Growing Pains

I had to take Little Man to the doctor today... a trip I have been agonizing over for far too long. My fears were somewhat validated as I realized how completely spoiled we have been for the last 4 years.

When Little Man was born I knew who I wanted as a pediatrician. Dr. Hawit had been a pediatric specialist when my sister was younger and now has a small practice in the county. He's old, he's cautious and he's thorough. His office is small with only two exams rooms. He has one wonderful nurse that has been working with him for 20 years, she's awesome. There are two other ladies on staff, who are kind and great with the kids. If I left a message on the phone before office hours, I would get a call back within minutes of the office opening, almost always getting an appointment before noon. Well care visits were easy to schedule and there was little to no wait before you saw the doctor. He listened to me and trusted my judgment as a mom. He also watched out for me, noticing when I was catching what the boys already had and calling in a prescription so I wouldn't have to take them out again. When Little Man caught rota-virus while on vacation, he personally called me a couple times a day to check on us.

Then there was today... the doctor we saw was pretty good, I had no complaints there. But this place is HUGE. There were at least 20 people in the waiting room with 15-20 exam rooms just on the peds side. The nurses treated me like I was stupid and the next available appointment for a well care check up is 2 months away. We won't be going back.

But we still have to find a new doctor... even though I would be perfectly willing to drive two hours to see Dr. Hawit. I know our experience has been unique but I also want to believe that there are other doctors out there who will care for my children.

How have you found doctors after moving to a new area?