First Dr's Visit

Hello all,

Well we had our first to trip to the Dr's! Ava had had a cold, runny nose for a few days and Monday night was up at least 3 times during the night, not able to sleep because she was so congested. Also on Monday evening Emma started running a fever and complaining of a tummy ache.

So Tuesday morning comes around and I decide I best take them to the doctor. I really wanted someone to look at Ava and tell me she wasn't dying of pneumonia and look in her ears to see if she had an ear infection. I had previously met a woman from New York at our pool that had 2 small boys, so I send her a text asking for any doctor information. She sends a text back with a name of Dr. Wasseem and a phone number. (Also telling me she liked him a lot and that he was very good with the boys) So I give him a call....well he is on holiday until the 24Th, so the nurse on the phone asks me, if I would like to schedule an appointment for when he returns and of course I'm thinking either Ava will be dead from bronchitis or pneumonia by then or she'll be fine by the time that date rolls around, or Rich and I will have to endure another 6 days or so of sleepless nights if it is her ears. So I ask her if it is possible to bring her in just to have one of the nurses look at her ears? She tells me that they can't do that and she refers me to another Dr. that is helping Dr. Wasseem out while he is on holiday.

So I call the new doctor, Dr. Baghat. I talk to his nurse and set an appointment to bring the girls in at 6pm that night. I think goodness they keep late hours here, a nice bonus when you have children! I ask for directions and she tells me they are located on Al Wasl road, right across the street from Emirates Bank and that they are in a villa, aka house. So off we go, I make sure to get on Al Wasl road from where it starts since I didn't get any cross streets to go by and the whole time I am having Emma looking out for Emirates Bank. We finally spot the bank about 20 minutes driving time on Al Wasl and find the villa, luckily it had a big sign on it stating Medical Specialist!

In we go and after filling out some forms (just like in the States, nothing new there!) we are brought in to see the Dr. He is very nice and had a very good manner with the kids. He checked out Ava's ears and said she had fluid on one but the other looked clear. The fluid she did have was not infected, so that was good. Then he took us into a room where he checked the pressure level in her ears and told us that one ear was normal and the other with the fluid probably felt like to her like she was at the bottom of a pool! So we go back to his office and I start asking him about Emma's upset tummy/fever and even Ava's poopy diapers earlier that day. And he very nicely and politely tells me that if it should continue I should contact a pediatrician since he was only an ear, nose, and throat doctor!! The whole time I'm thinking I'm seeing a pediatrician! Oh well he did give me some nose drops to give to Ava to help with her congestion and they seemed to work, she slept through the night that night. An added bonus since Rich had left for Paris earlier in the day!

I suppose all in all a success and he wants to see her again when she does not have a cold to make sure the fluid clears up in the one ear. Will keep you posted if we ever see Dr. Wasseem, the actual pediatrician!

Love to all,

Jennifer