{"id":37908,"date":"2015-10-20T07:45:36","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T11:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemom.com\/?p=37908"},"modified":"2022-01-31T13:19:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T18:19:57","slug":"see-a-pediatric-specialist-wolfson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemom.com\/health-wellness\/see-a-pediatric-specialist-wolfson\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Your Child See a Pediatric Specialist?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Baby<\/a><\/p>\n

We all want what\u2019s best for our children and it\u2019s often a parent\u2019s nature to worry. When it comes to having concerns about a child\u2019s emotional or physical wellbeing, a mom or dad\u2019s instinct usually is right on target. After all, who knows your child best? You!<\/p>\n

Pediatricians and family practice physicians are on the front lines of health care, there to handle a host of health issues from treating ear infections and giving immunizations to vision, hearing and other once-a-year screenings. But when something with your son or daughter doesn\u2019t seem right to you or to your pediatrician, it might be time to call for reinforcements and see a pediatric specialist.<\/p>\n

What is a Specialist?<\/h3>\n

Pediatric specialists are pediatricians or surgeons who have additional in-depth training of a certain body part such as the heart or organ system like the digestive tract. They receive anywhere from two to seven years of further training in the specialty area they have chosen, such as gastroenterology, neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), hematology\/oncology, pulmonology, and endocrinology. Because these specialists are experts in their particular area of focus, they know how to manage and treat complex health issues that pediatricians may not feel as comfortable handling.<\/p>\n

Some parents are fearful about bringing up the notion of seeing a specialist because they think it\u2019s disrespectful to their child\u2019s doctor. Others have no qualms about mentioning it but the bottom line is that your child\u2019s primary care doctor wants <\/em>you to ask questions because you\u2019re a vital part of your child\u2019s health care team.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a pediatrician, my job is to treat the whole child and the rule in general pediatrics is that a lot of pediatric health conditions can be treated by us. However, when I have exhausted all of my resources, or the child has a complex medical problem, I feel more comfortable recommending a specialist,\u201d said Tracy Tyson, MD<\/a>, a pediatrician with Orange Park Pediatrics<\/a>, affiliated with Baptist Primary Care<\/a>. \u201cA parent\u2019s job is to be their child\u2019s advocate. I get two minutes in the room and a set of vital signs, so I don\u2019t always know what\u2019s normal for your child. I learned early in my career to listen to what parents have to say because I\u2019ve seen their concerns result in the detection of conditions that may not have been discovered until later.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Conditions Require a Specialist?<\/h3>\n

\"asthma\"<\/a>The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)<\/a> has specific referral recommendation guidelines to help general pediatricians determine when and where to refer patients out for special pediatric specialty care. Dr. Tyson says that common ailments that require a referral to a specialist include Asthma<\/a> that is severe and cannot be controlled, chronic diarrhea<\/a> for more than six weeks that cannot be diagnosed with an extended workup, developmental delays<\/a>, persistent ear and sinus infections, growth issues<\/a> that include failure to thrive, bedwetting<\/a> more than three days a week over age eight, and diabetes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything that lasts more than six weeks is considered chronic and may require a specialist\u2019s diagnosis and care to resolve,\u201d said Dr. Tyson.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A good example of a common ailment is chronic ear infections. If a child has three within six months or more than four in a year, a referral will be made to a\u00a0pediatric otolaryngologist (ENT) who is trained to care for ear problems. In cases where a child is suffering from chronic infections or has fluid behind the eardrum, an otolaryngologist can place ear tubes<\/a> to help equalize the pressure in the middle ears and drain the fluid.<\/p>\n

ENTs also perform tonsillectomies<\/a> and adenoidectomies<\/a>. \u201cThe most common reason for the removal of tonsils and adenoids is sleep-disordered breathing,\u201d said Robert Sprecher, MD<\/a>, pediatric otolaryngologist with Nemours Children\u2019s Specialty Care, Jacksonville<\/a> and Wolfson Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>. \u201cSleep-disordered breathing caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids can prevent children from getting enough sleep, which can translate into poor school performance and a higher incidence of anxiety, depression, aggressiveness and other conduct problems. A good night\u2019s sleep is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

A less common example is congenital heart disease. Jose Ettedgui, MD<\/a>, a pediatric cardiologist with the University of Florida College of Medicine \u2013 Jacksonville<\/a>, said parents\u2019 concern about symptoms or a sense that something isn\u2019t right with their child is how many children end up in his office.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongenital heart problems<\/a> can go undiagnosed because many are silent and have no outward signs or symptoms,\u201d he said. \u201cWith these conditions, fast breathing, a rapid heartbeat and complaints about chest pain or passing out with exertion are all red flags that parents can pick up on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such observations can save their child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Seeing a Specialist<\/h3>\n

Unless you have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan or your insurance waives referrals, the primary care provider needs to issue a referral to a pediatric specialist. But Dr. Tyson notes that seeing the primary first can calm fears, get questions answered and, in the case of an actual problem requiring a specialist\u2019s care, make sure the proper workups are done prior to the specialty appointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis saves time, money and sometimes it gets a child on the specialist\u2019s calendar much sooner,\u201d said Dr. Tyson. \u201cPlus, it\u2019s better for your child if his or her doctors are communicating and coordinating from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thank you to Wolfson Children\u2019s Hospital for sponsoring this<\/em>\u00a0post.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you would like to read or leave a review about Wolfson Children\u2019s Hospital, visit our Around Town Directory below.<\/h3>\n