Do pediatricians really know what they are talking about???

I often wonder if pediatricians really do know what they are doing, or are they just guessing so that they give you some kind of diagnosis??

Yesterday I received a call from the daycare that my son was breaking out in some sort of bumps or rash on his face. So, of course, I have to go pick him up from school and take him to the doctor. He was acting completely fine, other than the fact that he had a few bumps on the bridge of his nose, and they were starting to appear around his nose (he has a really runny nose as well). He also had a few around his chin/cheek, but he has been drooling a lot too.

So, we take him to the doctor and wait....and wait...and wait...and wait some more. Then the doctor finally came in. My kids were playing on the floor (hide and go seek and a few other games) when he came in. I of course had to take Tyler so that the doctor could look at him. His immdediate response was "hand, foot, mouth".

What is hand foot mouth you may ask??? Well this is what Web MD says....

"Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a common childhood illness. It causes sores in the mouth and on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks and legs. Mouth sores can be painful and may make it hard for your child to eat. The disease is not serious, and it usually goes away in a week or so.
It can occur at any time of year, but hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most common in the summer and fall.

What causes hand-foot-and-mouth disease?

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is caused by a virus called an enterovirus.
The virus spreads easily through coughing and sneezing. You can also get it by coming in contact with infected stool, such as when you change a diaper. Often the disease breaks out within a community. Children are most likely to spread the disease during the first week of the illness. But the virus stays in the stool and can sometimes spread to others for several months after the blisters and sores have healed.
It usually takes 3 to 6 days for a person to get symptoms of hand-foot-and-mouth disease after being exposed to the virus. This is called the incubation period.

What are the symptoms?

At first your child may feel tired, get a sore throat, or have a fever of around 101F to 103F. Then in a day or two, your child may get sores or blisters on the hands, feet, mouth, and sometimes the buttocks. In some cases a child will get a skin rash before the blisters appear. The blisters may break open and crust over. The sores and blisters usually go away in a week or so.

How is hand-foot-and-mouth disease diagnosed?

A doctor can tell if your child has hand-foot-and-mouth disease by the symptoms you describe and by looking at the sores and blisters. "


O.k. lets just 1st state that I have not listed any of those "problem areas" as any of where he has his "bumps." The doctor picked up his hands and because they were slightly red, tried to say that he had it on his hands (one of the places you get it). I wanted to say "Are you kidding me??? Did you not notice that they were crawling on the floor when you came in?? No wonder he has red hands!!!" I think they just pick an illness and try to diagnos every kid that comes in with the same thing.

The symptoms also state that you start out with a fever before the blisters/bumps start to appear. My son has not had a fever AT ALL in I don't know how long. He has nothing inside of his mouth, does not have any trouble eating, and the "rash" he did have on his lower abdomen (diaper area) yesterday tured out to be diaper rash (my assumption since I put diaper rash cream on it last night and it was gone before bed time, and still not visable today).

This makes me wonder if pediatricians really do know what is wrong with our kids. Once again, I think they just pick something so they feel good about sending you home. That pediatrician did not ask me many questions, looked and him and just said "this is what he has....."

So, needless to say I am home with both kids today. Oh and get this, I had to call MY doctor to make sure I was o.k., because of their diagnosis. I had to go yesterday to have blood drawn so they could make sure I didn't have it and was fine. Still waiting on the results. Thank God we have a long weekend a head of us. I took the day off today too because I am exhausted, especially after running around yesterday, then having to work late to make up for the extra long lunch break I had to take. I wasn't feeling 100% this morning either....just light headed and dizzy. I'm sure I will be fine. Just frustrated............