My wife is 31 weeks pregnant and considered at "high-risk" for contracting H1N1 and complications that might arise in the pregnancy as a result. The media frenzy had driven her to a complete state of confusion, to the point where she had no idea which course of action would be the best thing for her and the baby. Nonetheless, after much waffling, she weighed her options and decided that she did not want to take the H1N1 vaccine. She was scared but it was still her choice, and this seemed to cause her a lot less anxiety.
A few days ago, she had a scheduled appointment with her OB/GYN and when we got to the clinic we discovered some new doctor would be seeing us that day.
The wife had been feeling a little weepy in the morning (quite normal for a 31-week pregnant woman) and had a couple of bouts of vomiting over the week and upper abdominal pain. These are all symptoms that are perfectly normal for someone in her condition.
The doctor walks in, asks her if she's been sniffling (which she was), asks if she's taken the flu shot, and on that information alone makes the brilliant determination that she has H1N1. She proceeds to write my wife a prescription for Tamiflu, which she pinches between her index and her thumb as she hands it to my wife at arms length and then proceeds to back out of the room as if she was a leper or something. I have never had a stronger urge to punch someone straight in the face.
Obviously, this experience left my wife quite badly shaken. She was blaming herself for not having taken the flu shot and worrying about all the complications that might occur. The next day, I took my wife to our GP, who was completely astounded by everything I related to him. He did a thorough examination of my wife, and said that she had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever of any kind of flu.
I am just appalled that an OB/GYN who is well aware of how emotionally vulnerable and anxiety-ridden pregnant women can be, would put one of her patients through something like that.
After Goliath's defeat, giants ceased to command respect. - Freeman Dyson