That's why it's called "practicing" medicine

Rion stayed home from school today. Again. He has been battling this cold/cough/stomach pain on and off for about a month. He gets sick, gets better, then feels sick again. I feel like I am in a no win situation with him half the time. If I send him to school I get called by the school nurse to come pick him up. If I leave him at home I get a letter from the school about the amount of school he has missed. (Which happened in the fall when schools and doctors told parents to leave kids at home if they suspected H1N1). I have avoided taking Rion to the walk-in because I only leave frustrated and we end up going back because the doctor didn't get the diagnosis right the first time. In some cases the second time. So while Rion has been off and on sick I've only taken him to the doctor once. I swear the walk-in doctors only diagnosis whatever current sickness is going around. And sure enough I heard, "well, stomach flu is going around," and we were sent home with medicine for the stomach flu. That was two weeks ago and Rion hasn't gotten any better. I really didn't want to go to the walk-in again, but when Rion got sick at school yesterday I made an appointment with his regular doctor, but May 10th is the soonest I can get him in. I was hoping Rion could hold out until then, but tonight he was feeling really crummy so I brought him to the walk-in. The doctor felt a lot of his symptoms have to do with a sinus infection and he wrote out a prescription. He was ready to be on his way when I asked about the stomach pain. That was my biggest concern and Rion's biggest source pain. The doctor looked at me like this was the first time he heard me saying anything about stomach pain even though he felt around Rion's stomach and saw him grimace when he examined his stomach. The kids have a great pediatrician, but we can never see him unless we have an appointment so the walk in is usually the only option. Had I know Rion would still be sick I would have made an appointment long ago, but when I do that, the kids get better before the appointment ever comes. It's just so frustrating. The only doctor I really have any faith in is the one doctor I can never get an appointment with when I really need to. For now I'm keeping the appointment until I know Rion is completely well. We have an antibiotic for the sinus and medicine for what the doctor thought was just constipation causing the stomach pain. I really hope the doctor is right and I don't have to bring him in on May 10th, but from my experiences I feel like we will be going to that appointment.