Finding a Good Pediatrician...

I love, love, love Micah's pediatrician. Her name is Dr. Eisenhower and she brings me sheer joy at her willingness to let me rattle off every last concern I've thought of in the month since my last appointment. But, I've been driving an hour both ways to see her. She wasn't supposed to be Micah's doctor. She was assigned to him at the hospital where we delivered and I liked her so much, we stuck with her. But, I can't handle the drive anymore. So, sadly, at our last appointment, I requesteda copy of Micah's medical records and begrudgingly asked for a personal referal. The closest doctor she knew was still 30 min. away from me though, so I went with a random pediatrician recommended by another doctor at her practice.

When I realized they were on the same street we lived on, I thought things were looking up and I imagined walking to our future appointments with Micah in the stroller. I called them a month ago and made an appointment for Micah's second-half of a flu shot (babies get the shot in 2 doses). When I showed up today they told me that they were out of flu shots and I hadn't given them a phone number so they weren't able to let me know in advance. I DISTINCTLY remember giving them my phone number because we had a discussion about the fact that we do not have a house phone- only cells.

I was angry that she was blaming me for not having provided a number. I expressed my anger and she said, "Let me see what I can do." I watched her talk in the back to nurses who all eyed me like I was doing something wrong. I assumed that they weren't actually out of the shots, but just running low, or else what could she possibly have to discuss? Still, she came back to me and told me there was nothing she could do for me. I was insane with anger. This is important! I know flu shots are hard to come by when winter season hits (yes, Houstonians, it IS winter), and silly me, I assumed that by making an appointment, I was reserving my shot. The 2nd half of the shot has to take place within one month of the first half, and to me, no matter how absurd it sounds, their "no" just meant they were exposing my son to the flu! (I said it was absurd!)

So, imagine how angry I got when, as I stood at the reception desk trying to figure out what to do next, a woman came in with her toddler and said, "I need to check Jake in for his flu shot." OH-Oh-OH-oh! I immediately shot the nurse a rude glare and waited for her to make some kind of similar explanation to this woman. She did not. So, I waited for her to make an apology to me. She did not. She checked the other little priviledged boy in, and I said to her, "What am I supposed to do?" She glanced around the room and leaned in close to me to whisper in a Sopranos fashion. "Although many moms in this area don't like to go there, there is a free clinic on Fry that I know still has available shots."

I not-so-politely told her I would not be needing the pamphlet on the clinic she handed to me, I would not be requiring any more of her help, and no, I would not be providing her with my phone number for future reference, because in the future, she would not be my pediatrician.

An over-reaction? I suppose. But, when it's your kid at stake--specifically your kid's health--you do tend to over-react. I felt Micah's health was being irresponsibly handled. Everyone knows you can't get off the phone when making a medical appointment without giving them your name, number, and insurance information, favorite color and grnadmother-in-law's maiden name. If they can lose my personal info, how can I trust them with Micah's healthcare? I've got high standards, here! Even more infuriating to a mom is why the other toddler got his shot and not Micah. I suppose they had only one shot left and that little boy was the lucky winner!? I felt the nurse at least owed me an explanation. It's the least she could from a customer service perspective, if not just from a decent human being perspective!

It took only 2 minutes for me to have my old pediatrician on the phone. She told me they were out of shots as well, but that she could call me when they got more if it was within the appropraite time range. I asked her about going to the free clinic and she let me know that since Micah is a stay at home baby, he'd probably be fine with just one dose. Another piece of information that I would have appreciated the Cinco Ranch nurse letting me know!

So, maybe there's a reason for everything. Maybe they entered my phone number and there was a computer malfunction that erased it. Maybe the little boy has a sad disease that affects his immune systems and so the last drop of flu shot had his name on it. Or maybe, the lady who took my appointment wasn't actually supposed to take new patients. Or maybe the high-brow fancy pants nurses didn't like me walking in among all the high-brow fancy pants moms in their Volvos and BMW's with my sweatpants and pony tail. Whatever the reason, I'm sure it's just the beginning of a lifetime of getting defensive when it comes to Micah. And, I'm once again open for referals for Katy pediatricians...Anyone willing to let me loose on their pediatricians?