I took Bryan to an ENT a couple of weeks ago. Bryan hurts me when he is nursing. Jacob did the same, but with Jacob I was too shy to say anything. Now that I am not shy to ask for help I am not getting the help that I need.
You see Jacob was tongue tied till he was almost 3 years old. I cried almost every time that I nursed him. I can't remember for sure how we found out Jacob was tongue tied, I am guessing it was when he was evaluated by the ENT for having large tonsils. The ENT that we used to have said that had we come in when he was an infant the doctor could have clipped his tongue without anesthesia and he could be nursing 3 minutes after operation.
Now with Bryan my insurance doesn't cover the doctor that I had seen before now I have to see a doctor that will not clip his tongue without anesthesia. And get this he says..."Is the baby eating and gaining weight properly?" I reply, "Yes." The doctor continues, "lets wait to do surgery for another 5 to 6 months and see how he is doing then." My eyes got huge and I said, "But it HURTS!" The doctor looks back at me shocked and said, "It shouldn't hurt." Now I am shocked and I say in a matter of fact voice, "It hurts me!" Doctor replies, "Oh, I was talking about the baby." I think my jaw dropped to the floor, and I could say no more!
Now I feel that I have a bit of a dilemma, do I continue to try and find a doctor that will clip the poor kids tongue or do I try to get ahold of Dear Dr. Hobgood and see if we could work out a deal. And if I do get ahold of Dr. Hobgood, how do I go about doing that? Do I call his office or do I write him a letter? Oh I just don't know what to do...
These pictures don't show his tie very well but how do you take a photo of a baby that is crying and get him to stay still, it was very hard.
6 comments:
Yes. You keep looking. Or you wear your current doctor down. Good luck, Jenny. It's so hard to be an advocate for our own health.
From reading lots of breastfeeding stories, it seems like this is common - that a lot of drs don't like to do anything about tongue tie. This is probably a good question at a La Leche meeting - if anyone knows of a dr that will clip it that has your insurance. The website is http://www.freewebs.com/lllofaz/tricitychapter.htm.
That's great that you are becoming less shy about these things! What has made the difference?
IMO I would suggest that you call Dr. H's office and leave a detailed message with the nurse. First, write down the points you want to include: hurts, financial situation, quote the Dr. (best age 3 months for this procedure), end with if she cannot help can she refer someone. Get right to the point, keep it clear and concise. If you don't hear back w/i 3 days, have a letter written and ready to send.
Oh, that is so frustrating! I'm sorry you're having a hard time! Some people just understand. I hope it all is resolved soon!
I would do both, call your previous doctor and explain what's going on and keep looking for one that will clip. Get a list of all the doctors under your insurance, call and ask if they clip tongue ties.
Good luck, hope you can get it done quickly!
Courtney
Wow! Thank you for all of the advice.
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