I don't complain about much. Well, maybe I do, but I very rarely take to the web to vent my frustrations. I'll spare you the loud screaming, tantrum that my 2 year old threw when I had to take him into the North MS Pediatrics office in Tupelo this morning because he has been sick for a few days. He had gotten better by yesterday, but we were up with him all last night, hacking up his lung and throwing up at the same time, along with a fever.
So this morning I whisked all three of my children, some still in their pj's, to the clinic before the early morning sick hours were over.
Jim had to work out of town this morning and my babysitters were at school. So, Carrie Ann and Taylor really had no choice. Plus, I wanted to rule out that the muck in their eyes wasn't pink eye!
We got there just in time and I was sooo impressed at how quickly they called us back to a room.
Of course Andrew had a meltdown at the thought of having to stand on the scale to be weighed and his attitude only spiraled downhill from that point.
I felt so bad for the staff. I had to weigh Andrew while the nurse held Carrie Ann. He screamed bloody murder.
Then the nurse took a very light, very quick swab of the front of the inside of his nose. It's the first time any of my children had ever been swabbed, so I thought she did a great job, considering the fit he was throwing.
While trying to get a swab of his throat, the doctor came in with his laptop, and wiped everything off the counter right into the trash, including the "swab" the nurse had just taken of his nose. I saw the nurse look, like, um...that was my stuff doc. What do you think you are doing.
I was too busy trying to wrangle my squalling child, and keep a 1 year old off of the floor. The doctor said, I'll come back when he calms down. I didn't blame him!!!!!
The nurse, reached into the trash can and took the swab with her. Um..........
Had you been there, without a sinus cold yourself, not sweating and having had brushed your teeth, you would've had the cognitive sense to speak up.
And honestly, I don't know that I was thinking about it at the time. My mind was too busy.
When the doctor returned, he tried looking into his ears, listening to his chest, nose and throat, all without much love from Andrew. Andrew would not stop kicking him.
The doc, rolled back on his little stool and repeated everything that I had told him already, congested, fever, mattery eyes, hacking cough. To him, it sounds just like the flu, but it's too late to give him anything. His ears are fine and we aren't going to do a strep test. No pink eye! So, he'll probably have fever on and off the rest of weekend. If he starts having trouble breathing or wheezing, bring him back in because he could get pneumonia.
At this point, I'm stressed to the max because Andrew is still screaming uncontrollably! But I was beginning to get frustrated because I brought him up there, went through this, to get answers. I don't blame the doctor for wanting to get out of there as fast as he could, I would have too, but he's a pediatrician, it's the nature of the job! The doctor stepped out and came back really quickly and stepped just inside the door and said, "Well, the flu swab is negative, but I still think it's the flu. So again, if he starts having trouble breathing, come back, but other than that, it's the nature of the flu. Oh, I forgot your chart, let me go get it."
When he came back, I was gathering our things, with Carrie Ann in one hand, Andrew was sitting on the floor with his feet against the door. The doctor reached his arm in and put the yellow check out form on my bag and walked away.
I thought, good grief! Are you serious? Goodbye, good riddens, never come back, please! Whew!!
I can completely understand the doctor's frustrations, and his eagerness to get us gone, but can you see my frustrations as a mother, who has a sick child and feels the doctor could care less that something is wrong. I expect more than the status quo. I expect doctors to want to know what is wrong, I want them to want to know!!! I want them to find out!!! Rather than say, well it's not this, but I really "think" its this! I want a doctor to be completely satisfied that he fulfilled his role as a children's health care provider!!! Is that too much to ask of the person I am paying to check over the physical well-being of my sick 2 year old????
I guess what I wanted was for him to want to find out what was wrong with my son as much as I wanted to know what was wrong with my son! That's why I brought him to a doctor.
Now let's get started on that swab. As I was leaving the office, it hit me, OH MY WORD.... the "negative" swab was the same swab that the doctor swiped into the trash, and the same swab the nurse had retrieved from the trash can, and the same swab that she had brushed just on the inside of the front of his nose!!!!! YES, I'm serious.
I don't fault her for not getting a better swab, Andrew thought she was trying to kill him and was acting partly in self-defense, the other part, he was just plain mad!
I was boiling, I wanted to cry. But I was done. And I really didn't know what to do!
I called my good friend, who is a pediatric nurse, and who has two small kids' that are my kids' ages. She was appalled. She said a good, swab of the nose, should collect, not mucus, but membranes from the lining of the nose. And usually, when she gets a swab, sometimes the nose might bleed. I told her what happened. The whole dramatic story. Her advice, among other information was:
Past behavior will represent future behavior.
I have left a voicemail for the clinic's manager. In the meantime, I will never, and I absolutely, mean
ABSOLUTELY NEVER use the North Mississippi Pediatric Clinic in Tupelo or recommend them to anyone, ever again.
Is this how I should think, how I should feel? I'm beside myself with anger and dismay. I mean, what do you do in a case like this? Any suggestions?
This isn't the first problem I've has with this same clinic. Twice, I've had to wait longer than 2 hours to have my newborns seen for their 2 week check-up. Most clinics, whisk newborns in and out, as to avoid any illnesses being spread. The most recent, I waited almost an hour to get a breathing treatment for my son who was having chest retractions and wheezing. Then, when I wanted to purchase a nebulizer to use at home, they gave me the biggest most ridiculous fit for wanting to purchase it from a third party, because it was more than $100 cheaper! Then earlier this week, when I called to get an appointment for all three of my children to come in, the lady on the other end of the phone, scolded me for not having the same pediatrician for all three of my children. (Taylor and Andrew have the same, and Carrie Ann has a different one--{she had a tummy issue when she was born, the clinic gave me the doc on call, which I chose to stick with because he knew her from birth and really seemed to care!}) She informed me that was just not right and who ever had scheduled my children's appointments in the past had not made me aware of the "rules" that a family of children should all be seen by the same doctor!!!!! I asked her if she was getting on to me for choosing different doctors. I was then told that I didn't let her finish--that it wasn't my fault, but that they had newer help in the clinic and they had simply made a mistake! So, you mean it's like a sorority and this is my hazing? WHAT????
I know what different care looks like, I couldn't believe the quality of care Taylor received from his pediatric office when we lived in Northern Virginia. Dr. Baldrate-- I really, really miss you and your office!!!!
There's not many options in Tupelo when it comes to pediatricians. We stopped using the pediatric clinic after my 2-hour wait for Andrew's 2-week checkup. and began seeing a family practitioner. However, last summer, he and his family left for the mission field and I have yet to find good, quality care for my children. HELP!!!
I'll take your recommendations and your suggestions!
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