Back from the ER

First of all...Dean says I'm not going to the ER alone anymore...they seem to treat me like I'm this young, immature, dumb...girl or something. I say...we simply ARE NOT GOING to this ER ever again!!!!!!!!!! It is so worth driving the 4hrs each way to Seattle to get a COMPETENT doctor that has a clue what he's talking about.

So we go in at 6pm...I wait 2hrs in the waiting room. Azlan was great, kind of dopey most of the time. We finally get called in. I have explained the problem now to THREE Nurses. The doctor comes in and says "got a flu do we?". Here we go again. So I explain everything. The bruising. the unsettling blood work. The fever. THE LACK OF FLU SYMPTOMS. So he looks in his ear and after 3 or 4 looks he says "I THINK its maybe a little tiny bit pink in there...maybe the start of an ear infection...we'll just give him some antibiotics and send him home" I can tell this is going to be a FABULOUS er visit. Ok he "SORTA KINDA" thinks he MAY have an ear infection....??? I don't even have any words. NEXT.

So I have to insist that my doctor wants bloodwork. He thinks its pointless...?!?? I told him Azlan's doc told us to come to the ER b/c of fever again with no symptoms and get his blood checked. He shrugs and says "ok...whatever you want" ???

Sooo...get his blood done....(sad sad sad...heartwrenching...poor Azlan...every time you lay him down he thinks he's getting his blood taken and here ... he does. again. He just stares at me and wails. Like "HELP ME!" :( ) we wait. Forever. They come back with the results and here they are:

its his LOWEST wbc ever...only 6000. (was 13000 a few days ago) (?) so that number was good but the differential still bothers me. The lymphocytes were high at 78% (30-40 is normal). Indicating viral infection. Surprise surprise. We have never had his blood taken when this number was normal.
His Monocytes were also high.
The alarming one was his platelets. Normal is 250-600. His a few days ago was 388. Tonight it was 177. definately explains some of the bruising. But an explanation as to why it dropped so much so fast would be nice.

The doc comes in and I KID YOU NOT says ... well his blood work is a bit off...but frankly its just a common flu. OH NO. Here we go again. Diagnosing our baby with a FLU WITH NO SYMPTOMS. I say that, he says "he does have symptoms he has a fever!" ARe YOU SERIOUS?! A fever is an indication of something wrong...some infection not always a FLU!!!! Ok who is the doctor here? Then he says "i took the light and looked up his nose and saw a booger...so I think he has a flu" I laughed. Out loud. I really laughed. I asked him if he has children. He says yes. I asked him if there is EVER a time when there is NO booger up their nose!! He shrugged. EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! If his nose is RUNNINg thats one thing...but if you have to take a light and look UP HIS NOSE....nevermind. I have nothing else to say on that.

So he comes back and says...here's an antibiotic for the 'possible ear infection' (WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE that I would give my child antibiotics JUST IN CASE he has an ear infection (which in his 12mths of life and 10.5mth of SERIOUS RISK for ear infection b/c of open palate...has NEVER HAD ONE...)??? and to treat him for the common flu. I really laughed and said 'this is why I am willing to get in my car and drive 4hrs each way to Seattle...this is why".

I have nothing more to say. EXCEPT GET ME TO THE HEMATOLOGIST so we figure out what is wrong!!!!!

Oh I forgot to say...at the end he looks at me like I've lost my head for not agreeing YET AGAIN that my child has the flu with no symptoms...and says "oh is this your first child?" with a smirk. I told him no ...actually...it was MY HUSBAND and my THIRD child in three yrs. He seemed to be more shocked that I was married. He said "you have 3 children" "ahhhh yes I do." Did that somehow validate legitimate, intelligent questioning of his babbling??