Why I Fired My Child's Pediatrician (And How it Saved My Son's Life)

I've fired MANY doctors over the years - my own and my kids'. Heck, I even removed my 4 yr old son (who hadn't urinated or had a bm in several DAYS) from a hospital while being pursued by police! We drive through the night to a children's hospital 4 hrs away and he found immediate relief after seeing a great pediatrician up there.

My own guideline is this: *I* am the employer. *I* pay *you*. I research, advocate, relay the symptoms, ask the questions. If you don't have 5-10 minutes to listen, discuss, and offer a couple suggestions, then you get fired. I love my family of doctors now because they listen!

Um, ok. If your baby has a temp of 107, you go to the ER first and make phone calls later. Anything over 105 can cause permanent damage, and 108 is usually fatal.

Any fever above 104 degrees would warrant an ER visit, ESPECIALLY for an infant! Fevers that high can cause brain damage.

My sister took my neice to a pediatrician who failed to give her important shots at her eighteen month appt and when the health department noticed that on her shot record weeks later, she changed my neice's doctor. Needless to say, I did not even consider her for my child. Doctors would never admit it but many of them dont spend as much time on the patients paid for by medicaid, private insurance pays more therefore those patients get more attention.

My daughter has seen several different docs at her pediatrician office. The good thing about this is that we can always get an appointment when needed, even if it's not with her primary. Every doc she has seen is thorough, allows lots of time for questions and to just let her walk around and sort of get a feel for everything. I couldn't be happier with them, but make no mistake- one ignore or bad advice and they would be done. I have to sometimes put up with incompetence with my own docs, but your child's well-being is paramount. Good for you for making a necessary decision.

We left our original pediatrician not that long ago. He had a habit of giving the same generic answers over and over and offered no real help. We are with a practice now that spends time really answering questions and helping you find solutions when our son is sick and uncomfortable.

I love my baby's doctor. He spends as much time with us as I need him to. He sits down on the exam table with Jacek when he asks if I have any questions. I've never felt rushed. I think I'll keep him,

I am luck - I am very happy with my child's pediatrician. I agree, if your doctor or child's doctor is not a good fit for you, find a new one. It is well worth the hassle.

This article hits a chord. I am all for shopping for services. DON'T patronize anyone who spends less than 20-30 minutes with you or your child. I don't know how doctors think, but many "act" as if they're bestowing blessings upon you by seeing you for a 5 minutes, then it's on to "save" the next person. Uh-uh. I'm paying for health-CARE, not "diagnosis," )unless it's in an emergency room and you're saving my child's life).

I ended up switching pediatricians because of insurance initially...but ended up being much better in the end. I didn't have to wait up to 2 hours for my "scheduled" appt for well child visits. Also an added advantage my pediatrician also has Saturday hours..that came in handy for a last minute ear infection. Sometimes change can be for the good.

my original family pediatrician retired and i joyned with a new practice the main dr was older with more experience and very knowledgeable and we loved him however his hours were very bankerish and his staff was very nasty and kept me on hold to speak to a dr. for hours sometimes.his nephew the other dr was also cold and brusk he had no time to talk and his attitud was nasty to parents. as soon as i found someone else i switched. so i fired my pediatrician.

I interviewed 10-15 Peds, I found one office I really liked. I stayed with them for many years, another baby, office relocation and changing of staff. It became untolerable the secretary would hang up on parents, appts were cancelled as you walked in the door, files were getting mixed up... But I stayed because I thought thats what I should do they knew both my kids history, on a chart anyway. I had my 2 year old daughter at the office every 10 days. She would get a fever and congested I would bring her in get a 7 day round of antibiotics and with in 3-4 days she was sick again! After 6 months I had enough, our first visit the new Dr sent us for allergy testing ( I thought she was crazy ) found out milk and milk products were to blame. In a year and a half she has been sick once! Everytime we go the Dr. knows us and chats about something off topic that she remembered from last time ( basketball game, trip someplace) Follow your instencts and dont try to talk YOURSELF out of what you know needs to happen for your kids.

What did you expect? Your pediatrician wasn't an ER doctor.

I'm a registered nurse in a pediatric office and schedule all sick visit appontments for situations just as this. A fever of 107 would definitely warrant an ER visit, not even a visit to the Dr's office first, and I'm sure whoever this mother spoke too did not have a medical background to be giving any advice.

I'm just happy because we have a good pediatrician who knows well on our baby's health condition, and he always makes sure it for the best, not because of some "unreasonable" reason.