Wednesday, February 8, 2012

What's Up Doc?

Friday was Daddy-Daughter Home With Head Colds Day. Little Suzy was limited to laying on the couch and watching TV. Saturday was a home day. On Sunday, Little Suzy and Mommy ventured out for a bit, but not too long so Suzy was well rested for school on Monday.

When I picked up Suzy from school on Monday, Little Suzy had that nasal sound when a cold is draining. Suzy also complained of a sore throat. Tuesday morning, Suzy's throat was so sore she could barely eat. Suzy asked for another day off school. I agreed to her request. I also decided to take Suzy to the local treatment center when it opened at 5 PM.
source: morgueFile.com
 Suzy and I arrived at the treatment center about 4:50 PM. Luckily, there were only 6 people ahead of us. We waited our turn and were called into the doctor at 5:45 PM. Doc did a once-over and took a quick culture to test for strep throat. Culture was negative and Suzy was dismissed with a prescription for cough medicine with codeine and advice to take ibuprofen every six hours.

One thing, though. When Doc wanted to check Suzy's throat, he didn't explain about the tongue depressor. And when Doc went to take the throat culture, he again failed to prepare Suzy. As we left the treatment center, Suzy protested that her throat felt worse than when we arrived at the treatment center.

Suzy's regular pediatrician is soft spoken and warns Suzy before he does anything. The treatment center Doc was also a pediatrician, yet failed to warn Suzy about anything. I hope treatment center Doc has a better manner with the other kids.

Have you ever had a medical (or other) service provider fail to thoroughly explain procedures? How did you feel when that happened? Would you recommend that provider in the future?
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4 comments:

  1. Crafty and ClassyFebruary 8, 2012 at 8:19 AM

    I hope she is feeling better today. It seems as if my house has been the "sick house" for a few weeks now with a cold/stomach flu thingy. Hugs, Crystal

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    1. Barry R. SilverFebruary 9, 2012 at 2:24 PM

      Crystal, Thanks for your warm wishes and the hugs. Suzy is back up and running and things are again right with the world. Hopefully everyone will be healthy in your house soon, too. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. Pat IyerFebruary 8, 2012 at 8:44 PM

    Your daughter experienced an all too familiar event that is part of pressured and rushed healthcare providers. Production pressure - get them in, get them out- can cause abrupt behavior or worse, missed diagnoses. It is what keeps medical malpractice attorneys and legal nurse consultants like me in business.

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    1. Barry R. SilverFebruary 9, 2012 at 2:29 PM

      Pat,
      While we were waiting, they announced that those waiting to see the Doc for adults would be waiting a long time. Seems the Doc for adults didn't show up. Perhaps that's why Suzy's Doc didn't take the extra 5 seconds (combined) to warn Suzy. Water under the bridge, I just hope Suzy won't be scared the next time she has to go in for a sore throat.

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