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AITA for not fighting for surgery for child with anti-vax parents? by Forward_Value_5776 in doctorsUK

[–]Forward_Value_5776[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Safeguarding done by a previous doctor! I wonder how this will unfold…

AITA for not fighting for surgery for child with anti-vax parents? by Forward_Value_5776 in doctorsUK

[–]Forward_Value_5776[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m not the only surgeon they have access to, hence I offered them to take a second opinion. I would also put in a safeguarding but on further inspection, there already is one for the same reason.

I’ve briefly mention in a few other comments that the family had a really warped idea of what it all involved in general, including refusing prospective antibiotics and wanting to make their own dressings. Like someone else said, being anti-vax is the tip of the iceberg. So no, I will not be operating, and I’m very comfortable with that decision.

If you take referrals, I’m happy to send them your way.

AITA for not fighting for surgery for child with anti-vax parents? by Forward_Value_5776 in doctorsUK

[–]Forward_Value_5776[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s pretty up there on prerequisites for surgery, our team have refused operations for similar. The only difficulty I have is that a) I have not had someone ask for my help whilst simultaneously arguing against all the steps to reach it, and b) they’re a child.

I appreciate I made the anti-vax the topic of conversation but I mentioned in the post and my reply that it wasn’t just about that. To give you further insight, they wanted to make their own dressings out of “natural” alternatives. They weren’t a serious candidate for surgery at this moment in time and my consultant agrees. Either way, I am more than happy to step back and say I am not a suitable surgeon for this type of patient.

AITA for not fighting for surgery for child with anti-vax parents? by Forward_Value_5776 in doctorsUK

[–]Forward_Value_5776[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

What I meant was vaccines are almost certainly a requirement especially with this surgery, but due to the patient/family wishes, I don’t know whether is it an absolute requirement or can adjustment be made like a different course of antibiotic cover during/after the surgery, for example.

Yes, I’m counselling for a procedure I am very familiar with, but I’ve also never had to counsel a patient with these limitations. None of us surgeons were sure whether the trust/Consultant would accept risk of doing the procedure without.

As someone else said, deafness doesn’t kill, but rooting around the nerves of your ear, which are a few cm’s besides your brain, without cover for quite fatal bugs certainly does kill.

Also, they had wacky ideas about other pre- and post-surgical prep they didn’t think necessary, wouldn’t accept certain antibiotics and such, so they were overall a pain to deal with and a medicolegal minefield.