'Mine Eyes' are Opened

My wife and I tease each other frequently about our ancestor nationalities. Hers being German and mine being Celtic (Scotch-Irish-Welsh... mostly) we have some interesting quips back and forth (usually instigated by me).

Not long after our first son started to learn how to walk he did this funny walk across the living room floor. He did a straight legged goose step that cracked both of us up. I couldn't resist by teasing my wife with, "I guess that's his German genes being expressed."

"No. I think its his way of keeping you from putting him in a 'skirt'!"

To which I reply, "It's a KILT not a skirt!"

My other favorite 'back and forth' is when one or both of the boys lose their temper. I'll snicker, "Its that German temper."

"Oh yeah... and the Scots are known for their EVEN temperament! Doesn't the U.N. use the Scots for peace negotiations?"

Yeah. I know. Sounds pretty sick but we have fun with it.

The latest is our four year old at bath time. If you aren't careful and get soap in his eyes during the rinse cycle (despite using tear-free shampoo) he will yell out, "MINE EYES, MINE EYES!"

Both of us struggle to get his eyes washed out without appearing to laugh because he sounds just like the German guard on "Hogan's Heroes" (go look it up if that pop culture reference throws you).

I swear its all in good fun. Please don't send DHS to our house.

Childhood Illness Update (aka my latest rant)
**WOOP-WOOP-negativity alert - WOOP-WOOP-negativity alert**
Two weeks ago our four year old developed a small rash above his left eye about the shape of a nickel. It was red, raised, and a little dry. My wife and I started treating it with some neosporin thinking it might be a skin infection.

Several days later the rash was looking a little better but then the two year old developed what looked like conjunctivitis in his right eye.

PINK EYE ALERT!

And off to the doctor we went. Of course our pediatrician was out of the office and we had to see "the substitute".

During the 45 minutes in the waiting room I had time to think about how busy this pediatric practice has become since we started using it four years ago. It has gone from 3 doctors to 6 and you can always expect a packed waiting room anytime you go.

So we were finally called back to the examination room. The nurse checked the boys' weight and height and took their history. I remember feeling rushed.

The doc arrived and I repeated my concern that we had a case of conjunctivitis going through the family to which he replied,

"No. The two year old looks like he injured his eye and the four year old can't possibly have conjunctivitis since conjunctivitis doesn't go outside the eyelids. [The four year old] has contact dermatitis. This is all just a coincidence."

"Are you sure that the same organism causing the rash isn't the same causing the red eye?"

He just gave me a look of I'm-the-doctor-so-quit-second-guessing-me.

So we were quickly handed a small tube of ointment for the four year old and a script for gentamycin drops for the two year old with the instructions:

"Use the ointment on the four year old now and give the two year old a few more days to see if this clears up. If it doesn't clear up, go ahead get the prescription filled and start using it."

"Is there an ointment or oral med we can use since it is VERY difficult to get eye drops in a 2 year old?"

"No. There is nothing else but this."

(Right. Like I was born without a drug book in my book bag.)

From the time we arrived in the examination room to the time we left it was less than 7 minutes.

After the doc visit I called the wife to share the news, took the kids to their daycare, shared the news with the daycare owner (she uses the same pediatrician we do) and off to school I went.

We did what the doctor recommended. The ointment cleared up the four year old's rash. We waited a few days to see if the two year old would clear up. By the third day we knew we had some kind of infection since it spread to his other eye and started using the drops... FOUR TIMES A DAY! The drops seemed to work but the redness never went away completely.

Fast forward to the middle of this week and my wife calls me at school to let me know that the daycare owner is disputing the doctor's findings (three of her kids now have red eyes), needs to take her children to the pediatrician, and can we please pick up our boys.

Later that same day our daycare lady called to let us know that our shared pediatrician was back in the office, immediately diagnosed all three of her kids with conjunctivitis, and gave her an oral antibiotic to use! And according to her report from what our pediatrician stated, "Organisms that cause conjunctivitis can present in older children and adults as a rash above the eye."

(Slow burn...)

My question is this. What the hell good is building up a medical practice if you are so busy that you can't do a thorough assessment?!

MY GOD! CONJUNCTIVITIS HAS TO BE THE MOST BASIC DIAGNOSIS TO MAKE!

And no. The substitute doctor we saw the first time was not fresh out of residency. He was semi-RETIRED!

It isn't because we have a beef with our regular pediatrician but rather it is because we now have had two experiences (the first, six months ago) where our regular pediatrician was not available, we were rushed through an examination, received a wrong diagnosis, and ended up with even sicker children that we have decided to go elsewhere.

Its sad. We like OUR pediatrician and if she were in practice by herself we would stay.

**WOOP-WOOP-negativity alert is now over**

:-) peace in the valley once more