Family doctor or pediatrician?

[Scanner]

I was wondering how many of you saw a family doctor growing up vs. seeing a pediatrician. My mother never took me to a pediatrician and we all used the same family doctor until I left home.

I thought of this today on a financial angle because my facebook feed is abuzz with a pediatrician who posted a notice that he wouldn't treat unvaccinated children. Now full stop - even though my field has an anti-vaccine element that runs through it (chiropractor), I have fully vaccinated my kids and endorse the science behind it. So I don't have any real dog in this fight. . .but. . .let's not forget healthcare costs money, vaccine costs arne't free, and vaccine costs are on the rise:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/health/Vaccine-Costs-Soaring-Paying-Till-It-Hurts.html?_r=0

I don't think my family doctor growing up would have been as militant about immunization schedules and come to think of it, with all my kids, other than the occasional antibiotic for an infection (which we may administer half the time), I can't think of a need to see a pediatrician, esp. since our youngest is now 6, no developmental disabilities, etc. Of course, we didnt' have all those boosters back then. In fact, I think a family medicine doctor with an allergy emphasis would have kicked butt, given we are all messes with allergies.

Thoughts as parents? You would think working 2 jobs in healthcare, I would have strong opinions on this but I don't. . .respect the parents take more.

I declined the flu vaccine this year but that was mostly laziness on my part on showing up for administration times at the hospital I work.

[disneysteve]

I think you're mixing together a bunch of different issues with your post but ignoring that, to address the fundamental question, growing up my brother and I saw a Pediatrician. We're talking about 1959 through about 1980 or so.

As a parent, we took our daughter to a Pediatrician from birth through age 5 when she finished her basic vaccinations. Then she transferred into my Family Practice. I mainly did that because I didn't want her associating coming to Daddy's office with getting shots.

I think either one is fine but if you are going to choose a Family Practice, you just want to be sure they are set up and trained for infant and child care. In my former practice, we were and took patients from birth on. In my current practice, we are not and only take children ages 2 and older.

I have no problem with doctors refusing to accept unvaccinated children into the practice. In fact, I have no problem with doctors refusing to treat any patient who isn't interested in following the doctor's orders. I've never discharged a patient due to the vaccine issue but I have discharged patients for other disagreements over appropriate medical care. Basially, if you aren't interested and willing to follow the doctor's medical advice, what's the point of seeing him?

Regarding the vaccine issue specifically, allowing unvaccinated children into the practice puts everybody else at risk potentially. Look at the recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland. There have been 87 confirmed cases of measles so far with more than 50 of them confirmed to have arisen from the Disneyland exposure including several employees and also several people who were adequately vaccinated. Not vaccinating your kids is just plain stupid, no matter what Jenny McCarthy says, and more importantly is it puts everybody else around you at risk. If you want to risk your kid's life, that's one issue, but you certainly don't have the right to go around and infect everybody else.

[snafu]

Our DSs saw our GP except when younger had endless bouts of tonsillitis. GP referred to a paediatrician and tonsils removed as soon as infection cleared for a set required days. Broken arm skiing and even the allergy determination procedure were handled by GP.

[snafu]

Our DSs saw our GP except when younger had endless bouts of tonsillitis. GP referred to a paediatrician and tonsils removed as soon as infection cleared for a set required days. Broken arm skiing and even the allergy determination procedure were handled by GP.

I view medical issues discussed by actors or non medically qualified individuals as bumph.

[disneysteve]

GP referred to a paediatrician and tonsils removed as soon as infection cleared

Arie you sure that referral wasn't to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist? It would be strange for a GP/FP to refer to a Pediatrician for that, since the Pediatrician would then have to refer to an ENT to actually take care of the tonsils.

[Scanner]

There have been 87 confirmed cases of measles so far with more than 50 of them confirmed to have arisen from the Disneyland exposure including several employees and also several people who were adequately vaccinated

And there's the rub.

Again, I don't have a dog in this fight other than intellectual reconciliation/curiosity. I have had some immunology courses in my undergrad that were pretty good (but a long time ago). I definitely get the cellular basis for vaccination.

If you have been vaccinated, you have the memory cells (assuming) to combat the measles virus should it come in . . .what's wrong? At the very least, the infection should be mild. I just don't get this anomaly.

And yes, if vaccines are going to cost $100's of dollars per year, and people have $1000-6000 deductibles, doctors/researchers/policymakers are going to have to produce more of an answer than "Gee, they're outliers" or "I think ya need more boosters."

Again. . .full stop - I support vaccinating. I just have questions as a consumer/parent.

[disneysteve]

There have been 87 confirmed cases of measles so far with more than 50 of them confirmed to have arisen from the Disneyland exposure including several employees and also several people who were adequately vaccinated

And there's the rub.

doctors/researchers/policymakers are going to have to produce more of an answer than "Gee, they're outliers" or "I think ya need more boosters."

Again. . .full stop - I support vaccinating. I just have questions as a consumer/parent.

There isn't a vaccine in existence that is 100% effective. That's the answer. Plain and simple. Some people, for whatever immulogic reason, will receive a vaccine and not produce adequate antibodies in response. It's probably something genetic that just hasn't been identified yet.

But if you want to play the odds, most vaccines are 97% or so effective.

[HappySaver]

Scanner, this is a savings/money forum. There are PLENTY of other forums out there where the vaccine issue can be hotly debated. I believe your question was about which type of doctor you saw as a child.

[Scanner]

Yes, I'm sorry. . .this conversation can degrade quickly. . .sorry. And I didn't mean for it. Actually, I fully accept DS's answer. 97% effective. 3% chance ineffective.

It was more on perhaps financial patterns of family docs vs. pediatricians. The 2 pieces of news - rising vaccine costs with high deductibles and pediatricians not accepting new patients who refuse.

I think we will continue to see rationing (and when is rationing saving?) in this area. . .just a hunch.

[Scanner]

FROM THE ARTICLE:

Varicella
Chickenpox. 43 doses at $94

I don't know. . .yeah, I guess what I am saying. . .to be frank. . .is my opinion changes not on the science (what we both agree and I don't want to debate) but quite frankly - the cost. Yeah, I have a question. . ."Why do I need this 3rd booster?" Is that wrong to ask?

We parse over where we set our thermostats here only to watch our $$$ go to booster #3. (applied to the deductible I guess)

I guess I was just longing for a time there wasn't all this malarkey with our family doctor when I grew up. We got maybe 7-10 shots, if that, by the time we went to school. . .sometimes given in school. . .few bucks a shot.

Yeah, my new slogan: rationing is saving.

I don't know. . .am I too off topic? Am I seeing a link where there is none? Just tell me if I am inciting an argument. . .I don't mean to. . .just a discussion.