Doctors!

     I am definitely not a fan of them. Honestly I haven't seen a regular family doc in a good eight years or so. Being a woman of a certain age who doesn't want any more kids right now, I have to keep up the visits with the OB/GYN. But thats the only one I see on a regular basis. My husband is the same way so it works. The kids, of course, we keep up with theirs. I know I should go. I just don't want to and have no motivation to. It'll just be another bill to pay because I'm sure since it's been so long there'd be all kinds of fun tests and stuff they'd need me to do. Whatever. I don't like 'em. Especially when they are full of themselves.
     They do not know all. They are just regular people. But sometimes they have to act better than you. And some of them really think they are. When Andrew was 3 he was barely speaking. He was off in his own world a lot of times. We had him evaluated. I saw a ton of doctors and specialists with him. I learned about all these fun things like Aspergers, Autism, and Fragile X syndrome. What's amazing is how little information there was to find 13 years ago on these subjects. I remember digging in the dusty old verticle file that doesn't even exsist anymore for info. I had to interloan books from other libraries just to get more info. Mine had nothing. Many had nothing. Very few even exsisted in Suffolk County at the time. Now there are shelves and shelves stocked full of information. It's like it all exploded.
     Andrew was eventually diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified). Which I learned meant there was something not quite right but they weren't really sure what and how to fix it. They told me he fell at the very end of the Autism spectrum. He didn't have Autism but he was on the spectrum. He started school shortly thereafter at age 3. He went to DDI (developmental disabilities institute) in Selden. I did as much research as I could on my own to help him. I found an amazing poem about being the mother of a disabled child that helped me through a lot. I used to know it by heart but not anymore. I will find it and put it on here when I do though.
     During this time I found a seminar about Pervasive Developmental Disorders at Middle Country Public Library. It was given by a Dr. Pomeroy from Stony Brook Hospital. He was the head of their soon to be open Autism unit, the foremost expert on the subject at the time. Honestly I don't remember learning much from it. I was glad I went as hearing other peoples stories were interesting though. Shortly after this, Dr. Pomeroy was making a visit to DDI in Selden. Andrews teacher told me about it and made sure that he was going to be seen by him. We were hoping for a more concrete diagnosis and some answers of what best to do for him. I was looking forward to him seeing Andrew.
     To this day I'm not sure if he ever really saw Andrew. I never met with Dr. Pomeroy himself. I met with his lackey, some grad student. I have no clue what his name was. I know he royally pissed me off though. He made it like the good Dr. was a God. What he told me they thought about my son was completely off base. I knew my kid and they were not talking about him. When I said this to the lackey he thought I was crazy As the good doctor is never wrong and could never be wrong. He told me this in so many words. No matter what I said I was wrong. The good doctor wasn't even there yet this guy was backing him up. He also made sure I knew that I should consider myself very lucky that Dr. Pomeroy even saw my son. Please! I was done. I let him finish whatever crap he wanted to tell me and I walked out. That'll be the last time I ever get excited about any "expert" doctor.
     When I talked to Andrews teacher about it she was surprised. She completely agreed with me, which made me feel much better. Being a young mom of a 3 year old with issues is not easy. Of course I questioned myself after the meeting. She knew they had him wrong also and said how great it was I stood up to them no mater who they were.
     No matter what no one is going to fight for your kid as much as you will. And no one is going to know them as well as you do. You have to do what you know is right. No matter what the doctors say.