I am seething.

I took the baby to the ped today because of eczema and other food allergy symptoms. One of the RNs informed me that the doctor was running about an hour late, so I needed to make myself comfortable.

I sat in the far corner of the Well Baby area and kept Baby Boy on my lap. Two young kids with hacking coughs kept running into our area and smeared their noses against the fish aquarium. Note to self: Fish tank equals one big germ bucket.

The woman seated next to me in the Well Baby area was holding her son, who was on oxygen. I asked if he was a preemie and the answer was yes. "But," she continued, "that's not why he's in today. He has RSV. Don't worry though, it's been more than 3 days and he's not contagious." Perhaps it's the way she stammered through the whole explanation...clearly not believing the words coming out of her very own mouth...that started clanging the alarms in my head. Or perhaps it's because I know that RSV is uber-contagious up to 14 days after symptoms.

I was so aghast, the worst that I could reply to the mom was, "You have GOT to be kidding me." She assured me that she wasn't, so I stood up and walked out...waving to the front office gal that I would call for a reschedule.

How dare she sit in the Well Baby area with a son who has (not had) RSV? Who are these people who think only of themselves and throw other people's concerns into the wind. And why didn't the receptionist move them to a special area? This practice is a well-oiled machine in the way they handle their Synagis clinics. (OK, I already know the answer to that question. When I called to complain/reschedule later that afternoon, I was told that they were "overwhelmed" by the doctor's late schedule.) But still. We are busting our yams to help our son not get the disease because the odds of him developing asthma for the rest of his life are increased by more than 52% if he does.

So yeah, I do take this very seriously, and I'm still so angry, my scalp feels as though it's flopping off my head.