My son has extra medical needs, which means we spend a lot of time at medical appointments. He currently has eleven specialists, two therapists, a caseworker and a pediatrician. Did I say we spend a lot of time in medical appointments? I think we could write a survival guide for hospital stays, getting well-acquainted with nurses, and filing paperwork! But today I want to share some of the tips and tricks we can all use for navigating doctor’s visits with children.
Scheduling Appointments
Most specialists spend their morning hours addressing critical cases or in surgery, especially on a Monday when weekend updates happen. This results, and rightly so, in most morning appointments running behind schedule. If your child is seeing a specialist, try to book the magical 1:00 p.m. appointment between Tuesday and Friday. Why is 1:00 p.m. magical?
It is typically right after the specialist’s lunch break, that they sadly use all too often for catching up. Doctors are busy people! This means that specialists are as caught up and timely for that coveted 1:00 p.m. slot as any other time. We even try for a 1:00 p.m. appointment for same-day visits to our pediatrician.
As an add-on to the above, if a specialist’s office is reaching out to you, it is very common that they will call and say, “We have Timmy scheduled to see Dr. Jones on Wednesday, May 16th, at 9:00 a.m..” Don’t be afraid to say “That may not work for us. Is there a 1:00 p.m. appointment available close to that date?” The staff members that book appointments are incredible, and they almost always try to find a time that works.
Surviving Paperwork
I have no clue how much paperwork we have filled out over the last five years. I can assure you, it’s a lot. It took us a while to catch on to ways to save time (and prevent carpal tunnel). If your child is on any regular medications, create a simple Word document that lists the name of the medication, reason for use, doses per day, time of each dose, amount by volume (Example: 1 teaspoon), and dosage amount (Example: 50 mg). Keep this document up-to-date and keep a few copies of the most recent version in your vehicle. If you head to a doctor’s appointment, you can hand over that copy to the nurse. For extra bonus points, save each version in a digital folder and you can instantly track your child’s medicine history over the years.
Did something traumatic happen to your child? Or to you during the pregnancy/birth of your child? Do not hesitate to document the details one time and hand it over when the doctor asks you about it. Most doctors are well aware that it is painful to relive some situations. Hearing you recount that event may embarrass or frighten your child. Your doctors and nurses can reference the document and relieve you of the discomfort of repeating a difficult story
Similar to recording medications, you will also save time by keeping a list of major health events for your child, such as surgeries or hospital visits. You can easily create a chart that lists the date range, medical event, attending doctor(s), symptoms, solution, and additional notes. This will save your poor mom brain from mixing up children, years, and names of illnesses! It will only take a moment to access, and you can hand it over instead of filling out medical history in those tee-tiny boxes. This is also such a gift to your child when they leave for college! There is no way they will remember all of their illnesses and procedures.
The Right Match
In my opinion, there is no more important choice for your child’s health than selecting a good pediatrician. You will be amazed how it helps your emotional health as well! We are the luckiest in the world because we picked the perfect pediatrician by total chance. We read the online bios for each doctor at the office recommended to us and her dog was named after a Beatle. Our dog is named after a Beatles song – no joke. We thought that was a fun coincidence, but it may have been God’s kindness for the unexpected journey ahead. And it has been a glorious experience from Day One!
Our pediatrician is a godsend. Here’s what we think makes her the best pediatrician.
— First, she always asks questions before examining our child. Very often, something we say will tip her off to the issue or to an extra part of the examination. She is very thorough in her questions.
— Second, she does her homework! She is always prepared for our appointments and knows about recent doctor’s appointments at other offices within the Children’s of Alabama Network.
— Third, she cares for our child. She talks to Gabe every time and comments on his growth or his physical features as he matures.
— Fourth, we are able to call the office with questions and she quickly relays information through her nurse.
— Fifth, she validates us as parents. This may seem small, but it is huge for us. She takes time to tell us we made the right decision or that we are doing a good job. She encourages us when Gabe has to be hospitalized and cheers us on when we experience victories.
And the last thing that makes her a phenomenal pediatrician is the “x-factor”. I can’t put it into words any other way than telling a story. Our son has Cerebral Palsy and is on the more severe end of the spectrum. Have you filled out a milestones questionnaire for your child? Those are kind of a nightmare for us. Gabe was behind on typical milestones between the three and six-month checkup. One of the newer nurses that did not know our child placed a milestones sheet on the counter at Gabe’s two-year checkup. I left it there, unable to face it. When our pediatrician came in, she put her notebook down on the counter on top of that packet, picked it up, and took it out with her. She knew, she cared, and she handled it with compassion and ease. If you don’t think you have the right pediatrician, it may be a great time to get recommendations and find a better fit. It could make all the difference for you like it has for us!
One way to recognize a great doctor’s office is to pay attention to the nurses. I have been overwhelmed by our nurses more times than I can count! They are very kind and talk to my child at every visit. They are patient when administering shots or swabs. If we need to call to ask a question, they are patient and understanding. When we reach the nurse on call in the wee hours of the morning, she is reassuring and helpful. We are forever grateful to our nurses! Conversations with them offer a silver lining to our appointments.
Appointment Tips
— Is it the middle of flu season but your child needs to be seen for a less severe illness? Hopefully, you have an awesome pediatrician’s office that will understand if you call from the parking lot and ask for them to call when the room is ready for your child. If you don’t have to sit in a waiting room that closely resembles a large petri dish, why do it? We often opt for this and then carry our child straight through to his private exam room to limit his exposure. For extra bonus points, if it’s flu season and your child is running a crazy-high fever, use this same rule of thumb to protect all of the waiting room occupants.
— Even the rare mom with a perfect memory will forget a question or two in the appointment. For the rest of us with mom-brain, forget it. We are hoping to remember the child’s name as much as his or her symptoms! If you schedule an appointment, use an app on your phone like Google Keep to jot down questions. Even if you are en route to the appointment, you can use the talk-to-text feature to quickly run down the questions you need to ask.
— As we discussed earlier, doctors are busy people. If you have your handy list of questions, it never hurts to let them know what to expect. A simple “I have six questions on my list today that I would love your help with.” If you are well-acquainted with your nurse, she can often help with that list before the doctor comes in, especially if you are needing a refill or a copy of something in the chart.
— Have you ever left the pediatrician’s office only to return within 24-48 hours because a new symptom frightened you? I am certain most of us have. After a few false alarms, I started asking one simple question before the end of appointments: “What signs or symptoms would require a return to your office?” This checklist has helped calm my nerves multiple times! And when I am in doubt, I often reach out to the nurse.
— Do you need over-the-counter medicine for home? Ask your pediatrician to write you a prescription! This makes it easier to be reimbursed if you have a Flexible Spending Account. Also, some over-the-counter medicines are cheaper through a prescription, as some insurance plans will cover a portion of the cost.
(Courtesy Birmingham Moms Blog)
Becki Irby is a software product manager, Hoover resident, and mother to a 5-year-old who suffered a brain injury at birth that led to multiple diagnoses, primarily Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. She is a contributing writer at Birmingham Moms Blog.
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