Sunday, April 17, 2016

Firing the Pediatrician

On top of all of our specialist appointments, Princess also had her 3 year well child check up with Dr. M. This turned out to be her LAST appointment with Dr. M because I switched pediatricians.


Princess was scheduled for a 9am appointment with Dr. M. Well, of course after getting Little Man off to school and getting Princess dressed, I felt rushed in getting there. We CAN'T be five minutes late or they will reschedule us. And well child visits are booked AT LEAST two to three months out. (Don't get me started on the whole clinic thing and their scheduling issues.)

We get there about four or five minutes before our scheduled appointment time. I figured that this appointment we might actually make it out in a reasonable amount of time. See, Dr. M usually runs behind. I was warned of this initially. So I figured by being one of the first ones of the day we couldn't possibly be behind! Well, we end up waiting about ten to fifteen minutes in the waiting room. That's okay. I brought our bag of "busy bags" to keep Princess occupied. She colored and was very well behaved.


We finally get called back and do height and weight. I declined the vision screening because we were going to see Dr. R on Friday. We went into the room and did the hearing screening, which Princess actually did really well on. Did temperature and the pulse ox. Then it was time for blood pressure. Surprisingly, the office must have FINALLY upgraded (or someone pitched a fit before I could) because they had literally brand new Welch-Allyn pediatric cuffs! (I could tell they were brand new because they still had the creases in them from shipping!) And the nurse even used the correct sized cuff on Princess! Woohoo! Now we can come in HERE and do blood pressure checks without having to travel AN HOUR to see Dr. K! And the reading the nurse got was about what Princess ran at Dr. H's office, so I figured it was good. (Still a little high and not the GREAT reading we got at Dr. K's office, but within range of what she's been running.) We go over meds and the change in pharmacy (our pharmacy closed because the pharmacist retired). And then the nurse tells me, "Dr. M isn't here yet. You know how it goes. If you need anything just poke your head out."

WHAT? Okay, I know that they sometimes have to go check on babies at the hospital. And this isn't the first pediatrician that I've had this happen with. In fact, the kids' first pediatrician would have this happen, but usually it was on immunization visits. If we were coming in JUST for a vaccine, we would usually be scheduled in the time she was due to be back from her "baby rounds" at the hospital. So I figured it wouldn't be that long.

Of course Tinky Nee and Baby Nee had to have their own chairs.
HALF AN HOUR after we had done vitals, Dr. M FINALLY comes in. She apologizes for being late saying she was tied up at the hospital. (Strike One) Then we get into the routine developmental questions. Some of them I wanted to bang my head against a wall, seriously. Why?

A few months ago, I went by and dropped a copy of Princess's CP diagnosis off to be added to her chart. I feel the pediatrician needs to be kept up to date on all the current diagnoses. So the receptionist took the copy and said they would get it scanned into her record. (Gotta love the Electronic Medical Records!)

Dr. M didn't even MENTION the new diagnosis. I don't know if it's in her chart or if she just didn't bother to look. But that's why I wanted to beat my head against a wall. I mean, pedal a trike? Really? The kid can barely go up and down stairs! There was a prescription for OT and PT on that sheet with her diagnosis! (Strike Two) Not to mention, she doesn't even MENTION if she's gotten anything from the specialists. I don't know, maybe I expect too much, but when the child sees a cardiologist and nephrologist, you would think the pediatrician would at least ASK as to the last time they saw them, was everything okay, or at least mention that they got the notes or something!

Okay, no big deal. Moving on. We get to the actual exam part and Princess just melts down. She doesn't want to sit in my lap or sit up on the "crinkly paper." She doesn't want Dr. M to do "check ups" (listen with her stethoscope) or "eyes and ears" (check with her otoscope). Now, this kiddo had been to FOUR doctors in the past three weeks (Dr. K, Dr. D, Dr. H and a PA about her diaper rash) and hadn't flipped out on ANY of them, even the PA over the rash! (Strike Three)

So when the big screamy fit was over and we had to do the finger pokey for the Hemoglobin test and we were finally done (after I promised her I would change her band aid from the Snoopy one to one of the left over giraffe ones in the car from the lab the previous week), I went to check out and as I was doing so, asked the girl if it was possible to change pediatricians. After some back and forth about who I wanted and being told they weren't accepting new patients over the age of two, I decided on Dr. G. He's a PA, but honestly, if he can manage Princess's specialists and actually treat me like I KNOW something and my daughter like a kiddo who's been to way too many docs and watches way too much "Doc McStuffins" so that she KNOWS what to expect, I don't really care. In fact, Little Man saw him the Wednesday before Princess's appointment due as a follow-up to an ED visit for a high fever and stomach ache. (Turned out to be constipation and not appendicitis.) So I don't know if there's some paperwork or whatever I need to do to switch, but believe me, it ain't gonna be difficult to tell whomever WHY we switched.

This appointment, from the time we got back there until the time we left, took an hour and a half! If you count the 15 minutes we waited in the waiting room beforehand, it was an an hour and forty-five minutes! For a well-child visit! We spent MORE TIME waiting than we did with the doc! So NOT okay in my book. I mean, I understand if someone like Dr. H is behind more than 30 minutes. We at least get warning of that from the board in the waiting room. And you don't know if she's over at the hospital right down the street admitting a patient or talking to a family about their child needing dialysis or something and that's what put her behind. But a pediatrician being AN HOUR behind at the beginning of the day? Nope. Not cool. And being EVERY appointment with her is AT LEAST an hour, it's DEFINITELY time to change.

Hopefully we don't have to go back to a pediatrician for a while. Not that I would mind seeing Dr. G, but I'm really done with doctors for the time being.

2 comments:

  1. Ugh, sorry that happened to you! Good luck with next Dr!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Natalie. This doc was already on her last leg. Go back and read about our Shriners Trip.
      http://ourunshakablefaith.blogspot.com/2015/06/shriners-trip.html

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