The doctor's office just told me that they were not allowed to call in

[Ms. Toad]

174. Unfortunately, with respect to the distinction between viral and bacterial respiratory infections

the symptoms are virtually indistinguishable. Even if the last 20 were bacterial (and merely having been treated as bacterial - unless cultures were done - doesn't mean they were), it does not mean that this one is. It would depend on what particular microbe caused the infection (and the vast majority are viral, not bacterial).

I am a big believer in people knowing their bodies - I have specifically "diagnosed" a rare (29,000 in the US) condition my daughter had when the doctor was sure nothing was wrong, and I also knew something serious was wrong with her for two other conditions when two different doctors were sure nothing was wrong - and had I had the research skills I have now, I would have specifically "diagnosed" those two conditions as well. (I say "diagnosed" because even though I identified the disease and the tests which needed to be run to verify the disease she had, the actual diagnosis was made by the doctor after he finally ran the tests to humor me and confirmed that I was correct.)

But - distinguishing between a viral respiratory condition and a bacterial respiratory condition is not something that anyone (even doctors) can do without a culture or observation about how it progresses (or responds to antibiotics) over time. And - with a daughter who cannot tolerate most oral antibiotics, the mis/over-use of antibiotics is a MAJOR issue for me. She is likely to have repeated bacterial infections because at some point bacterial backflow from her intestine - and a compromised blood flow because of cirrhosis (a consequence of the autoimmune disorder she has) - will almost certainly result in very hard to treat bacterial cholangitis. If one of the few antibiotics she can tolerate becomes ineffective because of antibiotic resistance created by taking antibiotics for viral infections, and the only remaining ones which are effective against a bacterial infection are ones she cannot tolerate, she will be up a creek without a paddle. And, although the range of antibiotics she can tolerate is more limited than most people, we are all too rapidly heading to a post-antibiotic world for everyone - because so many antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria have developed.

Actually going to the doctor to have the doctor make an assessment as to whether - this time - the infection (of similar repeated infections) is actually bacterial in nature (rather than the far more common viral variety) is both good medicine, and a small price to pay not to lose the effectiveness (for everyone) of antibiotics which are necessary to treat some increasingly deadly diseases (MRSA and VRSA, to name two).