Hi All,
Gail writes:
>I don't do CBCs on patients just because they are breastfeeding...
>and still feel that a fingerstick hgb is an adequate test to "screen" for
>anemia.
>If there is a reason from the physical exam, then a CBC is a good tool to
>"evaluate" anemia as you have mentioned.
>All I hear, though, is that these two are breastfeeding. Not that any
>indication to evaluate is present.
The kids in this scenarrio are just fine, healthy, their physicals checked
out just fine.
This is another issue for the mother - the blood draw vs the finger stick.
She feels that the finger stick is all that they need (all they have
received in the past) and that there is no need to traumatize the children
with a blood draw. Now I know that some out there will say "But the finger
stick hurts more than the blood draw and the blood draw gives more info..."
Well, the point here is that the finger stick may hurt more (I agree) BUT it
only hurts for a second and to do a blood draw on a child can be traumatic
for the child and leave lasting scars - to this day I cannot sit up and have
my blood drawn due to the first blood draw I had when I was only 5 yrs old -
I become hysterical and pass out. If I lay down, however, I can even watch
the blood come out! So, since the children are perfectly healthy, mom wants
a finger stick, she will not wean her children. BTW, she called the Dr and
told him to get her references that proved his point that BF affected this
test! (Not my suggestion - thought of it on her own.) Also, told the Dr
that if he was unwilling to perform (or order) such a simple test that she
would switch peds if she had to. She also told her hubby that "not wanting
to hurt a Drs feelings" was not a good enough reason to stay with a Dr who
asked such unreasonable things of his patients and that if the Dr refused to
treat his children appropriately, that she had no choice other than to
change peds. He agreed!
Jay
Jay Simpson, CLE
Sacramento, California, West Coast, USA
"No Miracles performed here, just a lot of love and hard work."
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