Go with your gut

WEB has been sick for over a week now. Saturday morning he woke up and his right eye was swollen. I thought it might be because either (a) his under-developed tear duct was acting up, or (b) it was swelling from where I accidentally poked his lower eye lid with my finger while battling him to wipe his face after lunch on Friday. Great... All morning, I'm beating myself up thinking that his eye is swollen from where I poked him. I managed to put some ice on it for a few seconds at a time over the course of him downing a bottle. That seemed to help, but it still just wasn't sitting right with me. Getting him to sit still while I covered his eye with something really cold was not the easiest thing to do. Hubby suggested that I keep an eye on it for a little bit and call the Dr. to see if I could be squeezed us in if it doesn't look any better. I watched him for a few minutes and decided to just call the Dr. They have Saturday hours, so we might as well take advantage of them. That's what they're there for!

I called and managed to get an appointment for 10:50am. I packed up my sleepy, sicky baby and off we went in the rain. We got to the Dr.'s office and waited, and waited, and waited... then we waited some more. Just when WEB was starting to get fussy and it looked like he was about to have a meltdown, they put us in a room. Woohoo! Perfect timing for a change of scenery! After the nurse weighed him - a whopping 19 lbs, 3 oz! - I plopped him on the table so he could play with the paper while we waited for the Dr. It wasn't too long of a wait, but WEB was starting to get tired just as the Dr. came in.

I am really happy with the pediatrician we picked, along with the group he belongs to. I love WEB's Dr. and I haven't met a Nurse Practitioner or other Dr. that I haven't liked so far. If you're in the South Orange County area looking for a pediatrician, check out http://www.socpa.com/. Anyways...Dr. Tang checked WEB all out and determined that his eye was swollen from a sinus infection. I even admitted to Dr. Tang that I poked WEB in the eye the day before, could it be from that? No. And I asked if it could be from his tear duct problem. Nope. So it's definitely from the sinus infection, and he proceeded to tell me how all of that happens. We walked out of there with WEB's first prescription for his first antibiotic in hand, and a little less guilt on my shoulders.

Today was WEB's 3rd day on the antibiotic and he's already tons better. I am so glad I went with my gut and took WEB to the Dr. instead of waiting till Monday to see if it cleared up. Even his demeanor has been a little peppier and gigglier, which can never be a bad thing. I don't call the Dr. every five minutes about every little thing that happens. I try to use my best judgment and if something persists, then I'll call. And of course when something, like this, just doesn't sit right with me, I take him in. I wasn't super eager for him to get antibiotics, but the Dr. said it was ok, especially considering his weight. I think that's why it's so important to find Drs that you feel comfortable with and can trust. Sometimes you have to ask embarrassing questions, or admit to dumb things like poking your kid in the eye, just to make sure that couldn't be the problem. I'm glad to have found a Dr. that won't make me feel like a jerk when I tell him dumb stuff. And yet still give it to me straight when it comes to other questions or concerns. I want to do what's best for my baby, and medically, they can help me accomplish that.