Optometrists, Residents and Opthamologists - oh my!
On January 25th, I went to pick up the LO at daycare and was met with 2 very concerned educators at the door. My daughter had just run into a wall, nose first, leaving a red and blue mark across the bridge of her nose and under her left eye and had a little bit of a nose bleed. She was upset, crying hysterically, but otherwise she was fine.
About a week later, I noticed that her left eye was turning inwards. She was very tired at the time, but this was new... and worrisome. Was it the accident that caused this?
See, when I was her age, I was convinced that I could fly. I leaped off the top of the stairs and quickly discovered that, in fact, I could NOT fly. I landed face first on the paved driveway, and subsequently wound up with horribly crossed eyes a few days later. We don't really know if the impact caused the crossing or if it was coincidental timing but now, 36 years later, it has become evident that my daughter is possibly facing a similar fate.
Because it continued to occur, but intermittently, I made an appointment with a recommended optometrist who works with children. Unfortunately, we had a 3 week wait, but that gave us time to monitor the situation and try to document things with photos. We also received plenty of feedback from concerned educators, friends and family too. This was reassuring in a way, because I knew now that I wasn't seeing things!
The optometrist was excellent. She said the LO likely needs a prescription, but was more concerned that maybe there was a hairline fracture of some sort pushing on a nerve or muscle, causing the inward turn. She gave us a referral to Opthamology and said we should go to emergency and not to wait any longer, just in case. We went immediately, but unfortunately they made us wait 9hrs to see one of their own doctors who only confirmed that she should see ophthalmology as our referral already stated! Infuriating! They gave us an appointment for the following morning rather than have someone come in at 8pm. It wasn’t ideal but we were all so tired by then we didn’t care.
We saw a resident the following day for close to 2 hours. He was extremely thorough and attentive. He confirmed that there was no trauma to the nerves or muscles, so this was not related to her accident. Yay? He also confirmed that she would likely need a prescription but said it was not urgent. As he is a resident, all of this was corroborated by another Opthamologist. However, he did feel that we would need a follow-up, and rather than waiting a few months, he was able to transfer us to an external clinic and have us seen the next morning. While I was happy we would be seen right away, I was also nervous that this meant there was more than he was saying.
So, the following morning (3 days in a row now), we went off to see the specialist. What a disaster! We waited 2 hours for the doctor; the first hour because he hadn’t even shown up yet and the second while he met with his students, unbeknownst to his own secretary. Once we finally met with him, he stated that he was expecting an important call so he would have to make our appointment short, and we were left completely unheard and shooed out in less than 5 minutes! He barely looked at her before stating that optometrists do not know how to treat children and she does not need a prescription, the resident was “just a resident not a doctor” and that my daughters problem is an illusion created by skin around her eyes. Clearly he did not read her file or he would have known that this was not an issue from birth, but rather a new development! He also said that 90% of patients he sees come in for this same problem and 90% of them are wrong. He was very rude, arrogant, condescending and clearly too busy for us.
I left his office near tears and very angry with our whole experience.
I called the clinic again later in the day and have arranged to meet with another doctor at the end of the month. The secretary was very sympathetic to what happened and very accommodating; I am sure she is not unfamiliar with his character. Unfortunately, when I asked if there was anyone I could complain to about our experience, she told me that he, himself, was the Director so I can’t very well complain to him about himself I imagine. But, I have passed along our experience both on-line through RateMD, to a FB Mommy group and to a friend who is supposed to meet him herself next month. I am hoping that, armed with the knowledge of his character, she can stand up to his God complex and get the answers she needs for her little girl.
Accidents happen, but thankfully this doesn’t seem to be the root of this issue. Even if it was, so be it. My issue now is that I am so overwhelmed with emotions for this little girl. I struggled so much to have her. I struggled so much after having her. I don't want her to struggle! First her ears, followed by her speech and now her eyes too. She is the fiercest little girl I know, but my heart breaks for all that she has to endure. And, I wish that I could be with her 24/7 right now… but I can’t, and that is discouraging as well. This quote defines my life right now… and I am tired!
About a week later, I noticed that her left eye was turning inwards. She was very tired at the time, but this was new... and worrisome. Was it the accident that caused this?
See, when I was her age, I was convinced that I could fly. I leaped off the top of the stairs and quickly discovered that, in fact, I could NOT fly. I landed face first on the paved driveway, and subsequently wound up with horribly crossed eyes a few days later. We don't really know if the impact caused the crossing or if it was coincidental timing but now, 36 years later, it has become evident that my daughter is possibly facing a similar fate.
Because it continued to occur, but intermittently, I made an appointment with a recommended optometrist who works with children. Unfortunately, we had a 3 week wait, but that gave us time to monitor the situation and try to document things with photos. We also received plenty of feedback from concerned educators, friends and family too. This was reassuring in a way, because I knew now that I wasn't seeing things!
The optometrist was excellent. She said the LO likely needs a prescription, but was more concerned that maybe there was a hairline fracture of some sort pushing on a nerve or muscle, causing the inward turn. She gave us a referral to Opthamology and said we should go to emergency and not to wait any longer, just in case. We went immediately, but unfortunately they made us wait 9hrs to see one of their own doctors who only confirmed that she should see ophthalmology as our referral already stated! Infuriating! They gave us an appointment for the following morning rather than have someone come in at 8pm. It wasn’t ideal but we were all so tired by then we didn’t care.
We saw a resident the following day for close to 2 hours. He was extremely thorough and attentive. He confirmed that there was no trauma to the nerves or muscles, so this was not related to her accident. Yay? He also confirmed that she would likely need a prescription but said it was not urgent. As he is a resident, all of this was corroborated by another Opthamologist. However, he did feel that we would need a follow-up, and rather than waiting a few months, he was able to transfer us to an external clinic and have us seen the next morning. While I was happy we would be seen right away, I was also nervous that this meant there was more than he was saying.
So, the following morning (3 days in a row now), we went off to see the specialist. What a disaster! We waited 2 hours for the doctor; the first hour because he hadn’t even shown up yet and the second while he met with his students, unbeknownst to his own secretary. Once we finally met with him, he stated that he was expecting an important call so he would have to make our appointment short, and we were left completely unheard and shooed out in less than 5 minutes! He barely looked at her before stating that optometrists do not know how to treat children and she does not need a prescription, the resident was “just a resident not a doctor” and that my daughters problem is an illusion created by skin around her eyes. Clearly he did not read her file or he would have known that this was not an issue from birth, but rather a new development! He also said that 90% of patients he sees come in for this same problem and 90% of them are wrong. He was very rude, arrogant, condescending and clearly too busy for us.
I left his office near tears and very angry with our whole experience.
I called the clinic again later in the day and have arranged to meet with another doctor at the end of the month. The secretary was very sympathetic to what happened and very accommodating; I am sure she is not unfamiliar with his character. Unfortunately, when I asked if there was anyone I could complain to about our experience, she told me that he, himself, was the Director so I can’t very well complain to him about himself I imagine. But, I have passed along our experience both on-line through RateMD, to a FB Mommy group and to a friend who is supposed to meet him herself next month. I am hoping that, armed with the knowledge of his character, she can stand up to his God complex and get the answers she needs for her little girl.
Accidents happen, but thankfully this doesn’t seem to be the root of this issue. Even if it was, so be it. My issue now is that I am so overwhelmed with emotions for this little girl. I struggled so much to have her. I struggled so much after having her. I don't want her to struggle! First her ears, followed by her speech and now her eyes too. She is the fiercest little girl I know, but my heart breaks for all that she has to endure. And, I wish that I could be with her 24/7 right now… but I can’t, and that is discouraging as well. This quote defines my life right now… and I am tired!
"The obligation for working mothers is a very precise one: the feeling that one ought to work as if one did not have children while raising one's children as if one did not have a job." Annabel Crabb - Political Journalist and Commentator, Mother of 3, and author of The Wife Drought.
Comments
Post a Comment