First of all, don't ever worry about how you come across to a doctor when you're talking about literally the most important thing in your life - the health of your child. I have parents tell me all the time "OK, don't think I'm crazy." I never do. I go out of my way to tell them I don't think it's crazy and that the reason we're talking is to make sure we're all on the same page and we're both comfortable with the plan.Just express your concerns honestly and in a straightforward way. It is literally their job to help you navigate something that evokes a strong emotional response. If they can't do that, they aren't a good pediatrician. (But thankfully, most pediatrician, in my experience, are excellent at this).As far as the fecal impaction, Metamucil won't cut it. Rectal fecal impaction is a common cause of UTIs, especially in girls (who have shorter urethras than boys). I usually use the big guns - like a Miralax cleanout or a Mg citrate cleanout. Basically the same thing we would do before a scope. This usually helps you start over from ground zero and then you can work on keeping her poop soft with Metamucil or whatever else you think works for her on a daily basis (Miralax is still my favorite for this too).
How to talk to my daughter's pediatrician about a concernUPDATE: The appointment went as expected. The pediatrician wasn't too concerned because she was still able to eat and "looked fine". So I took matters into my own hands and gave her a total of 6 doses of Miralax starting on Thursday. She had MAJOR success yesterday afternoon and finally ate a whole meal.Hi docs, I need advice on how to talk to my daughter's pediatrician about an ongoing kidney & bladder infection without sounding like a crazy mom. She's 12, 52 inches, and now weighs 87 lbs (from 98 lbs).She first became sick on Aug 25th, with fever and vomiting. The first dr visit was diagnosed with a stomach bug and period cramps. Ended up at the ER a few hours later with a temp of 103.7. ER ran tests for hours. Urine came back good, bloodwork showed an infection. After several tests, the conclusion was a kidney infection. Sent home because there were no available beds. This went on for 4 more days, in and out of the ER. After 8 days of yucky, she returned to school.On Sep 20th, I got a call from the nurse to come and get her. Temp was 102.7, BP 90/49, HR 125 and she was vomiting brown. Took her immediately to the ER. ER put her in PICU to treat the kidney and bladder infection. She was in the PICU for 6 days and step down for 3.Went to her pediatrician for the follow-up. She did bloodwork and ordered ultrasounds. Bloodwork wasn't so great. I picked up the ultrasound report and the report stated there was a fecal impaction. I asked the pediatrician, she told me to give her Metamucil and sent me off to a urologist.We had the 2nd urology appointment on Tuesday. The fecal impaction was brought up again when she was going over her (the urologists') ultrasounds and cystography. I asked more questions about this impaction and was told to give her FiberCon or Metamucil. She still has kidney and bladder infections. Urologists put her back on antibiotics.I have an appointment with the pediatrician this week. I really need to seriously discuss this fecal impaction. I have been giving her both Metamucil & FiberCon for about 22 days now. And have given her Milk of Magnesia a few times. She has not had a bowel movement (a small amount) since Wednesday.I have picked up all lab and radiology reports from 2 hospitals and 3 different doctors. The CTs on Sept 1 and Sept 20th note the impaction. Ultrasounds on Sep 22 and Oct 7 also mention the impaction. And now, the urologist mentioned it on Oct 26.She is still not feeling well and not eating much anymore. This morning her temp was 96.9, BP 103/53, HR was 65, and she said she was extremely tired. I logged in to the portal this morning and received Friday's blood and urine labs, neither are great news, but there is some improvement.How do I approach the pediatrician with all this information without sounding like a crazy paranoid mom? Or maybe I am and this is not a major concern or issue? I have asked about this and feel like I was brushed off. I feel kind of crazy as it is because I went to all these places and got the records and put it all together. Thank you.