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Tucson pediatrician?

post #1 of 17
8/9/10 at 5:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, does anyone know of, or have experience with, a pediatrician in Tucson who is comfortable with alt-vacc schedules or no-vacc? Extended breastfeeding and co-sleeping? I read some replies about the Chandler area, and may very well drive an hour to go to a Dr. that is more supportive of our family choices. Since we are new to Tucson, I thought I'd ask...
Thanks in advance!

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post #2 of 17
8/12/10 at 1:54am
If you're open to using a Family Practice DR then I have an awesome recommendation.

Dr. Melissa Ray at Orange Grove Family Practice is our DR. We don't vaccinate, breastfed until dd was over 3 and co-slept from the start. She's supportive of our choices, doesn't pressure us into anything we don't want and respects our right to make informed choices even if they don't agree with hers.

We love her!
post #3 of 17
8/12/10 at 3:09am
We see Janel Lloyd at Catalina Pediatrics. We do all the alternative stuff you do. She was very supportive of my nursing my adopted daughter. Today we saw her for a 2 year old well baby visit. My daughter was playing with toys on the floor so Janel got down on the floor and examined her there. Every time I see her she says, "Any vaccinations today?" and I say, "No," and we're done with the conversation.
post #4 of 17
8/22/10 at 6:01pm
Mary Kehl at El Sol is also very non-vax friendly. I've loved her for my kids and myself.
post #5 of 17
9/12/10 at 1:50pm
We have received countless recommendations from friends for Janel Lloyd at Catalina as well. We are in the process of finding a new doc (loved our old one but she is not on our insurance plan anymore) and Dr. Lloyd was recommended the most. Most of my RL firends are very mainstream though, so I have no idea about such "odd" things as EBF and no vaxes

We are going to try out Dr. Dveirin at Clara Vista this winter b/c he is closer to home. I have no idea how he is about vax schedules, but I'll check back and let you know if you haven't found someone by then. (If we don't like him for some reason, we'll be going to Catalina...)
post #6 of 17
9/12/10 at 2:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by swd12422 View Post
We have received countless recommendations from friends for Janel Lloyd at Catalina as well. We are in the process of finding a new doc (loved our old one but she is not on our insurance plan anymore) and Dr. Lloyd was recommended the most. Most of my RL firends are very mainstream though, so I have no idea about such "odd" things as EBF and no vaxes
Janel nursed her kids and has always been very supportive of my EBF. I've been adoptive tandem nursing and my daughter is on the thin side. Janel was always positive and said, "But she's staying on her growth curve," which was the 5th percentile even though her height was 50th percentile. Not once did she even remotely suggest formula. I think she knows I used donor milk to supplement.

ETA: Janel does not do circumcisions. That's big in my book.
post #7 of 17
9/12/10 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SundayCrepes View Post
Janel nursed her kids and has always been very supportive of my EBF. I've been adoptive tandem nursing and my daughter is on the thin side. Janel was always positive and said, "But she's staying on her growth curve," which was the 5th percentile even though her height was 50th percentile. Not once did she even remotely suggest formula. I think she knows I used donor milk to supplement.

ETA: Janel does not do circumcisions. That's big in my book.
I think you have convinced me to switch... I chose Dr. D b/c my BFF goes to him and her daughter has had some pretty serious issues and he handled them very well. He is very laid back, according to her, so I figured I'd give him a try. But he does perform circs and even though I'll never agree to do that to my son, why would I choose him if I can find someone else? Thanks for reinforcing that for me!
post #8 of 17
9/12/10 at 11:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by swd12422 View Post
I think you have convinced me to switch... I chose Dr. D b/c my BFF goes to him and her daughter has had some pretty serious issues and he handled them very well. He is very laid back, according to her, so I figured I'd give him a try. But he does perform circs and even though I'll never agree to do that to my son, why would I choose him if I can find someone else? Thanks for reinforcing that for me!
When you make the appt. don't tell them you don't vax as I've heard the receptionist will say they can't take you on as a pt. However, it's always been a non-issue for us.
post #9 of 17
10/16/10 at 5:56pm
Thread Starter 

My new doctor...

Hi all, I really appreciate the suggestions. I was excited at least one recommendation of the suggestions, maybe from another board, Mark Bessette, accepts Arizona Health Choice insurance. Unfortunately, at his office at Carondelet, I was told he did not accept NEW patients w/ Health Choice, only existing patients with Health Choice. (?) I wanted to try suggestions posted here, but they are not on my provider list.
SO, I was redirected to another Dr. at the same office, who is new there, Rosana Nicoletti. I did not have a great experience with her, but I am starting to be just resigned to the whole process. I have some kind of philosophical questions about the role of a family doctor in our lives... and I'm not sure if this is the place for these thoughts, but...
I was raised to believe that you knew your doctor, and your doctor knew you. You could go and get information, opinions, and guidance from this person. Considering that MY young family only goes to the doctor if something is wrong (which is hardly ever)... is the whole idea of having a "family doctor" some sort of upper middle class myth i was brought up with, but does not apply to my present life?
Am I wrong in coming to the conclusion that with lower socio-economic status, along comes the inability to really choose the RIGHT kind of health provider for me and my family?
Because it's very possible my family will live in Eastern Europe in another year, at least for 5 months, we made the decision to go from an Un-vacc family to a selective/alt schedule vacc family. I suppose I should take DH's advice: to just go in and tell the Dr. what we want and what we are there for, get biz taken care of and that's it. I was under the impression that a family doctor would be interested in our family and in building a relationship with us, based on knowledge of our choices and reasons for addressing these health issues the way we do.
I'm rambling a bit, because I feel so emotional about this right now.
This new doctor, and I am coming to believe any doctor we deal with, will have very little patience for our choices and it will always be nothing but a distasteful skirmish to visit the Dr's office.
Any thoughts or experiences you can share, anyone?
*Losing Heart, and Sleep over This*
post #10 of 17
10/16/10 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrystalEyes View Post
I was raised to believe that you knew your doctor, and your doctor knew you. You could go and get information, opinions, and guidance from this person. Considering that MY young family only goes to the doctor if something is wrong (which is hardly ever)... is the whole idea of having a "family doctor" some sort of upper middle class myth i was brought up with, but does not apply to my present life?
Am I wrong in coming to the conclusion that with lower socio-economic status, along comes the inability to really choose the RIGHT kind of health provider for me and my family?
My husband and I go to Dr. Melissa Ray (family practice DR reco'd above) 2x a year because we're both on blood pressure medication. Our daughters also see Dr. Ray and only go see her when they're sick or we have an issue that we need to address through her for insurance purposes. My 6 year old needed to see a neurologist and Dr Ray wrote us two referrals, one for the Nerologist that her office refers to, and one to any Neurologist of my choice in case I found someone else I liked better while doing my own research. She did the same for the pediatric ophthalmologist. When considering having DD looked at by a behavioral counselor for some minor issues she shared her story with her own child and told me who she recommends because she's like us, not quick to slap labels and medication on issues that are likely just normal for that child.

I adore her. She knows ME, she knows my FAMILY, and she doesn't push medication, interventions, vaccinations or her own personal beliefs onto us. She respects our rights to make informed choices, and has not deviated from that in the 7 years that we've been seeing her.

When I came down with mastitis during my last pregnancy and was seeing a homebirth midwife who couldn't write me a script she acknowledged MY education and experience as a breastfeeding counselor and took a quick look and while we'd never heard of mastitis during pregnancy it was quite clear that's what it was and she gave me the script for abx that I came to get.

I've never had a family I've referred to her come back to me and say anything negative about her at all.

It's really important for me to have a DR who knows me, respects me, and values my input on our healthcare. She hasn't let me down yet.
post #11 of 17
10/17/10 at 12:31am
Thread Starter 
Thank you so much for sharing this, DoulaAngie. I know Dr. Melissa Ray is not on our provider list, but I will call her office and ask if they will accept us. She sounds very much above average.
I think we were just so lucky with our last (and first ever!) pediatrician in Oakland, that I was not prepared for the search here... To be such a...
Search.
Thanks again for the encouragement.
post #12 of 17
10/21/10 at 10:39pm
There is a family practice doc on Dr Sears list, Brooke Vezino. She's with El Rio, at the Irvington office. She doesn't do circumcisions, did not attempt to retract, is fully on board with an informed refusal to vaccinate (but will ask you about your reasoning, and can engage in an accurate discussion re: vaccines. She did not push for vaccines for my kids at all, but did inquire about my own Tdap status, because of the recent whooping cough rise, and encouraged me to consider getting the vaccine. I have several young preemies and 2 w/ asthma, so her suggestion was not unreasonable.) She's very supportive of breastfeeding, including extended breastfeeding. She referred me to Mama's Latte - and told me how to get a discount. I don't think sleeping came up at all, so I don't know how she'd respond to cosleeping. She came highly recommended by Olga at the birth center.
post #13 of 17
10/22/10 at 2:25am
We see Janel Lloyd at Catalina pediatrics. We have a great relationship with her and she's always been great with the kids. When my daughter had chronic loose stools, we worked together to try and deal with it. She listened to me and our decisions were mutually agreed upon.

I take my kids in for the recommended schedule of well child visits. I do this for 2 reasons.

1) I want my kids to be comfortable with the doctor's office. If they only go in when they are sick or have problems they do not have the chance to gain trust in this person/place. By going when they are healthy and nothing painful will happen they don't have to be afraid every time we enter the office.

2) I am not naive about complaints people might make about our choices in parenting. If anyone ever comes knocking at my door wondering about how we parent, I will be able to show that I participate in ongoing preventative mainstream healthcare for my kids. My doctor knows me and would be able to vouch for how we treat our kids.

So, when I hear people say they only go to doctors when there are problems, I like to give them these two things to think about.
post #14 of 17
10/29/10 at 9:18am
Thread Starter 
Yes, we too did all of our well baby check ups for those exact same two reasons-- with our beloved doctor in Oakland, California. DS turned two here in AZ, and have not found a Dr. That even comes close in comparison. So, our recent visit to our "new doctor" was for a final well baby and to get to know our doc. Unfortunately, that was not the doc's agenda...
searching still, for a doc who cares. I'm making appts with some of the ones recc'd here despite them not accepting our insurance. I am also looking into finding a naturopath. Maybe go that route? Hmmm. Thanks everyone!
post #15 of 17
4/5/11 at 3:07pm

Hi, im a fairly new mother i have a 19 month old son and i am searching for a new Dr. The problem with my old doctor was that he was never in the office and my son and i always had to see diffrent Dr's or whoever was available. I am looking for a Dr that beleives or is just understanding about not vaccinating my child, and i want to feel comfortable about my decison. Any input would be greatly appreciated

post #16 of 17
12/11/12 at 9:11pm

Dr Vazino was our dr and she left El Rio. Now we are in search of a new one, i'm due any day to have our 3rd child and need a Pedi. Does anyone have recommendations?

post #17 of 17
12/14/12 at 5:57pm
We have a new foster baby who sees Tracey Kurtzman at El Rio. We haven't met her yet, but she has a very good reputation.

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