I have seen a few kids with some vomiting and diarrhea today, I hope this isn't the start of a widespread tummy bug.
We have had several cases of strep throat.
Lots of coughs and colds are making the usual rounds.
I still have hand foot mouth going around. ( Refer to the archives on the right for info on hand foot mouth.)
We are seeing all sorts of odd little rashes.
I have some kids with fevers, but I don't think I am seeing the actual flu yet.
It is worth getting the shot if you haven't yet!
Stay well
Nurse Judy
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Flu info follow up
We will be holding a flu shot clinic on Saturday morning from 9-12 for patients and parents.
Please check the blog archive ( over on the right) and click for complete flu shot updates and information from October 4th.
Thanks
Judy
Please check the blog archive ( over on the right) and click for complete flu shot updates and information from October 4th.
Thanks
Judy
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday October 17th
Today my most frequent complaint is nasty sounding cough.
Many of the kids have a wet cough and others are croupy.
Coughs can sound awful and be fairly benign. Our biggest task is to figure out if it is an Upper airway cough or one that is down in the lungs.
Upper airway coughs can often sound very wet and junky, but the breathing seems okay.
The most important question is " Are the respiration s labored?"
When your child is calm, lift up the shirt and watch them breathe for a bit.
If it seems like the breathing is rapid, with the tummy going in a out and any retractions ( the little hollows at the base of the throat or between the ribs sucking in during inspiration) I would consider that breathing to be labored and I would want to have someone check them out.
If the breathing looks normal I am way less concerned about the cough.
We also still have hand foot mouth going around, but this week the patients have been more unfortunate and have way more mouth sores.
Please check out the earlier post about tips on dealing with this.
We are still seeing all sorts of odd rashes.
If you or your child need the flu shot still, we have our flu shot clinic coming up next Saturday morning!
Stay well and enjoy this lovely weather while it lasts
Nurse Judy
Many of the kids have a wet cough and others are croupy.
Coughs can sound awful and be fairly benign. Our biggest task is to figure out if it is an Upper airway cough or one that is down in the lungs.
Upper airway coughs can often sound very wet and junky, but the breathing seems okay.
The most important question is " Are the respiration s labored?"
When your child is calm, lift up the shirt and watch them breathe for a bit.
If it seems like the breathing is rapid, with the tummy going in a out and any retractions ( the little hollows at the base of the throat or between the ribs sucking in during inspiration) I would consider that breathing to be labored and I would want to have someone check them out.
If the breathing looks normal I am way less concerned about the cough.
We also still have hand foot mouth going around, but this week the patients have been more unfortunate and have way more mouth sores.
Please check out the earlier post about tips on dealing with this.
We are still seeing all sorts of odd rashes.
If you or your child need the flu shot still, we have our flu shot clinic coming up next Saturday morning!
Stay well and enjoy this lovely weather while it lasts
Nurse Judy
Thursday, October 13, 2011
class update
I have one or 2 spots left in the safety class October 19th at 7:45 pm. If you are interested let me know
I am also going to do my introduction to solid foods class on November 9th ( Wednesday night) if I get a group of at least 4.
email me at nursejudynvp@yahoo.com if you want a spot.
I am also going to do my introduction to solid foods class on November 9th ( Wednesday night) if I get a group of at least 4.
email me at nursejudynvp@yahoo.com if you want a spot.
hand foot mouth review
Since we are seeing so much hand foot mouth lately I thought I would do a little review.
Hand foot mouth is a very common illness that most kids get once during childhood. I have seen a few rare patients who don't seem to hold the immunity and have had it more than once, but they are the exception.
I also do see some parents who get it (and are quite miserable)
It is a virus. Time will fix it. Unfortunately there is no magic pill for this one.
I actually like to call it Hand Foot Mouth and Butt, because in my experience kids often get blisters on their Butts as well as on the hands and feet.
Some kids have mild congestion and fevers as part of this.
It is a very variable illness, meaning that one child will not look very sick and another can feel wretched. The lucky ones might simply have a mystery spot on the hand and that is it! Most of them are better within a week.
I have found that the kids with the most mouth involvement are the most miserable. In extreme cases the mouth sores are so awful that they don't want to eat or drink and can have a risk of dehydration. ( watch for decreased energy and urine output)
If your child has a lot of mouth sores, tylenol and or advil are very appropriate for pain relief even if they don't have a fever.
Offer cool creamy and soft foods ( hooray if you have breast milk).
Avoid anything acidic or sharp, like orange juice or tortilla chips.
Smoothies are great. I like an over the counter medication called glyoxide that can be applied by Q-tip to affected areas ( if your child lets you anywhere near them!)
The exposure period for this is usually about 3 days to a week. In other words, if your child was exposed on a Monday...they may start to show symptoms as early as Thursday but if a week goes by without anything happening you are probably out of the woods.
On the other hand, If you child has the illness. They are contagious as long as they still have blisters or a fever and perhaps can shed the virus for a week or 2 after wards.
If your child is happy and eating and has no fever but has a few blisters I would try to keep them away from a new born or someone with a compromised immune system, but it seems excessive to expect you to keep your kids out of daycare if that is the only symptom.
Good hand washing is key to avoiding this.
making sure the shared toys are cleaned frequently.
Bottom line, don't freak out..this is a rite of passage. Call as needed!
Nurse Judy
Hand foot mouth is a very common illness that most kids get once during childhood. I have seen a few rare patients who don't seem to hold the immunity and have had it more than once, but they are the exception.
I also do see some parents who get it (and are quite miserable)
It is a virus. Time will fix it. Unfortunately there is no magic pill for this one.
I actually like to call it Hand Foot Mouth and Butt, because in my experience kids often get blisters on their Butts as well as on the hands and feet.
Some kids have mild congestion and fevers as part of this.
It is a very variable illness, meaning that one child will not look very sick and another can feel wretched. The lucky ones might simply have a mystery spot on the hand and that is it! Most of them are better within a week.
I have found that the kids with the most mouth involvement are the most miserable. In extreme cases the mouth sores are so awful that they don't want to eat or drink and can have a risk of dehydration. ( watch for decreased energy and urine output)
If your child has a lot of mouth sores, tylenol and or advil are very appropriate for pain relief even if they don't have a fever.
Offer cool creamy and soft foods ( hooray if you have breast milk).
Avoid anything acidic or sharp, like orange juice or tortilla chips.
Smoothies are great. I like an over the counter medication called glyoxide that can be applied by Q-tip to affected areas ( if your child lets you anywhere near them!)
The exposure period for this is usually about 3 days to a week. In other words, if your child was exposed on a Monday...they may start to show symptoms as early as Thursday but if a week goes by without anything happening you are probably out of the woods.
On the other hand, If you child has the illness. They are contagious as long as they still have blisters or a fever and perhaps can shed the virus for a week or 2 after wards.
If your child is happy and eating and has no fever but has a few blisters I would try to keep them away from a new born or someone with a compromised immune system, but it seems excessive to expect you to keep your kids out of daycare if that is the only symptom.
Good hand washing is key to avoiding this.
making sure the shared toys are cleaned frequently.
Bottom line, don't freak out..this is a rite of passage. Call as needed!
Nurse Judy
Monday, October 10, 2011
October 10th 2011
The phones are pretty mellow today, which is a good thing with Dr Schwanke and Dr Hurd both away on vacation this week,
We have heard about lots of mild cases of hand/foot mouth going around. There are always coughs and colds out there. I am also seeing an increase in conjunctivitis.
There are 2 cool websites that I would like to share.
www.healthychildren.org is a pretty nice and balanced site with all sorts of good information about general heath
www.sfkids.org is a great resource for local activities ( many free and inexpensive)
I hope it stays a quiet and reasonable healthy week!
Nurse Judy
We have heard about lots of mild cases of hand/foot mouth going around. There are always coughs and colds out there. I am also seeing an increase in conjunctivitis.
There are 2 cool websites that I would like to share.
www.healthychildren.org is a pretty nice and balanced site with all sorts of good information about general heath
www.sfkids.org is a great resource for local activities ( many free and inexpensive)
I hope it stays a quiet and reasonable healthy week!
Nurse Judy
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Flu shot information
We are giving flu shots( and mist) on an appointment basis on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am-11:30 and 2:00pm-4:00pm.
If your child is on the schedule to see one of the doctors they can also get a flu vaccine regardless of the day or time.
If those times are difficult for you, we will be doing a drop in Flu clinic on Saturday October 22nd from 9:00am until noon. This is for patients and parents only. No appointment is necessary.
Parent shots are $35 and we do not bill insurance, so you might be better off at Walgreens. If convenience and cute band-aids are a factor feel free to come here.
Babies under 3 get the pediatric dose of the preservative free vaccine.
Anyone over 2 also has the option of the flu mist ( which is also preservative free)
I have found that kids under 4 often don't cooperate with having something squirted in their nose and the shot is actually easier for them.
Flu mist is a live vaccine and is NOT suggested for patients who have asthma.
We do have limited amounts of the preservative free vaccine for higher risk patients and pregnant women.
Babies who are getting flu shots for the first time will need to get 2 shots in order to achieve immunity.
This is the same vaccine as last year. Last years did seem to be mostly effective. Hopefully they have matched the strain correctly again. The shots are thought to give protection for just about a year. This shot does protect against H1N1.
People with mild colds symptoms are fine to get the shot.
We have seen only mild side effects so far this year. Some folks after the flu mist have complained of several days of snuffles, head ache and dry throat.
Some folks after the shot complain of mild achiness ( especially at the shot site)
Mild egg allergy is NOT a reason to skip the vaccine. Folks with very severe egg allergies may choose to get it in the allergist's office.
If you have further flu shot questions feel free to comment and I will try to get them answered.
Nurse Judy
If your child is on the schedule to see one of the doctors they can also get a flu vaccine regardless of the day or time.
If those times are difficult for you, we will be doing a drop in Flu clinic on Saturday October 22nd from 9:00am until noon. This is for patients and parents only. No appointment is necessary.
Parent shots are $35 and we do not bill insurance, so you might be better off at Walgreens. If convenience and cute band-aids are a factor feel free to come here.
Babies under 3 get the pediatric dose of the preservative free vaccine.
Anyone over 2 also has the option of the flu mist ( which is also preservative free)
I have found that kids under 4 often don't cooperate with having something squirted in their nose and the shot is actually easier for them.
Flu mist is a live vaccine and is NOT suggested for patients who have asthma.
We do have limited amounts of the preservative free vaccine for higher risk patients and pregnant women.
Babies who are getting flu shots for the first time will need to get 2 shots in order to achieve immunity.
This is the same vaccine as last year. Last years did seem to be mostly effective. Hopefully they have matched the strain correctly again. The shots are thought to give protection for just about a year. This shot does protect against H1N1.
People with mild colds symptoms are fine to get the shot.
We have seen only mild side effects so far this year. Some folks after the flu mist have complained of several days of snuffles, head ache and dry throat.
Some folks after the shot complain of mild achiness ( especially at the shot site)
Mild egg allergy is NOT a reason to skip the vaccine. Folks with very severe egg allergies may choose to get it in the allergist's office.
If you have further flu shot questions feel free to comment and I will try to get them answered.
Nurse Judy
Monday, October 3, 2011
October 3rd
Last week I was seeing a bunch of preschool age kids with high fevers and and body aches.
Today we are still seeing fevers, but more with the one year old crowd.
There is strep throat going around and well as lots of coughs and some croup.
By far today my biggest complaint was for odd rashes and loads of very irritating bug bites. I have had at least a dozen patients calling with bites that are causing allergic reactions, lots of redness and puffiness at the sites.
I think the warm weather last week may have had something to do with it, but make sure you have screens in the windows and check the bedrooms for spiders or mosquito s.
We DO have the flu shots available. Call on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday for same date appointments.
We will be having a flu shot clinic for patients and parents on Saturday morning October 22nd between 9-12 am
We do recommend that all of our patients over the age of 6 months receive the shot.
If this is your child's first year getting the shot, they will need 2 ( a month apart) to achieve true immunity
My next safety class will be held on October 19th ( Wednesday evening) at 7:45 pm.If you are interested, visit www.nursejudy.net to click and reserve a a spot
Be Well,
Nurse Judy
Today we are still seeing fevers, but more with the one year old crowd.
There is strep throat going around and well as lots of coughs and some croup.
By far today my biggest complaint was for odd rashes and loads of very irritating bug bites. I have had at least a dozen patients calling with bites that are causing allergic reactions, lots of redness and puffiness at the sites.
I think the warm weather last week may have had something to do with it, but make sure you have screens in the windows and check the bedrooms for spiders or mosquito s.
We DO have the flu shots available. Call on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday for same date appointments.
We will be having a flu shot clinic for patients and parents on Saturday morning October 22nd between 9-12 am
We do recommend that all of our patients over the age of 6 months receive the shot.
If this is your child's first year getting the shot, they will need 2 ( a month apart) to achieve true immunity
My next safety class will be held on October 19th ( Wednesday evening) at 7:45 pm.If you are interested, visit www.nursejudy.net to click and reserve a a spot
Be Well,
Nurse Judy
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