugar, but whatever.

I have a child with food allergies and one with asthma and my local pharmacist has become my trusted source of advice when it comes to all those small things that don’t warrant a doctor’s visit, particularly on the days when I’m facing a 45 minute wait with three tired children in tow. I know I can go to the pharmacy and have all of my basic questions answered.

"That’s how I know when my son needs his medication. He starts to cough and he feels tired." Image via iStock.

That’s what you do when there’s an issue that’s not big enough to see a doctor about, but too important to ignore. That’s what pharmacists do. It’s what they’ve trained for.

Not only do they remind me of the advice my doctor has given me, they also know the latest information and update me as new recommendations come through which is so important when you have kids. We’re learning so much every single day about how to manage childhood illnesses and conditions that it’s incredibly difficult to keep up with it all.

I spoke to a Terry White Chemists Pharmacist and asked when parents should take their kids to the doctor and when they should just visit the local pharmacist.

“For new and severe or recurrent symptoms, always see your doctor. If it’s mild to moderate, see your local pharmacist. Pharmacists are trained to identify signs of something being more severe and outside the scope of the pharmacist they then refer the patient on to their doctor for further investigation.”

I’ve seen my local pharmacist for advice on how to give medication to my children correctly, to treat coughs, colds, allergies, tummy bugs, that weird rash my daughter had once… So many things.

You can see your local pharmacist for general advice. They're trained to know when to refer you to a doctor. Image via iStock.

Pharmacists prescribe everyday medications all the time and what I’ve learned is that just because you don’t need a prescription for something, doesn’t mean it is harmless. Listen to your local pharmacist’s advice on how to use everything. They know what they’re talking about.

My local Terry White Chemists Pharmacist said that any time I think I should take my child to the doctor, then I should do exactly that but to keep in mind all of the things a pharmacist can do such as:

Give advice on medication use;

Review your current medication;

Assist with sleep assessments and treatments;

Baby services such as weighing and child nurse consultations;

Cholesterol and blood pressure testing;

Packing your medication into individual sachets;

Text message reminders for prescription filling;

It’s so great to know that a trusted source of medical advice is so accessible at our local pharmacy just for that extra friendly support and advice we need when juggling children and medication and inhalers and spacers and jelly beans… They are committed to supporting people just like me with all the small things, and remind me of some of the big things as well.

What have you seen your local pharmacist for?