A horrible mistake

I kept Conlee home today so I could take her to the doctor (she has a really bad sore spot on the inside of her elbow). Our appointment was at 11:10 and when I went to get in my car, her car seat wasn't there! We'd left it in Bo's car the night before and Bo was in Harrison.

So what choice did I have? I put her in Crawford's seat and persisted to drive about 20 on the way to the doctor's office. She smiled, clapped and laughed the entire way there. It was a whole new world for her.

Today also happened to be her 11 month birthday. She weighed in at a whopping 16.7 pounds. So, she better not get to used to ridding forward facing (she's got about 4 more pounds to gain before that's a reality). And no, this was not the horrible mistake - that is outlined below.

Turns out the spot is eczema that has become infected! So off to Walgreen's to get creams and an antibiotic. After her lunch I was going to give her a dose of the antibiotic and I noticed it said 3 teaspoons. The doctor had commented that it would taste bad, so it was a good thing it was a small amount - 3ccs. Well, 3 tsp didn't seem small - so I called the nurse line and left a message. I also googled 3ccs and it said that was less than 3/4 tsp.

In the mean time, my MIL was at Walgreen's and she asked the pharmacist about it. He said he had questioned the amount because it was 4x the amount normally given to a baby her size. But, he had called the clinic and been told that the doctor said that is the right script.

Well, I still felt very hesitant, so I waited on the Clinic to call me back. Of course, they didn't call until 4:40, but the nurse even said that seemed way too high. She had to consult with the doctor and call me back. Sure enough she called back and the doctor had written the script for 3 tsp VS. the 3 cc's (less than 3/4 tsp). I would have seriously overdosed my child if I would have just taken the label for granted.

I am still shaking from the whole thought of what might have happened (the label says - severe vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding of the intestinal lining and possible kidney failure). We spent last Christmas at Children's and I get teary-eyed thinking that I may have overdosed her on her 11 month birthday!

From 5-6:30 I received 2 more calls from the Clinic and a call from the Pharmacist. Everyone knew something went bad wrong and I got the distinct feeling they were all trying to cover themselves from a legal pov. All I wanted was an apology. I truly felt I deserved one. Doctor's are humans and we all make mistakes, but the "system" that is in place to catch mistakes (the Pharmacist) didn't even work. I've gotten 2 stories. The Pharmacist says the nurse told him that she'd spoken with the doctor and the doctor confirmed the 3 tsp was correct. The clinic says they show a record of the Pharmacist call, but the doctor was unavailable. They won't say if the nurse told the Pharmacist it was right. The fact of the matter is that the script was WRONG and the only way to know that would have been to talk to the doctor.

Net: no one has come out and admitted any wrong doing and I feel that my trust has been violated. So, if you are in the NWA region and love your pediatrician - I'm all ears. I am ready to make a switch.