Update: I took ilan to the appt. at noon. The doc didn't seem to mind that he couldn't run the card through, as I reminded him that last time I left the other one with him, and he could do the same again. He checked him over and all is ok, no ear infection, throat infection, urine infection, or chest infection. Essentially, it's flu stuff we're seeing and it needs to run it's course with treatement continuing of tylenol/acamol and ibuprofren. AND, after the appt. he had the little guy go pee in the cup to check for ur. inf. By the time that happened and we brought it back into him, he checked it while I waited, and then tried the card again. Which, since it was now 12:30 and the other doctors must have closed their office, WORKED! Sooooooooo, I at least didn't leave there feeling put off at all. Unfortunately there is nothing specific we can do for him other than treat the symptoms of the fever and congestion/coughing. AND BOY WAS HE COUGHING LAST NIGHT. aargh.
****THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONCERN AND SUGGESTIONS!!!
UGH.......having one of those I HATE THIS COUNTRY moments. It's by no means political and far from ideological. It's purely medical.
As you know, for the past 2 months someone in this household has been sick. Both boys have been to a set of pediatricians here in the area, and I was like, "well, they're ok." Then, my older one came down with strep. He was put on antibiotics, and 2 days later, in the middle of the night, woke up with a 103.5 F/39.7C fever! I freaked out, did what I know to do, and got the fever down a bit, but it was still fever. I didn't want to rush him in, so I called the doctor's office and left a message (because with these specific pediatricians you don't reach someone when you call, just a machine). I explained the situation and left the message that I wanted to speak to a doctor to see what I should do with him. Well, that was at 8am. At 10:30 i got a phone call from the doctor's office:
p/t receptionisht: "Hi, do you want an appointment?"
me: UM, no, I left a message, I wanted to SPEAK with someone about what I should do.
p/t R: "Oh, ok, I'll give the message to the doctor and he will call you back."
~~~so I waited and waited, and didn't hear a thing from any doctor!!!
My son thank g-d got better that afternoon, I was able to keep the fever down with a combo of tylenol/ibuprofren from the states, but I still hadn't heard from the doctor. Until the next morning. Around 9:30 the phone rings:
me: hello?
p/t r: "Hi, do you want an appointment?"
me: huh? who is this?
p/t r: "It's the doctor's office, do you want an appointment?"
INSERT BOILING BLOOD HERE
me: no, I WANTED to talk to a doctor YESTERDAY.
p/t r, remembering who I was: OH, nobody called you?
me: ......
this is where I went on to tell her how upset and disappointed I was that nobody cared to call, etc. I went on and on using whatever hebrew words I could come up with. She apologized on their behalf (sort of), and said she would relay the message.
At this point I thought for sure I would get a phone call. I didn't need an apology, but just show me some compassion, some? This is my kid we're talking about! BUT NO! not a word til this day! So, as can be expected, a week later my little one was sick. I called the main office for the health kupah and asked to switch doctors. I was told that I had to wait until the first of the first (Jan 1) to do that since he was already entered into the system with the other docs. AARGH! In the end we figured out that I could call the family doc that I had been to and take him there. The catch was that if the pediatri. office was open at the same time, then their computers are open and my boys are locked into their system. AARGH We figured a way around it though, and I left the insurance card for my older son with the doc for him to run it through the next am.
Fast forward 2 more weeks to today. Little guy is having these fevers again and still has the congestion and coughing. Phone call to the family doctor, receptionist answers, who last time just made the appt. with no questions. This time she's asking too many questions and figures out that my son is not in the system at their office. We were back at square one and she was telling me I could not bring him in. You have to wait till the first of January, she tells me. AARGH. This is where I lost it.....the tears came......."But my kid is sick today!" she told me I needed to bring him to the other doctors' office. "But he was in your office last week!" I proclaimed. I could barely speak through the tears. Long story short, she gave in and gave me an appointment on the premis that we were already there the week before.
BUT HOW FRUSTRATING!!!!!
Anyway, thanks for listening, we've got an appointment today for noon. Let's hope there isn't too much trouble, and that I'm just being an overprotective parent and that he's fine.
