When your child ends up in the emergency room

I recently wrote about a walk I took with my sons, where I slipped, falling onto my youngest who fell onto a rock, which cut his forehead and meant a trip to the emergency room for four stitches. It wasn’t our first visit, but thankfully, it’s never been for anything dire. My kids have just run into and jumped off a variety of things, so there’s been broken bones, forehead cuts (they have matching pairs), along with spiked temperatures that invariably happen when the pediatrician’s office isn’t open. I’m pretty good at keeping my head, but I’m not at my best in an ED. I end up being too polite and deferential. In essence, I say, “Stop this bleeding now, and in exchange, I won’t bug you with more than two questions. Promise.” How to advocate for your child in the emergency room It’s not a winning formula. Doctors have skill, but they’re just people. They’re often rushed and can’t know everything about my child. They will fail to cover everything that worries me and my wife. Bottom line: they need help, and that means, because I’m the biggest expert on my child — side note: remember that I’m the biggest expert on my child — I need to ask questions, share relevant information, and, occasionally, be a pain. But before I resort to that last part, I want to work with you, doc, and to do that, I’ll try to be clearheaded and give you useful information up top. Help the emergency room doctor help your child It’s not close to an exhaustive list, ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Injuries Parenting Source Type: blogs