How Do You Make Medical Decisions for Your Child?
Posted by Dr. Cason on Monday, October 13th, 2008
Busy Busy finishing lunch and the afternoon begins in a few seconds. Medicine Mondays at MommyMD.org will be up later. Probably after the kids have gone down and I’m taking some deep breaths following a busy clinic of flu shots and bronchiolitis.
Make sure you go and take a look-I’ll be talking about making medical decisions regarding your child. I seem to be addressing this very issue myself. Is it the right thing to do? Is it overkill?
Today a parent struggled with my medical decsison and I had to be pretty firm that in this particular case we needed treatment. They paused and still didn’t believe me. I know how they feel.
What about you?
Do you ask your doc?
Your mom?
Your sister?
Do you visit chat rooms or peruse the internet?
Filed in Everything Medicine |
Kylaon 13 Oct 2008 at 2:03 pm 1My pediatrician and I have a pretty good relationship and I run nearly everything by her. I even report back to her after seeing KayTar’s other doctors and definitely ask her opinion before making any treatment decisions. She is our medical home base, so to speak. I also use all the information I have access to, through school, through the internet, through parents I know who have similar children.
Medical decisions can be tough to make, especially on behalf of someone else, but being well informed can be very reassuring.
Kylas last blog post..This says it all, really.
Nikkion 13 Oct 2008 at 3:02 pm 2I really like my Doctor and generally trust most things she says. I do however run anything we decide on past our Naturopath as well. And then sometimes I ask you…
Nikkis last blog post..Some Thoughts
Awesome Momon 13 Oct 2008 at 3:28 pm 3This is a toughie. When it is an immediate life or death thing I have gone with what the doctor suggested even though it is a hard thing to know that the decision could still lead to the death of your child. If it is less urgent I will get the doctor’s suggestions, I will research the internet and ask other parents that have been in similar situations and then weigh my options. I also tend to trust my gut a lot when making decisions. If I feel hesitant about something then I will take my time and do a lot of research before making a decision. I try and keep my husband in the loop but really the final say is up to me since I am the one that goes to all the doctor appointments and does all the research.
Awesome Moms last blog post..Sunday Cuteness- Evan edition
myston 13 Oct 2008 at 3:42 pm 4I’ve had some really, really big/controversial decisions to make regarding my children and their health.
First was my now 17 year old son and medication re: ADHD - second was for my younger son re: depression and anxiety, then recently the decision to pursue either weight loss surgery (lap band) or medication to reduce weight (xenical) - he’s 13.
These have all been heartbreaking decisions (to give anti depressants to a ten year old?!) (to give ‘mind altering drugs to an 8 year old?!) - but in the end I went with my gut - and the thought that by doing these things now I am saving them from long term issues or problems that will need to be ‘fixed’ as adults.
I definitely made the right choice for my 17 year old! He is now just ADD - and is working 20 hours+ per week and attending college - yay!
Self esteem is the hardest thing to repair in these instances.
We’re still working on the weight issue, and waiting….
G
xx
mysts last blog post..What to do….
Amy Wrighton 13 Oct 2008 at 11:49 pm 5I always want to go by my gut feeling but end up doing whatever the doctor says. So far, my kids have turned out okay.
Lisaon 14 Oct 2008 at 4:03 am 6I love my pediatrician (he answers all of my questions) and I feel like I have a good knowledge base, but when ever I am not sure my husband and I debate it and ask the Doctors we work for. We have a lot of faith in the medical world and the fact that we know our kids and what works for them. But I have never been in a difficult decision. The only time I feel like I really had to advocate for my kid was when Elisabeth was 6. She had sleep apnea, wet the bed, was always tired, always sounded stuffy, and couldn’t smell very well (really). The pediatrician we had at the time kept prescribing different allergy meds. I pushed for a referal to an ENT. (I was not a nurse at the time) She ended up having her giant adenoids and tonsils removed. She stopped wetting the bed (could have been age) and started sleeping better. She has never had a problem with ‘allergies’ since.
Lisas last blog post..Finally It’s Fall!
tiffon 14 Oct 2008 at 7:20 am 7I am always asking questions, asking for opinions and researching. My paed and I have A mixed relationship but I always respect his decision and will try what he suggests. Sometimes I go against my gut instinct because of what he suggests and sometimes I curse myself because I should have listened to my mother instinct… like the dapsonse and the going away, on his advice, when she had pneumonia. I knew I shouldn’t have.
I am having a bit of a struggle at the moment because Ivy is losing weight and he wants me to put her on high fat foods. I can’t do it. Having had issues with weight all my life and knowing about fat cell lay dwn and what happens in adolescence, I just can’t bring myself to feed her high fat high sugar foods for the sake of putting on 2kgs. Even though I know he is right, I know she needs to put on weight, I am madly trying to find other ways to do it. So far, pediasure is her best friend.
I’ll always ask David (my husband) for his advice because parenting is about the both of us and I value what he says.
Then I’ll hit the books and the internet.
Did I answer your question? I’m not sure I did. I might have gone off topic, LOL.
Cath Lawsonon 14 Oct 2008 at 10:17 am 8Hi Dr Cason - I’m afraid that I tend to go overkill. I’ve lost count of how many times I took my kids to hospital with suspected meningitis, every time they had a bit of a rash when they were younger.
Elizabethon 14 Oct 2008 at 12:12 pm 9If it’s something beyond a fever I’ll check with WebMD to see if whatever is ailing the kids is worthy of an appointment with the pedi. Or call my sister who is a kick ass nurse to have her validate my concerns. It’s always handy to have her a phone call away. But as a general rule my kids are pretty healthy so it’s got to be something way out of the ordinary to get them to the doctor’s office.
Elizabeths last blog post..Ohmigoodness Ohmigoodness!
Lucreciaon 16 Oct 2008 at 6:28 am 10I find a doctor I can trust, then go with my gut! The only really scary decision I’ve had to make involved a condition no one has ever heard of. So when the choice to have a surgery or not was posed - I had no one but my doctor to rely on. Thankfully I’ve not been faced with a hard choice more than once. Or twice. Yes twice.
Lucrecias last blog post..Are you as fast as you think you are?