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Clodfobble · 07-19-2004, 06:29 PM

I hate doctors. So many of them will simply refuse to admit that they don't know the answer.

When my brother was a toddler, he had almost constant ear infections. The doctor told my father that they needed to put tubes in his ears; i.e., puncture a hole in his eardrum which would remain open indefinitely--infections would actually get worse without the eardrum to help stop the bacteria, but this way the pus would drain and the pain would be lessened. He could never go swimming until the doctors had determined they could take the tubes out, and he had to be exceedingly careful in the bath. His hearing would be noticeably worse off even after the tubes were removed and the eardrum had closed back up.

My father's one question was, "if a punctured eardrum makes you unfit for military service, why is it ok to do it to my son?" The doctor got angry that my father was questioning him and essentially threw them out of the office, telling him to come back when he was ready to take his son's health seriously. Fortunately, someone gave my parents a book called "What Your Child's Doctor Isn't Telling You" (or something like that) before they went through with it.

Turns out, my brother was allergic to cows' milk. They took him off that, and the infections ceased. Today, he is a musician... and he gets very uncomfortable if you mention he almost had his eardrums punctured as part of a completely unnecessary medical procedure.

07-19-2004, 06:29 PM	#2
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	I hate doctors. So many of them will simply refuse to admit that they don't know the answer. When my brother was a toddler, he had almost constant ear infections. The doctor told my father that they needed to put tubes in his ears; i.e., puncture a hole in his eardrum which would remain open indefinitely--infections would actually get worse without the eardrum to help stop the bacteria, but this way the pus would drain and the pain would be lessened. He could never go swimming until the doctors had determined they could take the tubes out, and he had to be exceedingly careful in the bath. His hearing would be noticeably worse off even after the tubes were removed and the eardrum had closed back up. My father's one question was, "if a punctured eardrum makes you unfit for military service, why is it ok to do it to my son?" The doctor got angry that my father was questioning him and essentially threw them out of the office, telling him to come back when he was ready to take his son's health seriously. Fortunately, someone gave my parents a book called "What Your Child's Doctor Isn't Telling You" (or something like that) before they went through with it. Turns out, my brother was allergic to cows' milk. They took him off that, and the infections ceased. Today, he is a musician... and he gets very uncomfortable if you mention he almost had his eardrums punctured as part of a completely unnecessary medical procedure.