Urgent Care Doctor

[StantonHyde]

October mommy I usually agree with you but in this case the doctor was using a shared medical record in which the patients primary physician documented these actual allergies. In our EMR there is no way somebody can miss this-it’s on the top banner, highlighted etc. I’m not saying report the doc to the medical board-that is not warranted. But I would file a grievance with clinic management.

[PZMommy]

So an interesting turn of events....

At dinner he was complaining of being itchy. At first I thought it was just in his head since he got a lot of attention earlier in the week with that complaint. By the time dinner was over he was really complaining, so I looked and sure enough stomach and back all covered in hives again. He was even getting some by his ears and eye lids. I took him straight to urgent care, and despite a waiting room full of people, they took him straight back to a room, and the doctor was in to see him within minutes. She gave him a steroid shot and benedryl and was monitoring his breathing. This doctor was super nice and really listened to what has gone on with him the past week. She read pages of notes in his chart. From the way the computer screen was facing I could see that his doctor had a lengthy note in there from yesterday. Tonight’s doctor doesn’t think that he is allergic to the antibiotic that he started yesterday, but that his body is still in overdrive from his original reaction and is just reacting to anything new at this point. She ran another strep test and since it was negative, she suggested taking him off all antibiotics so his body can rest. She gave us the option to try a different antibiotic since he has not had a full course of antibiotics, but said she feared that he would react to that as well. She said if it were her son, she’d lay off the antibiotics. I felt good with that decision. She put him on a 5 day course of prednisone and benedryl. She also sent a message to his pediatrician that we may want to do a full allergy panel to look for other allergies. He had one done when he was a baby, but she said things can change over time, and it might be a good idea to do it again. Prednisone turns my son into an emotional and irrational mess, so we have a long 5 days ahead of us!

[bisous]

So an interesting turn of events....

At dinner he was complaining of being itchy. At first I thought it was just in his head since he got a lot of attention earlier in the week with that complaint. By the time dinner was over he was really complaining, so I looked and sure enough stomach and back all covered in hives again. He was even getting some by his ears and eye lids. I took him straight to urgent care, and despite a waiting room full of people, they took him straight back to a room, and the doctor was in to see him within minutes. She gave him a steroid shot and benedryl and was monitoring his breathing. This doctor was super nice and really listened to what has gone on with him the past week. She read pages of notes in his chart. From the way the computer screen was facing I could see that his doctor had a lengthy note in there from yesterday. Tonight’s doctor doesn’t think that he is allergic to the antibiotic that he started yesterday, but that his body is still in overdrive from his original reaction and is just reacting to anything new at this point. She ran another strep test and since it was negative, she suggested taking him off all antibiotics so his body can rest. She gave us the option to try a different antibiotic since he has not had a full course of antibiotics, but said she feared that he would react to that as well. She said if it were her son, she’d lay off the antibiotics. I felt good with that decision. She put him on a 5 day course of prednisone and benedryl. She also sent a message to his pediatrician that we may want to do a full allergy panel to look for other allergies. He had one done when he was a baby, but she said things can change over time, and it might be a good idea to do it again. Prednisone turns my son into an emotional and irrational mess, so we have a long 5 days ahead of us!

OP this reminds me so much of my sister. The good news is that after all her incidents she received enough of the antibiotics for it to "take" and never had a relapse. I truly hope your DS feels better soon!

[PZMommy]

OP this reminds me so much of my sister. The good news is that after all her incidents she received enough of the antibiotics for it to "take" and never had a relapse. I truly hope your DS feels better soon!

Thank you! The hives and itching have gone away, but now we are dealing with the effects of prednisone. It turns him into an irrational monster!!

[trales]

Having a true allergy to something that a lot of people claim to be allergic to is hard. A lot of people claim to be allergic to codeine, most just get bad side effects. In college I had an anaphylactic reaction to it. It was horrible. I have to to explain to every doctor that it was a true allergy, tons have put a special note in my chart, but often I get doubt from them. It drives me crazy.

[nfceagles]

I would be irritated but I don’t find this drs actions all that surprising. My DS is allergic to amoxicillin and we are constantly getting the lecture about how so many people think they are allergic to penicillins but aren’t really. We even get this from allergists who want him to come in for testing to prove he isn’t allergic. Then I remind them that I used his epi-pen on him when he reacted and his former allergist (now retired) didn’t believe it could be the antibiotics so he did the full intradermal allergy testing thing and lo and behold he is one of the ones who is truly and severely allergic.


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[bisous]

Having a true allergy to something that a lot of people claim to be allergic to is hard. A lot of people claim to be allergic to codeine, most just get bad side effects. In college I had an anaphylactic reaction to it. It was horrible. I have to to explain to every doctor that it was a true allergy, tons have put a special note in my chart, but often I get doubt from them. It drives me crazy.

Can I ask what you mean by “bad side effects” though? Don’t those effects warrant a mention to the doctor and a new prescription? I feel like breaking out in hives should be enough of a “bad side effect” for the OP to feel confident that her DS should not be prescribed antibiotics from that family, regardless of whether he’s had the requisite allergy testing.

[PZMommy]

Thankfully DS is off of all the steroids and allergy meds, and a second strep test came back negative, so it looks like we are in the clear. The 5 days of prednisone almost killed us though. That stuff makes him turn into the Hulk! I talked with his pedi about pursuing allergy testing for the meds, and she doesn't think it is worth it. She said his reactions were severe enough that she feels he shouldn't have them again. She said it is an issue we could visit in the future, but for now, she doesn't see the point of it.

[nfceagles]

Can I ask what you mean by “bad side effects” though? Don’t those effects warrant a mention to the doctor and a new prescription? I feel like breaking out in hives should be enough of a “bad side effect” for the OP to feel confident that her DS should not be prescribed antibiotics from that family, regardless of whether he’s had the requisite allergy testing.

For one thing, bacteria are growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics. It’s generally preferable to treat with the old ones if possible and move to the newer ones only if necessary. Secondly, a lot of drs think the hives people experience while on them are often viral hives stemming from the illness they’re fighting. Other ill feelings could be the result of the underlying illness not the antibiotic and GI issues could be the result of any antibiotic killing off good gut bacteria. There are studies showing that the rate of penicillin allergy is no where near as high as the self reported rate.


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[PZMommy]

For one thing, bacteria are growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics. It’s generally preferable to treat with the old ones if possible and move to the newer ones only if necessary. Secondly, a lot of drs think the hives people experience while on them are often viral hives stemming from the illness they’re fighting. Other ill feelings could be the result of the underlying illness not the antibiotic and GI issues could be the result of any antibiotic killing off good gut bacteria. There are studies showing that the rate of penicillin allergy is no where near as high as the self reported rate.


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My son's whole face was starting to swell. It was more than just hives. We walked into a very crowded urgent care and they had him back in a room and seeing a doctor within minutes before even checking us in. The front desk took one look at him, and he was immediately taken back. The fact that the reaction was worse the second time he had an antibiotic in that same family makes me terrified to see what would happen if he tried it a third time.

He didn't have any stomach issues. We always do culturelle when he is on antibiotics which maybe helps in that regard??