2-part question concerning my pediatrician...?

Question

I know I should trust my own judgement but I'm afraid that I can't be objective because this deals with my son's health.
First, my 1 yr old has had diahrrea for 5 days. On the first day I took him to the doctor and she said that we just needed to wait it out but that if he wasn't better after 48 hours to call her. He is still sick, he can't eat and he's been taking Pedialyte but when I called the doctor said to bring him in ...on Monday.
This seems too long for my baby to have to endure this but he isn't running a fever and he's not listless. I suppose that if there's nothing that can be done medically then it is just a waiting game.
Is the doctor's advice to wait another 3 days right or am I just frenzied because it's my child?

My other concern is that when we have apointments with the pediatrician we end up waiting 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The doctor is attentive but I feel this is way too long. We went in at 2:30 the other day and weren't seen until 5! Time to change doctors?

Answer 1

first of all my daughter (nine months) is recovering from exactly what your baby has.... she ended up in the emrgency room a week ago because she was so dehydrated and she had dry diapers. my daughter though would not drink anything and would gag if i tried to give her anything. she is feeling much better after the iv.... and the antinausea meds they gave her and shes pretty much back to normal. my advice is you know you rbaby best.. but if your baby is drinking fluids then i wouldnt be AS worried. if your baby has some wet diapers then i wouldnt be as worried. I had to take my baby in on a weekend to the ER because she just was so not herself and worried us she was so listless and just crying and nothing else. Just make sure your baby doesnt get dehydrated because thats where it gets bad for babies. you dont want to see your little one on an iv its pretty sad.

also... my pediatrician wait time is along time too and I often find myself in there for that long as well. maybe if you ask around though you can find a less popular pediatrician who has less patients. But this is my second child and I have found with my older son that I have always had a long wait time. its's just one of those things.

I hope your baby feels better soon.

Answer 2

On the second question: Don't schedule anything in advance and come prepared (toys/books etc) to wait... IF you like your doctor.

On the first question: If he starts getting listless, he's deyhdrated and don't hestitate to go to the ER over the weekend if that's the case. But, if he doesn't have a fever, and he's still drinking lots... he can probably wait till Monday.

If you are really anxious, try calling the doctor again and begging to be seen today. Tell them you think it's getting worse. You aren't insane to just want some reassurance by being seen before Monday.



Some advice from the web on diarrhea:

"""So what is the BRAT diet? It includes:

Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast

Does it help? Since some of those foods, especially bananas and rice, are 'binders' and are considered to be constipating, they might help diarrhea.

Misconceptions About Treating Diarrhea

In addition to restricting a child's diet, another common misconception when treating diarrhea is that Pedialyte or other electrolyte solutions will make diarrhea go away. Pedialyte isn't a cure for rotavirus and other causes of diarrhea though. Instead, they just help prevent your child from getting dehydrated.
Again, in most cases, when your child has diarrhea from a simple viral infection, you should usually continue him on his typical diet and just give extra Pedialyte when he has a large, watery diarrhea. """

Answer 3

I really have alot to to share with you! First of all its your child and he deserves the best you can give him...don't ever second guess that. I learned this the hard way. I would change doc if I were you and I would take him to the ER tonight . Always get a second opinion and if you have a childrens hospital near you , go there. My son was running a temp of 102/103 and took him to the ER in the middle of the night. They said he had pnuemonia. Put him on antibiotics. By the next night he was broke out in an awful rash. Called the doc and they said take him back to the ER. We did and they told me at the ER that he was allergic to the meds. They put him on another antibiotic. The next morning he was broke out even worse. Called the doc and took him in. Keep in mind that this is the first time that he saw the pediatrician cause we got treated in the ER. I told the doc what they said in the ER and that we needed to get an alternative med and he told me that it was not an allergic reaction. Well, my first instinct was that's not right. By that night my son was running a 104 temp and getting blisters on his skin. Took him back to the ER and they ask me why I gave him more penicillian when they told me he was allergic. Long story short The pediatrician didn't even listen to me but insisted that he was right. My son could have died if I had not stopped the meds and took him to the ER. The very next morning I called another doctor and explained what I was going thru and that my son was sick and needed help. Even though I wasn't already a patient they took him in right away. Turned out that he had patchy pnuemonia and didn't even need antibiotics. It cleared up by itself and he is fine now. Somtimes you have to do what you think is right. You are with you baby all the time and you do know what's best. Just use your natural instincts. I hope the little guy feels better soon.

Answer 4

Yes! it's time to change doctors. if you can. sometimes you can't depending on where you live. i would speak to your doctor about how you are feeling (about the long waits) and find out why this happens. it may be that they are overscheduling their appointments. i know most doctors make appointments in 10 minute increments. that is not a lot of time and most often the appointment will run longer than 10 minutes. maybe you could speak to some of the other patients that are there, circulate a petition or something, let the doctor know that her patients aren't happy and if she doesn't make some changes then she is risking losing not only you but other patients as well.

that's what i would do at least.

Answer 5

I always say to everyone including my children; you have that gut instinct for a reason, listen to it; you were given that mechanism ; If something happened to your child, yeah the doctor might be sad for a moment or a day but you wiould have to live with it forever; if you don't feel that your child's needs are being addressed, don't apologize, find someone who will be there to really address your concerns; there are good mechanics, and bad; good doctors and bad; people even doctors get burn out; I have seen way too many people suffer b/c a doctor didn't address concerns strongly enough ; you are the parent; this child is your life, if it doesn't sound right , see someone else; in the old days we gave our child, about 7 months on (not infants) Jello, made it regular way but didn't put it in the fridge to firm but gave it to them to drink as liquid. Throw it away when it takes to firm; and make more for later on in the day, not one after another. It is Jello ; their bowel movement will be the color of the Jello but it does start to move things along and firm up stools; the thinking is to let nature take its course to remove the intestinal bug but 5 days is a long time; theories change with time; good to let it run its course; bad to run its course; we do not know everything about the human body including doctors; everything is our best determination to date and always subject to change and revision; do what is in your heart and don't apology to anyone for being a good, concerned parent; it is your investment ; do what you need to do

Answer 6

As long as he's not dehydrated or running a fever, I think the Doctor is right, and Monday to bring him in is okay. On the other question, that is way to long to wait for a scheduled appointment. My OBGYN is like that, but I know she spends a lot of time talking with people, so I try to calm down about it (and not schedule anything for a couple hours after my appt.), but if I didn't like her so much I would go to another one who is more prompt.

Answer 7

I have worked for pediatricians. The one thing you must watch out for is dehydration. In our office, if a mom wanted their child to be seen, we saw that child. If you are concerned, take your son in.
As for waiting 2 hours to be seen, we had that during the winter in flu and strep season. We had people lined up in the hallways waiting to be seen. There were 5 doctors on duty and we still had people lined up waiting.

Answer 8

I would maybe look at another doctor,here is a web site to check out.I wish I could help you with the other part of the question but I am a new mom as well but my son is only 5 and half months.
You could always call ahead and see how late they are running,I have to do this with my family doc but my ped is awesome.

Answer 9

Time to change doctors and no I would not wait 3 days I would take your son to the ER

Answer 10

If your child is generally happy - sleeping fine, drinking plenty and urinating, playing normally, and not acting sick, just has some loose stools, it's fine to wait it out. If he's got mucus or pus or blood in his stool - that's something that can't wait - he needs to be seen sooner. In the meantime, try offering some starchy foods - noodles, Cheerios, crackers, pretzels, bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, bread, mashed potatoes - stuff like that to try to bind him up a little. I would stay away from stuff like Pepto or Immodium because if he's fighting a tummy bug that's giving the diarrhea - those will make it last longer, or give BAD belly pains.

As far as waiting for the doctor in the office. That amount of time seems a bit excessive on a regular basis. Once in a while, during peak sick season (like a Monday morning) or for an emergent sick child (like one with breathing issues) is understandable - but always is a bit much. I would wonder if his office staff doesn't know how to triage or schedule properly, of if he has unreasonable demands on how his staff schedules, or if he's just slower than slow. (I've seen all three!) That said, it's unreasonable to expect to get right in and right out of a pediatrican's office - BUT, they can't expect you to hang out all day either. (I know my staff is charming and entertaining, but we know parents have MUCH better things to do than hang out with us!) We try to get patients seen as close to their appointment times as possible.