Spoke with the pediatrician

[susiestar]

Not the pediatrician neuro, just the pediatrician.

Jessie came to me and said she was having trouble breathing. She was freaking out. I got her calmed and gave her some albuterol. The pediatrician finally called me back.

I am highly disappointed with this woman. I respect that she doesn't know what is going on. fully respect that. But with each illness any of my kids get she tries to write it off as anxiety.

yes. there IS anxiety. And worry. And fear. but they are NOT the cause of this. they did not start it. Therapy will not stop it. She actually tried to say that we should think about a therapist instead of a neuro. Or an inpatient stay at a psychiatric hospital.

She also thought the adhd symptoms jessie had way back when were "just anxiety". She once tried to tell me it was not Absence epilepsy.

I agree that there are factors that are made worse by anxiety. This surely is.

But that does NOT mean that it is all caused by anxiety. I heard that for so many years as I fought to figure out what my own health problems were caused by. I WILL not let my daughter be slapped with the stupid stick that says all a child's/woman's problems are caused by is anxiety.

I mentioned a movement disorder because I really don't think the pediatrician has any clue that EEG's actually do not catch most seizures because it measures such a limited area of the brain. I didn't want her brain to overload and catch on fire.

Sigh. Thanks for letting me vent. I truly think it is a movement disorder. Hopefully the new neuro on Mon will help. My mom is also a tiger at the docs so she is taking us to the appointment. husband is horrible at doctor's visits. He won't even tell them symptoms when HE is one patient. I have to send a flippin' note with him. I always feel like I am writing a note to the principal or something.

Sigh. I cannot wait for Monday to get here.

 

[slsh]

Susie - can you videotape an episode? Wondering if that might be helpful for the neuro.

(Not that I'm hoping she has any more between now and Monday, but if she does....)

I'm totally impressed she got in so fast - I think that's just fabulous.

 

[gcvmom]

Yeah, anxiety. Right. Just like the old days when ALL women's problems were chocked up to hysterics, ie FEMALE problems. Yup. It's ALL in our heads!

Peds like that one are the reason I only take my kids to the pediatrician for things like ear infections, sinus infections or bronchitis. So they rarely see us during the year!

Three more days until Monday! Hang in there!

 

[Hound dog]

Suse

How about you turn the tables on pediatrician doctor? If all that is wrong with Jess can supposedly be caused by anxiety.........(gimme a frimpin' break) Then gee, wouldn't it stand to reason (not to mention make much more sense) for the child's anxiety issues to stem from whatever the heck this illness is and the fact that no one can seem to figure out what is wrong with her despite the seriousness of her symptoms.....or that they attempt to dismiss it as nothing?

I wonder why the kid has anxiety. DUH Jess is most likely scared out of her mind.........and I doubt given the circumstances any psychiatrist or therapist worth their salt would agree that it's with good reason!

Makes me wonder what the heck they're teaching in medication schools these days. And if you knew the residents easy child is having to deal with at work......you'd be even more scared.

I'm praying hard for Jess. She's always hovering around in my thoughts. We went thru so darn many specialists trying to get dxes and answers for Travis..........I was at the point of giving up when I found this board 10 years ago. And boy, was he a mess back then......his behavior was totally off the wall and out of character. Some of that we never did get explained, not seizures, not a mental disorder type thing......just really weird like his brain wiring went wonky for a while.

Finally I stumbled upon the 1st doctor who knew something. I bawled in his office. He led me to the 2nd doctor who knew even more......and I begged to kiss his feet.

Docs specialize so darn much now days that getting the right diagnosis depends as much on finding the right doctor as it does anything else. Awful, but true. Once we found the right docs........it was all downhll from there.

I'm praying hard you find the right doctor for Jess, the one who will take a look at her, read her records, and go AH HA! And you'll get the answers and treatment she needs.

Oh, and right before I found the Right doctor..........Travis' pediatrician doctor had told me his symptoms were just an act to get attention. Yeah, right.

((hugs))

 

[susiestar]

Oh, the pediatrician keeps trying that. I have explained that we HAVE a good therapist. That she is anxious because she is in pain and no one can help. that it is SCARY to hurt so bad and not be able to figure out why or make it stop.

I will not reason with this pediatrician. She is good at ordering tests and if I find a specialist who needs a referral she will go in on a day off and do the paperwork for her. But as for treatment, well, um, she got hit with the stupid stick.

She gave me a LONG song and dance about pain medications and addiction. Then she rx'd soma with-o batting an eye. I left the doctor and laughed and laughed. Refuse to rx pain medications to someone clearly in severe pain because risk of addiction and then give the same patient SOMA?? ROFL!!!

I just want Jess to not hurt. Period. I am using the lidocaine patches on her. They help a bit. I refuse to ask. Am just using them. Period. I will ask the neuro for a 3 month rx, that way ins will charge me the same amt and give me 9 boxes instead of 3.

 

[KTMom91]

Poor kid...hope Monday's appointment gives you some answers.

 

[Star*]

Well, when they all figure out that this is NOT just something in her head...??? UGH....Monday is not going to get here soon enough.

If it WERE anxiety - the wouldn't the albuterol control most of it?


UFFDA - (thats Swedish for - your pediatritian is a Nimrod) and other things.

 

[klmno]

Not tos ound sexist, but I wouldn't be shocked to hear that from a male pediatrician- but a FEMALE pediatrician?? WTH- I would be frustrated, too. Can you trade her in?

 

[SRL]

I'm a long time asthma patient and there have been several instances where I was having trouble breathing and it did turn out to be more related to panic than to asthma. Each time I was in situations where asthma would be likely (bad cold, allergies, working in a dusty environment, etc) but when I used my medications they didn't work. When the medications didn't work, it made me panic even more. Once I was so certain I even hiked it off to the doctor who did the breathing tests which showed me what I was dealing with definitely wasn't breathing problems. Most of the time I'm really in tune with cause-effect but there's a few times I've been dead wrong, even dealing with it for decades. Recently a friend whose teen daughter had asthma was going through something similar thinking she was having attacks. After trips to a number of specialists it was the cardiologist who finally recognized the panic during a stress test and set her up with a therapists (can't remember if it was speech or Occupational Therapist (OT)) to help her intervene.

Susie, this may be totally different than what you're dealing with but I thought I would toss it out there. I'm 48 years old and have had asthma since I was 16. If you would have told me a few years ago I would have been mistaking asthma for anxiety I would have thought you were crazy. In fact when the doctor told me her suspicion I thought she was nuts...until it happened a few times.

 

[susiestar]

Oh, there certainly IS an anxiety component. No doubt. BUT it is NOT the root cause of the shaking. NOT at all.

It does kick in when she starts shaking. I can talk her through most of it. I think it is a very natural response to this kind of pain and to having a problem the doctor's cannot figure out.

When she is short of breath it feels like the muscles are squeezing her chest so much she cannot breath. combined with a lot of pain, anxiety doesn't help though it seems a very natural response.

But to lay this entire problem at the foot of the anxiety gods is just not helpful. and it doesn't make sense.

The doctor did not want to do anything to help the anxiety except refer us to a therapist. she has one, and we work on dealing with panic when it pops up.

But it is not the root of the problem.