Kicked out of the Pediatrician

[WhiteHorse]

I guess I am not all that surprised. Today I took my 3.5 year old for a well checkup (first mistake was calling it a well visit). I had not seen this doc for a well visit for a long time and had been in the meantime using our family doctor. I have not had him vaccinated since the 6 month visit. Mostly because I am very leery of the vaccines, but also because he is always sick and early on showed some delays which have ironed out mostly and he is I believe pretty normal developmentally now. He just happened to be "not sick" this week so it was a good time for a checkup. We also have allergies and low weight issues with him and wanted to get this docs take on those. Well as soon as the subject of catching up vax came around, he was visibly annoyed and I could tell he thought I was an irresponsible parent risking the life of her child. I told him I was concerned and leery (since he does have allergies, etc) of giving my DS 5 shots all in one day which is the maximum number they can give in one visit. I asked him which one could we start with and he said all of them and he felt that my son posed a risk to his other patients and i should find another provider. He said there was no risk at all for giving that many all at once and that he gets more exposure to organisms when he gets a scratch on the knee. I have heard this same reasoning from my family doctor, what I want to know is - are the bacteria in the dirt deadly diseases that are killing millions of children? (I guess tetanus and diptheria are since we have vaccines for those). At his age and since he does have breathing issues, I would like to catch him up but want to do it gradually. Anyway, I will be searching far and wide to find a doc who will work with us on this.

[laohaire]

No, a scratch on the knee is not remotely comparable to injecting vaccines into the bloodstream.

But besides that, you really need a doctor who understand that YOU are the mother (the customer, the decision-maker).

I had to laugh that apparently your son is putting his other patients at risk. There are just too many holes to poke into that one.

[Turquesa]

I’m sorry to sound tactless, but every time I see a post like the OP on MDC, I have to wonder if peds like this are actually THINKING??  Are they aware of how many parents in your shoes end up not vaccinating at all?  What is the incentive to continue vaccinating your children if you face guilt trips, fear-mongering, harassment, intimidation, and even dismissal from practices?  Are they aware that they’re going to end up shouldering part of the burden for parents’ decisions not to vaccinate?

I’m a selective vaxer myself, so I’m not suggesting that you right away resort to non-vaxing.  I’ve fortunately managed to perservere through our alternative schedule.  But I definitely understand your frustration. 

[Arduinna]

When he brought up vax, I'd have just told him that you've already had it covered with your previous ( other) Dr thanks and not even mentioned the details of his vax status.

[laohaire]

But she was apparently looking to get "caught up" and wanted his opinion on which to start with. She was actually willing to vaccinate, but he kicked her out because she wasn't willing to do more than one shot at the visit. (Gr.)

I would have anticipated a little lecture maybe, but I would have thought he would have picked a shot and done it rather than throwing a temper tantrum that she didn't do them ALL that day.

[Lovemy3girls]

When's the last time any of these doctors were caught up on their immunizations? Is there any kind of registry or system in place to hold them to the same standard they hold their patients to? Have any of them gotten their titers checked for measles, mumps, or rubella? (not that it would be completely accurate to measure immunity anyway). If their immunity has waned over time, are they not putting their unvaccinated patients at risk? Would they be willing to receive as many shots as they give their patients all at one time? Ask them why or why not?

[WhiteHorse]

If it were totally up to me, I would probably be comfortable with not vaccinating at all. BUT DH not on board with that. Also, I have a baby due in 2 weeks and I was trying to get the doc's opinion on which one(s) to do given that it is spring and with baby coming. I plan to not vax at all with the new baby until at least 6 months. My surprise was that he was so hostile and wouldn't even listen to my concerns, very unprofessional bedside manner. He did suggest we could do one shot per day for 5 days in a row... thanks, that makes me feel more comfortable.

[Amatullah0]

Personally, I'm a non-vaxer. DH has a few hangups still, and we got a few vaxes for DS - not something I wanted to do, just giving you some background :) First, forget about that doc. You should try to find a doc that you trust. If you can't find one(they can be elusive) then at least find one that will take your wishes into mind. If you can't find anyone like that, then at least find someone who you can stand up to. Like pp said, you are the consumer. You are paying this doc. If that's what you want to do(one vax at a time), but you can't find anyone who will do that, you could go to the health department to get vaxes or agree to do one a day(but not actually show up until you are ready for the next vax)