My New Favorite Doctor

As you all know, I have been struggling for quite some time with my current pediatrician. He seems to be in a power struggle with me and I just don't trust him anymore. It's sad because I have been using him for 12 years now and it's a shame. I've stuck with him all this time because of a feeling of loyalty... I know... it's crazy, but true. I have decided that it's time to move on and join another group. They are more in tune with my feelings and we seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to our philosophies concerning medicine. For example, they wait until babies are two months before beginning vaccination. Also, they are TOTALLY supportive of a "safer schedule" and that means a lot to me.

I have to give you all the details of my first visit with my new doctor... my new friend. I scheduled an appointment for my baby's 3 year old check-up for today. My appointment was at 8:30am and so my wait was very minimal. I didn't look at my watch, but I would estimate that I waited approximately 10 minutes. That gave me enough time to fill out all the paperwork and give them my baby's records. The first person I talked to after the receptionist was a nurse and she was very sweet. She gave me a cup and said, "Try to get him to pee in the cup, but if he doesn't that's okay." I went into the bathroom and he refused to "pee" in the cup. I came out and shook my head. She smiled and took the empty cup. Then they took his blood from the finger and he did great! He didn't even cry. After that, they weighed him and then directed us to the examination room. The nurse measured his length and then began a battery of questions that really impressed me! She asked me behavior questions, milestone questions, about his eating habits, and other things that I wasn't accustomed to. It was very thorough. She left and we waited for approximately three minutes before the doctor came in the room. He was a young-looking doctor with a pleasant face and smile. He had a calm demeanor and it rubbed off on Charles because he immediately calmed down. Normally my baby would freak out when the previous doctor tried to check his heart or ears and he didn't react that way at all with this doctor. It was amazing!

This doctor is a Christian and very open about his beliefs. He quoted a few bible verses within the first five minutes of our visit. He mentioned how according to the charts, my baby could possibly grow to about 6 feet 4 inches tall, but ultimately it's up to God how tall Charles was going to be. He also let me know that he was perfectly normal and that I should not get caught up on what others feel is "normal" because each child develops at a different rate. However, it wouldn't hurt to get him evaluated for speech if I had any concerns. He reassured me about his eating habits. His growth was off the curve at greater than 95th percentile and his weight was a little above middle range at 80th percentile. He went over his blood work and that was nice. It all looked perfect!

Of course, you all are wondering what about the vaccines? Well... I wanted to save the best for last. He asked me if my baby was up to date on his shots. I told him that we were following a different schedule. He looked at the shots that he had received and acted like he was pleased. He said that the only shots he was due for was the polio booster and the MMR and Varicella. I told him I only wanted to do the booster and he smiled and said, "good... Yeah, the preschools and schools push for that...You want to wait a while before giving the MMR and Varicella, right?" I nodded in agreement. He smiled again and said, "Will the school be okay with that? Or will they give you problems?" I told him, "Oh...they're okay with that." He replied, "That's great!" I asked him about the blue slip and if I could get an updated one and he said, "sure...no problem." (This made me sad because that's when I realized that my current pediatrician was being really rude with me. He was denying me a basic thing in order to force me to do what he wanted. Very evil!!)
He then wrote some notes on a slip of paper and handed it to me. On it was written, "Next appt. at 4 yrs." That meant that he wasn't expecting me to come in earlier to get shots and that wasn't even an issue for him. I was so excited I immediately called my dear friend who recommended them to me to tell her all about my experience. If you are reading this.... you know who you are.... THANK YOU... a million thanks!!!

It's not a coincidence that things happened the way they did. I could say to myself that it would have been better to have discovered this group earlier and who knows? However, I know that things happened for a reason. I now appreciate this doctor so much more. I am also armed with more knowledge and conviction about my beliefs. I am definitely a different person today than I was just a couple years ago. I truly believe that this is definitely the start of a beautiful friendship.
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"Louis, I think this is the beginning
of a beautiful friendship"-Casa Blanca
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