Little Dragon CARES….

After weeks of trying to reach our paediatrician she finally emailed me yesterday to say she could either call me or see us face to face today.

I opted for the call because we live a few hours from where she is located and also because I don’t have any time off during the school holidays.

If I know our consult will be by phone I make a note of Lenis height and weight which she always asks for and a note of any issues I need to chat with her about. If I need his blood pressure we will see our GP before the appointment so I also have that on hand.

As a paediatrician she is always easy to talk to and because she has two teenage boys with ADHD she gets it! She knows exactly what we are going through and truly understands.

Our chat wasn’t long this time around but it was helpful and it never feels rushed or forced. She booked us in for our next review which we aim to do in person so I know I have something in place already for the new year.

She reminds me every time we chat that I can email her whenever I need to, and trust me I do. She may not reply to my first email but she will reply, something not many doctors do and she is the head of paediatrics at a large Sydney hospital, so she is a busy woman.

We are part of the Little Dragon clinic which makes life so much easier. Founded to offer in/out patient paediatric care, the clinic has been a godsend for us.

Without such an amazing paediatrician I don’t know if we would of survived this journey. I know so many parents who struggle because they don’t have that relationship with their child’s doctor and it makes for a very difficult time.

When we initially moved away from Sydney a GP who saw Leni in our new town suggested referring us to a local paediatrician but ours said that she was more than happy to remain on as Lenis doctor even from a distance, which has been a godsend.

If we had taken him up on his offer we would have had to wait 6 months to see someone new and we likely would have been asked to redo Lenis initial assessment, because many specialists like to do their own rather than trust that what’s been done before is correct. This needs to change because many families cannot afford to do a $1500 assessment every time they see someone new.

I know we are lucky and we will stay on with her for as long as possible. If your reading this and your not as fortunate please find a doctor that gives you the same attention and care that Lenis gets.

Your child deserves the care of a great doctor and as their care giver you also deserve the same. It makes a huge difference to how you navigate this journey and the outcomes along the way.

Remember this, a good doctor is hard to find, difficult to part with and impossible to forget 🩺