Before my son was born, my husband and I interviewed a couple of doctors my OB/GYN recommended. We settled on an older doctor who has been in practice for ages, spent half his career working as a researcher, and is also a teaching physician. His practice is small and intimate, the office staff is welcoming, he always answers our questions, and his beliefs about child rearing are compatible with ours. I trust him with the well-being of my child.
Needless to say, when we moved and had to find a new pediatrician, it hurt my heart. Our doctor was perfect for us.
We researched, interviewed, and settled on a new doctor–the one my son had been seeing since September–who is part of a very large practice. I never got that warm and fuzzy feeling from him or the office, but he was close by, was adequate, and the practice had good reviews.
Everything was “adequate” until my son got sick. I’ve already told you about how inadequate my son’s treatment was when he contracted the flu. Well, while he was on antibiotics (for pneumonia), my son was barely eating and he had diarrhea. After a few days of this, we became concerned and called the doctor one morning. They never called us back!
You know who told me what was wrong? My mother! She said his diarrhea was likely a side-effect of the antibiotic.
We called the doctor again the next day to confirm. Again, no reply. That same evening we called again. Finally, a nurse spoke with my husband because he refused to leave another message.
That was it for me! My mom told me I should be comfortable with my pediatrician and be able to trust him or her. “If you’re not feeling him, find someone else,” she told me. So, I did.
The following day, I went to the doctor’s office, got my child’s medical records*, and called the insurance company to change his doctor.
My son’s new doctor is his first doctor. I had to make a choice between proximity and trust, and I chose trust. I am much more comfortable now.
*Sidenote: I read through the medical records, and realized they were incomplete. The doctor did not accurately record my son’s symptoms. Must be why flu was never considered. They never got the records from the hospital after his visit to the ER like they said they would. So, clearly, they couldn’t treat him properly.
