About Doctors...

I totally agree with Kris and her comments on my little rant there about immunizations ;o)

We are not a family of doctor haters here -- although Dewey would probably argue that to some degree. It isn't that we totally dislike them, we just don't have much use for them most times.

I was thinking over the past visits to the doctor we've had. They were pretty much non-existent back north really. I went during pregnancies (ok, my OB would even argue that...I did go, but usually not until around my 6th month for a first visit). Yes, I was considered high risk, right from baby #1, but there wasn't any point in going for me. I knew when I became pregnant, I am very aware of my particular issues, how my body reacts to pregnancy, and I am right on top of any and every variance to my body's norm. In other words, I know myself very well. We refused all the testing done as well. The outcome of some test was not going to alter the fact we were pregnant and were going to have whatever baby The Lord sent us.

Some parents run to a doctor for everthing from a runny nose on up to other non-medical things. That's definitely not us. We try to prevent things, like illnesses and accidents. Sure, things happen, but much of it can be avoided with just plain old fashioned common sense practices really.

Aside from pregnancies, we had very few doctor visits. Dewey made me take Jennifer in when little Jacob, barely 2, closed her index finger in the bathroom door. Fully closed the door. Her finger on the hinge side. Sure, it hurt, it swelled, it ws bleeding a bit. But it's a finger. They weren't going to do anything for a finger that we couldn't have done ourselves (splint and wrap). But, he was adamant. Of course, he didn't go sit in the emergency room waiting for over 3 hours...I did. But, I went because he wanted it looked at. (that was the last time he actually got adamant about a doctor visit, btw...because of what happened...)

We waited, Jennifer and I. She had a small container that started off as ice, to help keep the swelling down. It looked more like kool aid after 3 hours of waiting.

Finally in a room, we waited again. A nurse came in a few times to look at the finger. Then the doctor popped in, looked at it, said the nurse did a really good job of cleaning it -- Jennifer, about 10 or 11 at the time, got tired of waiting and scrubbed all the dried mess from her finger herself....and was quick to tell him she did it herself, too.

They ordered an x-ray. An x-ray.

It came to us. Three people wheeled in this room-sized, monster-mega-yet-portable x-ray contraption. They x-rayed her finger.

Yes, there was a time back in the day when I was not as vocal as I am now. Perhaps I got this way paying for stupidity all these years. Like some $380+ dollars for an x-ray of an index finger.

Good news -- the finger wasn't broken. Not that they would have done anything aside from slap a couple tongue depressors on either side and badaged it up. The doctor took out a little bandaid-sized pack of Neosporin ointment, dribbled a couple drops on her finger and put two bandaids on it. He tossed out the remaing Neosporin.

I thought Jennifer was going to attack the young man, LOL. He left the room and she was upset -- "that's all? We have that stuff at home. And he just wasted it."

We also went when KatiAnne took a dive off the top bunk and landed on a rubbermaid tub and cracked it. It cut her face in 3 places. I did think they were deep punctures, that's why we went. It was Thanksgiving morning. I had 35 family members coming over. I would not have gone if I thought it was nothing serious.

That doctor made us wait about 2 hours, then he pulled out what looked like a sharpie marker. It was that super glue stuff in a pen. Really cool, actually. He dabbed two places on her face and pinched them together to hold, then threw that pen out and got a new one to use on the last hole. Waste...which I paid for yet again. We went back home and discovered some of the family had shown up when they heard what happened, and had tried to help Christopher watch the youngers. LOL...the family members were flat out exhausted being babysitters :o)

Now, down here, we have had several visits....

• KatiAnne swallowed a 36" pull chain like those on a ceiling fan. I worried about it being strung out, instead of balled up, and damaging her intestinal tract before passing. It was balled up on the x-ray. I was happy.
  
• Abigail 'sliced' her arm open one day. It was a pita-pocket kind of slice, and I was not convinced I could keep it laid back properly for decent healing. I'll be darned if that doctor didn't just pinch it closed and slap some Bandaid brand super glue on it with a couple butterfly closures. I paid $175 for that visit. I really hoped that glue stuff cost a lot. It doesn't. It's less than $7 at WalMart. It's a standard part of our first aid kit here at home now, too.
• Obviously we went when Jacob and David were burned. That in itself was a fiasco, but it was necessary for Jacob. I also now know which hospitals locally are plum useless to go to.

Jennifer has grown very competent and very confident in the years of watching how things work, both with doctors and with Mom. When things happen now, she's Miss Calm, Cool and Collected. She doesn't blink an eye at injuries until she knows exactly what's going on. Abigail came wimpering up one day, blood oozing from a pretty decent cut on her leg. She was just about to start a panic. Jennifer just brought her in, cleaned her up and treated it and covered it with a sterile gauze strip.

She'll make a great nurse...or a great Mom :o)