Now that I am a parent, I more than occasionally regret that decision. I never knew how many weird ailments children can have or how difficult it can be to decide how to try and help them. I've made many unnecessary trips to the pediatrician's office. I've used the internet to self-diagnose my kids with everything from ADHD to diabetes to cancer. Can't even begin to tell you how many times I've thought that having that medical degree in my back pocket would most certainly save me some anguish, I think. Here are some examples:
- I have written before about Megan's tummy issues. We haven't had any "episodes" lately, but also haven't ever gotten any answers.
- I have vivid memories of Rachel's first ever ear infection. She was seven months old and I was up with her all night long. She cried and cried. I tried nursing. I tried walking. I tried everything I could think of and nothing worked. Finally, I plopped her into the bed with my hubby so I could take a bathroom break. She snuggled up to him and fell asleep almost immediately (which led to several months of unintentional co-sleeping. But, that's another story.) She woke up with a slight fever and we headed to the doctor. As a naive new mom, an ear infection had never crossed my mind. After that, plus two more kids, I couldn't even tell you how many times we've been to the doctor for ear infections. We also been many times for what I thought was surely an ear infection, but turned out to be teething or nothing at all.
- Recently, Rachel began breaking out in hives. She came home from school one day with several patches on her torso. No fever. No aches. Just the hives. I tried some Benadryl cream, but it didn't help. I had to give her a dose of actual Benadryl and the hives slowly went away. The next day, same thing. On the third day, I thought we were in the clear until she broke out again around 7:00pm and again with the worst yet around midnight. So, the next day, we headed to the doctor. Any guesses what it was? A virus. The doctor said that sometimes when kids get a virus, the body reacts by breaking out in hives. Apparently, it is actually quite common in kids around Rachel's age. I just had to keep giving her Benadryl at the first sign of the rash and let it run its course. (Which took 6 days total, by the way.)
- A few months ago, after we had gone out for a bite to eat, Emily got her fingers smashed in the sliding door of our minivan. They started to swell immediately and I was ready to head to the ER. My hubby was
a bita lot calmer. He said we should ice them, and wait to see what happened. I ended up texting a picture of her swollen fingers to a doctor friend of ours who basically gave the same advice. Turns out, she was just fine. Her fingers were a little sore the next day, but it was nothing major. - Emily frequently complains about being tired. We're busy and she's the baby and . . . . Well, at what point should this complaint concern me?
- What about nutrition? I have mentioned before that my kids are picky eaters. At what point does their pickiness compromise their health?? How do i know when we reach that point??
The list could go on, but I'm sure you get the point by now. The truth is, I still don't think I really would want to be a pediatrician. It's just not my cup of tea. I am very thankful, though, for the excellent medical care we all have access to here in the USA and for the doctors who provide it.
So, how about you?? What strange afflictions have your children had?? Has parenthood made you view your career choices differently??
