So the pinching of the wonderful Christmas actually hurt! Shenzy has had a cough and intermittent fever since last Monday, but not too bad. The fever got progressively worse as did the time between when she was feeling her feisty self, so I took her to the pediatrician on Friday. Diagnosis = she has a cold, bring her in on Monday if she still isn't feeling good. Okay, fine.
Saturday, she went down hill ever more and by 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, I was throwing on some sweats, her coat, and heading for the emergency room. I try not to be dramatic about illnesses, but I personally know 2 moms whose young children have subsequently died from what seemed to be common illnesses, so that is admittedly in the back of my mind.
Well, given that we are "new" to our area, I had not been to either emergency room closest to ours, but decided on the one closer to the big town and it is also only about 2 years old, so it is a nice new facility. Whatever. We ended up waiting for almost 20 minutes for intake, despite the fact that we were the ONLY PEOPLE in there, and that was only because I went back up to the registration desk, with my 35 pound bundle of HOT baby girl, and "queried" why we were still waiting. We were seen within 2 minutes then.
She had a temperature of 103 in the ER, still very puny and lethargic, we were able to get a urine sample (for that alone I believe I should get mother of the year), and finally we were given a doctor, about my age, who said "I am not impressed" no less than 4 times - which was his idiot approach to bedside manner that was supposed to mean, this isn't this bad. Arrogant jackass. He initially stated that he would do a chest X-Ray, but that was just a precaution as he was certain she did not have pneumonia. Well, guess what, she has pneumonia. AND, possibly a urinary tract infection, which if she does (they are growing cultures) we will then have to consult with a urologist for possible structural issues with her urinary tract. Seems odd to me, but we will know more on Monday.
The nurse (or aide or whatever he was) then brought me her first dose of antibiotic at the ER so we could get her started on treatment and when queried about how much to give her of the remaining bottle before I fill her prescription, said "I think 8 ccs". I just stared at him as only a mother who has slept 0 hours in that night and not a full night's sleep in the past week could and said, for your sake, you had better do a quick calculation and make sure the medicine you just administered to my 3-year-old was the correct dosage and what exactly it is that I am supposed to give her at home. I literally saw the words law suit stamped on his reddening face as he apologized and did the calculation, showing me the numbers.
Then, as a final guffaw, Shenzy developed a shooting bloody nose, as in she was eating a Popsicle and all of a sudden the purple Popsicle was RED, in 1 second, it was scary. I got it under control, but it was all over her and her clothes, so I told her to sit still and went down to the nurses desk to inform them, and the doc and aide came tagging along behind me, to which the doc said "I am not impressed" again and when I gave him the I might hurt you, seriously, I might, look, he said, that is a good thing. He then asked what I wanted him to do??!!! I just looked at him and said "apparently nothing", and he flubbed around getting me some wet clothes to clean her up with, but what a MORON.
We have had an up and down day since arriving home at about 6:00 a.m., D had to preach at 3 services this morning, so I was home alone with all 3. Shenzy is good for a while, and then when that fever decides to spike, she is a miserable little thing all over again. We are doing our best to manage the fever and hopefully the antibiotic will help very soon, but good grief, I am exhausted and feel helpless.
This adventure has taught me that I will NOT go back to that ER unless someone has a severed limb and it is the closest place, that I am glad that I have good health insurance and it does not even pass my mind whether I can afford to go to the ER with my sick child, that I am glad I am outspoken and educated in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, as I can see how easily it would to be intimidated, pushed under the rug, unattended, etc. in that situation.
May Shenzy be healthy and back to herself SOON!
CC
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2 comments:
Oh my gosh - poor baby! (and poor mama!) and what a moron of a doctor! I hate idiot doctors, there's nothing more frustrating than talking to a doctor who doesn't have a clue. And you are just awesome the way you handled him. I'm such a horrid people pleaser I would have been no use at all.
Prayers for Shenzy to get well quick!!
What a difference there are in Dr's. When we were in China and Acer had his hernia, A little old Dr, literally, (with training from Yale) rushed over from the hospital to the hotel, missing his lunch. He then got us immediately into a room, by-passing the normal procedures, and got someone to help him push the hernia back in. He was the head of the gastro dep and didn't have to do all this, but he said simply that when you a DOCTOR, your time is your patients. A delightful human being. Somehow Dr 'I'm not impressed' sounds like a lower case, less than impressive doctor.
Thank heavens you had your wits about you, and you found out about the less than stellar service now.
Prayers for Shenzy
Heather BT
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