Ever take your child to a new specialist with a sense of happy anticipation that this time will be different—this time the doctor will listen and help—only to be left confused at the end, wondering how everything went so horribly wrong, so fast? Ever wonder how to minimize the chance the same thing will happen with the next specialist you see?
My daughter’s GP keeps meticulous records, keeping not only all the information sent from all the other doctors, but he consolidates lab results into what he calls a “Laboratory Flow Sheet.” It has all the lab test names and normal ranges down the left side, and dates along the top. All abnormal results are printed in red. If your own child’s pediatrician does not do this, I suggest that you create your own spreadsheet. Keep track of all the lab results yourself.
