DD (6 mths) has been poorly with an ear infection. 5 days ago I took.her to docs because she was having a lot of discharge from her ear. He said she had a perforated ear drum. He took a swab. She was then really quite poorly and I took her back to the docs yesterday. Swab results in. He prescribed gentamicin.
I didn't read the prescription til I got home but then thought I didn't want to give it to her...
Three years ago a colleague happened to tell me that just after her first son was born a pediatrician at the hospital gave him gentamicin without asking her. He is now deaf. She told me this had been caused by the gentamicin and there is a campaign or group of people similarly affected. Just absolutely awful. When I read the prescription when I got home I saw that it was for gentamicin. Oh I thought. That was what was used on X's son. I did a quick check on the internet and the first page of results suggested that yes gentamicin caused hearing loss! But I thought maybe it's like the mmr scare and not actually true. After all a Dr prescribed this! So I got my sister, bil and my Dad (all science phds and bil's sis also gp so they're all super at researching stuff for me!) on the case.
They found that: In general gentimicin can cause hearing loss but not always. In the case when there is a perforated ear drum it will always cause hearing loss as it will destroy the inner ear!!!!! DD has a perforated ear drum and the Dr knew this because he told me in the first place and her ear was still being puss-y. I am absolutely shocked. If a series of chance events and my memory hadn't all come together I would have used the ear drops and would have destroyed her hearing. I'm both quite upset and also so incredibly relieved.
Aibu to feel this way?
If not how do I complain to the docs? I don't want anyone else to experience / risk this!