Doctor Mom?

We have been blessed with very healthy kids. My boys were both very healthy as babies and have really never had any major issues. I remember when Spencer was a baby, if he was ever fussy and not like himself I got concerned. There were times when he would pull on his ears and have a super runny nose. I would take him right to the doctor and expect to hear that he had an ear infection. I knew ear infections were quite common in little kids and I know they are miserable. I didn't want my child suffering from something a little antibiotic could fix. But every time, the doctor would say, "Nope. He's just teething." I probably took Spencer in 6 times within a 2 month period. He even had a fever of 102 once and I called the nurse asking if I should be concerned or is it just teething? She told me that a fever over 101 usually meant something more serious so I immediately took Spencer in and.....surprise, surprise....JUST TEETHING!

I did that over, and over and over again. After a while I gave up on ever assuming Spencer had an ear infection because apparently, my kids don't get them. The doctor thought I was crazy every time I brought him in and I know the nurse was thinking "Just because kids get whiny, doesn't mean they're sick! Get a clue."

When Preston was a baby, Spencer got a cold but I didn't alarm myself. He had been feverish and fussy but nothing I couldn't handle as a mother. No need for a doctor. About a week into the cold, he woke up one morning crying (which was not like him). So I went to see what was the matter, and his eyes were so pussy, they were glued shut! It was SO sad:(. I hurried and got a warm washcloth and wiped his poor little eyes until he could crack them open and then I made a doctor appointment. I took him in a few hours later and guess what! He had DOUBLE ear infection (that he'd had for a while) and it was SO bad it had spread to both of his eyes. POOR KID! (Don't think I didn't cry all the way home from the doctor's office). I felt like mother of the year that day:(. That was the first and only time Spencer has ever had an ear infection.

Preston has always had issues with his ears. His ears make enough wax that I could harvest it and start making candles as a hobby. I have taken him to the doctor multiple times because he has been rubbing and pulling on his ears. And all I ever hear is, "Nope! No infection. He just has a lot of wax." Preston was sick back in February with a sore throat and I was concerned it could be strep, so I took him to the doctor and no, not strep...A DOUBLE EAR INFECTION! (whatever, I give up) So then a couple of months later, I took Preston to the doctor for his Kindergarten check up. It was just supposed to be your typical physical. As the doctor looked at his throat, he noticed it was a little red and asked, "Is he not feeling good?" I said, "No he's been acting fine." He did a culture to make sure it was nothing and....HE HAD STREP!!!

When we were in California in February, Lauryn was super sick and we took her to the ER and they said she was fine (just something viral). But she was SO sick that when we got home, I took her to the doctor here in Utah and by that point she had a double ear infection that had spread to her eyes (I guess doctors in California don't actually have to "go" to medical school. That $1500 ER bill may have been a waste of money...). Then last week she started pulling on her ear and I thought, "Oh that is a classic ear infection symptom. But I am not going to fall for it! I know better. I am an experienced mother!" She didn't have a fever, and she wasn't acting all that fussy. She has a gazillion teeth coming in right now and that explains it. So on Thursday (a week later), I noticed her eyes were a little pussy and I thought, "OH NO!" So I took her to the doctor and... SHE HAS AN EAR INFECTION! She has had it for a while and it has now spread to her eyes!

So here's my point...(did you lose hope that there was one?)
#1. I SUCK at being able to tell if my kids are sick!
#2. I should always go AGAINST my instinct.
#3. I am sorry that my kids have had to suffer unnecessarily because I am an idiot!

My final thought...So Spencer was 2 when he had his only ear infection. Preston was almost 5 when he had his. But Lauryn has already had three this year alone and she is only 10 months old. So I am concerned about her little ears and what lies in store for her...