Pediatrics

[ChromeCollar]

For those of you out there that have children, I could really use some advice.

I have a three year old daughter, and she has been going to the same pediatrician since she was born. At first I really admired the doctor, she was very helpful and full of advice. Back in August, my daughter developed a rash on her bottom and around her thighs and sometimes on her vagina. I tried the usual diaper rash cream, although it didnt look like the typical diaper rash. After a couple weeks, I took her into the pediatrician to have it checked out. I was assured it was normal due to her sweating in her pullups and was sent home with some topical prescription cream.

Over the course of the next five months, the rash never went away. I took her back several times, getting more irritated with each visit when I was turned away with a new topical cream and the same conclusion. The doctor never bothered to do a test or anything, so I started changing things. Tried changing her diet, detergent, clothing type, etc, etc. She quit wearing pullups and was fully potty trained in December, but still the rash hung around. Painful and red looking, sometimes the bumps looked pussy filled. At the end of Dec, she was diagnosed with ear infection and URI, and the ER doctor put her on a dose of Zithromax. After a week, the rash was gone completely. I've come to the conclusion after doing research that it might have been a yeast infection. Has all the same symptoms, and the antibiotics cleared it up.

Well, last week the rash started to reappear and her doctor refuses to test her for an infection, stating it is just her sweating, which she never does. I am at my wits end, and cant bear to see her go through this rash again, especially if it is a yeast infection. Should I go find a new pediatrician, take her to my doctor? Any advice on this would be so helpful, if any of you have ever gone through this with your children. It seems damn hard to find a doctors office or urgent care that isnt eager to push you out the door as soon as you have walked in, without answering your questions or taking your concerns into mind.

Sorry for the long winded post.

 

[BirdsWife]

I would definitely change doctors. The one you are seeing now obviously does not take your concern seriously.

I can't believe that he/she would completely ignore the fact that the anitbiotics cleared up the rash when the topical ointments wouldn't.

There are good doctors out there that will take the time to listen and address your concerns. Ask the parents of other children you know through a playgroup or church or sports teams who their pediatricians are and whether they like them. Once you hear the same name a few times associated with positive comments, then make an appointment. What have you got to lose? The person you are seeing now doesn't seem to be very helpful.

 

[BirdsWife]

Oh, and before I forget....some antibiotics can actually cause a yeast infection by disturbing the balance of "good" bacteria in the vaginal and anal area.

This happened to my daughter when she was 18 months old, so the doctor had me apply clotrimazole cream (used for athlete's foot) to the area twice a day. It cleared it up in about a week.

 

[5pintshefound]

oh hunnie.. change docs asap... my sis went thru something similar with herson.. he had rash for monthes, and it kept getting worse the drs kept giving him prescript. diaper rash creme.. it got to the point that his penis got icky{dont know another word for it} and swelled, and the skin on his bottom started to fall off{i know its gross} finally they figured out that he was allergic to the steroid base in the creme....

on a different note, the best diaper rash creme in the world {at least that ive found} is a homeopathic one... take equal parts crisco and cornstarch, and blend till smooth and creamy... works like a charm on any kind of ouchy that you might encounter in the nether regions... works on kids and adults... goodluck!!

~5PHF

 

[Vixandra]

Change doctors- doesn't sound like a very good one if she can't diagnose something an ER doc could.

 

[ChromeCollar]

Thanks for all your advice, I'll start looking around for a new one today.

 

[mistymoon]

The rule of thumb is...The doctor should always listen to what a parent brings to their attention. Find yourself a doctor that you can TALK to......I work in the Healthcare bussiness and I have gone through several pediatrians because I couldn't talk to them. Trust your gut!!!!!! YOU know whats good for your children....

 

[watergirl]

I am sooo appalled for you! Yikes - what a horrible long thing for a kid to have to go through cause some damn doctor won't take the time to listen and do their job. *shudder*

By all means, ask around and find a new doc.

 

[Mskey]

get thee to a new pediatrician asap hun!!!

My oldest, now 9 went thru a smilarly bad experience w/ her pediatrician when she was 6 months old and it ended with her in a peds ICU unit being treated for an allergic reaction to an antibiotic the docs made me keep giving her even when I said she was showing no improvement on it.

Docs aren't infallible and if you as the parent of the child- the one who is with their patient 24/7- feel that they've missed something trust your instincts.
I came to my current pediatrician with what I thought was a silly problem a few years later and he said something that stuck with me. He said that parents are with their children every day. They have spent every day observing their children, learning the subtleties of their daily behavior. He said that frame of reference makes the parents experts on when something isn't going right with their own child and that they should never doubt their instincts as parents.

I hope the poor kiddos rash clears up and for what it's worth it sounds alot like a yeast infection to me as well.

 

[ChromeCollar]

Okay, so MLK day wasnt a good day to be phoning around. All the offices I called were closed. I wanted to thank you all so much. I didnt know if I was being overly protective in seeking a new doctor, you know the whole first time parent paranoid thing. It was getting to the point where I was dreading even setting up an appt with her doctor for well child checkups. There arent many pediatricians in our area, but I am willing to drive to the city if need be to find a good one. Thanks again for all your advice and concern, it means a great deal to me. ;]

 

[sheath]

I agree with all the posts above...get yourself another pediatrician!

But I would go further than that. Some might think this is going overboard, but I certainly don't think so...

Report that doctor to the medical board. What if something quite serious had been wrong with your daughter? What if this pediatrician's cavalier attitude toward testing and such caused the condition to get worse? That is completely and totally unacceptable for someone who takes a vow to 'first do no harm'.

Report it, and then follow up on it. Don't let it go. This person should not be practicing medicine until they can do it right.

And I hope your daughter is better.

S.

 

[electrolite]

Hey ChromeCollar, check your PM box, please.

 

[5pintshefound]

I agree with all the posts above...get yourself another pediatrician!

But I would go further than that. Some might think this is going overboard, but I certainly don't think so...

Report that doctor to the medical board. What if something quite serious had been wrong with your daughter? What if this pediatrician's cavalier attitude toward testing and such caused the condition to get worse? That is completely and totally unacceptable for someone who takes a vow to 'first do no harm'.

Report it, and then follow up on it. Don't let it go. This person should not be practicing medicine until they can do it right.

And I hope your daughter is better.

S.

good idea sheath... it should be documented...

~5PHF

 

[DevilishTexan]

Grrr this pisses me off when I read shit like this. Bad enough I think doctors suck anyway. If I was the dad I wudda' had that Dr. by the friggin' throat! Please change doctors, and asap! I have skin problems but can't even guess what could be affecting her. Try giving her a multi b vitamin (time-release). Those are good for skin problems. Hope they find out, post back to us.

 

[Mskey]

good point sheath!
as I said in my post, it was my doctor continually blowing off my concerns about the antibiotic my daughter was on that caused her to end up in ICU. It turned out she was quite seriously allergic to the medication and had I not gotten sick of the docs blowing me off and taken her straight into the ER she would have lapsed into a coma and had permanent brain damage. All because a Dr. couldn't take an extra 5 seconds out of his day to actually listen to me when I said I thought she was getting worse instead of better.
I reported the doc to the state medical board at the ER attendings urging and they took away his right to practice on pediatric patients. ( turned out he was a GP with zero experience treating children but he had MD behind his name so the military let him work on anyone.) It also came out that several other children he had cared for had been improperly diagnosed or incorrectly medicated when mothers heard he was being investigated and came forward as well.

Sure as moms and dads we sometimes get a little nuts about our little ones and soemtimes we blow things out of whack "making stubbed toes into stab wounds" as my kids current pediatrician likes to say. But we're also generally right when we say something isn't right with them and any doctor who won't take a mparents worry seriously shouldn't be in pediatrics.

 

[mistymoon]

well as far as reporting your "disappointment" Yeah I'm being polically correct. there are several ways to get you point across. One would be like what mskey said to do and report it to the state. The other would be to document what had transpierd over the course of several visit to the director or Chairman of that department.
Reactions to medications can be life threatening. But from what I can gather It sounds like maybe your little one may have had a yeast infection from the over use of antibiotics. When antibiotics are administered, the medication wipes out all the bacteria in the bowel and that creates an overgrowth of yeast. What I have done in the past with my children is try to get my kids to eat yogurt...Yogurt has lactobacillicus...(good bacteria) for the gut and helps with yeast infections in children. the other thing would be to use a combination of lotrimen and hydrocotizone topically on the rash.
I hope that this information may help you....As a parent you know whats best for your child. and I always say...its better to be safe than sorry..

hope this helps...

 

[Mosby]

First, change docs.

You've got a decent ER in the area. Call the ER doc that treated your child, ask him/her for recommendations.

If you've got a hospital with a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, call them, ask for the head nurse. Explain what happened, ask her/him for a recommendation for a pediatrician.

If the two sets of recommendations have overlaps (same doc(s) appear on both lists), call one of them.

Using the docs the medical pros use is generally a good bet.

Good luck.

 

[SkyyAngel]

My aunt recently took my 5 year old cousin to the doctor because she thought she was hurt (bear in mind my aunt has a strong notion to overreact about the slightest things)...the doctor said nothing was wrong and sent her home, probably based on the above conclusion that my aunt was overreacting.

My aunt decided to take her somewhere else and found out her wrist was broken.

I believe even if a parent is the overreactive type that a doctor should take everything into consideration whether they think it's nothing or not.

 

[sheath]

For those of you out there that have children, I could really use some advice.

So, how are things now? How is your daughter?

Better, I hope.

S.

 

[fille]

First of all, do change doctors. Whether he's right or wrong, you have no confidence in him. And apparently he doesn't know the right way to put you at ease.

Second, is the rash anywhere else? And what does it look like? Is it bright red, is it bumpy? Is it tender?

Based on the description you gave so far, it certainly sounds like it could be Candida (fungal) dermatitis.

Just as a symptom reliever, try Aveeno oatmeal bath.

 

[done_got_old]

Change doctors soon! Other posters have said it..........listen to them.

My son is now grown and his doctor was wonderful. So good that my younger sister uses the same one.

She listens. I mean she really listens. When I thought my son had mold growing on his butt, she listened; told me what to try and if it didn't go away, bring him in.

When I took him back she said, "guess what's growing on his butt? Mold!"

Nothing is more important than your child's health. Find a doctor who will listen.

 

[ChromeCollar]

Hey everyone. I was able to take time off on Monday to take her to a new pediatrician about half an hour away who comes with some high praise. Hopefully I can get her to listen to my concerns. I am going armed with some printouts from the net describing what I think she has, all the symptoms of a yeast infection. The rash is back, but not nearly as bad as it was, almost in the starting phase again. Red bumps around her bottom, a couple on her thighs and red puffiness around her private area.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, and thanks again for your advice and comments. I'll post back monday evening.

 

[SexyGiggles]

When looking for a new pediatrician, make sure a) that they are trained in pediatrics, and b) ask around to check them out. Talk to others in the waiting room, parents from the soccer club, etc...

In regards to the previous pediatrician, be sure to document everything as it occurred, with dates and everything (you can call and get a copy of your child's medical records from the doctor's office and the ER to help fill in the details). If the doctor is part of a larger practice, file a complaint with the practice. Check with the state medical board to find out how to file a complaint with them. And if you are part of a medical group with your insurance that refers other patients to this physician, be sure to file your complaint with them as well. And be sure to tell other parents about this doctor so that their kids don't go through the same thing!

Good luck!

*giggle*

 

[ChromeCollar]

Great news everyone!

Took her to a new pediatrician tonight, and the woman was absolutely wonderful. She answered all my questions, took my concerns seriously, and best of all, my daughter loved her. A miracle in itself.

She does have a yeast infection, we got some special cream for that, but the urine test shows she also has blood in her urine... going to go back next week and see if it is still there. If so, she will be doing some more tests.

I did file a report with the township about the previous pediatrician, and found out from some other parents that they had similar problems. Thanks again, for your advice and concern.
My daughter is in good hands now, I just know it.

 

[sheath]

As a mother of two little ones, I can imagine just how relieved you are.

I'm glad to know that doctor is getting a bad reputation. One of the first steps in putting that one out of business!

S.