Today, I was with Dr. Villareal. It was fantastic! We saw about 21 patients and all appointments were different. There were several interesting appointments today. The first interesting appointment involved a young patient that was born with a smooth brain. This means that they don’t have the classic ridges that are present in most peoples brains. This means that the patient cannot eat, breathe, or speak on their own. They were on a ventilator as well. This case was interesting because I had never heard of a brain becoming smooth, so it was interesting to learn about the effects that it had on the patient and their life. Another interesting case in the afternoon involved an older patient that was suspected to have a kidney stone issue. This was interesting because kidney stones are extremely uncommon in kids. All of the symptoms were present for it to be kidney stones, and Dr. V recommended for the patient to get a CT scan as soon as possible. The issue was that the insurance did not want to approve their scan, and wanted them to have an ultra sound instead. This was an issue because if the stone was too small it would not be seen in the ultra sound, and wouldn’t give them a diagnosis. Dr. V got on the phone and convinced the company to let it go. That is another aspect that is a part of the private practice life, insurance issues. There were several instances that allowed me to play with young children, and that was some of the best times of my day! I even received a beautiful drawing (pictured above) from one of the patients I got to be with during their appointment. Today, and this week in general was very hectic in the Cary Pediatric Office. I have seen a total of 87 patients (this week) with three different doctors with an average of about 22 appointments a day. I have learned several things but the key ones are below.
A Beginners Guide to Pediatrics
- Always listen to the younger patients heart and lungs first because once you look in their ears they don’t trust you because it is uncomfortable.
- Generally, if the patient has cold symptoms and they are negative for strep, it is just a viral infection. This means that the fever will run for 5 days (it will peak on day 3), and as fever goes away a rash may develop (which is normal). I saw this at least 5 times everyday I have been in the office.
- All doctors have a different way to do things. Whether it is the order of visit/questions or the way they deal with parents. There are subtle differences between every doctor and their process.