Mom: Dr. I'm worried.
Dr. -So?
Mom: But my little one has a fever.
Dr.- If it isn't over 105, I'm going to consider it normal.
Mom: But her sister had this fever last week, and as it turned out, it was pneumonia!
Dr.- I recall. I told you to wait 72 hours and come back to see me.
Mom: But pneumonia is serious.
Dr. - So?
Mom: This baby is only two. If I wait 72 hours, she may be a baby with pneumonia.
Dr.- So?
Mom: So my kids both have allergies and inhalers. Isn't it dangerous to let upper respiratory
slide into pneumonia for them? Then the meds may not work in time to open up their breathing
passages.
Dr.- But it might.
Mom: That is so scary. My elder child finally got medecine after 72 hours. Four days later
she still had a fever. Today is three days after even that, and her cough sounds like that
of a grown man.
Dr.- Well if your little ones get worse, after you see me, you can call me or come in and say so.
Mom: Then I am off work again, and babies are sick again, two weeks in a row.
Dr.- So? That can't matter much.
Mom: Why not?
Dr.- Because you are not at work. You chose to come here.
Mom: I wanted to be sure my baby was ok.
Dr.- But I told you ... give the child tylenol, and call me in the morning ... wait, no,'call me in the morning' that was in the twentieth century, with aspirin. Call me in three days- yes that's it, give the child tylenol then call me again, 72 hours after a fever begins.
Mom: Is there no test you can do?
Dr.- No, the swab I did was negative. Now let's wait to see if this is viral, or more treatable.
Mom: If it's treatable, they are sick longer. I have to come back, and that's another co-pay.
Dr.- That doesn't matter.
Mom: So what's the benchmark? I have to stay worried, lose work, and baby has to stay sick.
Dr.- The benchmark? Why my practice is thriving! Thank you Mersa! So many parents have to come here every three days, or once the child has a quite serious condition, for which I can bill more.
Mom: Not good Dr.- But I will probably be back in a day or two, because last time this one got
sick, it took three visits and two courses of antibiotics.
Dr.(with a bit of glee) I recall ... isn't policy juicy? For me, it's even better than medecine!
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