Weekly update/ New years schedule

I am a day late on this, the phones were so nutty yesterday that I couldn't get to the blog.

We will be closed for New Years on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday all day.
We will be back to our normal hours on Thursday January 2nd.

This week we are still seeing lots of tummy stuff.
Many of the patients and families have vomiting/ diarrhea and mild fever.
This is lasting only for several days.
If the diarrhea is lasting longer than that even with the simple diet, we might send the stool to the lab to be cultured.
Indeed this week one of our patients tested positive for Salmonella.
Most patients recover fully from that, but it is a nasty journey.
We are seeing lots of colds/ coughs and congestion as well as some Strep throat.

We have had patients traveling all over the place these past couple of weeks and alas, quite a few have gotten sick. Quite a few of our patients has tested positive for Influenza Type A while away.

There seem to be multiple strains of the flu out there.
The vaccine this year is clearly not a perfect fit, but it does protect against the H1N1/ swine flu strain that is making the news.
So far the folks who have gotten the flu have been very low energy, feverish,achy, congested and have had some stomach issues ( typical)


I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy new year.

~Nurse Judy

Monday update 12/23 and Holiday schedule

There are lots of sick kids this week. I know it is nasty timing with all the holiday festivities and traveling that is going on, but so it goes. (I swear I think I have spoken to patients in almost all 50 states today)

The biggest complaint this week is the tummy bug. There are loads of families (yup, the parents are getting hit with this as well) that have the vomiting and diarrhea.

There are tons of coughs and colds.
We are seeing high fevers and general viral yuck.
RSV is going around, but more of the tests this week have been negative.

We are seeing quite a bit of strep throat.

We had a positive flu test last week. (and likely quite a few that we haven't tested)
Alas the patient with the positive flu test did have the flu shot this season....
What does that mean???
It means that the flu shot this season is not a perfect match.
The shot protects against 4 different strains but there seems to be an A strain out there that isn't covered by the vaccination. That being said, the patient was only ill for 3 days or so, so it is possible that the flu shot kept him from getting a full scope of the illness.
The shot also may well protect from other strains that may circulate (We can only hope), so I am still feeling like it is better to have the flu shot than to skip it.

We are here in the office tomorrow for the morning only.
The after hours clinic opens the phone lines at noon and will start seeing patients as early as 1pm.
They are your best option for Christmas day as well.
We reopen on Thursday but have only one doctor working. My triage bar will be set fairly high and the visits will be limited to the sicker patients who really need same day appointments.
We have two docs working on Friday so that hopefully we can take care of any needs before the weekend.
Happy Holidays!
Judy

Monday update december 16th

The winter illnesses are here with a vengeance.
We are seeing a lot of RSV and actually have one baby in the hospital with it.
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/11/rsv.html

If your child is still able to drink and has normal color and okay energy, then they are probably managing to work through this nasty virus. When they are having too much trouble with the breathing to properly eat, it is time to get them looked at.
For the record...I HATE RSV.

The ER says that it is also getting some positive FLU tests. We have seen quite a few kids who looked like they may be FLU candidates. Now that we know it is here we will start testing. I don't have a good sense of what the classic symptoms are for this season's FLU yet. I will update here.
Every season is a bit different.

We are seeing strep throat. If you have a patient with a sore throat, fever, aches, stinky breath  it is worth doing a swab to see if it is strep.

There are lots of kids with tummy aches and diarrhea. Some of them are vomiting as well
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/03/tummy-bugs-101.html

Safe Travels to all of you who are going away for the holidays.
Nurse Judy

Monday Update December 1st

Very busy day at the office...so sorry for longer then expected wait times to talk with the nurses today. So many lingering cold and cough symptoms this week. Get your humidifiers going at night, warm baths before bed and lots of fluids to help with symptoms. It seems to be hanging on for most people for 2 weeks.
There has beem some lingering tummy bug issues, watch for dehydration and use the BRAT diet.  If combined with vomiting, start slowly with clear fluids.
It is going to be very cold this wk so bundle everyone up, and cover your plants!
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday and call us if you need us

Monday update November 25th

We have an odd virus going around.
I have almost a dozen kids with hives. They are itchy but don't seem to be super sick.
Hives are strange. They can be associated with severe allergic reactions so they make many parents nervous. However, many times they simply come along as part of a virus.
We are interested in whether or not your child is on a new medication and/ or has eaten something new and unusual, but if there is no trouble breathing and no obvious source, I am thinking that it is viral.

Most of these kids have had hives on and off for about 4 or 5 days and then they are better.
If they are old enough, we would be fine giving them benedryl as needed.
If they are under 6 months do check in with us.

We are also seeing lots of Strep throat.

There is still a bit of diarrhea going around.

There are tons of coughs and colds out there as well.

For all of you who are traveling for the holidays
Here is an oldie but a goodie from my blog with some travel wisdom.
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/08/hello-from-pittsburgh-pennsylvania-i-am.html

Our office will be closed for the holidays on Thursday and Friday. We will be back in business on Monday December 2nd.
If you need help as always call the after hours clinic 387-9293

Happy Holidays!
Judy

Monday update November 18th

We are still seeing lots of colds and coughs.
This cough hangs on for weeks!

I am also getting lots of folks with several days of fevers
Here is my updated fever post.
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/11/dealing-with-fevers.html

A few of these folks have ended the fever with a rash and a few fussy days. When that happens I am thinking Roseola or other viral syndrome.

We are having some sore throats.
Some of these have been positive for Strep.

There is a mild tummy bug out there. (If you or your child has it, you might question my choice of words...but most folks are shaking it after a day or so)

Aside from that early positive Flu test last month, I don't think we are seeing any active Flu circulating.
Stay well.
~Nurse Judy

Monday update November 12

The most common illnesses that I have seen in the office and have been getting calls about are the terrible coughs and colds.

We have also had several patients with very high fevers.
We haven't had any more positive flu tests in the office, but to be honest we haven't been testing too many patients.
We have had a couple positive strep throat tests.

I am seeing several folks with a mild tummy bug. Most of these folks have resolved within a few days.

Stay healthy!
~Nurse Judy