weekly update may 27th 2014

I hope everyone enjoyed the 3 day weekend.

We are seeing quite a bit of strep throat today. I started to see more of it toward the end of last week

http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/01/strep-throat.html.

We are also seeing croup.

http://nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/09/croup.html

get those humidifiers cleaned off!

http://nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/12/vaporizer-vs-humidifier.html

There seems to be a fever out there as well. This has been lasting for 4-5 days. Because we are also seeing strep, if you have a child with a mystery fever we may want to get them in here.

I also have quite a few patients who are having a few days on and off of vomiting.
That could be viral, but strep can also do that!

Allergies are going nuts, so lots of our kids have the clear runny noses and watery eyes.

I also just had a few kids return from their school back packing trip with very horrible and gassy diarrhea that turned out to be caused by the bacteria Campylobacter.
Any diarrhea that isn't clearing up after a few days, especially after you have been camping, should be checked out.

Stay well
~Nurse Judy

Weekly Update may 19th

This week:
We are seeing lots of kids with fevers.
These tend to be lasting about 3 days and are ranging between 101 and 102.
The kids don't seem terribly ill.

We are STILL seeing Hand Foot Mouth and this week it seems to be causing more mouth sores and misery. It is viral and it will go away. Most kids don't have more than 3 peak miserable days before you feel like you are moving "towards the light". If it really feels like it is lingering, or you are worried about the hydration status, do check in

I have seen a bit of a tummy bug. This one is fairly variable. There are a few kids with loose stools, but most of the kids have just had a short stint of vomiting and then seem fine.

There are the typical colds and coughs out there and the cough does seem to be lingering.
There is a lot of whooping cough out there.
If your child is having coughing spasms that are hanging around let us know
Sometimes the spasms lead to vomiting.
Of course, not all spasmotic coughs are caused by pertussis.
Most of our kids are vaccinated and are likely protected. The vaccinated kids who do get it have a much easier case, but Pertussis hangs on for a few months, so it is something we might need to consider.
Stay well

~Nurse Judy

Weekly update May 15th

It is hotter here than it was in Vegas!
Hot weather means heat rash.
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/03/rashes.html
There are lots of little viruses going around that have associated rashes, but some of the kids are simply rashy from the heat.
Keep them cool and hydrated. we don't usually need to see the kids unless they are super fussy or the rash is persistant.
That nasty Hand Food Mouth is still circulating.http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/06/hand-foot-mouth-and-butt-virus.html

This week we are seeing lots of conjunctivitis. http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/04/conjunctivitis-includes-eye-drop-tips.html
This also could be weather related with lots of folks having allergy issues, but fussy kids with gooey eyes should get checked.

Lots of kids are vomiting this week.
Keep them hydrated!!!

There are some high fevers going around, Some of the kids are already on day 3 so it is lasting a bit.
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/11/dealing-with-fevers.html

We are also seeing quite a few sore throats.
 There is some strep out there. I just had one case where the quick test was negative, but the culture that was sent to the lab ended up positive.http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/01/strep-throat.html

If you need a summer check up or have forms that need to be filled out for camps or school call SOON so that we can take care of you. Things are booking up here. Please plan ahead.

Stay well
~Judy

Happy Mother's Day

I will be out of the office for the early part of this week, back on Thursday so I will do the update on what's going around then.
If something crazy is going on, one of my other stellar nurses will blog about it, but I am not anticipating the need.

I did just want to post a Happy Mother's Day wish to all of the fabulous moms out there.
It is wonderful being part of a practice where I see my patients being raised by such loving and exceptional parents.

Here is the most recent post from my blog

http://nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/05/finding-balance-one-of-my-favorite-bits.html

Enjoy your day
~Nurse Judy

Noe Courts Improvement - jump to action!

You may have heard that the Friends of Noe Courts has been working hard on getting another round of funding to further improve our local park (located at 24th St & Douglass.) The toddler playground was a HUGE step up from what we had before, now we are so close to giving the entire park a major facelift!

Rec & Park announced the new proposed plan in the Noe Valley Voice this month. (Email jbmaeder@gmail.com if you'd like me to send it to you.) It gives our families clean, people-only grass to use while allowing dog owners, tennis players and basketball players (through a shared multi-use court) a place to play as well. I strongly feel it's a good compromise for a small pocket park.

The proposed plan is being reviewed today at City Hall at 2pm & next Thursday at 10am.  PLEASE CONSIDER attending these meetings and/or writing a letter to voice your support for these park improvements (including renovated bathrooms!) It is in danger of not going through if we don't show our support. 

Your presence at the meeting is crucial, but if you can't make it please send an email of support to all of the following:

recpark.commission@sfgov.org marvin.yee@sfgov.com jbmaeder@gmail.com

Thanks for your efforts!

Nurse Jen

Public testimony at the Recreation and Park Commission will largely determine the outcome of the proposed park improvement plan. As a reminder, details of the upcoming hearings are as follows:

Capital Committee of the RecPark Commission

May 7 (Wed) at 2:00 PM

City Hall, Room 416

Noe Courts is the last item on the agenda, but could move up if there is a large turnout. Please see attachment.

Full Recreation and Park Commission

May 15 (Thu) at 10:00 AM

City Hall, Room 416

Monday update 5/5/2014

Things was very very busy in here today.
Between the start of the check-up season, and lots of illness going around, we were fully booked and squishing in the extra patient that needed to be seen.
The triage bar is set very high. This means that unless I was really worried about your child, most likely I did NOT bring you in to be seen.
 

Much of what is going around does seem to be viral.
The Hand Foot Mouth virus does not seem to be showing any signs of quitting.
We also have quite a few kids with hive type rashes and puffy feet and hands.
Other kids just have random rashes.

We are seeing basic coughs and colds.
The coughs seem dry and can hang around for several weeks.

We have seen a bunch of kids with ear infections today as well.

If you have any forms for camps or schools or simply need routine check ups, do yourself a favor and call way in advance so that you can be assured of getting a slot that works for your schedule.
We are booking way up so advanced planning is important.

We have some nebulizers that we keep in the office to loan to patients for short term need. We are missing quite a few of them. If you have one of our office machines, please return it ASAP!!!

Stay well,
Nurse Judy