I just got back from the doctor and am still reeling a bit. Our pediatrician is on vacation and since her husband is a generaliste, she sends her patients see him when she isn't around. He is a complete asshole I've just learned (although I was already suspicious from our previous encounters) so I can't tell if it would have gone much better with a different doctor.

A bit of background- Ella had occasionally been fussing when I tried to change her diaper, which I thought was due to the fact that I have been asking regularly if she needs her diaper changed. I'm trying to ease us into the potty training so I figure a good start is to get her to tell me when she's dirty or wet, although it hasn't been working at all- she always gets mad and shouts "No!" when ever the subject comes up. Over the last few days I started to feel like it was more because she didn't want me to touch her, like it hurt. But she didn't have diaper rash so I wasn't quite sure what would be hurting her, unless it was something like a bladder infection. I mentioned it B and he said he hadn't noticed it, until this morning when she seemed to spontaneously start crying as she reached towards her crotch. We decided that we had better get her to see a doctor.

So I made an appointment with Dr's Husband and told him what I had noticed. Before I had even finished he interrupted me and said "Well of course she has an infection." He had me undress her and lay her on the table so he could have a look, and credit where credit is due- Ella has a perfect angel. She laid there perfectly still and let him poke around, while looking at me with a sort of bemused look on her face. I didn't think we would get off so easy after the tantrum she had during her last visit. He smelled her diaper (shaking his head sadly and saying "Eh, bah-oui") and then said told me to get her dressed. But at the last minute he asked me to turn her over so he could look at her butt, which I thought was odd. He examined her anus even closer, and then pointed to it and said "She has worms. Did you see them?" I was totally confused- what about the bladder infection?- and ready to faint from the horror, which didn't help. I didn't really see anything right then, and I certainly hadn't seen them before, but clearly the correct answer was "Yes". So I said "I don't know. I think so?"

He went back to his desk and started scribbling out prescriptions while I dressed Ella. I sat down and tried to gather my thoughts. I asked where she might have gotten them, and he said its hard to tell since they are very contagious and in fact, B and I should take the medicine as well. So did I need to tell the garderie? her friends? Did I need to do anything special with her sheets? Her clothes? No, he said, it was probably just her diaper that came into contact with them? (Well then how did she get them?!!) Then he asked me to be quiet so he could write. When he stopped writing, he said that I should take her immediately over to a lab in the 15th to get her a test for the bladder infection because even though her symptoms might all be due to worms, it was better to test her. I took the address and asked what exactly the test entailed. Oh, just local anesthetic and a catheter. Now, I had a catheter inserted while in the maternity hospital and I am not kidding when I say that the aftermath of that was seriously worse than the delivery. And he wanted me to just pop round for a quick test, just in case she did have a bladder infection? But if she did have one, we should get the results in a few days and then could start medicine on Friday or Saturday.

I just paid my bill, took the prescriptions and left. First of all, he was acting like I was completely negligent the way I had handled things which I don't think was true. Secondly, he wouldn't answer any of my questions, and thirdly, he off-handedly orders a horribly invasive test for a baby and gives me no alternative, telling me that I would have to go there immediately if I wanted to get the results before the weekend. I got all the medicine that he prescribed but I called B and we decided not to go for the bladder infection test. Instead, I am forcing liquids down her and have bribed her with chocolate to sit on her potty, watching Dora movies, until I get a urine sample. Hopefully, if I show up at the lab with a sample they can just do the test and we can avoid the catheter. But it seems like she is stubbornly holding it in. I'll give it another half hour and then I guess I will try making an appointment for late this afternoon or early tomorrow morning with a different pediatrician. I just refuse to put her through that.


Edited: She did pee in the potty, crying the whole time. I was busy giving her a big hug and telling her "Well done" when she dropped her tetine in the pee. GREAT. I'm praying that the lab takes the sample still, although I suspect that they are very fussy about things like that.

Edited again: She can't take a nap because she keeps waking up screaming, grabbing at her diaper. So I am frantically trying to get in to see another doctor who will hopefully give us some medicine to start today. See, its days like today when the time differencewith WI just kills me- I desperately need to get my mom on the phone so she can tell me what to do, or atleast talk me down from the ledge. I'll give her another hour in bed and then I am on the phone.

Edited a 3rd time: It took all afternoon but I saw a pediatrician and managed to find out that Ella does not have a bladder infection. Thank god that I didn't do the other test!