>A week later the test > was neg. Parents were relieved but a bit miffed at me putting them > through it. I felt so bad, I was so sure that she was going to be > Down's. > Dianna Tolen, M.D. I had a similar experience a few months ago. I was already thinking at the first nursery visit, "What's up with this FLK?" when two different nurses said they thought she was funny looking, too. She had several features of Down syndrome, so I told the (young, single) mom that I wasn't sure, but we needed to check. She shed some tears and the chromosomes came back about two weeks later -- normal. What I want to comment on is Dianna's comment, "I felt so bad." We all need to resist this sentiment, IMHO. We are not omniscient. Let's try not to feel bad about doing our jobs, about being the best pediatricians we can be, about doing reasonable investigations when the circumstance requires, about causing parents anxiety that cannot be avoided. When parents are "miffed", it does not mean, necessarily, that we erred. Let's look at the situation and see if the shoe fits. I try to feel bad for the times when I'm truly negligent, not the times when I'm simply, in hindsight, wrong. And, yes, keeping the two straight is a struggle, for me as well as for you. Bob Mauro, MD Greenwood Pediatrics Littleton, CO