As I said in my last post about choosing a new doctor, we’ve seen a lot – like really a lot – of medical people this year. I’ve really come to appreciate medical people that take my concerns seriously (all of those visits but one were very necessary) and I’ve become really annoyed at people who don’t take me seriously or don’t believe me.
Today, before the doctor even looked at Caleb she was already trying to tell me there was not much chance of him having an ear infection because he didn’t have a fever and he wasn’t fussing with his ears. I felt myself getting defensive – and a bit worried that she might not even look at his ears! I think I stayed civil and calm. The minute she peeked in his ear, she said, "Oh, that’s definitely infected!" and I didn’t even say "I told you so!"
In contrast, I took Caleb to the ER a couple of weeks ago and they made me feel believed, trusted, knowledgeable, … When all of Caleb’s terrible choking sounds stopped when we got there, I was so worried they wouldn’t believe me! But they went out of their way to listen to me and to check him. They even took xrays! (Turns out he had a throat infection and his throat was swollen so much that when he cried his vocal cords would hit the sides of his throat and it sounded terrible! It got Frank and I out of bed faster than I think we’ve ever moved before!)
Does your doctor believe you? Or do they take a "I’ll be the judge of that" attitude with you?