Various MD-related posts

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I don't post very often but feel compelled to jump in here given the

number of recent e-mails on this topic. As a parent of an 8 y/o boy

with autism, I don't like to see parents of children with autism

characterized in unflattering ways (desperate, gullible, angry,

uneducated,...). As someone who has worked in the health care

industry for 30 years, I also don't like to see disparaging and non-

specific comments about " physicians " and the entire health care

industry. True, there are many very serious and complex problems in

our industry but it isn't fair (or accurate) to characterize

physicians, in general, as arrogant, greedy, uneducated and the

entire system as corrupt…

We all need to remember that there are many wonderful physicians who

are trying to help; many of whom have severely affected children.

My best friend is a physician and her 11 year old son is one of the

most severely affected kids I've ever met. He weighs about 50

pounds and may not survive his complex illnesses despite her

courageous efforts. She is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and

compassionate people I've ever met. She's blazing trails for the

rest of us. For those of us who have dedicated our lives to helping

the sick, the experience of having a desperately ill child and being

shunned by our colleagues is just devastating on many levels. We

are all feeling the sting. Besides being a mom of an affected

child, I not only worked as a nurse who volunteered in a free clinic

and immunized hundreds of poor children, but in the early 1980's, I

worked in a neonatal ICU and took care of infants who literally died

my arms of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The process of

learning that the vaccine industry and immunization is less than

perfect is difficult and paradigm shattering. I've had plenty of

nightmares and felt terribly conflicted and worried about the kids I

immunized. I never ever intended to harm anyone.

Some health care people are trying to listen and learn. Parent

voices are being heard by policymakers and the system is

responding. They are more likely to listen, however, if they are

treated with the same measure of respect we want for ourselves.

Vicky