So annoyed at pediatrician's office, and myself - vent

[NikitaZee]

My daughter has been sick since Monday - started with a sore throat, now she's had afever for 2 days, vomiting, headache, etc. We saw the Dr on Monday, strep negative - just a cold was the diagnosis. This morning I called and told them she's gotten worse - these are symptoms, the nurse told me to bring her in. At 11:15 I arrive, the office manager tells me that my appointment was mistakenly made at the other office (where I've never been) and it's too late to keep that appt. Okay fine I say - squeeze me in here. No, sorry can't do that - lunch is in 1/2 hour, there are only 2 providers and there's no way to fit you in, you have to come back after lunch or tonight. Okay I say - call the other office and explain, tell them I'm on my way. No, can't do that - they're booked too and have no time. I protested, they apologized, but in the end I have to bring my girl back out for a 3:30 appt. I wish I was the type of person who didn't care about making a stink and was forceful enough to have gotten squeezed in, I drove home so angry about the whole thing.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

My daughter has been sick since Monday - started with a sore throat, now she's had afever for 2 days, vomiting, headache, etc. We saw the Dr on Monday, strep negative - just a cold was the diagnosis. This morning I called and told them she's gotten worse - these are symptoms, the nurse told me to bring her in. At 11:15 I arrive, the office manager tells me that my appointment was mistakenly made at the other office (where I've never been) and it's too late to keep that appt. Okay fine I say - squeeze me in here. No, sorry can't do that - lunch is in 1/2 hour, there are only 2 providers and there's no way to fit you in, you have to come back after lunch or tonight. Okay I say - call the other office and explain, tell them I'm on my way. No, can't do that - they're booked too and have no time. I protested, they apologized, but in the end I have to bring my girl back out for a 3:30 appt. I wish I was the type of person who didn't care about making a stink and was forceful enough to have gotten squeezed in, I drove home so angry about the whole thing.

I feel so bad for you and your DD. And this is the exact reason that I travel over an hour now to get to my MD. He would have stayed through his lunch hour and made his nurse stay as well.

I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I feel so bad for you and your DD. And this is the exact reason that I travel over an hour now to get to my MD. He would have stayed through his lunch hour and made his nurse stay as well.

I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

I drive 45mins to go to my 16yodd's ped.

However we do use the Urgent Care that opened up from us. It is 2 mins. away.

Those sound like classic strep symptoms for my kids. Does she have a rash? Did you look in her throat with flashlight?

My youngest can have a negative rapid strep result even though she might have strep anyway.

 

[shortbun]

I feel so bad for you and your DD. And this is the exact reason that I travel over an hour now to get to my MD. He would have stayed through his lunch hour and made his nurse stay as well.

I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

They should have quickly swabbed her again for strep. It takes 1 minute and 5 more for results, no doctor necessary.

 

[NikitaZee]

I drive 45mins to go to my 16yodd's ped.

However we do use the Urgent Care that opened up from us. It is 2 mins. away.

Those sound like classic strep symptoms for my kids. Does she have a rash? Did you look in her throat with flashlight?

My youngest can have a negative rapid strep result even though she might have strep anyway.

I thought strep too, but the rapid test came back negative on Monday and I never got a call back to indicate it turned positive after 24 hrs. No rash, her throat is red but she's also really stuffed up, lots of coughing. I started thinking flu when she started vomiting and her fever went up to 102, but she had the shot in November so I thought we were pretty much covered. There's a stomach bug going around too, so it could be any of these I guess. The symptom that the nurse was most interested in was the coughing - my daughter said her chest burns when she coughs.

 

[NikitaZee]

They should have quickly swabbed her again for strep. It takes 1 minute and 5 more for results, no doctor necessary.

Should I ask for that when I go back?

 

[ez]

So they never swabbed her for the flu, that is something they could have done quickly as well, just to definitively rule it out. Did they schedule you for tomorrow?

 

[NikitaZee]

So they never swabbed her for the flu, that is something they could have done quickly as well, just to definitively rule it out. Did they schedule you for tomorrow?

We have to go back at 3:30 today, so I have her lying down trying to nap before we have to go back out. The woman at the desk did say that they are seeing quite a few kids with the flu, even ones that have had the vaccine. I thought I read that this year's vaccine was a good match to the strain that's mostly circulating right now.

 

[NikitaZee]

I feel so bad for you and your DD. And this is the exact reason that I travel over an hour now to get to my MD. He would have stayed through his lunch hour and made his nurse stay as well.

I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

Thanks! Our old pediatrician in NY would have done that too, sigh.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would insist on a flu swab then. That way you can take Tamiflu for yourself if you want and if it is that then you really need to watch out pneumonia. If the doc is "iffy" about her lungs, get an xray to check it out.

I would ask about the strep test and what it came back as if they sent it off for further testing.

 

[scrapquitler]

My daughter has been sick since Monday - started with a sore throat, now she's had afever for 2 days, vomiting, headache, etc. We saw the Dr on Monday, strep negative - just a cold was the diagnosis. This morning I called and told them she's gotten worse - these are symptoms, the nurse told me to bring her in. At 11:15 I arrive, the office manager tells me that my appointment was mistakenly made at the other office (where I've never been) and it's too late to keep that appt. Okay fine I say - squeeze me in here. No, sorry can't do that - lunch is in 1/2 hour, there are only 2 providers and there's no way to fit you in, you have to come back after lunch or tonight. Okay I say - call the other office and explain, tell them I'm on my way. No, can't do that - they're booked too and have no time. I protested, they apologized, but in the end I have to bring my girl back out for a 3:30 appt. I wish I was the type of person who didn't care about making a stink and was forceful enough to have gotten squeezed in, I drove home so angry about the whole thing.

It was their mistake, they should have seen you during the doctor's lunch break. At our doctors office, they always use the lunch hour to catch up. If the office staff hadn't been willing to allow this, I would have told them that my child will be sitting here in the waiting room coughing on everyone until she is seen. It's not your fault that they mixed it up.

ETA: I wouldn't REALLY have my sick child sit there and cough on the other people in the waiting room, but I would tell the staff that I would just to prove my point.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

I'd be looking for a new pediatrician after this.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I'd be looking for a new pediatrician after this.

Tell your little one I said happy birthday

 

[mikehn]

And the doctor has the friggin nerve to charge patients a "missed appointment" fee. I never understood the logic in that

 

[jenben8426]

I have been told that the flu shot you receive only protects you against influenza A. If you have Influenza B that is a virus and is also called the "stomach flu." Influenza B causes the throwing up and you can catch it regardless of the flu shot. They can test for both types of flu with rapid tests so ask or that when you go in!

 

[ez]

I just got over influenza type b and what I had was not the stomach flu at all. I had high fever congestion and horrible cough which I still have almost 3 weeks later. I never heard of type B being stomach flu and the dr acted like it was regular flu and was most concerned with the cough. I didnt feel sick to my stomach or vomit once. My son also had it and same for him.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

And the doctor has the friggin nerve to charge patients a "missed appointment" fee. I never understood the logic in that

Not the most popular answer however you asked it is to make up for lost money they would have made off of you or some one else

 

[mikehn]

Not the most popular answer however you asked it is to make up for lost money they would have made off of you or some one else

Rhetorical question - if doctor screws up the appointment, does patient get a free visit? If patient wastes the doctors time, patient gets penalized, but if doctor screws the patient, then tough luck. Got it.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Rhetorical question - if doctor screws up the appointment, does patient get a free visit? If patient wastes the doctors time, patient gets penalized, but if doctor screws the patient, then tough luck. Got it.

Sorry I should have known better

 

[NikitaZee]

I have been told that the flu shot you receive only protects you against influenza A. If you have Influenza B that is a virus and is also called the "stomach flu." Influenza B causes the throwing up and you can catch it regardless of the flu shot. They can test for both types of flu with rapid tests so ask or that when you go in!

Thanks, they did a flu swab and another rapid strep test - both negative, thank goodness. Just a stomach virus, made more difficult by a bad head cold. The cough is from drainage from the head - I wish I was able to distinguish between true chest-congestion type coughing and nasal drip/head congestion coughing! Also I mentioned to the doctor what had happened earlier with the mixed-up appointments, turns out the office manager hadn't said anything about it to him He apologized and told me he'd speak with his staff about how to handle something like that in the future - maybe it'll help someone else a similar aggravation!