Today I took the kids for a follow-up from their ear infections/pink eye episode of four weeks ago. In order to maximize our appointments and minimize our co-pays, we made the girls' visits well-child checks (3 years for Baby Girl and 9 months for Little One). The plans changed a bit when my aunt had to bail to take my Grandma to the doctor (meaning I had to try to do it alone) and Oldest Boy now has his check on Wednesday.
Youngest Boy still has an infection in both ears and we're starting another round of antibiotics. I inquired about tubes for his ears but she said, "We're not there. Yet." Wonderful.
Little One weighs 22 pounds 7 ounces (90th percentile) and is in the 50th percentile for height (but I can't remember what it was right now). She's doing great in all of her developmental milestones and I couldn't be prouder.
Baby Girl is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight (37 3/4" and 30 pounds). She's also doing pretty well on her developmental milestones (she just can't stand on one foot). But she gets very nervous when she has to stand on something unsteady (like a scale) or sit somewhere high up (like an exam table). Our doctor is concerned she may develop some anxiety disorder. WTF? No offense, but I don't exactly like to stand on something that wiggles under my feet. And there aren't a lot of people who say, "Gee! I can't WAIT to go to the doctor's office!" I think that our society is completely overdiagnosed. Seriously. People tend to think that if they have an emotion other than pure, unadulterated joy there must be something wrong with them. Obviously, there are people who suffer from severe forms of emotions (anxiety, depression, etc.) but an isolated incident in a doctor's office? It seems to me that even suggesting that to someone is ridiculous. Don't we all get anxious once in awhile? Aren't we supposed to? That's called having f-e-e-l-i-n-g-s, no? I'm not one to go looking for emotional diagnoses. I come from a family of suck-it-up-and-deal women. Most of the time, I think it's a good thing. (the only time that it was probably a bad thing was after I had Youngest Boy. I really should have been medicated, but I survived. Barely).
She told me that I should put her into a preschool at least once a week so that she could get used to being away from me. Wrong. She's 3! She's not supposed to want to go with a stranger! Sheesh. Let her be little, please. Let her be little.
With Four Children, The Days Are Long but The Years Are Short!
3 comments:
Anxiety disorder?! The 'problem' with patients today is that many of them are too informed (albeit with misinformation.) Doctors are now pressured to come-up with diagnoses and treatments to appease their 'customers' - it would look bad if you sited a problem before your peditrician took note of it!
If Baby Girl is anything like Maren, she is already 3-going-on-33, and doesn't need any help getting there!
Right On! Let them be little!
I could not agree more... over diagnosed is right! If everybody has "something" then doesn't it really take away from those that really do have something?
I'm so tired of everybody telling mothers what they "should do" for their kids. I read a magazine article this morning about how we shouldn't be filtering out the violent/mean/hateful fairy tales we read to our THREE year olds... after all, we heard them and we turned out fine. Sure, and that person can come stay up all night with my 3 year old who doesn't understand that nobody is REALLY going to come kill mommy and leave him alone to fend for himself. Let ME be the judge of whether my child is ready to hear/see/understand that information.
End of rant. = )
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