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Too Little Time, Too Many Questions

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Amy Ellinor, Correspondent

Published: September 6, 2007

My 2-year-old has had four ear infections this past year. The most recent one lingered, even though we bombarded it with antibiotics. My pediatrician finally decided to send me to an otolaryngologist to see about getting tubes in her ears.

After choosing a doctor with a good reputation, I called to make an appointment. I was given the option of 9 a.m., 9:15 or 9:30. In other words, I had 15 minutes with the doctor.

I had heard this guy was good, but 15 minutes? I spend more time talking to my mechanic.

Apparently, it wasn't just this particular specialist. According to Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, the average length of a doctor's visit is now less than 20 minutes.

Before going in, I did a little bit of research. I knew a lot of kids had tubes put in to alleviate pressure and to allow fluid to drain, but I still had plenty of reservations and a whole lot of questions: Why were her ears not clearing up with antibiotics? Could we wait? If we opted for tubes, what would it entail? What was a tube anyway? Could she swim? What could go wrong?

As my daughter and I waited in his office, I surveyed the certificates and diplomas that decorated his walls. I suppose they were hung there to reassure me. Instead, they made me wonder more about the stranger I was about to meet. I wondered if it bothered him that he had to squeeze so many patients into one day, or if this was the only way to get his wife that condo in Steamboat.

When he came in, he shook my hand, asked a few perfunctory questions, and took a minute to examine my daughter. Then, he told me that not only did she need tubes, she also needed her adenoids removed. I was prepared to ask about tubes; I didn't even know what an adenoid was.

He spoke for a few minutes about what he would do to remove the enlarged adenoid and put the tubes in. I glanced at one of the anatomical charts on the wall and realized that there wasn't time for a mini-lesson on adenoidectomies and tube insertion. I needed to stick to the questions I came in with.

His answers were brief. The clock was ticking. She would only be under anesthesia for a few minutes. He had been doing this for years and no child he worked on had ever died. The tubes will fall out, but if for some reason they didn't, it would be easy to retrieve them with another procedure. She would be sore from the adenoidectomy and would need to take ibuprofen for a few days. The nurse would give me some paperwork to sign. I would meet the anesthesiologist on the morning of the surgery. My time was up.

I realize that for a specialist with more than a decade of experience, operating on a small child might seem like a walk in the park, but for me it was like sending her on an overnight hike in the back country of the Colorado Rockies.

I wondered how this meeting would go if I was taking his daughter for an overnight hike on a remote trail and we had 15 minutes to talk.

First, I would seat him in an office with elaborate trail maps and certificates that said things like, "Snake Bite Treatment Association," "Bear Certified," and "Plant Identification License."

Then I would be sure to talk to his daughter for at least a minute. Then I would take a few minutes to talk about what usually happened on my trips.

Finally, I would answer his questions as briefly as I could so I could move on to the next parent on time.

Yes, there will be grizzly bears and mountain lions around, but to date, no one has been attacked in front of me. If for some reason she gets lost, we have rescue crews with helicopters. She'll be a little hungry, dirty, and tired when she gets home. Just bathe her and keep her hydrated. Marge will take your check and schedule the drop-off. Our trail guide will pick your daughter up in the McDonald's parking lot at 6 a.m. sharp. I'll let you know how she did when we get back from the trip.

She'll be fine. Trust me.

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