Monday, April 30, 2012

Monday update April 30th

The phones are non stop and the appointments are booking up very early in the day. That being said, most of the illnesses are mild to moderate...nothing too scary out there. I am seeing the remnants of hand foot mouth. Those blisters are hanging on for a while. We are giving kids the all clear to return to day care and school if they are fever free and feeling reasonably happy. I may have spoken to someone today with a baby with slap cheek. That is another seasonal that comes along in the spring. Usually when I start seeing it it comes in waves. I will update if I start seeing more or it. We are seeing plenty of coughs and colds. There have been a few cases of roseola or similar virus syndromes ( that is the several days of high fever...okay looking child, then the fever goes down, out comes a rash all over the body and the kids are crabby) I am seeing quite a few cases of conjunctivitis, as I mentioned last week most of those are going away on their own. Half of the time when we have a fussy child with gooey eyes they also have ear infections, so that is something to keep in mind. Stay well, Judy

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Getting rid of expired medication

This Saturday, April 28th, from 10am to 2pm, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back day , where collection sites around the country will be collecting and safely disposing of EXPIRED OR UNUSED MEDICATIONS. This is our chance! You can find collection sites and more information through this link: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html (it looks like a few police stations, including the Mission and Ingleside Police Stations, are the sites in SF.). Please help keep old medications from contaminating groundwater by taking advantage of this opportunity for safe disposal! According to the Recology/ sunset scavenger web site several pharmacies will also accept your unwanted or expired ( non controlled) medications on an ongoing basis.. www.sunsetscavenger.com/hazardouswastemedications.html

Monday, April 23, 2012

Monday Update April 23rd

We are still seeing lots of hand foot mouth. ( It gets top billing for the week) Some of my patients are starting off with a fever and some vomiting for a day or so before the spots come out. Some of the lesions are hanging on for more than a week. We consider the kids okay to return to school or daycare once they are fever free for over 24 hours and feeling okay. If they are utterly miserable and not eating much, I would rather they stay home(even if they are fever free). If they are happy as can be and seem well except for lingering blisters...send them to day care. One of my loyal blog readers suggested that I refer any further questions about hand foot mouth to a lengthy post about it back in October 2011 ( check the archives) We have seen an upsurge in conjunctivitis this week. It may be from allergies. Some of the cases have resolved without the use of eye drops. If the discharge from the eye is really green and yellow then it is more likely that the drops are necessary. We have seen a normal amount of ear infections, a few kids with diarrhea, typical coughs and colds and a bit of a flare up in my wheezers ( also possibly from the warm weather and high pollen count). Of course when the weather hits the 80s we see plenty of cases of heat rash.. With the warm weather we have also seen a few tick bites.. Make sure you check your kids head to toe ( including the hair and ears) after any hiking expeditions. Check car seats as well. We are starting to fill up with check ups. If your child is due for their annual exam or has any camp forms that need to be filled out, do yourself a favor and call well in advance so that you can be assured of a convenient slot with your primary doctor. Stay well Judy

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

lots of hand foot mouth

I didn't add hand foot mouth to yesterday's post and it certainly deserves a mention.
It is actually making the news this week with word that a nastier than usual strain is floating around.
Most of our patients who have it are dealing well with fairly moderate cases( not to say they aren't miserable..but they are avoiding the need to go to the ER)
The cases we are seeing have LOTS of spots on the butt, scattered blisters on feet and hands ( sometimes elsewhere on the body), fevers and mouth sores.
Sometimes we can't easily see the mouth sores, but the kids are fussy and don't want to eat normally. It is worth taking a look in the mouth to see what's what.
Fussy kids may need round the clock tylenol/ advil to keep them comfortable enough to stay hydrated. For those refusing oral meds, a tylenol suppository comes in very handy.
Cool creamy and soft foods are generally tolerated the best.
For kids over a year 1/2 teaspoon of benedryl mixed with 1/2 teaspoon Maalox squirted in the mouth( okay to swallow) is helpful for mouth pain.
Glyoxide is also great for any mouth lesions ( OTC from any drugstore)

Oatmeal baths and calamine lotion are fine to do as well.
Feel free to call me if you are worried about your child...
Judy

Monday, April 16, 2012

Monday update April 16th

The phones felt a little more like spring and less like winter today.
The most common illness we have seen is strep throat. There is quite a bit of it around.
Any sore throats with fevers should be checked.
We are also seeing a moderate amount of coughs, colds and odd rashes.
There is a mild little tummy bug out there.
Stay well
Judy

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Nurse Judy Class Schedule for April and May

I have 4 of my classes scheduled in the coming month


Illness class: April 28th Saturday morning 11:00 am

Knowing when to worry is something that all of us need help with. This class answers questions about fevers, rashes, common viral illnesses and anything health related that is on your mind
( all ages)


Safety class: May 2nd Wednesday evening 7:30 pm
Learn how to deal with little emergencies ; includes basic first aid, head injuries, Burns, poisonings, choking rescue and child proofing tips
(all ages)


Parenting class: May 9th Wednesday evening 7:30 pm
problem solving tips, effective consequences and creative rewards, parenting pearls, bedtime issues
( older than 2 years)


Solid foods class: May 23rd Wednesday evening 7:30 pm
Information on feeding your baby from how to start through transitioning to table food, included nutritional needs, bowel movement changes, and understanding the growth chart

( 4 months-15 months)

Classes are held in the Noe Valley Pediatrics waiting room ( Open to public)
$20/person sliding scale available
classes range from 90-120 minutes
small groups..RSVP required
nursejudynvp@yahoo.com
www.nursejudy.net

Monday, April 9, 2012

April 9th monday update/illness class this week

There is a lot of mild to moderate stuff floating around right now. Nothing too scary.
In the office today mostly we are seeing a lot of coughing.
There are patients with some 101-103 fevers that are lasting about 3 days.
We are seeing some hand/ foot/ mouth with a lot of mouth involvement and miserable kids. They are getting over the worst of it in a day or so.
I have a couple kids out there with diarrhea that has been hanging on for a couple of days.
There is a lot of strep throat out there. Sore throats that come along with fever and not a lot of congestion should be checked.

I have an illness class this week 4/11 at 7:45. Still a few spots left if you are interested shoot me an email.

Stay well
Judy

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Tuesday April 3

We are still seeing lots of colds and coughs, but luckily that pesty stomach bug seems to have left us all alone for awhile!

On a more interesting note, a more severe form of the Hand, Foot and Mouth virus has been reported in San Francisco in the last few months. We saw two of these cases in our office today. 

With this strain of the virus, adults are more likely to become infected and the rash is less predictable. While still typically harmless, if you suspect you or your child has Hand, Foot and Mouth please give us a call so we can review it with you individually.

Hand, Foot and Mouth is a common viral infection that typically starts with a fever lasting 2-3 days and then causes ulcers (blisters) in the mouth, especially on the tongue and on the sides of the mouth. In addition, most children will develop small, thick-walled water blisters (like chicken pox) or red spots on the palms, soles and webs between the fingers and toes. Some children develop blisters or red spots on the bottom. This virus mainly occurs in children age 6 months to 4 years.

With this new strain out there - we'd like to know if you or your child show any signs of Hand, Foot and Mouth. If so, please give a call (as the Division of Communicable Diseases is tracking this as well.)

Stay well!
Jennifer (in for Judy)