Rant & Ear Wax!!

I don't usually get on my soap box or rant about things...but when it comes to the health of my child I just can't hold back.

For 7 years we have used Southeastern Peds. For the most part we have been satisfied with the care they have given our boys. However, there has been 2 insistences (with one certain doctor) that has just made me very angry and quite frankly TICKED me off!!!

Thankfully our boys have not been very sick these last few years. And if they came down with a cold or cough that wouldn't go away we would take them to Allsouth. We always see Dr. Weber (Dr. Merrill one time). He is always super nice and listens to us. He is the one that referred me to an ENT doctor when I had strep throat and it wouldn't go away.

Last week, Lo came down with a cough and a low grade fever. I had planned to take him to Allsouth but we were also concerned about his right ear. His daddy had noticed some wax in it. Our sis-n-law recommended using Debrox to clean it out. We followed the directions for 3 days and rinsed it out on the 3rd day...NOTHING came out! So instead of taking him to Allsouth, I loaded him up and took him to Southeastern Peds...to the walk-in clinic. My rationale was that they being pediatricians they would do something about his ear.

Let me stop and remind everyone that this is NOT a rant about Southeastern Peds...my rant only concerns one doctor in that clinic.

We were called back shortly. We were placed in one of Dr. Ashley's rooms. (this was the same man that wanted to send Lo home a day early from the hospital when he had croup--when he was still having trouble breathing!) I try not to hold grudges...thinking ok...this time he will be more observant to all the details.

I told him I was concerned about his cough and fever and that I was worried about his right ear. I told him that we tried to clean it out and nothing would come out. I also told him that Lo said he couldn't hear out of that ear...he proceeded to check him over. He looked in his right ear and said that he had a lot of wax in it ...listened to him breathe...then proceeded to say that "we are going to treat this as if it is bronchitis "

Hello?! This is flu season! Wouldn't the first thing you do is check for the flu and then move on to other possibilities?

I told him I was concerned that it might be the flu and he very hastily said "well we can test him" and stomped out the room. Thankfully he tested negative for the flu. So then we did treat him for bronchitis ..I'm fine with that...but he left us with our check out papers and did not say anything else about his ear....

The next day, Lo calls me on the phone from my granny's house....he can't hear anything I'm saying! (After the conversation ..I find out that he had the phone up to his right ear to begin with) I tell him to switch ears and all of a sudden he can hear me. At that moment I knew there was something wrong with his hearing. If you have every met this child...you may know that sometimes its difficult to know when he does a have real problem because he is sooooo dramatic about everything.

I called the ENT that we used when Au had his tonsils and adenoids taken out...

We went today for his appointment. Dr. Gannon looked in his right ear...he said that wax was very far down in the ear canal and COMPLETELY covering his ear drum!!!!!!! He was ever so careful as he scarped the wax from Lo's ear...but it was VERY traumatic  He cried/SCREAMED that it hurt....Dr. Gannon got chunks of wax from Lo's ear. He said that he was able to get about 90% of it out...and that if Lo continued to say he couldn't hear by next week then he would need to come in for a hearing test. He said that that much wax could be the reason he couldn't hear.

Now for my rant: Dr. Ashley looked in his right ear... acknowledged that it had a lot of wax in it...why didn't he get it out then? Or if wasn't comfortable doing that why didn't he refer us to an ENT doctor?!

I am thankful, that I did have previous experience with an ENT doctor and knew that's who Lo needed to see. But what if I didn't? What if I had just thought "well if the doc doesn't think its a big deal then it must not be a big deal."

You may be reading this and totally disagree with me and think he is the best thing....but from my experience I do not care for him!! If I can help it...I will never let Dr. Ashley treat my children...this is the 2nd time that his carelessness has affected the health of my child!

Ok..I'm done now....thank you for listening...