Would you continue using this doctor after this?

When Gracie got the stomach virus, we called the pedi and asked them if their was anything they could call in for her. They said we had to bring her in, and that was the start of my being pissed off. It was Monday morning and that is the busiest time at the pedi's office. And of course they have no concern of who is the sickest, just who was there first. Maybe I'm being irrational, but when a little baby is throwing up, or heaving rather, then the kid who is in the corner annoyingly jumping up and down doesn't seem so important to me! Anyways, we FINALLY get back to the room (the next to last people called back for the morning round) and the doctor tells us that all he can give her is some medicine that they give cancer patients??? He said nothing else was safe to give her. We go to the pharmacy and the sweet people there, whom we know fairly well, told us that they don't even have that medicine in stock and that it would be the next day before we could get it and that it was almost 200 bucks anyway. They said it was just the pedi trying to make a pharmaceutical sale!!! They said to take the prescription back to the office and make him give her something else, but when we got back to the office he had already closed for lunch. We decided to go to the family clinic and talk to the doctor there, who said that medicine was a waste of time and money and that it wouldn't really help her. He said he never gives a child under 2 anything for the stomach virus but just lets it run its course, which seemed crazy to me, but he is the doctor. So we did just let it run its course, which worked out fine since they weren't sick very long. My question is would you use the pedi again after that stunt? He NEVER remembers that the girls are twins. Everytime we go in there it is like he is seeing us for the first time. I loved the doctor that was on call when they were born, but he isn't nearly as convenient at this doctor is.

 

When Gracie got the stomach virus, we called the pedi and asked them if their was anything they could call in for her. They said we had to bring her in, and that was the start of my being pissed off. It was Monday morning and that is the busiest time at the pedi's office. And of course they have no concern of who is the sickest, just who was there first. Maybe I'm being irrational, but when a little baby is throwing up, or heaving rather, then the kid who is in the corner annoyingly jumping up and down doesn't seem so important to me! Anyways, we FINALLY get back to the room (the next to last people called back for the morning round) and the doctor tells us that all he can give her is some medicine that they give cancer patients??? He said nothing else was safe to give her. We go to the pharmacy and the sweet people there, whom we know fairly well, told us that they don't even have that medicine in stock and that it would be the next day before we could get it and that it was almost 200 bucks anyway. They said it was just the pedi trying to make a pharmaceutical sale!!! They said to take the prescription back to the office and make him give her something else, but when we got back to the office he had already closed for lunch. We decided to go to the family clinic and talk to the doctor there, who said that medicine was a waste of time and money and that it wouldn't really help her. He said he never gives a child under 2 anything for the stomach virus but just lets it run its course, which seemed crazy to me, but he is the doctor. So we did just let it run its course, which worked out fine since they weren't sick very long. My question is would you use the pedi again after that stunt? He NEVER remembers that the girls are twins. Everytime we go in there it is like he is seeing us for the first time. I loved the doctor that was on call when they were born, but he isn't nearly as convenient at this doctor is.

 

I have never (knock knock) had to take a sick child into the ped but if I did I wouldn't think I should go first because my child is not feeling well. I would be glad they are trying to fit me in ASAP but I wouldn't think they would put me above the rest. If I was the parent of the child there for a well visit, I would plan on being on schedule. Most parents schedule their well visits for a particular time for a particular reason. While I can understand that you would want the best for your child, think of how you would feel being the parent of the healthy child who had to wait longer than expected (in a room of sick children) because they were trying to do their best to accomodate additional children.

As for the drug? What was the purpose of the drug? What was the purpose of going to the doc? Would you have been happy rushing down there just to be told there was nothing they could do for you? I think I would need more info before condeming/condoning what the doc did. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt which can sometimes be a big downfall but I definitely think knowing more about the drug and and what purpose it was going to serve would sway my opinion.

ETA: Just read your other post, hope I didn't upset you with this response. Just sharing my thoughts. Hope everyone is feeling better soon!

 

I think I would be upset at being given a prescription of an unnecessary drug. Stomach viruses just need to run their course. However, if you don't feel comfortable with the level of care that the pediatrician provides then perhaps you should look for a new doctor. I wouldn't base the decision on just this one experience. I think I have only taken them to the dr. once for illness and that was due to a very high fever. If they are sick, I just call the nurse and get some advice on how to proceed if it's something I haven't dealt with before.

I hope everyone feels better soon.

 

I don't want to rush to judgement here but, I would probably shop docs.
As a Mom & also in my past life I wrote malpratice for physicians..... this doesn't seem right.
Peds & Family Practice docs should have allowances in their everyday schedules for Urgent care visits. I would be concerned if that isn't a standard of care.
We have seen a FP doc since years before I had kids and up to now. He's great, and even if he can't see us (which I prefer) someone else in the practice can see us. They also keep urgent care hours until 7 pm every week night.
As for the med... I see concern as well. It sounds like he was trying to pacify you rather than taking care of your baby's needs. If the drug isn't even avalible, that's an issue as well.
We went through a huge bout of stomach virus when my babies were 5 months old. Everyone in the house ended up with it and it took about 14 days to get the babies back to eating without throwing up. I found a great website with a recipe for make your own pedilite and I swear it saved us.
I ended up slowily weaning them back onto formula because their stomachs were so weak. We stayed in close contact with the doc, but he was so impressed with the pedi-lite recipe, he had me bring in a copy to his office.

 

Your family doctor was right for sure, tummy bugs should just be allowed to run their course. The paediatrician should be the FIRST to tell you that, and tell you the reasons why.

Our system in Australia is quite different; you wouldn't take kids to a paediatrician unless there was quite a serious problem that couldn't be solved by a GP (or General Practitioner; what I guess you guys would call a family doctor). But I have certainly doctor shopped for a decent GP and would certainly do the same if the girls needed the care of a paediatrician. You need to feel totally comfortable with your doctor and your kids' doctor. Sure, they're experts in their field (or should be) but they're not gods! They need to have the people skills and the teaching skills to get to know you, remember who you are (even if they're really busy) and explain things to you in lay terms without being patronising. That's what I reckon, anyway. They get paid well enough! My sister is an accident and emergency specialist and is the first to mention the importance of the above factors in selecting a doctor. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Tania

 

Well, it is true that there is no reason to give a child or even an adult with a stomach bug any medication... the body is working just fine on it's own to get rid of the bad germs... but the doctor should have told you this over the phone... my ped would tell me, "don't bother bringing the child in unless it goes on for days... just wait until she hasn't vomited for an hour and begin pedialyte.." and they would tell me how much pedialyte and what the signs of dehydration are to watch out for..and to make sure there is no fever involved...Simple stomach bugs, while they are horrible to endure, are not a reason to medicate or to even bring in...all you do is expose every other child in the room to that bug... My gut instinct is that there was only one reason this doctor gave you a prescription...and you may not like my reason...he was humoring you...who as a parent wanted to be able to "do" something for your child... Pediatricians will frequently do this to avoid having to awkward scenes... IMO you may want to switch peds b/c he never should have given you this prescription...but don't switch peds b/c he didn't give you the RIGHT prescription...switch b/c he gave you a prescription at all...any other responsible pediatrician would not have given you any prescription at all...except to give you instructions about pedialyte and dehydration...

I know it's miserable..we just went through it last week..all five of us... I've been through it before with the kids so I didn't even bother calling the ped. A stomach bug is usually much harder on the parents than the kids..the key to it is to wait long enough to give pedialyte so that they don't just keep on puking it up...but not so long that they get really dehydrated. And no solid foods until the next day at least... There really is very little that pediatricians can "do" for most common ailments... stomach bugs, colds, even most ear infections should not be medicated... They have even recently in the news announced that babies under 2 should not be taking cough and cold medications at all... this leaves pediatricians in the awkward position of being able to diagnose the problem without being able to give the "cure"... a hard position to be in when dealing with parents who feel so badly for their children...

Here's a example of the pediatrician humoring me.. when my older dd was 18 months she got a very bad ear infection... they put her on a basic anti-biotic...it just got worse and worse...her fever was going up over the week, not down... I called the pediatrician, when she told me that we would just wait it out over the weekend before trying a stronger med I was really angry. (My BILs brother had just died from a strep related ear-infection, so I was naturally really parinoid)... But amazingly the ear-infection cleared up over the weekend. We had to go back into the ped for them to verify it, and the doctor told me that in hindsight it was clear that the infection was viral..as most ear infections are...so the anti-biotic did nothing for her...they just gave it to her to humor me (and in the off chance that it really was bacterial)...well, I felt humbled..but grateful that my doctor was willing to say "no" to me and wait it out before putting her on some horribly strong anti-biotic.

 

Let me clarify that I wasn't mad b/c we weren't seen as soon as we got there, it was just that they made us come in amongst all the sick kids, and wait forever when they could have told me over the phone all I needed to know. Also, one little girl came in and her mom said she was sick and wanted to know could they get her back right away, and b/c she was vomiting they did...I heard the whole conversation, and that is what made me mad b/c they worked in another vomiting kid, but my 12 month old had to wait it out. I wasn't mad b/c he didn't give us a prescription, I was mad b/c he gave us a STUPID unnecessary prescription. I didn't need to be humored, even though he obviously thought so...I just want a pedi who will be honest with me even if it isn't what I want to hear. I think we will be swapping pedi's b/c if I can't trust him, then I don't want to take my children to him. He's done a few other little things that have annoyed me, but this one just was the last straw. Thanks for listening to me rave and rant, guys

 

I wouldn't use him any more. The drug could have been dangerous to your child and he's just trying to fill his pockets. Our clinic has a contagious child entrance that if you call early and tell them that your child (has chicken pox, is puking, has RSV, is a preemie) needs a room they will have one ready for you to go straight back to.

 

I wouldn't go back. I would find someone who had a better bedside manner, and one that kept better charts. He should know they are twins because it should be written in their charts. So A.) they keep sucky charts or B.) He doesn't glance at them before he comes into the room showing he doesn't care.
I would be outraged at the prescription and at least you have a good pharmacist that lets you know that it was a bogus script. Seriously, I think that pharmaceutical companies give docs a little piece of the pie.
There are so many doctors out there that would treat you like a real patient and not just another insurance claim or number. And you deserve better. Your kids lives are in their hands, especially when prescribing medicine. If it's throwing a red flag up and you are questioning him, then I think your head is telling you something.

 

What was the drug? Was it zofran or something like that? My ped. gave it to us last year when the girls had a tummy bug. They were on the verge of being hospitalized for dehydration (the main concern w/tummy bugs) and she said the zofran was a cancer drug for nauseau and would help them keep the pedialyte down. It worked really well for them!

I would not necessarily switch doctors. I don't know of any doctors these days who will call in medicine or give advice without seeing the child. It's probably a liability thing. And, when I've had to make a last minute sick call I always expect to wait in the sick room and I expect it will take quite a long time. It sucks, but that's the way it is. I wouldn't expect to go first unless my child was actively vomiting and creating a mess and hazard or had some other immediate concern bordering on emergency.

I don't know why you would automatically assume that the pharmacy people are telling you the truth about the drug. It may be true as far as they know, but they aren't the doctor and they don't know his reasoning. I'd call him and ask specifics before getting too upset.

I would switch if he consistently had a bad bedside manner and never remembered who I was. And I have switched doctors before because they have really upset me (sticking a sucker in my 14 month old's mouth without asking me!), but just based on what you described, I wouldn't be too upset over the medical care/advice you received.

 

I would say bye bye.

 

If you don't feel comfortable with the care your children are getting you should switch doctors. The way I see it is that you are not happy with how things were handled and in the future you will end up second guessing everything the doctor does.
Change doctors.
sue

 

Just thought I would let you know that if it was Zofran, that is not just used to cancer patients. Yes, it was developed as an antinausea for chemo patients, but it's use is very wide. I was on it almost my entire pregnancy, it was a life saver. It is VERY expensive, but thankfully insurance covered it. The twins have had it as has Joy, when like the pp, where almost hospitalized for dehydration. (actually, Aaron was) It doesn't stop the stomach bug from going through it's natural course, it just gives the porr person some relief from the horrible nausea and vomiting that occurs. We always have some extra pills in case of an emergency, and since it is so expensive, we are careful with it!

In terms of switching, I have switched because I was unhappy with the service I received at my ped office. As the Mommyl, listen to your gut. If it is telling you to switch, I say do it! You need to feel comfortable and respected in your office...

In terms of not remembering that they are twins, I had that problem with my oldest in the old practice. He is adopted, and therefore we had no family history. I think he asked us every time if "this ran in the family" and I had to tell him a hundred times that the child was adopted.... I felt he never paid much attention. That was another reason we left. I was happy we did.

 

I think you are right to go with your gut on this... lots of people have to try out a few different peds before finding the right one.. the first place that I took my newborn oldest dd I never came back to... I walked into the examining room....the paper on the table was not changed, the room looked dirty, I thought to myself that if the paper wasn't changed then the table wasn't scrubbed either... and the doctor checking my newborn obviously new less about handling newborns than I did... I had to help her...that was the first and last time I went there.

This place I'm at now has around 7 doctors...some I like and some I don't. Even the ones I like I kind of had to figure out... the one doctor is very personable, really great bedside manner, takes the time to listen but tends to be overly cautious...she was writing out steriod scripts for my son's slight case of eczema before I had even asked about it...and it was less severe than my older dd's was and I never put her on a steroid cream.. Just lots of vaseline, special soap, baby detergent on the clothes.... so I never took the script in...I balance out my feelings about my peds with my own mommy intuition...and realizing that they are really busy people, and doctors as a general rule tend to over medicate vs. undermedicate...it's being on the safe side...i guess... I sincerely doubt that he really put forth the thought of lining his pocket with extra $... If a doctor really wanted to make money he wouldn't be in a pediatric office... he would have studied to be a plastic surgean or something else... No person is going to put up with the rigors of pediatric care, screaming kids, puking all over you, with the relative small compensations and headaches that owning your own practice can be unless they really care and have a passion for doing what they are doing. I know it's unpopular to say so, but I truly believe that most physicians are in the business b/c they want to make people better...Those in it for the money get their career upgraded to hospital administrator or something like that... They deserve to be well compensated for their hard work...I'd rather see a doctor being well paid than seeing one who is under the stress of barely scraping by. JMHO...

People have off days, some people are more naturally inclined to have a better bedside manner... but regardless of this you need to go with your gut instinct on where you take your child, you need to be comfortable, and you need to agree with their medical philosophy on how to treat your child. As far as knowing whether or not you have twins...I can't tell you how many times I had to remind my ob/gyns that I was carrying twins!! Pathetic... but in this day and age people rush and don't read the details...you have to be your own advocate and you have to make your own decisions about whether the physician you are seeing is competent...

 

Based on your 2nd posting, I would find a new pediatrician. If you can't relate, if he can't remember your children, if you're not comfortable, then it's time to leave.

Our first ped was wonderful with my dd. But she was older when we moved here. The boys were newborns, and one thing after another irked me. When I found out that I was right about my child and he was ignoring my concerns (my son was delayed) and left the practice and found another. He should have had PT and speech therapy early on, but this dr ignored me. Sooo mad.

Sorry, don't want to take over your post, but if you're mad enough, then it's time to move on.

 

Since I can't quote everyone's replies, I'll do it this way:

MJXplus2: I'm not sure if it was Zofran or not, sounds like that may have been it. I think you are mistaking the reason I am upset, and I'm still going to be upset regardless but I would like for you to understand. Having to go into the doctors office or not getting seen right away, or even them not calling the meds in is all beside the point...that was just my explaining how badly it all started. The pharmacy people aren't doctors, you are right. But we have known them a very long time, and I do trust them when they say, get him to explain this to you better. Regardless, they didn't have the meds, and when I went back to the pedi's office he was closed for lunch. So, like I said, I went to the family clinic and spoke to the doctor there, who is one of the highest paid and most well respected doctors in the state, and he is the one who advised me to let it run its course and forget the medicine. I can see where the meds worked in your case, but the pedi himself said, that even though Gracie was heaving, she was not dehydrated and didn't seem to be near dehydration, either. I hope you don't think I'm being harsh, I am just trying to explain the situation and why I'm upset about it.


Cristina:
I'm not 100% sure it was Zofran, but the pedi is the one who told me it was for cancer patients, and that is where I got that information.

 

Regardless of the situation, and wheather you're justified in being being angry or not, you are angry and don't like the way you're being treated by the ped. If you're not happy there, then you should leave.

Can you just take your girls to your family dr? I got tired of having to wait for an hour to get in for appts, even well visits took that long. So I started taking the kids to my dr. We never wait more than 15 minutes, and that includes sick appts.

There is a better doctor out there for your family!

 

quote:
he gave us a STUPID unnecessary prescription.

Zofran is a drug given to cancer patients to prevent nausea. I have taken it before, and it is AMAZING at decreasing nausea. So I wouldn't say the prescription was unnecessary. You came in because your daughter was vomiting, and wanted your doctor's help. Since there isn't much a doctor can do with a stomach virus (except let it run it's course), the Zofran to help her feel less nauseous was probably the best he could do for her.

It doesn't sound to me like they did anything really wrong, but if your gut instinct is telling you to go elsewhere, I think you should follow it.

Michelle

 

I'm probably spoiled by our pedi, but here's how it was when my girls had a stomach virus. I called him and reported the situation, he explained that we have to let things take it's course, but make sure that they are taking enough fluids. Later that day he called us to find out how much they were drinking. Maria wasn't able to hold the fluids and was throwing up everything she took, so he offered to give her fluids by spoon and make sure that she's taking no less than 2 oz per hour. He asked me to call him later and let him know how things were going. We are so lucky to have such a caring doctor! When we took Maria home from the NICU (she was 10 days old) he was calling every day to make sure that everything is going ok.

 

My pedi is great, (actually two on staff) and I think he's raised the bar in my mind. you have twins and could very likely be there more often then most moms. you have to be very satisfied with the care you get. mine knows their names, history, info on their birth, older brother etc. they have a sick room and a well room for waiting, and even though we're in a busy city, they do TRY to get you in asap. He's willing to discuss any concern and the nurses will always recommend the drug that my insurance covers. and when they can they'll call it in to my pharmacy. I say switch doctors. even if the drug he prescribed was a good idea, you still were left annoyed at the whole thing. BTW, I try to investigate stuff either on here or the internet about their various illnesses. it's saved me a couple of trips. good luck! karen

 

Honestly, a stomach virus does just need to run it's course. We've never been given anything for it. If it's a virus, there's not much they can do. I would be a little concerned that he gave you that script though. I would have some questions about that. As far as waiting rooms go, I just show up a few minutes before my appt. I know that I have an appt. and other people have appts. too. If they start running more than 20 mins. or so behind, I have gone up and asked about the wait time. If you're not comfortable with the Dr. and the way he handles your kiddos on other levels too, then I say go ahead and switch. I like that my Dr. always remembers the little things about my kiddos.