Medical Maladies – Page 13 – a hippie with a minivan

Poor kid…

I brought Colin for more blood tests today… it was horrible…

The nurse looked at the order and then looked at me and said “oh…dr.daoud” and then sighed. I asked what it was about and then passed a comment that I don’t like her either and then asked what she had to say about her… she explained that she orders too many unnessesary tests….

I knew when I met her, when we had that run-in in her office that she was not the kind of doctor that I would ever be able to trust with the well being of my child.

I told her that we just needed to check for Iron and sighed again saying that there were way too many if it was just for Iron but she couldn’t advise me cause she isn’t a doctor….

The test was horrible, Colin was miserable, crying and sobbing, signing Maju with his free hand….and all I could think of was was why we where getting these tests done.. I regret it now…. I feel horrible… I really, truly beleive that his amemia was due to his illness and not due from a lack of Iron…. I feel horrible for putting him through that… the worst part was then half way through the blood wasn’t flowing anymore so they had to switch…. I asked them if they at least had the Iron ones done and she said no… those where the two that where left…. I would have stopped it then if they were done, I should have stopped it there…. I gave him Maju and comforted him and then we had to start again…

They left the door open a bit during that second half and each time I looked up I saw all of the people in the waiting room looking at us… they all looked like they wanted to comfort him as much as I did…. and they almost all gave me a supporting smile when we walked out… there wasn’t a seat available there so I went into the archive room across the hall and sat down and nursed him… he was happy again… all was forgiven….

I still regret it…

I should have listened more to my instincts… I shouldn’t have made him go through that…

I feel awful

I am not a violent person… but…..

Oh my god I wanted to see that woman hurt!!

I have rarely felt this way about anyone but today this woman just made me see red.

We went to see the “pediatrician” today and it was one of the worst experiences of my life… After almost 2 hours of waiting I got in her office and she didn’t have clue of why we were there until I told her that she is the one that called me about the test results… I let her do her shtick as she explained to me that she wanted to have more blood tests taken to see Colin’s Iron storage levels, she examined Colin (who was amazing like always and let her do her thing without a sound) and then started to explain the papers that she was giving me… I asked her if he was anemic 2 weeks ago when he was in the hospital and he wasn’t, it was just on the last test that his levels were going lower, (his white blood cell count i back to normal btw) then I asked if it could be due to the meds that he had taken or the virus and attempted to show her what I had found but she said that she wouldn’t look at it and said that she has never heard of anemia being caused by such circumstances.. I then asked her if the tests could wait a few weeks so that we could see if it goes up naturally but she didn’t agree and said that it had to be done at that moment and then started to fill out the paper to see a dietician also.

While we were talking, Colin was in the pouch and signed Maju, so I just let him drink…

She got UPSET saying that now he couldn’t get the tests done today cause he is supposed to fast for at least 4 hours… I said in a “joking” kind of way that he would then not have the test for a few more months because he drinks often still, and besides from what I have learned there are to contradictions of breastfeeding before a blood test and it is considered a “clear liquid” just like it is considered a clear liquid before surgery…. she disagreed and said that breast milk is just like any other solid and it can’t be taken for 8 hours prior to surgery (this is NOT true) and then said that I should come first thing in the morning because then he would have been the night without eating… So stupidly I told her that he still eats at night so that i not an option either…

This is when the conversation got heated, first she started telling me about how breast milk after a year has no more nutritional value (but just antibodies) , so I laughed and asked her if it just magically changed overnight at their first birthday or what? She then asked if I give extra Iron and Vit D, because there isn’t enough in breast milk, I said no, but I assure that they have enough sun exposure… she then said that there is not enough Iron in breast milk so it is very important to give supplements… I then said something like Isn’t it true though that there is less Iron in breast milk, but it is absorbed at a rate of 50% compared to the 4-10% absorption in Formula and cow milk and therefore there is actually more Iron that is absorbed when breastfed… she then scuffed it off and then preceded to tell me that as a “Pediatrician” she has a few “rules” that she tells parents and (this became the turning point from frustration to Anger)…

1. Babies should never sleep in their parents bed because it is dangerous blah blah blah… and when I told her that I don’t agree she then told me about a baby that does in the moms bed…. we argued a bit on that point and then she went back and said her first point again and then said

2. they have to be sleeping through the night by 2 months old and then told me about CIO… this is when I kind of exploded, I told her that I actually love my kids and wouldn’t let them CIO because I want them to know that I will always be there for them, I asked her about breastfeeding babies and if she has the same “rule” especially since breast milk is digested easily and she said that by 8 weeks old babies no longer need to eat at night and they need to start to learn to be independent, she then told me that she is a doctor not a psychologist and she just says what she believes it to be better medially … I stood up at that point and started to leave…While I started picking up everything and started to head out of the door I asked her if she truly thought that a 2 month old needed to be trained how to be independent, and if it sleeping though the night was truly a medical issue, and I started to go for the paper on her desk, and this is where it really got to me… she didn’t let me pick up my paper on her desk for the blood test and continued in her rant about how dangerous it was to co-sleep and how she is a doctor etc… I told her at that point that she was crazy…(she answered by saying that I shouldn’t call a “pediatrician” crazy)….

I then took the papers from her hand and left….

This is what I was talking about the other day when I said that I can’t understand why people actually listen to idiots like her…

Why the hell did I have that kind of conversation when I was going in to check his blood for Iron? Why do these idiots think that their medical degree gives them the right to give out parenting advice especially to someone that didn’t need it and didn’t ask for it…

I left there feeling like I wanted to hit something, I wanted to hit her, I was shaking, I had tears in my eyes, I was upset and everything that I was in there in the first place was taken out of my head by her ignorance and stupidity, if she doesn’t even know the basics about breastfeeding how can I trust that she knows the basics about other things….

Without thinking, I headed to the blood test room… I asked them if it was OK if he had nursed before and they told me that breast milk is fine before a blood test and won’t change a thing. I asked if it was possible to keep him in the pouch like the last blood test we had taken and she said no and that she had to go in his arm.. I looked at her and asked if she was serious, Looked at Colin, thought it though a minute, and then asked if the paper would still be good in a few weeks and she said yes… I went back to the secretary and asked fer the prescription back…

I then headed across the hall to the archives room and asked to get a copy of Colin’s file. (I will have it at the beginning of next week) and then headed back to the blood test room and asked if I get the test done in a few weeks if I can just get the results myself so that I can bring them to the doctor of my choice and they said that there shouldn’t be a problem.

So….Here is my plan….

I love my family doctor even though he is an hour away and I don’t want to ever see that woman again… so I called my Family doctor when we got home, told him a bit about the situation and asked if it would be ok to just go get a blood test in a few weeks and then go see him with the results of the blood test and his medical file… he said that he would be happy to do that with me and that there is no problem waiting a few weeks (as long as it isn’t a few months) to see if things have improved and that he would be there when I was ready… he did however say that it would be better to make sure that he is eating well and to provide some high iron foods in the meantime to help him get his storage up…

So, though I didn’t want to go see dietitian I just took an appointment anyways.. I think it could be a good opportunity to ask a few questions about diet… best foods for iron, calcium and other vitamins and what food should be taken together etc to best help absorb…. especially because I would like to shift towards a more vegetarian diet and I have an older picky eater …

Here we go again….

Well… the pediatrician called last night to say that the blood test results are back and that I have to go in and see her because he (Colin) is anemic… she even tried to get me to go last night because she is not in today… but I am going to go tomorrow… I am glad because she mentioned the “importance to start Iron supplements” on the phone and I wanted to do a little more research before heading into her office…

I am glad I did…

First… Sure he may have been anemic at the moment of the blood test.. he was just getting over his virus, didn’t have his appetite back yet, was on antibiotics etc… However, he had had 2 blood tests while he was in he hospital and nothing was mentioned.. and I am pretty sure that they would have seen that he was anemic at that time….

Secondly, with the small bit of research, within the first sites I visited, I found this…

“More often, aplastic anemia is caused by a virus infection or exposure to certain toxic chemicals, radiation, or medications, such as antibiotics, antiseizure medications, or cancer medications”. ….. “This is known as an aplastic crisis. Healthy children can also develop a mild anemia for about one month following viral infections.”
http://www.utoronto.ca/kids/Anemia.htm

“Another common cause of mild anemia in children, especially with a normal MCV and no other symptoms, is a recent infection, such as an ear or sinus infection, which can cause decreased production of red blood cells for a short period of time (usually about a month).

If your child doesn’t have any risk factors for having iron deficiency (see below), and has a mild anemia without symptoms and has a normal MCV (normocytic anemia), then his blood counts may just be rechecked in a month or so without beginning empiric treatment with iron, especially if he has had a recent infection.”

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/commonproblems/anemia.html

I know that I wouldn’t have went with Iron supplements anyways and would have stayed with a Iron rich Diet instead but even now I think that I am not going to make any changes even if the pediatritian reccomends it tomorrow…

My reasoning for this?

– He is breastfed.

– I think they would have seen if he was anemic during our hospital stay (with the 2 blood tests)

– I think that he wasn’t anemic before and his red blood count is down because of either (or all) of the following factors…the infection, the antibiotics or the antiseizure medicine that they gave in addition to the poor appetite because he was not feeling good…

– He has NO Symptoms

And most importantly

– If we do make a diet change or give supplementation and then go back in a month to check his blood and he is back to normal then they wouldn’t know if it is back to normal because he is just feeling better naturally or because he is truly Iron deficient or something else…

However, I will ask to go back in a month to check his level again to make sure that it does go up naturally…

If I would have went to her office last night I would have not been prepared at all… At least I am now a bit more informed on the whole situation, armed with info from a (medically) respectable source etc….

Maybe my lack of trust in doctors can be a bit of a hassle sometimes but I would rather do my own research and go into an office ready and informed then just assume the doctor is an “all knowing god” because of a doctorate…

I’ll tell you how it goes tomorrow…

I can't believe that I forgot about this…

When Colin was at the hospital and I was anxious to get home I mentioned to the doctor that I had another nursling at home and she dared to comment on it!
She at first looked surprised and then asked how old he was and I told her that he was just about 3 and a half…
she then said it was time to wean him !!!!
OK… First I was already stressed and on edge cause I wanted them to get him of the Serum but that just hit me like a ton of bricks… but I am proud of myself… Everything came out perfectly and without a thought… every little reason she gave I responded without skipping a beat and I am actually happy that we did have the conversation in a way…
It went a bit like this….

Dr: You should wean him!
Me: Why?
Dr: He is 3.5… that’s too old?
Me: Actually 3.5 is young in my opinion…
Dr: But he is too old to be nursing still.
Me: Actually, the natural weaning age is between 2.5 and 7 years old, so he is still near the beginning… and I don’t believe in premature weaning.
Dr: But it must drain your energy.
Me: Why would that happen?
Dr: But he has teeth…
Me: So!… sometimes a 4 month old has teeth… would you advise the mom to wean because of that?
Dr: No… that’s true… you’re just the first person I have met that has nursed this long…

A bit later she heard me talking, saying that I have to go to Montreal to see our family doctor for the kids and she offered to be their ped (this is also after she found out that I am not vaxing)

Anyways…Even though I am OK with the conversation I can’t believe that a doctor would have the gall to actually comment on breastfeeding…. I know I hear others that rant about their awful, misinformed doctors but I am lucky that I never had experienced it until now…
The problem is that to be a breastfeeding counsellor we have to have to go through the Training that is put in place for Unicef’s “Baby-Friendly Initiative”
The nurses and Doctors at the hospitals that are working to become”Baby-Friendly” also have to go through the same training.
The Big problem is that that doctors are the ones that are most often not doing the training and hindering the hospitals. These know-it-alls actually know nothing about breastfeeding and they are the ones that have the most weight in the minds of most parents… and when they are given the chance to learn they don’t even want to do it!
How can people put all of their trust in these people?
Another thing that Irks me is parenting advice… Why the HECK do people take parenting advice from doctors! Why is the opinion of one person better then the instincts of a parent? Besides… in most cases with the hours that doctors are away from their homes and away from their children how can you expect them to know what they are talking about… I know there are some good docs out there that do have good parenting advice but I don’t think that a doctor’s office is the place to exchange that advice…

What I love about my Family Doc in Montreal is that he is always eager to learn. We don’t always agree but when it happens he rather exchange info then just try to convince me. He never gives advice that is out of the medical realm. He has never talked about sleep, feeding, potty-training etc… He doesn’t believe that parenting advice should be part of the doctor/ patient-parent relationship…

However, I find Montreal to be far away if I have a sick child to bring in… It’s a good hour drive, mostly highway, pretty rough stretches in the winter and about 30$ worth of gas… so I am debating whether to take this doc as a Ped. for the kids (not even 10 mins away)… even if she dared to say something about my nursing relationship, and I would keep the family doc anyways.

And then the storm hit…

Well…. The weekend was long and hard…
Like I said in my last post on Friday, Xavier was coughing and Colin was feverish.. Well…Colin was sitting next to me and was falling in and out of sleep according to the little “ticks” he was having (you know he ones…when you fall asleep too quickly and feel like your falling… However, at about 6:15 the jumps became methodical…. Three in a row.. quickly I turned him around and what I saw scared me to death… his eyes were rolled back, and his face looked like it was made of plastic and I instantly realized that he was having a seizure. I got up with him in my arms and called 911…
An ambulance was on the way but wouldn’t be at our home for another 20 minutes…While talking to the operator I laid him down and waited for him to stop seizing. It felt like an eternity but it really lasted about 4 minutes… he finally stopped, I placed him on his side and he just laid there, whining and in a trance…
Simon got home…
I told him what happened and he stayed next to Colin while I got dressed and ready and waited for the ambulance, they finally arrived and we took his temp under his arm and it was just under 106 (about 41 c)… we got to the hospital, he was given “Tempra” to get the fever down and a preventative amount of Ativan (so that he wouldn’t seize again)
Simon, of course stayed home with Xavier…
We were admitted to the hospital… IV, tests and all of the whole yucky part that goes with it…
Friday night I was alone in the room, the same bed that he was in over year ago, for 5 days, at just 2 weeks of age, also because of a high fever. I rocked and nursed him for a few hours but he wouldn’t even close his eyes… at about 2am a nurse told me to lay down with him… he fell asleep a few seconds later, nestled next to my breast.
He slept until about 8:30 which gave us 6 hours of very uncomfortable yet good sleep… Saturday was a rough day… he was feverish and lethargic, not eating and could barely keep his eyes open. His day was highlighted by a visit from daddy and big brother Xavier and I got some clean clothes, a few essentials and the laptop to keep me company.
He was going to stay another night for sure but he was trying to get around more and kept on getting tangled in the IV and he was nursing quite a bit so I asked for them to take the IV out, or at least unhook it so that he could have some freedom to move…
The doctor said no saying that because his fever was so high they were scared that he would dehydrate… especially because his fever was still above 40…
I compromised with him saying that I wanted it taken out if his fever went below 40, he said OK hesitantly… the next time his temp was taken he was a bit below 40, I had them call him… They waited a bit longer then I would have liked but after asking again if they had called a few times it was finally taken out.
Two other babies arrived in the room on Saturday.
It was actually really nice.
One, in the morning, was with an anemic, non-weight gaining, refluxy 2 month old that slept all of the time, they had been in the hospital for a few days, where at home for 24 hours and then was readmitted…the mom left a bit to get some rest and the grandmother stayed a few hours and rocked her the whole time and we talked quite a bit… The other, a 10 month old little girl in for observation after her Walker (illegal in Canada BTW) fell down the stairs with her inside, arrived at about 10 pm…
After the 3 kids were asleep we stayed up talking…
Because we knew we would be up at midnight anyways, and it was already late, it seemed to make sense…it almost felt like we were having a mini pajama party (in a very unusual circumstances)… just talking and gossiping…
Like I predicted, Colin was up about 10 minutes before midnight and I laid down with him to sleep… At about 1:30, his temp was taken and it was about 39 (102), they gave him Tempra, and an hour later I woke up with him boiling next to me… It had went up to 40.8 (106)… We tried giving him a bit of Advil but it wouldn’t go down…
I had him drink some water and walk in the hall a bit and About half hour later his energy spiked for the first time in almost 2 days…
At 3am he played in the playroom for about an hour, doing a puzzle, playing with a stacking toy and the kid computer terminal… I saw my little boy come back to his normal self…
At about 4 I decided to make him fall asleep again… It worked and he slept until 8:30… he would have slept more but they needed to take blood… he was soaked in the morning and almost cool to the touch… his temp had gone down to about 36.5 (97.7)… And until 2pm he had no fever, was back to his normal self, and we had gotten the OK to go home *IF* his fever stayed away… But at 2 pm his fever was again at 39.5 (103).. More tempra, a good nap and he was up again playing and in a great mood but still has a high fever…
I made my mind up though that we were going home… fever or not…
The Results of the test finally came in today also…
It is most likely a nasty Virus…
The virus attacked his white blood cells making them almost dangerously low (his body is not equipped to attack another virus or bacteria) which is why he is also starting a Sinus infection. So Antibiotics to help him get rid of the infection and blood tests next week to make sure that his counts are up…
I was told that his body seems to be very susceptible to having very high fevers and developing them very fast. (given that this is the second time that he has been hospitalized for high fevers that can’t be controlled well) and susceptible in the future febrile seizures…
Anyway… I left the hospital at 8:30 tonight and I am so happy to finally be back home….