liabilities

When did human kindness become such a liability?

We all packed up for a drive up to Raleigh on Monday to take Charlotte to the doctor. Normally I make appointments on Thursday's when her doc is at the office near us, but this couldn't be helped....no poop for 11 days can't wait until Thursday. Dan needed to take care of a speeding ticket issue at the court house which is in downtown Raleigh so we figured two birds one stone and what not. He dropped the girls and me off at the doctor and headed off to court telling me it wouldn't take more than 20 minutes.

Both of my girls were really good in the doctor's office. I kept Maddie entertained with little cars, and Charlotte just sat on my lap. Charlotte ended up pooping in the car on the way there, so I had a specimen for the doc to look at (and yes, she was constipated) The doctor came in, looked at the poop, talked with me for seriously like 2 minutes and then left saying that he was going to come back with a "plan." I hadn't even asked him any of the questions I had planned. I feel like the medical profession has gotten into this herding mentality, get to a problem as quickly as possible, even if it's not the right problem as long as its the obvious one and patch the situation up and then move on to the next sheep/goat/cow. At least in my experience medical professionals just don't have the time anymore to have a relationship with their patients.....a relationship that can genuinely help them to practice medicine and treat patients, but they have too many people scheduled each day trying to rake in as much money as they can. I digress. The doc sent in a nurse to explain the "plan" to me, and when I discovered that she had no idea what she was talking about, I demanded that the doctor come back in and explain it to me himself, and answer my questions.

His "plan" was for us to continue breastfeeding, supplement if needed with formula and to give her 2 ounces of water and 1/2 teaspoon of Mylanta a day. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? We've already done this, we've been down this road numerous times since Charlotte was born, and it hasn't made a bit of difference. We've done the water, and apple juice, and pear juice, and Mylanta, and mylacon drops, and karo syrup and sugar water and abdominal massage and suppositories. We've done it all, and not only does it not work, the situation is getting worse because she is going longer and longer without pooping. First it was 4 days and then 5-6 days and then 7 days and now 11 days. Seriously?!?!? I just want my child to poop, is that too much to ask? lol

Okay, so that wasn't even really what this blog was supposed to be about.....I get side tracked easily. So, the doctor came back in and actually spends a good 10 minutes with me and answers my questions and we kinda modify the plan, add me drinking a LOT of water, and feeding her pureed apples. We finish up, Maddie gets a sticker because she was such a good girl and we head back out to the waiting area where I call Dan. He tells me that he has just arrived at the courthouse and it's gonna be like 30-45 minutes before he can get back to the doctor's office and pick us up. Expletives entered my mind. Great, now I have to find a way to keep both of my kids under control in the waiting room where there is absolutely nothing for Maddie to do, and we had to for-go afternoon naps for an emergency poop doctor’s visit. But there is a possible ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds of this bad situation.....our pediatrician group also owns and runs preschools and they are right next to the offices and the preschools have playgrounds. So, I grab the diaper bag, grab Maddie's hand and hoist up Charlotte in her car seat (by the way, Charlotte now weighs 18 pounds 13 ounces, so carrying her in her car seat is quite a task)and walk across the parking lot to the preschool. I struggle to get into the front door since my hands and arms are full of kids and walk up to the "receptionist" woman who is manning the front check in/out counter. I tell her that I am stranded at the pediatrician’s office for a little while and ask if it would be possible for Maddie to play on the playground for just a few minutes to get some of her wiggles out. Now, let me tell you, this playground is like a little tikes one with a couple slides and climb through tunnels but it's not very big, and not very tall and honestly Maddie could eat it for breakfast.....she is used to MUCH bigger and taller equipment at the park. Anyway, the receptionist woman looks right at me with my arms full and tells me no, she can't let Maddie use the playground because it's a liability.

I just about started crying. Obviously I needed help, if it wasn't apparent with me juggling too many things in my arms, then it was written all over my face. I understand that they have the right to cover their asses for liability, but I just don't understand how we got to this place, this sterile, fend for yourself screw you, place. I was looking for help, for some compassion and it didn't even need to be the playground, Maddie would have been fine with a piece of paper and a few crayons in the lobby, or some blocks anything that would have kept her occupied and kept us from hanging around outside in the parking lot where I had to juggle two kids and make sure Maddie didn't run out into the street and get hit by a car. But no, they couldn't be bothered to help me, just like the doctors office could not be bothered to change the channel on their waiting room TVs from boring advertisements to cartoons so that Maddie had something to distract her from being bored and wanting to throw medical leaflets all over the waiting room.

This whole event was our fault.....we didn't plan very well, I do take the blame for that even though when emergency situations come up it's kinda hard to plan ahead. But the situation was made so much worse by the fact that our society is so afraid of litigation and just too busy to be bothered that human kindness doesn't exist anymore. It makes me sad to think that my girls are being raised in this society and I wonder what the ramifications are going to be. If they will feel the loss, or if they won't know any different because its just the way its always been since they've been around. Who knows. Maybe by the time they are aware that liability is more important than human kindness our world and jobs will be run by robots.....not too far a stretch from the way things are now.