A mom brought her infant in for an ear check. He'd been quite fussy and was pulling on his ears, and mom was CERTAIN he had an ear infection.

I took a good look at his ears, but nope, his ears looked fine. I looked around for any other problems, but couldn't find anything wrong except some teething.

When I told mom that baby's ears looked fine, she was exasperated. She picked up her baby and said straight into his face, "I drove a half hour just for teething!"

This was one of those times when I actually wished that the kid DID have an ear infection. I think the mom would have been much happier!

I felt bad for her, and told the staff not to charge her the co-pay. Maybe saving 10 bucks would help her enjoy the drive home.

Actually, babies faking ear infections are what help keep me in business. I see several "fakers" every day.

Dr. Bob