Yesterday four year old had a stomach ache, diarrhea and thew up...

as a precaution, we took him to the hospital corp to see if there was any reason for concern. they said he had gastrointeritis and prescribed ZOFRAN.

we asked about side effects.

the doctor,
let's call him late thirties, early forties white upper middle class man regaled us with tales about parents not really being sure what a pharmaceutical product does and explained that this product is used for CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. it helps calm their nausea so that they can take in fluids they lose while throwing up due to the toxic chemical cocktail they've ingested to "cure" them.

in a very benign voice he explained with such certainty, such confidence that the medication would trick four year old's brain into thinking that there was no need to throw up and he'd be able to take in fluids and his bodily equilibrium would be re-established hopefully with no more nausea or diarrhea.

noticing that he hadn't actually answered our question, we asked again about side effects. he said that there were no MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS HE WAS AWARE OF.

i was like...a med you give to cancer patients who because of other meds are experiencing horrific, sometimes life threatening side effects of their "cure" has no major side effects?

yah.

we didn't actually say anything more to him. what's the point?

before the nurse comes in papster and i decide that he (the one with patriarchal privilege) is gonna ask for a print out of the effects of the medication.

nursey comes in very chirpy. we ask what the difference is between this stuff and gravol, she reiterates what doctor man has said - that it's what they give cancer patients undergoing chemo but adds that this med is way more expensive than gravol.

we ask who makes it. she is caught by surprise. she doesn't know off hand. after a glance at the pills themselves, lets us know that it's made by GlaxoSmithKline, which is a name we've definitely heard before.

we say we'd prefer to have some gravol which we know about but haven't actually had to use before. she says she'll have to send back in the doctor because he's the one who does discharges and such.

the doctor comes back in and asks what my concern is about the drug he's prescribed.

holding four year old in a vain attempt to get him to breastfeed as a source of hydration (yes, the little wretch does still latch on...helllllllppppp...), completely disinterested in debating with him i just explain that i'm not comfortable with it and turn away from him and back to what i'm doing with four year old.

this completely shuts him up. i think he was ready for a debate...but he wasn't really. :)

we ask about gravol.

very subtly enraged, he lets us know that because he did not prescribe gravol, he will have to leave that decision up to our discretion. then he leaves.

hmmm...
he had very small, dainty, scrubbed raw hands. i'm glad he at least seemed in the habit of vigorously washing his hands. :)

four year old came home. had maybe two teaspoons of gravol overnight and hasn't complained of stomach ache, ralph'd or done a torrential shitload in his pants since.

he's back to having fluids, taking homeopathics for his cold and running around the house and up and down the stairs.

to the best of our knowledge, he still doesn't need chemo or any associated expensive, powerful anti-nausea meds.



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