Has a doctor ever tried to diagnose your child over the phone?

No our doctor never diagnoses anything over the phone. The office always insists that we must come in and be evaulated by the doctor. If your child is still in pain, I would call the office back and speak directly with the doctor. Tell him you want further tests immediately so you can get to the bottom of this. If he won't agree to more tests, then I would be finding a new doctor. I think it is awful that a child, or an adult, needs to be in pain. I hope your son feels better soon. As a parent myself, I can understand how irate you must feel. I would feel the same way if it were my child.

Well, my son's doc. did do some diagnosis' over the phone a couple of times, but we lived an hour and a half away, and it was usually us not wanting to drive the drive, spend the gas money etc, if it was just a cold/ear infection. Actually my oldest had so many ear infections, the doctor would write out a script for antibiotics, and give us an extra one so when he showed the signs agian, we could just go get one, even if it was the weekend. But, that was because of a travel issue. We now have a dif. doctor close by and my son actually hasn't had an ear infection in a couple of years. Anyways, back on topic, (sorry), If you feel like your son is not getting adequate attention, I suggest finding another doctor. I noticed below that you said he has a long medical history, but what better reason to find someone who will take you seriously? You said that your son cannot speak, which must be very frustrating for the both of you, you need to find a doctor who will be just involved and invested in your child's health as you are. Ask around, get a lot of feedback from friends, relatives etc, and make an informed desicion, that way, (hopefully) you won't have to change doctors again. I hope your son feels better soon.

yes i did have experienced that but only on myself..i have a closed friend who is a doctor and i only call to ask if what kind of medication should i took of my colds for example and etc..its not life threatening though...

My sister's mother-in-law is a pediatrician. Whenever our children have cough or other conditions we call her and ask for help. Basically, she asks for the signs and symptoms and recommend the medicine that is appropriate. So far, all her recommendations have been effective. I can't understand though how the doctor concluded that your son has constipation. It was a presumption that could have been dangerous to your child. With his attitude on not being interested enough in finding the cause, I suggest you change your doctor and look for a more reliable and responsible practicioner.

whenever i see irregularities in my kid, i always call the pediatrician to set up an appointment. i describe in the best way i can what is happening to my daughter and she gives me instructions on what i should do before we get to the hospital. so far, that worked for all of us. i guess i'm just lucky that my baby's pediatrician always answers me back even if it's three in the morning.

No my pediatrician is strictly against diagnosing over the phone however urgent it may be .. u have to come and see him to do anything to your kid .. now i know why he is so adamant .. so sorry for u .. wish u are able to find a good pedia for your son ..

i dont have a kid!!!

Yes many doctors do diagnose patients over the phone, here you can think of the scenario in 2 cases 1. if the disease is a major one: i think it is better to consult the specific doctor, as precaution is better than cure. 2. if it is not a serious disease: then i think you can just give a call to your family doctor and follow the prescription givem by him, if no cure is taking place then go for further clarifications and meet the doctor personally.

no , not ever will i allow my kid to be diagnosed on the telephone without any tests done,it is very important to have some lab test on a patient ,in that way doctors maybe able to diagnose correctly what kind of illness does the patient have.

For me my Doctor always has me bring my children in. I call that health line for suggestions until I can get my little ones in but for me the answer is No my Doctor has never diagnosed my children over the phone. I am so sorry that you are having these kind of problems and finding new doctors seem to be impossible now a days but I would suggest to have him seen in emergency at the hospital they will get to the root of this problem. Please keep me informed on the little one and I hope that you will soon get answers and the help you need Take care Stacy

To play the devil's advocate, so to speak, and as a nurse who has worked in long term care with the disabled and the elderly, my first inclination is to say that the Doctor views you as the expert in the case and feels comfortable making med orders etc on your word. So with constipation being the most common ailment in those wiht limited ROM, I can understand. Now what I do not understand is lack of follow up. You should pursue this and if it means getting another Doctor, so be it. My second thought is make sure they are providing adequate pain control but I am sure you are as Mom, just an automatic thought for me. Good luck and blessings on you both!

Let me explain before I answer your question. My daughter was born with a defect that caused her to get a lot of urunary tract infections. After a few years my daughters doctor would go ahead an order an antibotic for my daughter. I would immediately start her on the medicine but also take a urine sample in so that they would know if the medicine would get rid of the infection. Her doctor started doing this because the school complained about how many days my daughter would miss. In your situation I would be looking for a new doctor for my child. There is no way I would tolerate my child being done this way.