Nita has asthma. Whenever she gets a cold, she will get a stuffy nose and drainage. Then she coughs, and then she gets sick to her stomach from the coughing. Plus, we always have our annual holiday season sinus infection.
Normally I can keep things under control by pushing fluids, but Thursday she couldn't keep anything down no matter what I did. Plus, she slept all day. I finally called the doctor, of course right before five o'clock, as we were dealing with dehydration. And the nurse referred me to the emergency room, which I suspected.
What bugged me was that, when I tried to explain our situation to the admitting clerk, she said, "You can tell all that to the nurse." The nurse didn't ask any questions other than, "She's vomiting?" When I then tried to describe the symptoms to the ER physician, he cut me off. I didn't back down, and continued explaining. He tried interrupting me, and I talked over him. That probably sealed my fate as being labeled An Irritating Person. Since my medical training is nil, my opinion and experience, as the mom, obviously meant little. ER doctor said Nita had gastroenteritis and a possible kidney or bladder infection. Wrong end, dude. However, getting fluids into her was my main concern, so I encouraged the nausea medicine. Nita was so sick that the nurse thought she was severely delayed and asked me, "Can she drink from a cup?" Um, yes.
The meds for the stomach did the job. Within minutes, Nita had a popsicle and then another and then a cup of Gatorade, which she nursed through Hannah Montana, a rare treat, as we don't have cable TV at home. She perked right up once the show was over, and we came home.
Yesterday, at our follow up visit at the regular doctor's, he found an ear infection.
I realize that medicine is an iffy proposition, as sometimes it is more of a puzzle than a clear diagnosis, but to me, why not listen to the mom. I said it all started in her sinuses, why not at least look in her nose and ears and not diagnose it was likely her bladder?
There is an old saying that the only difference between God and a doctor is God doesn't think he's a doctor. And He most likely has a better grasp on anatomy.
1 comment:
I used to get a couple of killer sinus infections twice a year, stemming from seasonal allergies and stress.
Started getting allegy injections and made major changes in my life to cut the stress way down.
Don't know which helped out more, but major sinus infections are gone.
Glad you're staiding your ground when dealing with the medical community about your OWN child. While I appreciate them, they are overworked and stressed like most people and can not be depended on to always be right.
Hope your upcoming days are peaceful and productive.
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