Budget Buster! Pediatrician visits...pink eye...

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

So my son had pink eye/eye cold/same thing a couple weeks ago...got the drops...cleared up right away. Now my 2-year-old woke up with the same thing...eyes all green and crusted shut...yep...gross. So I called the ped. office and asked if they'd call in a prescription and they said they want her to be seen. Ugh!! I just feel like it's all about the money. We have a huge deductible so it will cost me $80 for a sick visit...just to write a prescription?!?

So my question is can't I just use the drops I had for my son?? Is it really that bad??

 

[ilovejack02]

It COULD be something different. There are different types of pink eye, the real deal stuff is really really contagious. Ped office tends to just call anything with red eye, pink eye. Best thing to do is deal with an actual eye dr. You can have a red goopy eye from a scratch too, ped can't see that without proper equipment. Different meds would be needed in that case too.

To keep it from happening again, if it is actually bacterial conjunctivitis , don't let the kids share linens. They need to wash hands constantly, clean door knobs , toys , any surface infected child can touch.

 

[Cindy B]

Hmm.. are you kids due for an eye exam? My son kept on getting issues with his contacts and it was revealed that he a small bit of pinkeye. It was the yearly optometrist exam and it was covered (no copay visit)

You can also go to the Minute Clinic or the Walgreens one if you are almost certain it is that. The minute clinic cash price was only $59 the last time I went.

 

[LilyWDW]

So my son had pink eye/eye cold/same thing a couple weeks ago...got the drops...cleared up right away. Now my 2-year-old woke up with the same thing...eyes all green and crusted shut...yep...gross. So I called the ped. office and asked if they'd call in a prescription and they said they want her to be seen. Ugh!! I just feel like it's all about the money. We have a huge deductible so it will cost me $80 for a sick visit...just to write a prescription?!?

So my question is can't I just use the drops I had for my son?? Is it really that bad??

Don't just use the same medication. There are multiple things that can be labeled as "pink eye" and they can look pretty much the same to someone untrained. It is better to go to the Dr and be sure.

Plus, never share things like eye drops (medicated or not).

 

[cinderellamom123]

Daycare provider here. You are never supposed to re-use eye drops because most likely your son has contaminated the tip of it. I would call your doctor and reiterate that your other child was just recovering from it and that your finances are very tight. My dr. will typically call in a script as eye drops are not something that people typically abuse.

 

[msmayor]

A physician requiring a visit to get a prescription really is NOT all about getting more money from you...its about making sure the right drug is given for the condition.

You may believe you are saving a few dollars by just using the medication your other child was on, but do you really want to take that risk with your child's eyes? They only get one pair in life, and if it turns out the problem requires a different medication you risk both a longer recovery and potential permanent damage.

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

I made an appt. for later today...I agree...shouldn't be cheap when it comes to my child's eyes...thanks for the advice!

 

[Green Tea]

I definitely would have used the leftover prescription.....

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would wipe everything down with clorox wipes. And keep up with it on a daily bases other wise it will continue to spread through the family.
BTW make sure to wipe down the car seat too. And remind the rest of your family to not touch their face unless they have just washed their hands. Might be a good idea to pick up some hand sanatizer too.

 

[dis-happy]

I definitely would have used the leftover prescription.....

Me too.

 

[ilovejack02]

I definitely would have used the leftover prescription.....

WHich if the original child had bacterial conjunctivitis , and the 2nd child has a corneal abrasion(which can present the same symptoms) then you could cross contaminate and then have a bigger mess then you started with .

 

[Green Tea]

WHich if the original child had bacterial conjunctivitis , and the 2nd child has a corneal abrasion(which can present the same symptoms) then you could cross contaminate and then have a bigger mess then you started with .

If one kid gets chicken pox and 10 days later, the second child gets red spots.....you get my drift. I am actually surprised the doctor said to come in. Mine has always been of the "if the others get this, just call" variety.

 

[crashbb]

The thing that would concern me about assuming that your 2-year-old got pink eye from his brother is that you said that your first son's pink eye cleared up a couple of weeks ago. The incubation period is not usually that long. If this had happened within a few days of your son getting pink eye, I'd say it was very likely to be the same thing, with this long delay, I wouldn't be as sure.

Incubation Period for Pink Eye Caused by Bacteria or Viruses
The incubation period for pink eye will vary, depending on whether it is caused by bacteria or a virus and the specific type.

For a viral infection, generally 12 hours to three days later, signs and/or symptoms of pink eye will appear. For pink eye caused by a bacterial infection, symptoms generally start one to three days after transmission.

http://kids.emedtv.com/pink-eye/pink-eye-incubation-period.html

 

[ShariVT]

our pedi always just calls in a script for pink eye.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

our pedi always just calls in a script for pink eye.

This can be very dangerous. There are so many types of infections that cause "pink eye." Some are bacterial, but some are very hard to treat, highly contagious viral infections. You shouldn't treat all "pink eye" with the same meds.

 

[chris31997]

Something that happens with us, is that when allergies are bad, we look like we have pink eye. We don't have pink eye. It is just allergies. If one child has allergies and has not been taking meds you could be seeing that. Just and FYI

 

[mcgrawfan]

Alway see your eye doctor for anything eye related. Pediatricians do not have the right equipment or training to see if it truly is conjuctvitis or determine if it is viral or bacterial. Only bacterial will respond to an antibiotic. MDs also don't always prescribe the best antibiotic to deal with that type of infection.

 

[daughtersrus]

My DD lost the vision in one eye from an infection after cataract surgey.It's not the same but because of it, I will never mess around with anything eye related. Make sure you wash everything that you can, sheets/pillowcases,stuffed animals...

 

[Luv Bunnies]

The doctor wants to see the 2nd child so he/she can do a thorough exam and make an informed diagnosis. An eye infection can be secondary to another illness. When I took my son in for suspected pink eye, the doctor checked his throat, ears, glands, etc. to make sure the eye infection was the only problem. This isn't money-grubbing. It's good, sound medical practice.

Heck, I took one of my rabbits to the vet last week for a goopy eye. The vet checked his eyes, ears, teeth, squeezed his tummy, asked me out his food intake, output, energy level, etc. He wanted to ensure nothing else was going on besides the eye symptoms. He did end up diagnosing him with pink eye (even though this bunny has brown eyes!) and gave me drops to use. I'm not necessarily comparing my rabbit to your child, I'm just saying that all types of medical practitioners tend to use the same abundance of caution when making a diagnosis. Most will actually want to (and should) see the problem before making a diagnosis and prescribing medication.

 

[Bibbidi]

My youngest was really prone to ear infections when she was around 2-4 years old. One time she had this super goopy eye and because of no other real symptoms, we thought it was pink eye--turned out to be an ear infection that was draining through her eye. Once she got on the antibiotic for her ear, her eye cleared up without any drops.