While going about my busy day in the office, I overheard one of the staff mention we had an emergency coming in soon. Something about an infant who is blue and yellow. My brother, Dr. Jim, had been briefly told about the situation when the parents first called, and the parents were told to come straight in. A couple of runny noses later I picked up the next chart and read the following chief complaint - "infant's tummy is yellow and blue". Now a chief complaint is the term used in medicine to convey what the single most important reason is that the patient has come in. I must admit, this was a new one! Sure, I've seen plenty of yellow newborns, and several blue newborns who are quite ill, but never have I seen a 9-month-old who is BOTH! I walked into the room to find a dad holding a very happy and playful infant on his lap. The dad looked just as confused as I was about why they were here. "My wife noticed the baby's tummy had a tinge of blue and his complexion seemed a bit yellow and she freaked out and made me rush in here," the dad explained. We both took a good look at the playful baby and neither of us saw anything unusual with the baby's color. I think I felt more embarrassed that our office made him come in so urgently than he felt for coming in. It is not always so easy to figure things out over the phone with a frantic parent on the line. I like this kind of visit though, the baby turned out just fine. The whole situation also gave me a chance to laugh a bit and help get me through the day!

Dr. Bob