I want to share a little story on here of a recent doctor's visit. So, we have been followed by a certain ENT doc since Breckin was born. She has put tubes in her ears twice, and is scheduled to do Breckin's cleft palate repair this summer. However, all through these visits, something just kept tugging at me making me unsure of her. We haven't really had any issues with her, she has great bedside manner, and she has been very cautious this whole time with Breckin, considering her heart defect. Just recently though, I have come across a few moms whose children had their cleft palates repaired by Dr. Wallace, a plastic surgeon. They highly recommended him. One of the moms even told me about this cleft clinic that involves a panel of doctors that sees your child.
All through our time with this ENT doctor, we were never told about a cleft clinic, and I came to find out that she is even one of the doctors on the cleft team! So, with Breckin's surgery continuing to be pushed back for one reason or another, I thought this would give me a great chance to seek a second opinion. So after much prayer, I decide to call and make an appointment with Dr. Wallace. Shortly after that appointment was made, Breckin had her second set of tubes put in by this same ENT. Everything went great, she answered all our questions, and we even talked a little bit about the upcoming cleft repair. So I left that surgery thinking, Hmm, maybe we don't need a second opinion. Maybe we'll just stick with her. I continued to pray for wisdom, because I felt like I was just not getting a clear answer on what to do.
Fast forward to a week before the appointment. I am seriously considering cancelling the appointment with Dr. Wallace when I see a friend at the gym that just so happens to be a nurse at LeBonheur. The topic of Breckin gets brought up and I just casually mention the ENT doctor that is scheduled to do Breckin's cleft palate surgery. My friend looks at me and says, "You need to see Dr. Wallace." She tells me that she has just seen higher complications from our ENT doctor's patients. She told me if it was her child, she would get Dr. Wallace to do the surgery. Finally, I felt like I had a clear answer! I felt a total peace about keeping the appointment now because I felt like this was the wisdom I had been seeking.
So Breckin and I show up to the appointment, and who walks into the waiting room? Our ENT doctor! Talk about awkward! I think we both try to play it cool, she says hi, I say hi. Then she tells me she will be presenting Breckin's case to Dr. Wallace. What?! We are finally called back, and a whole team of doctors and nurses all walk into this exam room at once. Our ENT doctor takes the lead, and gives Dr. Wallace some facts about Breckin, gives him her plan, and then she asks me if I have any questions or concerns. Uh yes I do, I have questions and concerns about you! I was dumbfounded. I felt completely backed into a corner. There was no way I could state my concerns in this setting with all these doctors in the room. Dr. Wallace pretty much said ok sounds good, we'll follow up in a year once your palate is repaired. The visit was less than five minutes and all doctors walked out the door and we were free to go.
I left there that day feeling angry, upset, confused, and completely defeated. I just prayed to God asking again for wisdom. I felt like He lead us there, and then we just completely hit a dead end. After some prayer, I talked to my husband and a couple friends to seek some Godly advice. They all suggested I call back and talk to his nurse to try to make her understand the situation better. So, that's what I did. Thankfully she called me back the same day, and when I explained the reason for us wanting to see Dr. Wallace, she completely understood. She told me that when I initially called to make the appointment, there was a miscommunication. She thought I wanted to be seen by the cleft team, not to see Dr. Wallace for a surgery consult. So, we made another appointment with Dr. Wallace only, and we will see him at the end of this month.
Every step of Breckin's journey has to be completely covered in prayer! There are so many doctor's visits, surgeries, procedures, therapies, medications, etc. that are part of her life. And I make it a priority to take everything to God. I want Him to lead us every step of the way. So, with this particular situation, I struggled because I just wasn't getting clear answers. I was consistently praying for wisdom and guidance, but it just has not been an easy situation. I completely believe that God led me to that friend in the gym that day to say the exact words that I needed to hear. I also know that just because God leads you down a certain path, it doesn't mean it's going to be a smooth ride.
So now with a new appointment with the specific surgeon we want to see, I feel like I will be able to voice my concerns, and I will be able to get my questions answered. I'm sure I will be put in awkward and uncomfortable situations in the future with our ENT doctor, but I want my daughter to have the best care possible. This is a major surgery, and just being a nice person does not ensure that a surgery will go well. So if you think about us, please pray for this upcoming appointment and for continued guidance throughout this process. Your prayers, as always, are greatly appreciated!
Love, B
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