3 Reasons I Avoid the Pediatrician's Office

Disclaimer:  As I began writing this, I realized I didn’t even know how to SPELL “Pediatrician.” With that understanding, please don’t mistake anything I write for actual medical advice.

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Generally, I take my children to the doctor for the following reasons:

To Get School and Camp Forms:  If I need to explain to you why these are important, you’re a much more qualified parent than I am. Better parents would have written:  “Well-check”, rather than “Get School and Camp Forms,” but the real reason I remember well-checks is because if my children didn’t have forms, they wouldn’t be allowed at camp or school. As a result, I’d be a REALLY bad mom. That wouldn’t be healthy for any of us.

Strep Throat Symptoms:  Strep is a bacterial infection and needs to be treated with an antibiotic to prevent Scarlet Fever. When my kids seem to be in agony and they mention their throat at all, they get to go to the doctor. We’re not trying to mess with Scarlet Fever. [Incidentally, every time I’ve suspected Strep, they’ve had it.]

If they have a Fungus:  Don’t make me tell you what Ringworm has done to this family. You WOULD have nightmares.

If they need/have Stitches:  After about the 47th stitches incident, my less-medical-than-anyone-else-I’ve-met-on-the-planet husband stated, “I’m pretty confident I could have easily removed the stitches myself.” Don’t worry. I assured him that while he’s excellent at many things, it wouldn’t be wise to attempt such a thing. Then I reminded him of the time he gave one of our sons Tylenol as preventive medicine.

Asthma Attacks:  Thankfully, this hasn’t been our reality recently.

3 Reasons I Avoid taking My Specific Children to their Pediatrician:

1) Medical Appointments and Adoption

Each time I take two of my children to see a doctor, I’m reminded that while children are in foster care, they often see a medical professional before each new placement or after each removal. No wonder medical appointments can provoke anxiety! These two are supposed to see their doctor more than is typical for a healthy child coming from an average living situation, but usually the appointments feel like a burden our whole family is better off avoiding. When triggers are experienced, there is no telling how long anxiety will rule. My children’s health is valuable to me. I just wish taking them to see their pediatrician always seemed consistent with keeping them healthy. [TWEET THIS]

Lucky for us, a friend (and fellow adoptive parent) recommended her child’s comedian, I mean pediatrician, when our sons came home. The exhausting work this doctor does is hilarious and somewhat distracts our children from the fact that they are, in fact, in a doctor’s office. Still, I don’t know whether it’s the stethoscope, the papered table, or the odor, but they HAVE caught on to the fact that these entertaining adventures are medical appointments. While that’s good, because I wouldn’t want them to believe we were just letting any person invade their privacy, it’s a bummer the stress and its effects can’t be avoided.  

I’m very clear with their pediatrician (who IS very good) that appointments are stressful for our entire family and he now expects to see our children less often. Honestly, until the pediatrician's office is also a trampoline park, twice a year is the best we can do for checkups.

2) Germs

Honestly, I’m not a germ freak. I’m not even that big on hand washing. I realize that for my kids who are in school all day, the damage is already done by the time they come home. For my kids who are home all day, they aren’t spending their time licking public urinals. They do gross things. They’re kids. But I’ve learned the gross things they do rarely result in illness. In fact, the grossness is probably helping them build stronger immune systems. At least that’s what I tell myself. Then myself calms down and becomes a better parent. This is a major part of the battle.

When I’m not certain if I should take one of my children to the doctor, I call the nurse. When the nurse thinks I should bring my child in, s/he says so. Directly. But most of the time, if I listen carefully to the nurse’s tone, this is what I hear, “You can come in if you want to, but your child has a virus. There’s nothing we can do for him. In fact, if you come, your family is likely going to pick up three more viruses, because this is the place sick people hang out and get sicker.”

I’m not discouraging myself (or anyone else) from following the parental gut though. That’s another thing I love about nurses. So often they remind me to follow my gut because I’m the parent. The nurses I know are competent, practical, and intuitive.

3) Unnecessary Doctor’s Visits Distract me from what my Sick Child Needs Most

When my children  ARE sick, they need nurturing. From me. It’s incredible. Most anytime, my children would choose their Dad over me. He is the WAY cooler parent. But when they’re sick, the kids can’t live without me. I need to capitalize on that. If it’s at all prudent, I’m going to spend their sick time making them toast, reading to them, snuggling with them, making their bath the perfect temperature, and (less picturesque, but necessary) cleaning up their puke without the added stressful adventure of getting in and out of a germy medical clinic.

And, that way, we avoid the whole puke in the van thing too.