Followers of my blog know that since Peanut was born we have been to a lot of doctors. When she was two weeks old we had to bring her to a cardiologist because she had a heart murmur. Then it was a bunch of pediatrician visits and lactation consultant visits because of her eating, or lack there of - since she would scream every time she ate. In January we started the doctor visits for her ear infections. 5 weeks of antibiotics and visits. We also at that time started going to the Chiropractor. Our chiropractor was great, but she is now on maternity leave.
So when this last round of ear infections happened, we decided to try a new chiropractor and made an appt with the ENT to have Gabby evaluated.We have gone to 3 visits thus far and I have to say that this past one really turned me off. Last Friday Gabby was sent home from daycare with a 103.5 fever. so pretty close to the danger zone of when you have to bring your kid to the ER. So I called the doctor and in we went. We met with one of the other pediatricians (not Gabby's regular doc), she suggested another round of antibiotics. So we did that. We also decided to keep the chiro appointments. After having that high of a fever it freaked me out. At the doctors appointment they did do a strep test and also a blood test to see if it was viral or not to see check where the source of the fever was coming from. But since it went away a day after the antibiotics, she said that it was from the ear infections.
So today we went to the ENT and met with Dr. Rhodes. He looked at Gabby and said that since she is having the history of these, that summer most likely will not help with her ears. If she was 2 or 3 he said it might, but since she is so little he didn't want to chance hurting her hearing. Since if she has trouble hearing she might have trouble with her language development. She is talking a ton, so I don't think it's a problem but if she has more ear infections it might be and I don't want to chance that.
We went to the chiropractor appointment and I have to say that I have never felt more judged as a parent for my decision. It's a small shop, newly opened and there are two chiropractors, an intern and an receptionist. I was the only person in there, so I was talking to all four of them about how she was doing while I was filling out a form (which makes no sense when you are filling it out for an infant). and I said well she is having to have tubes put in. and the Chiro goes "does she HAVE to have tubes put in" and I said well I suppose she doesn't have to. The receptionist then says "So what are you going to do?" And I said well we are going to have them put in. the look on her face was like "OH MY GOD what are you doing to your child, how could do you do that to her."
So this totally put me off, I wanted to walk out right there, but wanted to hear what she had to say. While she was adjusting Gabby she proceeded to tell me that she can't tell me what to do (although her judgement in the waiting area was pretty much telling me what to do) and she can only tell me what she would do as a parent.She said that we are just getting started (although we have been going to the chiro since February), and that we have so much more to work through with her.
I wanted to say to her, well you aren't the one getting up with her every 2 to 3 hours because she can't sleep at night, you aren't the one taking off of work all the time and having to work at night because you have all these doctors appointments to go to, you aren't the one seeing your baby girl in pain at night because she can't sleep except on you and you aren't the one that is the mom, so no you can't tell me what to do and what I am choosing to do to help my little cuddlebug is have a 15 minute procedure done because the natural stuff right now is not working. maybe it will be in the future, but it's not working now.
At this rate I will be taking her back to Hopkins Health and Wellness to the chiro's there and skipping this new place...every other month or so to help her with her alignment, but not going two times a week to help with her ear infections.
This is our right as parents to do what we feel is right and I don't think that it's the right of doctors to judge parents. I could see if it was something that was totally endangering her health, like if she had a life threatening illness or something and I was choosing not to do the treatment, but for this I think she should have backed off a bit.
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3 comments:
That's the silliest thing I have ever heard. I had to get tubes put in my ears not once but twice. The first time they used temporary ones to see if that would work but it didn't so "real ones" it was. My friend waited to long on her 3 year old son and he now only has the vocabulary of a one year old. My son talks more then he does and she has to miss work to go to therapy with him every week. Not only that but now her second son who is one also has constant ear infections. This time she isn't waiting and she is just getting the tubes put in.
Why take the risk of hearing loss? You're absolutely right. YOU are the parent. YOU decide. Not someone who DOES NOT watch your child scream and cry in pain, run scary high fevers, and who might face possible hearing damage and delays. It is a minor surgery, a common surgery, and I have not heard ONE thing from any of my friends or family who have done it about regretting it.
Oh my gosh, this makes me SOOOO angry!! Not one of those 4 people in that room is a doctor OR the mother of YOUR child. They should not be flinging around opinions or advice to anyone regarding either of those things. I wouldn't go back there EVER.
I agree with Alyssa. We get james adjusted 1-2 times a week just because I go and it's easy. But I would never go to someone that made me feel uncomfortable and judged that way. :( Tubes are not the end of the world, if she needs them she needs them and it could definitely be worse to not get them.
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