I'm sharing my experience because I left the office feeling very unsettled about how my…read moreone-year-old son's situation was handled.
I brought my son to the office on 9/24 because I was concerned he had croup, which was confirmed by his doctor . I was told that if he was not doing better the following day, I should bring him back for an injection. The next day, he had been unable to keep his prescribed prednisolone down, and later that afternoon, after waking from his nap around 4:00 p.m., I became concerned about his symptoms again.
Before calling the office, I specifically checked the office hours online because I wanted to make sure they were still open. The hours showed that the office was open until 5:00 p.m. I was not aware that they stopped accepting patients at 3:30 p.m., so I called at approximately 4:00 p.m. because I genuinely believed I still had time to bring my son in.
When I called, I explained the situation and that he had not been able to keep his medication down. I understood that my sons doctor was not in the office that afternoon, and I was completely willing to speak with the doctor who was there. I would have been willing to wait just to speak with them and explain what was happening with my son.
The front desk did give me the options of making an appointment for Monday or taking my son to urgent care. I understand that the office has policies regarding when they stop accepting patients, and I understand that they may not have been able to see him at that time. However, I was disappointed that I was not given the opportunity to speak with the doctor who was present.
What was especially upsetting to me was that, instead of my one-year-old being evaluated by a doctor who was already in the office, I was directed to take him to urgent care. I ultimately followed that advice and took my one-year-old to urgent care, where we were there from approximately 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.
As a mother, having to spend approximately four hours at urgent care with a sick one-year-old was extremely difficult. I understand that sometimes urgent care is necessary, but in this situation, I couldn't help but feel as though the responsibility for my son's care had simply been passed on to urgent care. It left me feeling like, once the office couldn't see him, it was no longer their problem.
I am not saying that was the office's intention, but that is genuinely how the experience made me feel.
There is also another concern I want to mention. In addition to prednisolone, my son was prescribed budesonide. When we went to urgent care, I was advised to follow up with his pediatrician regarding why budesonide had been prescribed for him and to discuss his treatment plan. The urgent-care provider specifically raised a question about the medication and told me to follow up with his pediatrician regarding whether albuterol was more appropriate for his croup symptoms.
After this experience, I ultimately decided to change pediatricians. When I discussed my son's treatment with his new pediatrician, they also questioned why he had been prescribed budesonide. I am not a medical professional, so I am not claiming that the medication prescribed was wrong. I am simply sharing what I was told by the providers who subsequently evaluated my son and why this added to my concerns as a parent.
I am not someone who takes my child to the doctor for every little illness. I called because I was genuinely worried about my son, especially since he had been diagnosed with croup and was unable to keep his medication down. I wasn't calling for no reason. I was calling because I felt he needed medical attention and I was looking for guidance.
I also want to explain why I am taking the time to leave this review. As a mother, when I was looking for a pediatrician for my children, one of the first things I did was read through reviews from other parents. Those reviews helped me make decisions about who I felt comfortable trusting with my children's care. I hope that by sharing my experience, this review can also help another parent make an informed decision when choosing a pediatrician for their child.
I truly believe that parents deserve to feel heard and supported when they call their child's doctor's office, especially when they are worried about their kid who is sick. This experience ultimately led me to make the decision to change pediatricians, and I hope the office takes my experience into consideration.