Calling the doctor, after office hours

All I seem to do lately is talk about the doctor. I am starting to feel a touch like Woody Allen! Milo has a dreadful cough/cold that is accompanied by high fevers. It has been going on for 4 days now, with him sleeping very little at night. That means that I have not been sleeping at night. Don't get me wrong I love my cuddle time. But when everyone is healthy and during the normal awake hours of the day! Last night his fever hit 103, he was hysterical, refusing water and was lethargic. So I decided to call the on-call doctor at our pediatrician's office. When I heard who the on-call doctor was, I cringed. He is a very famous physician who is often quoted in Parent's magazine and other publications. But the dude has the bedside manner of a cold brick wall. When I expressed my concern about my son's condition, he seemed annoyed. In fact he made me feel downright silly for bothering him in the first place. He said that the cold is a virus that is going around and that Milo should be over it within a week. He told me to control the fever with alternate rounds of baby Motrin and Tylenol. And he said that if I was really concerned I could bring him in to have his ears and lungs checked in the morning. His manner did little to comfort me. And then my poor husband had to get an earful from me, at 2:33 am, after I got off of the phone with Dr. Grouchy Pants.

I try not to be one of those over reactive parents, but when you see a kid who is so not themselves AND is running a very high fever, it seems like the perfect time to call the doctor. Crazy me! My sister and I spoke about the whole thing this morning and her doctor has advised her to call whenever she feels the need, but suggests waiting until a fever hits 105. 105? That seems outrageously high. As it turns out, my niece and nephew just had this same cold. And it lasted just shy of a week. So I am going to relax a little and keep him away from the doctors office unless he seems to have more of a lung or ear situation. Besides, I am 100% sure that he got the cold when he got his Hib last week. And the last thing the kid needs is more infection to fight...