Ok warning kind of long! My little girl was sick for about 2 1/2 weeks with a fever from 102-105. We called the MD and even took her to see him twice. We love him and he has been a good MD for both of my kids until now. Anyway, we always have to go thru the MA to get anything done at his office, and it is my understanding that most of the group that he is with work the same way. I called the office at least 5 times in the almost 3 weeks and called the MD on call on a Saturday when her fever went over 105.0 and I was worried. the only test that he did on her was a nasal swab for the flu in week 2. He told me that the flu test was negative and to "give it 5 or 6 more days" because it was probably viral. that was on sunday, on Thursday in the AM her fever was still 105. which is not typical for a viral infection so I called the office and left a message, when the MA called me back she gave me an appt for the next day in the AM. I asked if there was anything sooner, but she said no. In the afternoon my sitter called and her fever was 106 so I took her to the ER. The ER MD said that when a child her age has a fever like that and it last that long without any other sx they usually think that it is a UTI. So he did a cath urine sample and sure enough she had a UTI and becuase it was not caught sooner she also had a kidney infections. We now have to do more testing to make sure she is ok and that kind of thing, but my main question is, do I change MD's or give him another chance? I just cannot decide and like I said he has been a really good MD so far.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks everyone for your answers. All of my daughters tests were fine, she should not be at any risk for any more UTI's. It was probably because it was let go by the MD. I have some options for new MD's to look at and will probably find a new one. Thanks again!!
the doctor may be fine but he or she may be working in an office that is not staffed well enough to keep everything running smoothly. If is that hard to to reach the doctor, I would try to see what else is out there.
Simple answer---find another doctor!! Your doctor dropped the ball---don't mess around when they drop the ball with your childs healthcare.
I saw this comment recently on another post and I agreed with it 100%. If you're asking us if you should change pedi, then you've already decided in your head and you should go with your gut feeling. Our children are here for us to care for them and as part of that responsibility we take on, we should surround them with those who know and care. While I'm sure your pedi never meant any harm by not checking for a UTI - his lack of action speaks loudly.
I don't know what part of town you're in, but I'm sure there are many moms out there that are happy to pass along the name of their drs. Good luck and thank G-d your little one is safe.
Everyone makes mistakes... however, in a world of choices, I think I'd choose to leave and find a doc that has a little more time for my child.
I know decisions like this are hard. But I'm pretty sure I'd call the office manager (who he answers to as well, I'm sure) and meet with them.
We just switched family docs because of a lack of care. For me, I could make excuses, but not for the bad care of my child.
I know, easy for me to say... but I promise you, similar just happened to us.
Take care,
E.
I don't think the question you should be asking us is "should I change Dr.s" the question you should be asking us is..."Do any of us have some better qualified ped.s to refer you to" Get out of there quick. My experience was almost identical and we left running! Good Luck! I know it's not an easy decision!
I would change doctors right away, especially if you have even the smallest doubt in his competence. A child having a fever that high for as long she did is an alarm that something is definetly wrong. My daughter was one years old when she had similar symptoms. Our doctor did all the tests and found nothing, but when her fever hit 103, he immediately suggested a UTI and put her on meds right away, as well as inserting a catheter to emty her bladder and run tests on her urine. He said they are the most common reasons for really high fevers, especially in girls, so if you doc still hadn't considered that option after all the visits you made, I would seriously doubt his capabilities. Think about how much pain your daughter had to go through(and I have had uti's before...they are horrible)before she got the correct diagnosis, and it all could have been prevented if your doctor had performed one simple urinalysis. Good Luck to you and if you need a reccomendation, Dr. Jeffrey Berkowitz in Plano is an amazing pediatrician.
Ok, is it just me, or are all of you tired of taking your children to the doctor to be told "Well, it must just be a virus and you just need to wait a few days and then come back." To which I say, "But I already waited a few days, because that's what you always tell me," and the dr says, "Well, just wait a few more days and come back; there's nothing we can do for your child."
Anyway, yes I would change immediately. The dr should have advised you to go to the hospital and should have done something to see why the fever was so high. A dr like that nearly killed one of my children because she was dehydrated and he kept telling me that she was not dehydrated and that she was just really sick and basically I was just a worry-wort. Finally I took her to the ER anyway and she was dehydrated and it was the meds that were making her so sick; a simple test revealed that the meds were not helping at all. Good luck, but it's unacceptable for the dr's office to be so unresponsive when there is a severely high fever. I would have gone to the hospital when the fever was 104. That happened with one of my daughters last year, and the dr kept saying they did not know the problem; took her to an ENT specialist and turns out she had an infection in her adenoids and had to have her tonsils out.
I had changed drs because of a similar thing with my oldest son when he was a month old, he would cry alot, the dr said i was being paranoid (sp?) since this was my first child, i didnt like what he had to say so i took him straight to the er, and they found out he had reflux of his kidneys, which ment that everytime he peed it went back into his bladder and up into his kidneys, and we ended up in the hospital for a month, the drs office called saying i misses his check up and i told them i hadnt and i would never be taking my son there again and told them why. I dont know if her problem is as severe as this, but the way i have always seen it and have been told this from their drs now, is we are the ones around them we know when something is wrong, they dont always know for sure, so now good dr in the past or not, if i take my kiddos in and the dr doesnt want to listen to what i have to say i switch asap. But that is just my thinking. Hope this helps you. Good Luck and i hope everything turns out ok with your little girl!!
Change Dr's. We went through something very similar and I figured First time shame on him 2nd time shame on me. What distresses me is the attitude that many pediatricians have when you insist there is something wrong with your child we're often dismissed as being "worry worts" or having "mommy moments". Honestly, who knows our kids better than we do? Dr's would be better served paying a bit more attention to parental concerns and not leaving any leaf unturned when you have to make repeat visits for the same issue. Good luck, it's tough. You're a very good mommy for staying on top of it and not dismissing it yourself.
I would change my pedi very quickly because she could have went into a seizure for a really high fever.My son use to have high fevers and once they come and it gets over 102.0, he would go into a seizure and the ER Doctor's didn't really know why.I hated dealing with that cause it was very serious and complicated seeing my child go through something like that.It started to happen at least once or twice a month and that was upsetting to deal with by him being so young in age.Good luck on what you decide.
I would get some recommendations for pediatricians. A fever that high in anyone, especially a small child, requires immediate action. When my daughter was two months old she had a fever of 104.5. My pediatrician sent us straight to the emergency room and we wound up in the hospital for four days. She had a urinary tract infection, but they also did a blood sample and a spinal tap. Apparently if the infection spreads to the blood it becomes sepsis and worse if it gets into the spinal fluid. Little girls are especially susceptible to UTI's because fecal matter gets inside their vaginas when they have dirty diapers. You need to be able to trust your doctor 100%. Good luck!
How scary!
I personally would find another Dr.
I want the Drs to feel as concerned about my children as I am. And or at least give me the time of day.
I would find a new one too. I know he has been good but this seems to out weigh all of that!
J.,
When my gals were infants and toddlers, I went through 4 different pediatricians, because of lack of quality care and the like. If I had gone through one more, I would have been traveling to another town. Having said that, it either bothers you enought to change doctors or not. For me, I would be picking up my childs medical records immediately. If you decide to change doctors, make sure your new Pediatrician understands the reason you left the last one. Make sure he or she is committed to the quality of care and concern that sick and ailing children are entitled to. If you decide to continue with this Doctor, I think you will realize that you have lost faith,trust and respect,, and that he has lost his medical integrity to the hypocratic medical oath in which he swore to, which states Never do Harm!
OK, to me that would be unacceptable! I would probably change doctors. How has he been really good before? Has there ever been any other illnesses where he has done well? I cannot believe they would find it acceptable for a 13 month old to have a fever that high for that long. I'd start looking for a new doc! This one doesn't sound that great to me! Our doc gets us in same day in most cases, and for much less!
I hope your little girl feels better soon! Good luck!
