My daughter, who is 4, has been experiencing ear pain since Sunday night (four days ago). As a mom of five, I’m no stranger to these situations. Over the past 12 years, I’ve dealt with my fair share of ear infections, and I’ve learned to trust my instincts when it comes to my children's health. I can’t recall a time when my gut feeling about their ailments was wrong—I've accurately identified ear infections, bladder infections, and even when my kids needed glasses (four out of five of them!).
I know that many ear infections can resolve on their own, which is why I usually wait 48 to 72 hours before seeking medical attention, a strategy my cousin, who is a doctor, has also recommended. This approach has worked for me in the past. However, this time, while I waited as usual, I had a nagging feeling that we would eventually need to visit the doctor.
After about 36 hours, I decided to head to the emergency room on Tuesday night. When we arrived, a young doctor came in who I didn’t recognize. In our small town, everyone knows the local doctors by name, but this one was new. Given my experience as a mother, I typically receive serious consideration from healthcare providers, as they understand that I don’t seek medical help unless it’s necessary. Unfortunately, this doctor seemed annoyed by our visit. He interrupted me as I tried to explain my daughter’s symptoms and came across as dismissive. After a quick examination of her ears, he diagnosed her with a mild infection, prescribed Ciprofloxacin drops, and left within about five minutes.
I was taken aback because it was the first time I’d left a doctor's office without antibiotics for an ear infection. While I don’t advocate for unnecessary antibiotic use and know that many infections resolve on their own, I had a sinking feeling that this treatment wouldn’t be effective. We returned home with the drops, which I administered as instructed by the pharmacist, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the doctor had been too dismissive and that we might need to return.
Despite my reservations, I decided to trust his judgment, reasoning that I’m not a doctor and have no medical training. But after 48 hours, my daughter’s pain had worsened significantly; her ear was filled with pus, and she could barely hear us. I made an appointment with my primary care physician for this morning.
Upon examination, the nurse practitioner seemed frustrated that my daughter had developed such a severe infection. It turned out that not only was her initial ear infected, but the infection had spread to the other ear, and her eardrum was 50% perforated. Now, I finally have the antibiotics I expected two days ago.
I’m feeling really upset with the initial doctor, but I’m unsure if I should be. Is it even possible for her to have had a mild, benign infection just two days ago and for it to have deteriorated so dramatically even with drops? I feel like that doctor didn’t properly diagnose her, but I also recognize that ear infections can be complex, and I’m not knowledgeable enough to fully understand what happened.
I would not feel the same if the doctor would've been gentle and supportive; I can accept a mistake. This time ... I feel his dismissiveness has cost my daughter days of excruciating pain and hearing loss for a while.
