Can't describe how grateful I am for finding such an amazing pediatrician for my kids. Its not even just that doctor, its the practice and the network. ANYONE I've come into contact with in that network has been amazing. Are all civilian doctor's like this?

DS has been getting bloody noses again on a daily basis since Sunday. He even got one on the way to today's doctor's appointment.

But I'm still amazed that from a mild cough & frequent bloody noses, our pediatrician knew to get a chest X-ray & bloodwork. Turns out DS had bronchitis (I didn't even know, I just thought it was a cough). He is anemic as well but he always seems to be on the low end of normal. Two years ago, hematology said that might just be "his" normal. So I'm still not 100% sure what to think of it.

I still don't really know why DS keeps getting these nosebleeds. I thought we solved this two years ago when he got his adenoids removed. They didn't really start till he was 18 months and they were daily. Thats how we discovered he was anemic, but his anemia was not iron-responsive. But the military just wanted to keep throwing allergy meds & iron at him.

After getting the run around, we switched to a civilian practice. Saw hematology and ENT. Hematology ruled out the more serious problems & ENT discovered he had enlarged adenoids. Took them out and the nosebleeds stopped. He hadn't even gotten ONE until this past week.

I'm hoping this is just a fluke. I'm just not sure why this is happening.

I am kind of sad to be leaving the area for this reason. I feel like my kids finally have a doctor that knows them, sees all their siblings, and "gets" our family history. I don't have to re-tell my story (or theirs) every time we see a doctor. Its nice. Nice to go into the doc and they remember you from last time because they were the ones to see you.

Didn't get that so much when we had to go to military clinics. But continuity of care is so important and when you find a good doc that you trust, they are worth their weight in gold.

DH emailed me today. His phone stopped working but now he'll be home sooner than I anticipated. Just a few more days. Still haven't gotten a chance to tell him about our son.