I Don't Know If I like My Pediatrcian!!

I agree with all of the responses...if you are unhappy - find somewhere else. Too many good ones out there. If you are on the Northeast side - I recommend Northpoint Pediatrics. My kids are 10 years apart - so we have been going there for quite some time!

If you do switch, I hear Dr. Irene Fox in Broad Ripple is great. I am thinking of switching my son there for the exact same reason. I am going to her in about two weeks and will then decide whether or not to send my son there also.

This person and you are a team and need to feel and act like one. I actually interviewed Dr.s while I was pregnant. Some thought I was silly, some were impressed. I ended up finding a young female Dr. who always helped me feel safe and smart during that first two years. (She quit to have babies herself, or I'd give you her number. Her husband is still in that practice Brent Coil, and he is also wonderful.) If you have doubts, change Drs. to someone you feel is a willing ally in your kid's healthcare as well as your peace of mind as a first time mom. I won't be condescended to and disrespected by men. Not with my mechanic, not my waiter, certainly not my Drs.! Our money holds weight and we need to use it! That's my opinion!

Good luck!
S.

Hi H.,
Yes! Definitely time to get a new pediatrician. If there is something that bothers you about the one you are using and you don't feel he is doing his job, there are many other fish in the sea and this is not something you have to just tolerate. Ask other moms, they will give you some good names. Have you ever been on Indymoms.com? There was a whole message board thread about great docs posted ALL by other moms here.
I spent wayyyy too long with a doc who did the same type of thing yours does and it cost me a year or more of my son's growth due to a pituitary problem when doc insisted his growth was just fine.(even tho he WASN'T growing) I should have followed my instincts and you should follow yours. You are the advocate for your little one and not all drs are right. I learned that the hard way
Good Luck!

If you are not happy with the service that your pediatrician is giving by all means change, especially if he missed something as serious as a ear infection and tubes.

Absolutely. My pediatrician alwas takes my concerns serious and checks everything out. She takes the time if needed. Your child's welbeing is in the dr's hands and I believe you need to be able to have one you fully trust.

I always say, if you don't feel comfortable with you pediatrcian, then find one that you are comfortable with. They should take the time out to explain any questions you have, and to give your child a full exam.

If doc won't look in the baby's ear because he's wiggling, yes you should get a new one.

I definately would! If you feel you are not getting the quality care your son needs and deserves, it is totally your right to find a new healthcare provider! Looking into the ears of a baby is routine for pediatricians, especially in their first year of life...your current Doc sounds like he/she either does not care about protocol, or is just lazy. I highly recommend our Pediatrician, Dr. Jan sanders. She works out of the South Bend clinic. (As long as you're in this area!) She is phenomenal! My oldest, who is now 14, has been seeing her since birth! I also have a 7 yr old, a 3 yr. old, and one on the way! They have all seen Dr. Sanders, and i have been extremely pleased with her care of my children. Good luck to you!

Where do you take your son? I take my daughter to PAA(pediatric & Adolescent Associates) on Harrodsburg Rd. She is one and has been seeing them since the day she was born. i really like them there. they are very friendly, and very thorough. The have late evening and saturday hours, you can even get seen on sundays if it's an emergency. they have a well baby and a sick baby waiting room.

You have zero ties to a dr. If he is in a practice with other docs you can request to change to one of them if you like the location/practice, etc. If that would make you feel uncomfortable, switch totally. Find someone you feel comfortable with, most places will even let you do interviews first before becoming a patient. That is a great opportunity to meet the dr. without the stress of a sick kid visit and you can usually tell right off the bat if your personalities clicks, if you like their philosophy in dealing with kids, certain illnesses, etc.

H., If this person is not taking anuff time to care about a child to check out the baby and see what is causeing this problem than yes you need to find another doctor to take your baby to. I am glad that you did take you child to a ENT person. and the ENT answered your own question when he told you the child has a earinfection. Find you a good doctor. Not some wanna be who wont do his job

Wow, there are a lot of responses here! I too went through the same problem as you. My son't first 2 pediatricians were not good, we found one who we had for about 6 years and he chose to go back to England where he was raised. We now go to LaPorte pediatrics in LaPorte, IN. They are great! They are a group of doctors so even though you are technically a patient of one, you can see any of them. Which means that you can pretty much call anytime and be seen within an hour. They have late evening, Saturday, and even Sunday hours. We now live in South Bend and I still take him there because their staff is so great! Good luck with your search and don't settle for anything but the best!!!!

Sounds like you made the right move by visiting the ENT specialist. If you're not satisfied with your pediatrician, then you probably need to look for a new one. Your son's health is more important than any other factor in this situation.

Hi, I don't know where you live and if this is possible but I have taken all 4 of my children to Dr Thomas Soisson of Michiana Pediatrics in South Bend Indiana. They are wonderful there. I would suggest definitely getting another pediatrician.

Since choosing a pediatrician is so important, you need to address the issue! You could always start by talking to the pediatrician you have been using to see if he/she can explain the quick look. I'm not good at confrontation, so I can relate to not wanting to have that conversation.

That said, everyone's kids are getting lots of colds this year, and unfortunately, they are caused by viruses. There is no medicine that will treat a cold virus because there are so many variants of the cold virus that cause illness. The only thing to do is treat the symptoms, and as young as your son is, there aren't a lot of options. My doctor put my son on a decongestant, and it didn't do anything. You're likely to have just as good luck treating the symptoms with over the counter medicines and a vaporizor/humidifier. It will be a lot cheaper, too! :)

The fact that your doctor isn't automatically prescribing antibiotics for a cold is a VERY good thing. Ear infections can set in in a matter of hours, so your son may not have had the infections when he saw the pediatrician. My experience has been that a good pediatrician can see enough to make an accurate diagnosis VERY quickly. If there is no indication of a bacterial infection, prescribing antibiotics could cause the antibiotic to be less effective against bacteria in the future (due to bacteria building up a resistance to the antibiotic - this is also why is is so important to finish ALL the prescribed antibiotic). Also, I've been reading that it is becoming more common to not prescribe antibiotics for ear infections unless the child is obviously experiencing discomfort because the infection will pass almost as quickly without the antibiotic as with. I'll get off the soap box now. :)

Because of insurance reasons and moving, we've had 4 different pediatricians in the 3 years we've been parents. I've been thrilled with two, hated one (only visited once - he was cranky and put off by my son toddling over to him and being friendly), and am o.k. with the current doctor. The two I loved were in WI and IL. They really engaged the kids and were always helpful - even when we asked questions that I'm sure they get annoyed answering for the millionth time.

Our current pediatrician is at Fort Wayne Pediatrics - Dr. Sauer. I have had no complaints, and he has been friendly, helpful and great with my kids. Maybe I'm not sold on him because he's an Ohio State fan. :) (LOL) When we started with him after a lapse in insurance, my daughter was behind in her vaccines, and he seemed kind of short with us when my husband started asking questions about the vaccines based on lots of studies showing a possible link to autism with vaccines containing thiomersal (or thimerisal). My husband took her to her latest appointment, and he said he was great this time, and answered his questions without any problems.

H.,

After seeing what this ENT found out about your son and how you have mentioned that you are not satisified with your current pediatrician I would say that you definitely need to look for someone else for the medical needs of your son.

Learn to go by your "gut insticts". They will normally never lead you astray. :-) Just get used to listening to them. Because this doctor doesn't seem to be the correct one for your child. And of course, your child's health is the thing you must always consider first. But if a doctor doesn't want to examine a child just because it is crying then I think that person must have made a bad career decision. Because that is a child's only way to communicate that they are in distress.

So please, get a second opinion and see if there is anything else that can be done for your child. And make an appointment to see some other pediatricians. Because one of them could have a good solution for you and your child. And again, go with what you feel is right. Bring your child with you both for the second opinion and the interviewing of new doctors, so you can see how the child reacts to the doctor. Sometimes the personalities don't match even for someone that young.

If you would like a recommendation here is the clinic that I use for my child. Everyone there seems real nice. It is Kidd Pediatrics, 373 Meridian Parke Lane, Ste C-1 Greenwood, IN 46142, Phone # ###-###-####. The receptionists there are very nice and they should be able to direct you to a doctor that can maybe help your son. And they maybe help you to feel more at peace with your pediatrician. Good Luck! And I hope your son feels better. :-)

H.-I work for 2 pediatricians and have never heard of them not looking in the ears. They sit and play w/the kids to get them to let them look into them, both of my girls see them and they love their doctor. My oldest who is 7 likes it when her pediatrician looks for kitties in her ears. In my opinion I would look for a new one.

Change pediatricians now! .. When my oldest son was about 16 months I took him to a different doctor in the same office that I usually used. She diagnosed him with tonsillitis and sent him home. After 2 days he was much worse so I returned and saw his usual Ped who checked his ears (which she had NOT done) he had such a severe infection his dr was afraid of hearing loss. Needless to say he never saw the other pediatrician again. Even though they all pass the same tests they are not all equal. Check in your area with other moms and find another pediatrician as soon as you can.

I would change pediatricians also, but I would look into chiropractic care if your child has an ear infection. Dont' go near tubes until you have talked to and seen a chiropractor, removed all dairy and/or wheat.