Families Don't Go To Doctor

[wdmmom]

My kids are lucky to go to the doctor once a year for their well child checkup. If they have a runny nose or cough or cold, I let nature run its course. I'm not one for antibiotics but I am fine with them ****ing on cough drops and having Tylenol or Dimetapp or Zyrtec.

I think some of the over the counter cold medications work just as well if not better than some prescriptions and you don't have to commit to taking it twice a day for ten days.

Many of the families I work for don't take their children to the doctor. And when they do, the doctor sends them home with the "it's a cold" diagnosis. It's to the point that the kids that I think need meds aren't getting any and the ones that don't always get them. It's very frustrating. Especially when you have an 18 month old that's had a runny nose for the past 2 months! Now a cough to go along with it but they do nothing.

I hate to say it but sometimes I really wish some illness would strike just so they could get meds to clear everything up!

[daycarediva]

Ha! I am so one of those parents

My kids have never been to the doctor for a cold or any related symptoms. My daughter had an ear infection once that required antibiotics but other than that neither of my kids have been on any prescription meds. Aside from their one annual visit for vaccines and a once over I don't really ever bring them in. I'm a fan of homeopathic remedies, patience and good old tlc (within reason of course). They ended up with the flu over winter break and even with temps of 104 lasting several days I called their doc and she said let it ride. No sense in bringing them in because everyone had it and there was nothing they could do as long as they were staying hydrated.

For my daycare kids if it's a persistent, debilitating or there is fear of it being contagious they stay home until they are back to a healthy state. Whether parents choose to bring their kiddo to a doctor though during that time is their choice, but they are going to be excluded until kiddo gets better or I get verification from a doc that they're ok to return regardless.

I have four kids, and haven't had a sick visit in over a year. I took ds in for this weird rash around christmas time 2011. Other than that, we don't go in. My pedi agrees.

I have a dcp who takes her son in for EVERY SNIFFLE, and she said the last time she called the nurse was 'pissy' with her. Well, duh. Runny nose + fever of 100.1 is NOT an EMERGENCY and doesn't qualify for an EMERGENCY visit. She also will take him to the ER or urgent care for MINOR cold symptoms. It drives me BATTY! He has been on abx atleast 10x in the year he has been here, she will go from dr to dr until SOMEONE prescribes him something. I TRIED explaining to her that most of his illnesses are VIRAL and therefor antibiotics will NOT help. She disagrees.

[kitykids3]

He has been on abx atleast 10x in the year he has been here, she will go from dr to dr until SOMEONE prescribes him something. I TRIED explaining to her that most of his illnesses are VIRAL and therefor antibiotics will NOT help. She disagrees.

OT, but this ticks me off. This is why there are more antibiotic resistant strains of germs. One of which is MRSA, which put me in the hospital. It just gets worse for everyone because they spread around more and more because more people get them and can't be stopped with the oral antibiotics. Ugh! This should be common sense to people nowadays.

Sorry for OT.

[Blackcat31]

I have four kids, and haven't had a sick visit in over a year. I took ds in for this weird rash around christmas time 2011. Other than that, we don't go in. My pedi agrees.

I have a dcp who takes her son in for EVERY SNIFFLE, and she said the last time she called the nurse was 'pissy' with her. Well, duh. Runny nose + fever of 100.1 is NOT an EMERGENCY and doesn't qualify for an EMERGENCY visit. She also will take him to the ER or urgent care for MINOR cold symptoms. It drives me BATTY! He has been on abx atleast 10x in the year he has been here, she will go from dr to dr until SOMEONE prescribes him something. I TRIED explaining to her that most of his illnesses are VIRAL and therefor antibiotics will NOT help. She disagrees.

I have one like that too. She is a regular on WebMD. She has purchased her own stethescope so diagnosing before the Dr appt can be done. (she is currently looking to buy one of those things the Dr uses to look in ears)

She posts every illness on Facebook and makes everything out to be 100x worse than it really is. The other day, she played a recording of her child coughing (which was clearly a forced cough) because she is positive they have some rare respiratory illness and will need to see a specialist at the Mayo. ::

Funny thing is, I have the child for 9.5 hours per day 5 days week and they haven't coughed once while here.

This mom clearly OVER uses the medical services available to her.

[daycarediva]

OT, but this ticks me off. This is why there are more antibiotic resistant strains of germs. One of which is MRSA, which put me in the hospital. It just gets worse for everyone because they spread around more and more because more people get them and can't be stopped with the oral antibiotics. Ugh! This should be common sense to people nowadays.

Sorry for OT.

YES!!! AND this child is ALWAYS sick. His diet is TERRIBLE. He could use a better diet at home and a multivitamin. Because he has been on abx so many times, when he DOES need one, it almost never works, he needs another 5-10days or they switch abx to try another one. He was on antibiotics for 21 days when he got bronchitis in October. SERIOUSLY!

[daycarediva]

I have one like that too. She is a regular on WebMD. She has purchased her own stethescope so diagnosing before the Dr appt can be done. (she is currently looking to buy one of those things the Dr uses to look in ears)

She posts every illness on Facebook and makes everything out to be 100x worse than it really is. The other day, she played a recording of her child coughing (which was clearly a forced cough) because she is positive they have some rare respiratory illness and will need to see a specialist at the Mayo. ::

Funny thing is, I have the child for 9.5 hours per day 5 days week and they haven't coughed once while here.

This mom clearly OVER uses the medical services available to her.

An otoscope? Does she even know what a normal ear drum LOOKS LIKE? ::

[Angelsj]

Ha! I am so one of those parents

My kids have never been to the doctor for a cold or any related symptoms. My daughter had an ear infection once that required antibiotics but other than that neither of my kids have been on any prescription meds.

My 11 yo has had antibiotics twice. Once for a tick bite that cause swollen lymph glands, and once for a dog bite that broke the skin. She has NEVER had antibiotics for an ear infection or any type of cold/flu. The other kids are all similar. We also vaccinate minimally, if at all.

I agree with using common sense, and homeopathic remedies. I use them on the DCKs too with parental permission. I also build their immune systems with high quality food, and no junk. I would not typically insist on a parent taking a child to the doc unless I honestly believed it was life threatening for the child.

[Scout]

It depends on the symptoms and how my kids are acting if I take them in. When DS1 was little we were always at the dr! But, I didn't take him in right away. He would have a tendency to wheeze with colds so, of course I took him in then and we have had a neb since he was 7 mos old. He also was a frequent ear infection sufferer as well, probably from all the colds! One time we took him and his ear drum had burst!! I never even knew he had one! I took him for pink eye I think that time! My kids ALWAYS seem to get really high fevers with anything viral they catch! Just last week my 19 mo old was at the ER at 6 in the morning with 104.4, which is too high for my comfort zone! My older one has had fevers go up quickly so they usually go a few times a year for high fevers only! I hate it but, I don't want to chance them getting a fever over 105 at home so we go! I have never been sorry I take them in for this or anything else. If it makes a parent feel better who are we to say that they overreact to illness? I have also had my cousin lose her 2 1/2 yo daughter so I probably tend to freak out a little bit easier than some! If the parent wants to take the child in for every little thing it is their prerogative and it's the Drs who need to stop overprescribing antibiotics for things IMO. Our ped. doesn't give us an antibiotic for viruses, which most illnesses are.

[Angelsj]

They are massively over-prescribed and not used properly. 104 plus is beyond my comfort zone as well. I have one that has only been sick 3 times, but those times were crazy. When he hit 104.4, we went in. He had infections of the ear, throat, lungs, bladder, and was developing pink eye, all from a sniffle earlier in the day. Otherwise, he is incredibly healthy and never even gets colds. Weird kid!!