I need to vent about how greedy and profit driven many hospitals/medical institutions have become. We trust doctor’s with our lives and go to them in desperation; so this constant greed to make money and maintain ‘good business’ is something that I just can’t understand. Now I’m not saying that all are like that; my dad is a doctor himself and always puts his patients interests above all, but it’s sad to see a large majority put profits first.
After moving back to the UAE, I struggled to find a good pediatrician that I am comfortable and happy with. On a quest to find one, I took Yehia to Saudi German Hospital to see a pediatrician, who was pretty nice, did a relatively thorough check-up and told me that Yehia’s growth is steady; healthy weight gain and all is well, but (and I was waiting for this) is too active and is falling behind with his speech development and for that, I need to take him to a pedi-neurologist.
Two days later, I went to the pedi-neurologist who asked Kais and I a list of typical questions that doctors use when screening for signs of autism. Based on the doctor’s assessment, Yehia had no indications of autism; however his hyperactivity and speech development ‘is caused by excess neuron/electric signals in his brain) and in order to calm him down, I had to bring him in for an EEG. Based on the test results, I may need to use medication (which according to the doctor is used to treat epileptic cases) to calm him down. He did also say that I can think this over and I don’t need to schedule it anytime soon.
I left the clinic with a heavy heart; thinking a million things and worried sick about my little boy. I spoke to one my father and a close family friend, who is a psychologist and they both told me that these were drastic measures and I should wait. Most doctors would want you to dive into all these check up’s which could all be unnecessary to make money.
Looking over things and what I know about my boy, Yehia has been making some steady progress at the nursery. His teacher told me that he went from not recognizing the children or wanting to play with them, to acknowledging their presence and enjoying their company. He’s making slow strides and I should let him take his time and do things at his own pace. I do however know that he is hyperactive and in order to deal with him better and understand why he has his sudden bursts, I decided to take him to a psychologist/child behavioral development specialist. Kais and I are now in the process of finding a good doctor who we can reach out to; so if you do know of someone that you would recommend, that would be highly appreciated.
Another thing that ticked me off and it’s really why I decided to write about this is my trip to a dentist yesterday. On Thursday, Yehia’s weekly health report at his nursery indicated that he had three cavities. Kais and I were devastated. I know these things happen, but he’s our first and dealing with these occurrences is literally new to us. We’re learning slowly how to tackle baby issues one step at a time. So I took him to the same dentist who visited his nursery. After his check-up, the dentist told me that I need to get his cavities treated ASAP. But because he’s below 3 and will not sit still in his chair, we have to put him under. My mind is already in a million places. Put him under? is that safe? is all this necessary?
I asked her to give us a quote to fix his three cavities and a slightly broken front tooth (which he broke when he banged into a table at 8 months) and the final quote came to 5,300AED. I was baffled – who would think cavities would cost so much.
Nonetheless, I decided to lock down the dates, but also thought of getting a second opinion. I called our dentist in Egypt and had my father check with his dentist colleagues. All of them agreed that this is again, a drastic measure. Why put a 2.8 year old under for a 40 minute procedure to fix teeth which will fall off in a matter of time? If the cavities were hurting him then that would be a different story and he will refuse to eat his food; but they were so minor and were not worth drugging him for.
I decided to wait until he’s three at least and can settle in a dentist chair to treat these and for now watch what he eats (sugar in moderation).
It’s funny how we trust our lives with so many doctors and we believe them blindly. After all, we always want what’s best for ourselves and our children. But the fact that some practices have this greed to make profits regardless of what patients really need and recommend what I can only refer to as ‘your last resort’ is just beyond my comprehension.
I hope you never have to go through such bullshit. Ever.
For all its worth, always get a second opinion and trust your maternal instincts. No one will love or care for your little one as much as you do.
The Pacifier Review 