That was a waste...

I took Emma to the doctor this morning after calling, saying she has broken blood vessels again same as about 3 weeks ago and I wanted to know if I should bring her in. Of course they say yes (they ALWAYS say yes, I don't know why I bother to ask any more but this is why I've decided that I won't even call usually). So I hurry around to get her there in 45 minutes (30 minutes away) and that is where I should probably stop retelling the tale.

Because I was not happy and I live in a small town and shouldn't speak ill of anyone.

But, for the sake of saying what is important, I will tell you that I was told very sternly that it is not petechia and then was drawn a description of petechia, then he went to get a medical book to show me what petechia REALLY looks like (which was surprisingly similar, in all accounts, to what E's underarms look like...). He then tested her for strep (??) because her tongue looks dark. Um... Obviously that came back negative (obvious to me) and we were told she probably has a virus that she's having a rash with.

A rash. From a virus. Only where she's had contact with pressure. With only a runny nose (a constant for her) to suggest a possible virus. Somehow I'm not so sure I agree there.

So we went home after a few more select words were exchanged and I was given a stern warning not to find out everything I can about Ds because I would never sleep at night if I knew it all and to just treat my kids like every other kid. Because I don't?

Yes, my kids are much like other kids, and we do strive for that 'inclusive' behavior, but this is the same model that we had with a former GI doctor that refused to chart Brianna on a Ds chart and insisted she was severely below norm and needed her tube feedings increased. On the Ds chart she followed a beautiful curve and we stopped seeing that doctor, stopped tube feeding, and quickly found another GI doctor that looked at her pretty curve and said "great!"

With that I say, yes, treat my kid as if you would any other child. BUT, when it comes to being proactive in health, know the risks, know the signs, and be cautious before you tell me she has a virus- twice in one month- causing a rash to develop that is under the skin and shows up only in areas where pressure is applied.

I do not overreact with my children, I don't assume that just because she's got this going on it must be something major. No, I'd like to guess it's just a fluke that is happening, but I'm not naiive enough to believe that I should write it off as nothing and not check on the more serious things that my child is at a higher risk for. I call the health professionals when something 'unusual' develops and seek their medical expertise to tell me whether it's something I need to pay attention to or not. In this case, I was told twice YES and now, NO. I really do hope he's right.

Our regular ped wanted to rerun bloodwork anyway so we will pick up a script from her on Monday with whatever panels she wants drawn to double check on things. We probably would have done that even without the repeat incident. Then we will hopefully agree it's a fluke after we have a pretty blood panel come back. But only after we cover the bases.