Should I look for a new doctor? (m)

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure whether I should consider switching doctors, or whether

we actually got decent care and I am expecting too much. I'll relay

what happened (sorry if this gets long) and I'd appreciate hearing

what you all think.

Our ped first noticed Genna's flat spot and preference for turning

her head to the left side around 3 or 4 months. All he told us to do

was try to encourage her to look the other way by placing her in the

crib the opposite way, turning her bouncy seat in different

directions, etc. He never formally diagnosed her with torticollis,

just said she had a preference and her neck was a little tight.

So we did what he said. We saw a substitute doc at her 6 mo.

appointment because her doc was out of town. He noted the flat spot

and just told us to continue what we were doing. I took her in again

at around 8 months because her head was still flat and I was afraid

we were running out of time. Her regular doc saw her this time and

said she seemed to be doing better as far as looking in both

directions but that her head was still somewhat flat and her ears

were a little asymmetrical. He said we should take her to the

neurosurgeon to find out about a DOC band. He basically said if he

had seen her at 6 months instead of his colleague, he would have sent

her then, so we wasted 2 months.

So we have started the process, seen the neurosurgeon, done the

casting, etc. and we are waiting for the band to come in on Tuesday.

I am annoyed at this point because I think they should have referred

us LONG ago and if I hadn't taken her in and pushed it who knows

where we would be. And I am worried that she needs PT or something

that she is not getting. She sits up well and stands with support.

She can roll but doesn't do it very much and only started rolling

onto her tummy within the last couple of weeks (she is over 9 months

old). She doesn't like being on her tummy much and has poor neck

strength. She shows no signs of crawling and doesn't pull up. At

her 9 mo. appointment she asked if she was crawling and I said no,

and he said some babies never crawl. OK, fine. He asked if she had

any method of moving around, such as scooting. I said no, she pretty

much stays put where you place her, even if a toy is just out of

reach. She will sit or lay there and cry until I help her, rather

than try to move on her own. He just said, Hmmm, most babies have

some way of getting around even if they don't crawl. Then he asked

if she was using her hands OK, and I said yes, she seems to, and he

basically said not to worry about it and she's fine.

Well, I see and hear about other babies every day and I am not so

sure she's fine. I am not convinced her " tight neck " isn't affecting

her motor development, keeping her from crawling, pulling up, etc. I

don't think it's a HUGE problem but it seems like some PT might be in

order. We do some basic neck stretching exercises from CT but I

wonder if maybe she needs more, since she seems to be behind other

babies in these areas. But then, she has been seen by her ped about

this stuff and by a pediatric neurosurgeon and nobody has suggested

that she needs anything more than what she's getting. So maybe I am

just being overly protective. As I said, I am annoyed and a little

wary after they dropped the ball on the band referral. And sometimes

I wonder if some exercises months ago might have fixed this whole

problem without a band.

What do others think? Should I shop around for a new doctor? I

honestly don't know if a new doctor would be any better or if they

are doing all they can for her now. Maybe I just need to get the

band and relax and go with the flow. ??

Thanks in advance.

Judy

[Guest guest]

Judy,

It's a tough call. Your Dr. may have had some plans in mind not

written down prior to your appt. The sub comes in and sees some

things that don't look right. Well, Genna isn't the sub's regular

patient, so he doesn't know all the circumstances involved. It isn't

truely possible to be sure enough to diagnose something without

knowing the patient (unless it is obvious). The sub may also not

have been as informed as your regular Dr. about plagio and the DOC

Band. Our pediatrician never even thought of it until we talked to

her and let her see all the info we'd compiled from Cranial Tech's

website. We have an appointment to go see her specifically so she can

see the Band (after hours, no cost; will be able to bring the cast

Matt's Band was formed on, too! That is amazing how much the mold

shows). Before us, though, she was uninformed.

If you have a good friend that is a lawyer, it wouldn't hurt to ask

for some free advice. I wouldn't pay for any, yet. If Genna has

some difficulties and it can be due to lack of correction since

official diagnosis was late, maybe then you would look for some more

in depth legal advice.

Chris