Doctor tells child he had a virus

[Timbo]

I don't mean to scare anyone with this, it is an example of how bad some doctors are.

This is typical of physicians. I was told the same exact thing when I started having POTS symptoms. "It's just a virus."

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- The state medical examiner has ruled that a 5-year-old boy's death was the result of a bite by a poisonous brown recluse spider.

Nicholas Robinson was bitten while playing outside his home about 70 miles south of Nashville on July 29.

The child was taken to a doctor, who determined he was suffering from a virus rather than a bite. However, the child that night was rushed to a hospital, where his symptoms included hypersalivation, sweating and neurological problems before he died, according to the medical examiner's report, completed Thursday.

Physicians are quick to judge something serious as a virus instead of doing tests. I diagnosed myself with POTS and told a series of doctors what I thought I had and none of them cared except for one who did the tests and diagnosed me.

On the other hand, my Father had complications after his heart attack that left him basically disabled, he went to see a cardiologist from Johns Hopkins who figured out right away that he was retaining too much water because of the drugs he was taking. His other Cardiologist thought he had a virus.

[Ernie]

One thing I remember is that you need high grades to get in med school ie 90% and above but to graduate 4 years later you need 50%. So that means that some doctors only understood 50% of the material they were tested on. Pretty worrying.

Ernie

[Sue]

My husband is attending University right now, Unbelievable we were just talking this morning about what your grade point average had to be in order to graduate!!!!!!! Can you believe that. I think the standard needs to be raised!!

Sue

[blackwolf]

I've had that discusion with one of my gps, I called my cardio. I see him on Tuesday. My gp had put me off for about 5 weeks now. My cardio was furious, he said he will call my gp on Monday too have alittle "chat". Last time my cardio did this, I had to switch docs as the first wouldn't see me any more, no skin off my chin. As little as my cardio knows about POTS I still like him.

Blackwolf

[ethansmom]

Somehow, shamefully, this doesn't surprise me in the least.

We are sitting in our living room watching "John Q" right now...you know, the movie with Denzel where his son needs a new heart and they can't afford to pay for it...and the hospital rejects service to them- so he holds them hostage until they agree to save his son's life. Even this would not surprise me in the least, with the healthcare system the way it is today.

I can only hope that someday it will be better than this.

[ramakentesh]

In australia they say that more patients come out of hospital worse than when they come in.

[Ernie]

When doctors are on strike here, statistics prove that less patients die in the hospitals!

Ernie

[Guest Julia59]

Very discouraging----VERY! I would think the standards would be raised when a life is in ones hands. Is this how life is valued in the medical profession?

That's just not ethical............

I don't want to get started----i'll never shut up-----sooo----I just won't get started......

Julie

[ethansmom]

Julie-

That's what I'm thinking

[Dawg Tired]

Brown Recluse Story #1: My sister was bitten about 4 years ago by one of these spiders. The first doctor told her it was nothing to worry about. The next day it looked infected to her so she went to the ER. She was given some antibiotics and sent home. 3 days later it was looking much worse so she went to see the nursing instructor at the school where she was teaching. That lady took one look at it and called a "real" doctor. She spent 8 days in the hospital (her HMO would only cover 1!), had hyperbaric treatments for 6 weeks after that, then had to have the area sugrically excised. The doctor told her that a skinny woman would have been in trouble. She said at least she got a tummy tuck out of it but she still has neuro problems.

Brown Recluse Story #2: My husband and I were packing to move so he brought a bunch of boxes in from the storage shed. We had argued months before about these boxes since I knew that Brown Recluse spiders like to hide in them and I wasnted them BURNED! Anyway, he carried them in and was packing some things when - guess what - a BR ran out and bit him n the leg! By the time I carefully captured the spider he was in a world of hurt so I took him to the urgent care. The nurse practitioner there listened rather skeptically to the story then went and got a book. She looked up Brown Recluse, loked at the spider in the jar and told me it wasn't the same thing. I told her that she was looking at a picture of a female and the spider I had here is a male - it was smaller and a bit darker but had the "violin" on its back. She refused to do anything. Told Hubby to put an ice pack n the swollen area on his leg. We left there and went to another facility of the same urgent care where there happened to be a doctor on duty that I knew. We got treatment.

UUUUURRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!