Today I took the kids for "a little ride" to the doctor's office. They each got a flu shot. (Daughter has to return in a month for the booster, one third to go.) Son did not cooperate very well. I didn't really expect him to behave any differently. What surprised me was the nurse. She seemed to just give up after a few tries and said she couldn't give him the shot because she needed three measurements (weight, temperature, etc.) in order for the insurance to pay for it.
First of all, that's ridiculous. Last year, a nurse at a desk in the lobby gave him a shot barely looking at him and insurance didn't have a problem with it. If you have an office policy, that's fine, but don't blame it on the insurance.
Secondly, Son wasn't being cooperative, but he's still only three (a big three, but still). I picked him up, plopped him down on the table and told her to take his temperature while I held him. He finally stood willingly enough on the scale (44 pounds, and didn't seem to want to get off). I held him again for a head measurement (as if the insurance company would care at all about that) and then held his arms for the shot (which he handled fairly well once she promised him a puzzle). Daughter cried a bit more after her shot and they were both grumpy this afternoon. (Son actually had a bit of a meltdown at bath time crying that his band-aid hurt. We skimped on the bath but he still limped around. The amount of limping is inversely related to the length of time since he last saw his band-aid, so I'm guessing it's more in his head than his leg.)
Anyway, I wasn't too impressed by the nurse. I suppose it's one of the consequences of choosing a family doctor over a pediatrician. She probably gives lots of shots to adults who sit willingly enough and do whatever she asks, the first time. We didn't care much for our last pediatrician, though, and I do like the doctor and PAs here, and I love the paintings of the Holy Family (a side benefit of the NFP only practice).
