We spent our whole day on illness. We had to file some extra paperwork to get the baby on the health insurance. Then we called our pediatrician for an appointment. He was out all day and advised another practice. We chose a third practice instead, one we’d heard lots of good things about. (I will try and leave my bad-doctor rant for another day.) After lunch we had one big appointment for the two kids, where they were diagnosed with bronchitis and possibly pneumonia. The doctor had us administer a breathing treatment for both kids right there in the office, and he was pretty harsh with the baby - he was saying all the nice words but holding the mask on her face and directing us to hold her down, even as she screamed. I understand that she needed the medication, but was it really so serious that a blow-by nebulizer treatment wouldn’t have been sufficient? That’s what the nurse was having us do after the baby didn’t like the mask in the first place. Sigh. (Leaving bad-doctor rant aside, right.)
The doctor sent us to a nearby hospital for chest x-rays to confirm or rule out pneumonia. He also asked us (Mom & Dad) to “take care of yourselves” and get our own antibiotics so we don’t continue to pass the illness around the family. That makes sense, I suppose, but then he looked insulted when I asked if he couldn’t just listen to our chests and write us the scripts so we didn’t have to drag the kids to another doctor or clinic. Of course he couldn’t.
We got on the phone to our g.p., who deserves a shout-out of his own for being the best doctor I’ve ever encountered. His nurse left a message for him and he called us back personally within fifteen minutes. He spent a good 5-10 minutes chatting with PisecoDad about the situation and our own symptoms, and suggested that we start with a megadosing of vitamin C tonight and tomorrow. He asked that we call back tomorrow afternoon, and if we’re not better, he’ll phone in scripts for antibiotics for us too.
On to the hospital, where PisecoDad took JediBoy in for his x-ray (easy) and I took BabyGirl in for hers (anti-easy). Eventually, the techs got two good views of BabyGirl’s lungs and we left the hospital. A long stop at the pharmacy, where we found out that BabyGirl’s name wasn’t in the insurance system yet so we had to pay full price for her meds.
We’re home.
We actually feel a little better than we’ve felt in past days, but the phone message results came back that both kids have the beginnings of pneumonia and we need to be vigilant about antibiotics and breathing treatments for the next ten days. We have a follow-up visit (give the doctor a second chance?) on Monday.
BabyGirl didn’t mind the first half of tonight’s breathing treatment, because she was chewing on the lovely green hose. No mask, you see, I’m trusting to the blow-by. The second half was harder, but not impossible. She’s asleep now, and the rest of us aren’t far behind.
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