Amwell — online doctor visits might change my life

Thank you to Amwell for sponsoring this post! The content and opinions are my own.

The day we moved to Colorado, my 11-month old had a fever of 101°. If it had been a normal day, I’d have given her medicine, watched to see if it went down, and if things didn’t improve I’d have taken her to the doctor. But we were leaving. We’d be in the middle of the desert by the next day, with no idea how to get to a doctor if we needed one. So I left my husband to oversee packing our entire house, took my three-year old and the baby, and headed to the ER for four hours. They tried three times to draw blood. Her older brother ran rampant through the waiting room, bored out of his skull. Even after we left, I didn’t feel reassured. The entire experience was awful.

Thank goodness, things have changed in the last 10 years. In fact, you can now see a doctor online — on your phone or tablet or computer. With Amwell, I could have checked in from home, without bringing a sick baby and older kid to the ER. I could have checked in again from our hotel, or earlier in the day if I was worried.

In fact, I can think of lots of times I had to drag three…sometimes all four…kids to the doctor, so one of them could be checked out for something. And the last thing a poor, sick child wants to do is get off the couch and sit in a waiting room. I really think this app is a life-changer.

I tried Amwell myself today, just to see how it worked. My oldest son has been complaining of headaches, off and on, for more than a year, so I checked in with a physician to see what she thought.

She gave me some ideas I hadn’t even thought about — simple things I can check to see if one of them might be the cause. And she gave me ideas for things to discuss with his doctor at his next well-check appointment. It was really a helpful visit, right on my phone. And she followed up with a message afterward, with notes from our meeting, and reassured me I can email her back with any questions. I love this part, because I always leave a doctor visit…and an hour later think of more questions I wish I had asked.

Amwell doctors can also help with more immediate problems — things like bronchitis, coughs, fevers, vomiting, sprains and strains — and a whole host of other illnesses and injuries (there’s a full list on the website). They also have nutritionists who can counsel you on diet & nutrition, and psychologists who can help. Doctors can issue prescriptions in many cases as well — without you having to go in. And they’re available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I can’t even imagine how much better this would have made me feel as a new mom, the first time my baby got sick.

Seriously. Totally me. Except my hair doesn’t look that good and I’d still be in pajamas.

The cost for a visit is $49 for physicians (less than many office visits), and $25 for nutritionists, and they do take insurance.

And I’ve got a free first visit for you — if you enter BEWELL10 in the coupon code area when you pay for your visit, your first visit is free.

Cold and flu season is upon us…and I’m definitely keeping this in mind for the next kid who gets sick!

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