Visiting a Doctor – on my Smartphone! #GetWellWithAmwell

Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Amwell via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Amwell or Momtrends.

I’ve been experiencing a lot of back pain for about a month. It all started after a long week of work, where I had been sitting in front of my computer for 14 hours a day. By the end of the last day, my lower back was hurting like crazy. The pain remained for days so I took it easy, but as soon as I started moving around more and working out again, I immediately felt better. I figured I just needed to reduce my hours on the computer so I tried to break it up a bit more and continue being active. I’ve had many instances over the last month where I think the pain is almost gone, and then something will happen where I have to sit for an extended period – like work or long car rides – and it’ll rear its ugly head again. I knew it was time to talk to a professional, but instead of having to drive 40 minutes and spend an afternoon at my local doctor’s office, I was able to quickly and easily talk to a doctor from the comfort of my own home thanks to Amwell!

Amwell is the largest telehealth company in the USA, allowing patients access to board-certified, licensed doctors via video calls on your smartphone or computer. This seemed like the perfect option for my situation, since I have really limited time this month, and this is the type of issue that I would normally describe verbally to my usual provider and get lifestyle advice for, so I thought this would be an ideal concern to bring to a telehealth provider. I pulled up the Amwell app on my phone on Wednesday night after work, and looked at the list of providers who were available on demand at that very moment. I looked through their profiles and descriptions, and found Dr. Suzanne Gomez-Goldman, who sounded like a good fit for me. I decided to start a visit with her and was connected in just a few minutes. I can’t normally speak with a doctor at 7:15 PM, so the ease and convenience of this was immediately apparent as I began a video call from my own couch!

Dr. Gomez-Goldman was very friendly and began taking my health history with this issue. She asked detailed questions to narrow down what was happening, and advised that I am likely experiencing low back sprain due to inflammation from continued sitting. This makes a lot of sense, since I feel good moving around but start to hurt when I have to sit at my computer. She then began a detailed explanation of her recommendations for improving the pain and reducing stress on my back in the future. For one week, I’m on a temporary regimen of anti-inflammatories and OTC pain relievers and advised to limit my sitting for 20 minutes at a time – I’ve been setting a timer to let me know when I need to take a break and move around. Dr. Gomez-Goldman told me where to find orthopedic back pillows and what kind to get, so I have an Amazon order arriving on Monday to make my chair more comfortable. This makes complete sense to me, since I already have a pile of pillow that I’ve been using on my office chair for years to prevent this kind of discomfort. The type of pillows she recommended ran $40 for both, which is much more affordable than a lot of orthopedic pillows and will be great for creating a more ergonomic work environment for myself in the future. She also advised looking into a stand-up desk and treating my back with heat and Epsom salt baths, giving me a recovery estimate and advising me to seek out physical therapy or acupuncture if it continues.

I have to tell you, I was really impressed by my visit. Dr. Gomez-Goldman was really knowledgeable, very attentive and had far more ideas and advice than I had imagined I would receive. Usually, when I go to a doctor for this type of problem, it’s just a “Wait and see” kind of situation, but I got so many action items from this visit that I could start doing immediately to help myself. I spoke with her for 17 minutes, which is a lot longer than I normally get to talk to a doctor for. I also received an emailed visit summary that detailed what we spoke about and her treatment recommendations, which is super helpful and can be taken to my usual doctor to fill them in if my issues continue. I’m feeling a lot better today and very happy with the experience and the advice I received from Dr. Gomez-Goldman. If you’re interested in a trying a telehealth option for yourself, sign up for Amwell today!

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Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Amwell via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Amwell or Momtrends.