If we had it to do over.....

When Erin brought Jaylon to our house Monday morning, she told me that he was a bit warm, had been coughing and was not feeling too well, so she would be making an appointment with his pediatrician, hopefully for that day.

She called around nine o'clock and asked if we could take him in at about 11am, to which I replied, "Of course!".

By ten o'clock that morning, Jaylon could not be comforted. He was crying and fussy and didn't want to be held. In all honesty, I had not seen him like this before. So, I told Ed we needed to get ready and just take him for a ride on our way to the doctor. Perhaps that would soothe him, and, thankfully, it did. He fell asleep almost immediately, once in the car and on our way.

His regular pediatrician was not in, so his partner would be seeing Jaylon. Right off, he seemed very personable and efficient.

Jaylon's regular pediatrician is a bit aloof and not very personable, in my humble opinion. He doesn't even look at you when he talks to you. He talks with his eyes closed or averted, which just bugs me to no end.

So, this other doctor starts asking me a barrage of questions, which I answered. His nurse had already taken Jaylon's vitals, oxygen level, and so on. The doctor said we might be looking at pneumonia, which surprised me, because Jaylon had a runny nose, itchy eyes....he had been rubbing them all morning.....and a cough. I was thinking perhaps allergies and sinus, certainly not pneumonia.

The doctor ordered a strep test. No strep and his ears were fine, too.

Then he said we needed to rule out any infections, because Jaylon was running a fever. He wanted to do a catherization to get a urine sample. I called Erin at work and she told me to do whatever the doctor thought was necessary and I thought, "Hey...he must see something here that I don't AND, after all, he IS the doctor."

So, while I held his little arms down and Ed helped hold his legs down, the nurse got a urine sample. It took everything I had to not just fall apart.

I tell you....I do believe taking little Jay to the doctor or seeing him sick is harder on me than when I took Daniel. I wonder why that is?

Now...as if all of this hasn't been enough, the doctor wants to give Jaylon a shot of Rocephin to treat the pneumonia, which he is thinking Jaylon might have. Again, I call Erin to get her permission, though I already have a legal medical permission form for Jay, they just want to make sure.

So, again, Ed and I are holding little Jay down while the nurse gives him a shot in each thigh.

Next, we are off to the hospital to get blood work done and a chest x-ray. In between all of these tests, the little guy is falling asleep on Ed's shoulder because he is just simply worn out.

I'm telling you, Ed and I were both almost in tears, just holding it together because of little Jaylon.

We finally leave the hospital after one o'clock and Jaylon falls asleep on the way home.

Oh, and we also have three prescriptions. Amoxicillin, Albuterol *sp* and a steroid, though I cannot remember the name of it. He is only to take it if the albuterol doesn't take care of the cough.

Again, I just though all of this was a bit much. Was I missing something here or what?

Jaylon slept for a bigger part of the afternoon, once we arrived home and when he woke up, he seemed fine. Fine! I'm serious!!!

Oh, and we had also purchased Gatorade and Pedialyte for him to drink.....on doctor's orders, to make sure he didn't become dehydrated.

Later that evening, after Daniel had taken Jaylon home, we called to check on him and Erin said he was doing fine....laughing and playing....eating and drinking. I told her I just wondered if this doctor didn't overreact a bit and she agreed somewhat, though we were still waiting to see how Jaylon was going to be.

Thankfully, none of the medicine prescribed had to be given to Jaylon until the next day because of the shots of rocephin given to him earlier that day.

Erin stayed home Jaylon the next day and received a phone call from either the hospital or dr's office, letting her know that they had found something on his x-ray. It looked like he may have swallowed something and it was making its way through his intestines. They were to take him to Children's Hosgital Urgent Care in Pickerington.

Once there, they checked him over thoroughly.

Apparently, he swallowed something but was going to be fine regarding it. It would "pass through" in the next couple of days.

Regarding the apparent pneumonia or whatever else might have been suggested when we took him to Dr. Anonymous (I don't want to mention their names here for privacy reasons), they said not to give him the medicines prescribed because he was fine. Not strep, no ear infections, no pneumonia, nada.

I am contemplating whether to write to this doctor and tell him what I think of his "doctoring", in a nice and respectful way, of course.

AND...one more thing: There was another little boy and little girl....not brother and sister, just different patients..... about Jay's age, in to see the doctor and it seemed to be with the same ailment AND they were at the hospital, too, as we were leaving. I had to wonder if this doctor was running them through the same tests and procedures as he had Jaylon. Good heavens!

I am praying that Erin and Daniel will endeavor to find another pediatrician for Jay. I just don't care for either of these doctors but they are the only ones locally and before they would dismiss Jay from the hospital when he was born....because of the difficulties he had, resulting in a six-week stay....he had to have a pediatrician locally and these two were all there was. That sounds meaner than what I intend, but it's the only way I know to say it.

We...meaning Erin and I .......have taken Jaylon to Children's Hospital Urgent Care two or three times before and love it. We get right in and the doctors are just wonderful. It's a bit of a drive but, in my opinion, so well worth the trip.

Anywayyyy.....Ed and I have questioned ourselves a few times since Monday, wondering if we should have said something or done something to have kept little Jaylon from going through all that he had to and I think that we agree with Daniel and Erin that it won't happen again. We'll take him to Children's, if we are ever faced with something like this again.

I am going to talk to Jaylon's regular pediatrician about it if/when I take him to the doctor again. Sometimes Erin takes him and sometimes I do.

My, but I tell you....I told Ed more than once...."Can you imagine what parents with chronically ill children must go through? It must be sooooo very terrible. How my heart goes out to them."

So, today, Jaylon is fit as a fiddle!! We had a fun day yesterday with him, going to the mall and all. And he is really starting to talk!! Yesterday evening he said, "Beh-Beh's house!" (Uh, that's me...Beh-Beh...:-)...I love it!)

Thanks for listening to my long story and I would appreciate your input...as to what you would have done in our situation with little Jaybug and the doctor. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to do, but I will tell you that this will not happen again. Not on my watch. :-) (That's a grandma talkin'!) :-)

Below is a picture of Jaylon and Grandpa watching the sheep behind my niece's house! Jay loves sheep and does a mean sheep imitation! :-)