Wow...so much stuff

We often come back from a three day weekend with a heavy volume of calls, but today was a record breaker. We have had two nurses in today on the phone non stop returning calls and we are barely getting through them. Thanks to all of you who have been waiting patiently.
As always, I remind you that for an emergency call 911.
If it is not super urgent, but you are quite worried, feel free to be a squeaky wheel and call again if a few hours have passed since your first call. That will get you on to the top of the pile.

As I mentioned yesterday, the big winner today is still the tummy bug.
Parents are getting this and this bug seems to be lasting a little longer than the strain that was around a few weeks ago. This might be the Norovirus.

Treatment, alas is the same. Focus on Hydration.

http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/03/tummy-bugs-101.html

We are also absolutely seeing Hand Foot Mouth

http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/06/hand-foot-mouth-and-butt-virus.html

We are seeing some strep throat
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/01/strep-throat.html

And of course loads of nasty coughs and colds

http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/08/dealing-with-those-pesky-colds-and.html

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On a completely different topic,
I am starting to get requests from adult patients who need to have their MMR and Hep B status for  grad schools and jobs

When a patient moves along from us (usually at the age of 18 or when through college) we move the inactive charts down to our basement. We are legally required to hold on to them for 7 years. After that, with space being such a premium, they may be shredded.
It is a good idea to have a record of your child's/young Adult's immunizations.
The yellow cards that you are given are considered official documents. If your child is 'aging out' of our practice make sure that you are the guardian of this info!

Monday check in MLK day/ Check your insurance

Our office is closed today, so if you have any illnesses or concerns that can't wait until tomorrow, call the after hours clinic 387-9293.

I did check emails this weekend, and based on those alone, the tummy bug is still out there making folks miserable.
I am also seeing some Hand Food Mouth.

I will chime in with an update tomorrow if there is anything else making the rounds

It has come to our attention that this year is fraught with insurance confusion. While covered California may be a good step in the right direction for many folks, it is not free of confusion,

We will be updating the insurance page on our Web site this month to try to clarify which plans we are taking part of, but please assume nothing.
If your insurance has changed this year, please call your plan to see if we are listed as providers.

I have quite a few folks who are on my email list to receive my weekly Nurse Judy Posts.
More than one person found this weeks post in the spam folder.
I wonder what content triggered that?? Hmmm,
But here it is for those who missed it.
It is one of my favorite Parenting tools.

Teach your child to be a problem solver


Remember that we are holding a Flu shot clinic on Wednesday evening January 29th from 6:00-8:00 pm

Flu shot clinic/ some other cool resources

The flu news is scaring folks into getting the shot.
We have plenty of vaccine but are challenged accommodating all the patients that want to be fit in, so

We are adding an extra flu vaccine clinic.

We will be offering the vaccine to the Noe Valley patients and families on January 29th Wednesday evening from 6:00 pm -8:00 pm.
There is no appointment needed.

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 For those of you who are interested...

Make a New Year’s Commitment to Your Family’s Health!

Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program

Spaces Available for January Groups in English and Spanish.

Registration for the Packard Children’s Weight Control Program’s fall groups

( for 8-15 year olds) is now still in process!

(No physician’s referral needed, please ask interested families to call

(650) 724-5611)

·      Class options for groups in English: Tuesday 4:30-6:00pm, and 6:00-7:30 pm.

·      Class options for groups in Spanish: Wednesday at 6 PM

·      Classes will run every week for six months.

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Also, I got wind of a very cool cooking class for kids who have allergies

Cooking Adventures For Kids with Food Allergies

In search of kids with food allergies ages 8-11 to sign up for cooking classes

In a very special three-part series of cooking classes, local moms and cookbook writers Anna Fabian and Megan Pickett will walk 10 kids (8-11 year olds) with food allergies through a few easy recipes they can master and replicate at home. Inspired by their own children's challenges with food allergies, Anna and Megan take a fun-loving approach to food that is safe and inclusive for all participants (free of 9 major allergens). The afternoon will be jam-packed with tasty recipes, hands-on learning, games, and chances to snack on our creations. All classes are held at 18 Reasons in San Francisco

Session 1: January 25  (2-4pm)

Session 2: March 1    (2-4pm)

Session 3: March 29 (2-4pm)

$45 per class

For more information or to Buy tickets http://freeforallcookingadventures.brownpapertickets.com

 

Monday Update January 13th

The H1N1 flu is around and it is quite a scary one.
Please get vaccinated if you haven't yet. Hearing news about otherwise healthy young people dying from the influenza is heart breaking.

This years flu shot DOES protect against this killer strain.
The vaccine is not a perfect fit and there are other strains around, but they are not quite as deadly.

It is true that some places are out of flu vaccine, but it remains easy enough to find .
We still have it is stock but are reserving it for Noe Valley Pediatrics patients and families.

While I hear rumors about the flu, we actually haven't been seeing all that much of it.
by FAR the most frequent call we have been getting today is about stomach woes.
There is tons of vomiting and diarrhea around
http://nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2013/03/tummy-bugs-101.html

We have also seen some Strep Throat
http://nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/01/strep-throat.html


Of course we have loads of plain old miserable coughs and colds around as well.
One of the things I think is worth having when you are dealing with your child's runny nose is the "NOSE FRIDA" nasal aspirator.
We actually do carry those in the office as a convenience (cost of $20), but when we go through this box I don't think we will reorder since I believe they easily obtainable elsewhere. (Whole foods and Natural Resources)

Stay well.
Judy

Monday update January 6th

Happy New Year.
I hope all of our travelers are safely home.Unfortunately I know of more than one family who had quite a time of it getting  home because of the storms.

Last week we were seeing a tremendous amount of Strep Throat
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/01/strep-throat.html

For what it is worth, today most of the tests came back negative but it is still worth checking if the symptoms fit.

We are seeing a ton of kids with the standard cough/ cold/ fever
We have a bunch of kids with conjunctivitis.
I am still talking to quite a few of our  families with some tummy symptoms, but that doesn't seem as prevalent as it was last week.

I am reading frightening reports about the H1N1 flu circulating about. That is a potentially deadly strain that is covered by this years vaccine. If you haven't gotten your shot yet, it is NOT too late.

Stay Well,
Nurse Judy

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