BO
brittney Montes De Oca
May 29, 2026
I took my 5-week-old baby to this urgent care for concern about his ear. The doctor walked in and immediately commented, “wow, was baby going swimming or what,” which felt dismissive and confusing as a parent already worried about a newborn.
She looked in his ear and mentioned that it was “not the tympanic membrane” and that it was the canal, but she did not clearly explain the diagnosis during the visit. We were told a prescription was being sent to Walgreens, but we never received discharge paperwork, the medication name, or a clear explanation of what we were treating.
This happened right as the pediatric center was closing, so by the time we called Walgreens and found out they had never received the prescription, nobody was available at the urgent care to help us. We had to spend the night with no medication for our 5-week-old, despite being told antibiotics were needed. Thankfully, our son remained fine overnight.
The next morning, the doctor called to check on him, and when we explained that Walgreens never received anything, she insisted it had been sent. Later, she said the prescription had been “cancelled,” even though the pharmacy said they never received it in the first place. She then told us that because he had gone more than 12 hours without antibiotics, we needed to take him to the emergency room immediately because symptoms could have changed.
When I asked for more information, I was told the diagnosis was “otitis externa left ear” and “cellulitis left ear,” with cephalexin prescribed for 10 days. Because of the lack of clarity and the ER-level recommendation, we took him to the emergency room.
At the ER, the physician examined him and documented that they saw no evidence of infection, no cellulitis, and no need for antibiotics. They said it appeared to be mild drainage, possibly earwax, and recommended gentle cleaning with warm water.
As a parent of a 5-week-old, this experience caused unnecessary stress, an unnecessary ER visit, and serious concern over giving antibiotics that apparently were not needed. I understand medicine is not perfect, and I would have respected being told, “I’m not sure” or “please have him rechecked by a pediatrician.” What was frustrating was the unclear communication, no discharge information, confusion around whether the prescription was ever sent or cancelled, and a diagnosis/treatment plan that the ER later said was not supported by the exam.
I expected clearer communication and a more careful evaluation before diagnosing cellulitis and prescribing antibiotics to a newborn.