It started almost 3 weeks ago. The kids started passing around a cold virus. Snot, Hack, Crank...you know the drill. Kid 1 and Kid 2 kicked it, no problem. Go immune system. Kid 3---she flailed about in our bed every night hacking, flopping, snotting, head-butting, whining, wailing, hacking, flopping, hacking.... She could not kick it. Booooo immune system.
Saturday, she gets the ultimatum. "You have until Monday to be better, or you're going to the pediatrician." She coughed at my threat.
Sunday, worse. Much worse. Couldn't stop coughing. Wouldn't eat. Only sipped juice. Flopped on daddy. Learned new word "Ucky!"
Now, I work in medicine. I like to think that I know a good deal about medicine. (I'm sure my patients like to think that, too.) One thing I know I know and know well is this---viral colds do not last more the 14 days. If it's over 14 days---get checked out. There is a secondary infection there somewhere.
So when Jason takes little Lyssi to the clinic, getting worse, after almost 3 weeks of this, I expected a diagnosis indicating location of said infection and antibiotics. What I got was, "Backup doctor said it's just a virus. She'll get over it."
Virus? Did you tell her how long it's lasted? How she has gotten much worse with new symptoms in the last 36 hours? How bad the cough has been the last 36 hours. How much water we used creating our own personal steam room last night? How I haven't slept well in 3 weeks? How much snot is on my pajamas? and Pillow?
Then I got the mini-lecture. "Honey, you're not the practitioner here. You're the mom. You told me to take her in" Yeah, but my mom-gut is talking to my medical-brain and they both know this is not right.
So, medical-brain resumes work. Then received call from Dad. "She's napped for hours." More work. More calls. "She feels warm but her temp is normal." More work. More calls. "Her temp just spiked to 102.7 under her arm, what do you think?"
Bam! Ka-pow!!!!! Mom-gut and Medical-Brain just got together and they both want an appointment at after hours. TONIGHT!
Nice Doctor listens to Mom-Gut's concerns and then to Medical-Brain saying, "Really, I'm not demanding an antibiotics. Just a second opinion."
Nice Doctor agrees with Mom-Gut and tells Medical-Brain he would have done the same thing with his kids. (He's possibly my new backup doctor. The charmer.)
He probes. He prods. He peeks. He peruses. He says everything looks and sounds pretty ok (Boooooo!), but let's start with a chest xray just to be sure, then maybe some lab work.
Droopy toddler didn't care what the big scary looking machines were doing. She stood, she breathed, she layed, and we got to "see her stuff," per Carsten.
The doctor's official read of said xray: Schmutzy Lung
Medical-Brain agreed: Left lower Schmutz
No blatant anything. Just Schmutz....on the left.
Official Diagnosis: Rapidly developing pneumonia with probable sinusitis.
2 doses of Miraculous High Dose Pink stuff later -- no fever and playing for the first time in weeks. (Let's all now shout PRAISE for the pink stuff!)
Moral of story: Occasionally Mom and Practitioner must meet. Or collide. Whatever. Just as long as the prescription written.
4 comments:
Glad she's feeling better...and good luck with Carsten's glasses! :)
Are you still in an apartment? How's it going?
I saw circus peanuts the other day and thought of you. :)
I'm so glad you didn't listen to First Backup Doctor and tried a new Backup doctor. I'd kiss that man for listening to you (except that's a bit creepy and long distance.)
Wow. Glad she is doing better. pneumonia is no fun. Glad you kept after it.
It's hard to listen to Mom-gut when Medical Brain tells you "uh huh, yeah, I'd probably do the same as the back-up doc."
Worse, I find that my medical-brain can overpower my mom-gut spine and I become a wilted flower in the power of the all-mighty doctor. Sad, eh?
I'm so glad your mom-gut and medical brain agreed, and didn't give up until you got what your little girl NEEDED. Glad she's doing better!
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