Writer's Workshop: 

Someone I Talked to Today(Well, Yesterday)

"So what you are telling me is I have just completely wasted my time here at urgent care and now we are going to have to sit through the whole process AGAIN at the ER when I could have just started there in the first place!"

"No, ma'am that is not what I am saying.  I am saying that she does not look ill enough to warrant a direct admit to the hospital but it is my recommendation that we transport her by ambulance so she can be monitored to the emergency room where they can make that decision."

"Like I said, I have obviously just completely wasted my time here because we are still at step 1."

Are you freaking kidding me?! Ok, let me back up slightly.  My four year old Commander in Chief has asthma.  Her ONLY trigger is when she gets some kind of upper respiratory illness.  In the last three years she has been admitted to the hospital six times for the SAME things, displaying the SAME symptoms!  She appears to be just a child with a cold having a little trouble breathing.  What the doctor's don't seem to understand is that given her history I know what will happen.  Come time to go to bed at night because her body has been working so hard to keep her oxygen levels up throughout the day, her little body stops fighting so hard when she sleeps and those oxygen levels plummet!  As soon as they do we have to put her on oxygen and we are automatically hospitalized for a minimum of 48 hours.  When we can get her admitted proactively and they begin aggressive breathing treatments we can go home in 24 hours.  

We learned this the last time we had to do this.  Back in January.  By taking her to urgent care, they call her pediatrician and given her history and symptoms they do a direct admit to the hospital and we can bypass the multiple hour wait in the ER.  Which with a four year old who is tired, grouchy, and ill is a nightmare.  Given that this was an effective method last time, we started with urgent care.  

Only this Dr was a complete ass.  He wouldn't even call her pediatrician to discuss it.  He then comes in and tells me that while he doesn't see her as ill enough to be admitted, we should take her to the ER to be seen and that he is recommending that we do an ambulance transport because she needs to be monitored.  

SERIOUSLY?! I was so frustrated I nearly pulled my hair out!!! So, since he refused, I called her pediatrician, and was basically in tears explaining the situation to her.  Thankfully she understands my frustration with this process.  She called down to the ER department before we got there and spoke with the attending prior to our arrival.  As it turned out, given the frequency of our stays the Pediatric Resident on shift remembered us, so luckily, between the two, they went ahead and agreed to admit her overnight for observation so that we could begin the aggressive breathing treatments.  So here I sit.  Once again, correct once again about MY child, DESPITE the stupid Dr's that refuse to listen to the MOTHER who has done this SEVEN times now, waiting to complete the process so that we can go home.  Don't get me wrong, I usually do exactly what the Dr's tell us to do, but when it comes to the Commander in Chief, I KNOW my kid!  I'm not some neglectful parent who doesn't know crap about my child and enjoys staying in the hospital.  I have three other kids at home that need me.  TRUST ME, I'd rather be home!