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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Dr. Emergency: You’ve Been Warned

Affirmation: a declaration that something is true.

According to Wikipedia’s definition of affirmation, “it may also refer to a positive judgment: in logic, the union of the subject and predicate of a proposition” (whatever the crap that means).

Basically, when I think of the word affirmation I think of positivity, of acceptance, of confirmation that I am awesome right.

And, honestly, being right is all the affirmation I need.

This week’s Writer’s Workshop has asked us to share an the affirmation that makes us feel better.

For me, it’s not telling myself I’m beautiful or smart or thin daily that makes me stay the course.

I mean, I’m dumb, but I’m not stupid and even myself can’t convince myself that any of those things are true.

For me the only thing that works is knowing that I’m right.

Confirmation that I am money is really the only thing that motivates me to keep going.

And, quite frankly, there is nothing greater than having the pleasure of knowing that I purchased the right garage door opener even when Dumb Dad said I couldn’t, or of being at practice on the right night even when Dumb Dad said I wasn’t, or even of knowing that #3 was a boy when Dumb Dad said he wasn’t gonna be.

But, it’s not just about being right where Dumb Dad is concerned (although it mostly is because I find little in life more pleasurable than being able to say “in yo face” to that man); it’s about being right where EVERYONE is concerned.

It’s sorta just my thing.

And, I appreciate it when other people have a similar need (unless the other person is Dumb Dad, because we both can’t always be right and being wrong all the time would get really frustrating for him). A need to do the right thing, make the right choice, reach the right diagnosis.

Apparently, not everyone is as committed to being right as I am.

Apparently, not being right is just as fulfilling to some as being right is to me.

Scary, but true.

So, if you read my blog (and you should, I mean, what are you waiting for? A personal invitation? Fine. I’d love for you to follow my blog, subscribe to my RSS feed, stalk me to the ends of the earth and back, show up at my door with money and gifts and tickets to Justin Timberlake concerts. How about a bribe gift? Fine. Go ahead and enter my handmade clutch giveaway from Julia Sherry Designs. Everyone can be bribed with handbags, right?!).

Like I was saying, if you read my blog, then you know that #3 required a visit to the ER this past Sunday.

Calm down.

He is fine. And, if you missed that post and you’d like to know what that was like you’re gonna have to read: Dumb Mom’s Guide to Surviving the Emergency Room ‘cause I’m not telling.

Back?

Kay. As I was saying he is mostly fine.

He still has some lingering little issues, but he is definitely on his way back to health and wellness.

Which is good.

I mean super natural good.

But, the fact that he is fine now does not mean that the misdiagnosis we received in the ER is entirely a moot point.

I am not one to cry foul, or file a complaint, or even make a big stink out of it.

But, I do give warnings.

And, if you are anyone other than my kids, I only give them once.

So Dr. Emergency (name changed to protect his identity), consider this your warning.

Thoughtful, selfless, amazing human that I am, I am NOT reporting this incident to your superiors. For your sake I will keep this between us, because if I know them (and, for the record, I sorta do), they would not be happy to learn about this incident, and you, Sir, would have some explaining to do.

So since my lack of initiative and free time to be tied up in hospital bureaucracy and evil spiritedness is limited, a letter should suffice.

And, yes, you may Thank Me Later.

Dear Dr. Emergency,

First of all, let me share with you that #3 is on the mend. He is still not 100% back to tearing up the pavement with The Brothers, but he’s definitely on his way. So thank you. Sorta. Thank you for taking a moment (literally A MOMENT) to pop your head in and check on my little man. He’d had a rough go of it, we both had, and we were anxious and exhausted and frightened when we met. So, I appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule (although, isn’t it the case that the ER is like almost always busy?) to spend a few seconds (literally, like less than 60) examining my burning-hot-with-fever baby. I’m sure there were numerous other people patiently awaiting your attentions (however the ones on either side of us weren’t examples of that) and, while I realize attending to patients in the ER is your job, still, I’d like you to know that appreciate it. Now, that being said let me share a little beef I have with you. My kid didn’t have an effing ear infection, dude. Seriously, unless that thing can be gone, without a trace, less than 12 hours post diagnosis, then you made a mistake. Or you just flat out lied. Our primary care doctor (aka Baby Doctor), in her attempt to not make you look like the pathetic, imbecile that you seem to be, provided this explanation, “Perhaps he was afraid, because the fever was so high? So he gave the antibiotic just in case?” Perhaps. Only here’s the thing, we don’t take antibiotics “just in case”. We take antibiotics “because we have to”. And, I understand that many people would be upset to wait in the ER for hours with a lethargic, irritable, exhausted baby only to go in the back and have them say, “It’s a virus. Take two Tylenol and call me in the morning,” we are not those people. I may be a Dumb Mom, but I’m not a dumb human (especially not in comparison to the mental giants assigned the bed next to us on this fateful trip). I understand how antibiotics work. I appreciate the distinction between viral infections and bacterial infections (and I don’t need you to call them “buggies” so I understand). I realize that medical science is not miracle working, and that sometimes you just don’t know (pisses me off, but I get it). So, in future, do us all a favor and don’t guess. Don’t give my child an antibiotic just to shut me up in case and think about spending more than half a minute in the room with us to make a diagnosis. I know time is money we really aren’t that important tight schedule busy night someone’s sicker you were under a great deal of pressure (but, that’s part of it, right? Working in the ER is a stressful job.). Which is why, this is between us. I’m not sending a copy of this to the president of the place. I’m not even going to share your name with the World Wide Web anyone. This is for you. As a warning. Because things are okay. But, should #3s whatever-he-has turn into the Bubonic Plague or some creepy mind altering infection that leaves him sterile or paralyzed or worse it will be on like Donkey Kong. I will find you and you will cry. There’s something to be afraid of, and you’ll need a lot more than a 10 day course of amoxicillin to throw me off. XOXO, Dumb (but not stupid) Mom

Okay readers, bring on the affirmations, in the form of comments if you please:)

And, feel free to link up your Thank Me Later posts as well!



Well, if the Linky thingy isn't working (because I can't see it, so maybe you can't either?) just leave your link in the comments and I'll add it when the bloody thing stops tripping.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

OHH gurl you are nicer then me I had a doctor fired from an ER for a misdiagnosis of my son. I mean straight up and down whole visit cost me NADA and he was gone within 2 weeks, if I called to see who was workign in that time I was told who cause they did not want me in the same vicinty as him. However he sent my son home wiht a white cell count in the 20000 and a fever of 104 telling me that he was dehydrated, simply cause he could not pee. NO Iv's , no meds, no xrays despite my son coughing up a lung if he even attempted a breath. I went bac the next day and my favorite doc was working ER and immediately took him back for xray to discover he had double pneumonia a double ear infection and a sinus infection. By all counts he should have been hospitalized based on the white cell count alone.. yeah I went there.. btw his name.. Dr. Butt, I crap you not.. I promised if I saw him again I would make his FACE match his name.. they believed me.. smart hospital..

Unknown said...

Dude, like singedwingangel said, you are so much nicer than I would've been. I'd be pretty peeved off if my daughter's doctor pulled what yours did. Heck, I'd probably be raising hell asking for a second opinion before letting anyone prescribe her medication "just in case" she needs it. No one messes with a mom with a gut feeling that she's right. No one.

Glad to hear that #3 is doing better though! (no thanks to Dr. Emergency)

Unknown said...

You're a better woman than I Darl,

I'd have raised Lucifer himself to rain down hell-fire and sulphur upon him if he DARED pull that crap on my daughter!

Tomika was in hospital in September with Asthma, and NO-ONE came near her for 30 minutes. The kid was f**king BLUE.

I lost it.

I threatened everything from the Department of Health to calling A Current Affair on them. I had Doctors and Nurses covering their butts so fast, it ALMOST got amusing. Once she was better that is!

They will remember MY NAME!

Dumb Mom said...

Guess I should way in on why he "got away with it" on our ER visit. Mostly it's simply because he didn't actually say the "just in case" part at the time. He simply told me he had an ear infection. Okay. I'm no doctor, I just sorta pretend to be. I only found out that he was not ear infected when we went to our primary care doc the next day and she told me there wasn't one, and that he was scared or something. Now that he's better, I'm not going to go back and try to prove Dr. Emergency is an incompetent loser, I mean that he was wrong. I work at that hospital, I'm familiar with the professionals there, and I know that MOST of them wouldn't intentionally allow harm to befall anyone, especially not my kid. That being said, I will decline a visit from Dr. Emergency in future should we find ourselves in the ER. That is all.

Kmama said...

Wow. I would be pretty upset had that happened to us. My kids get enough antibiotics for genuine reasons, they don't need any extra "just in case". Grr.

Unknown said...

I am glad we don't ever go to the ER. I am always surprised when many people I work with in the city go to the ER as a Dr. instead of going to a health center... It drives me batty. Not that has anything to do with your post, but I just thought I would share.

Jennifer said...

Doctors. Some are good, and some are NOT. The problem is you don't know until it is too late. Jerkhole. We had a "fever of unknown origin" hospital visit one time. Baby Girl was hospitalized and they still didn't give her antibiotics. Just fluids and crap to keep her fever down. For TWO days. But they knew it wasn't bacterial so my dr didn't want to drug her up with something she didn't need.

And I forgot to write in a "thank me later" thing on my post. Darnit.

Joy@TPMG said...

I am glad your little one is okay. Some doctors really need to reevaluate why they do what they do. I would definitely make the hospital aware what happened to you especially if the doctor said he had an ear infection and he didn't.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, they don't call me Mama Bear for nothing. I've been known to go rounds where my kids are concerned. I'm very glad that #3 is doing better.

Jennifer said...

Wow. That is why I loved our previous pediatrician. He had no problem telling me that my kids had a virus and didn't need antibiotics. But he ended up closing his practice and going into medical research ( he financially couldn't keep it running without joining a doctor group.. which he didn't want to do, not because he was a bad dr) and he warned me that a lot of dr's dispense antibiotics like they are candy now, to make the parents happy. He was right. Our first sick visit with one of the kids with the new pediatric group, we were getting a rx for antibiotics. I asked her if it was a virus or bacterial and she said she wasn't entirely sure. We talked about it a bit and I passed on the antibiotics... I think she was just giving them to me because she thought I wanted them. I made it clear to her that in the future, I only wanted antibiotics if it were absolutely necessary.

Juliana said...

Oh my goodness! I cannot believe that you guys went through all of this. I had a really bad experience yesterday but nothing compared to this!!

I am now following you from MBC/FFF and I hope you will come by and follow back as well!

Sandra said...

Personally, I've always said... I'd rather be right... than loved... I think it still holds true for me...

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad #3 is better! I've been misdiagnosed at the ER before. They assumed I had strep, which I've never had in my life, and it turned out it was mono. "If you're still in pain in two days, see your doctor." I couldn't eat for two days. But I was young and naive, so I didn't get anyone fired. And I think your doctor is lucky to get off with a warning.

hushmama said...

i'm pretty glad now that when i took my daughter to urgent care a couple nights ago that they didn't give her antibiotics "just in case". she's most likely going to have her tonsils and adenoids out soon and the doctor said to give her some tylenol for her huge tonsils. i was afraid it was strep but it wasn't. girl just has some giant tonsils.
dr. emergency, you upset me...take a little bit of time to figure out what's going on man. it's your job.

iheartbowheads.blogspot.com said...

I am glad he is ok and grrrrr I would have had my Momma Bear claws out - I say that but I am, by nature, completely non-confrontational so I don't really know what I would have done but anyway - the important thing is, he is fine. :)

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