Monday update June 25th

There is a little bit of everything going around. We have continued to have kids with a tummy bug. This one has vomiting, diarrhea and a bit of a fever. It has lasted several days. Some adults have gotten this bug. I have quite a few kids with coughs, colds and ear infections. There are some kids with random rashes. We have heard about several cases of chicken pox out in the community. We have several of our older patients with a flu like illness that has high fevers and coughs. I will be in the East coast during the next week, but If there is anything exciting floating around the neighborhood, I will have Charity or Jen chime in here with an update. Stay well Judy

tummy bug alert

We are still not seeing an alarming volume of ill kids, but I have spoken to quite a few folks who are dealing with a diarrhea/ vomiting/ fever bug that seems to be starting up. It is too soon to tell how long it lasts, although some folks cleared within a day or so. With any vomiting/ diarrhea situation our main focus is keeping the kids ( and any unfortunate parents who may catch it) hydrated. Someone who is dehydrated will present with significant low energy and decreased urine output. In other words, if your little one is running around playing, then I am not too concerned. Get fluids in with small frequent amounts of breast milk or clear fluids. Pedialyte is great if you can get them to take it ( it tastes a bit like soap.) If they are losing a good bit of fluids from vomiting and diarrhea, they are losing some electrolytes as well, so we don't want to replace with plain water. Coconut water is a good option as well. Once they are keeping fluids down, move the diet along to small amounts of bland starchy foods. I avoid dairy ( except for the magic breast milk or yogurt) until the stools are back to normal. I also have found probiotics VERY useful. If anything seems to be lasting for more than a few days or you are worried about hydration, please check in. Stay well, Judy

Monday update June 18th

Nothing much new and exciting today. I spent much of the morning on routine sleep and feeding questions rather than illness calls. I have a handful of kids out there with fevers and a few still showing up with hand- foot- mouth. There is some strep throat around. Summer check ups are in full swing. If you need one and aren't scheduled yet, make sure you call for an appointment. I just updated my nurse Judy class summer calendar which can be seen on my website www.nursejudy.net I am going to do a bit of a trial with facebook. (it might not work and it may make me nuts, but......) If you are interested and are a facebook user, you can "friend" nursejudynvp. I will be posting all the classes, interesting links...and who knows what else. Stay well Judy

Monday update June 11th

We are seeing a hodge podge of all sorts of stuff. Whenever the thermostat gets up there I know the heat rash calls are going to come in, and today didn't disappoint, I saw all kinds of rashes out there. The warm weather makes them all worse. Hand foot mouth isn't showing any signs of fading away. I am still talking to many new cases. Most of the kids have very mild forms of it, but the rashes come and go for a few weeks before they are done with it. I have seen lots and lots of kids with a fairly common cold, cough and fever. The fever has been lingering for about 4 days and is low grade. Any fever that lasts longer than that needs to be seen. Beware Beware the tummy bug is back. Mostly afflicted have been our older kids who are showing up with vomiting, diarrhea and tummy aches. This has lasted for several days. I have spoken today with more than one case of likely pin worms ( I know...yuck). If your child is waking up during the night with complains of Itchy or painful butt or vagina..pin worms are the likely culprit. Our schedule in the office has been very full. We struggle with trying to fit all the checkups and new born visits in while still keeping appointments open for your acute care needs. Please call as soon as possible to schedule any check ups. For the younger kids, it is always a good idea to make your next check up appointment when you are leaving the office and that way you will get a choice of times. For those of you who are having a tough time getting something set up I do appreciate your patience. If you have an issue that can't wait, give me a call and I can try to fit something in or schedule an acute care visit sooner. For those of you who saw the recent news story on vaccine storage. I am happy to report that we are in full compliance with the industry standards and check our Fridge temps twice daily Enjoy this weather while it lasts...hydrate..sunscreen etc Judy

New Class scheduled/surviving the first 3 months

I have a new class scheduled for June 23rd at 10:00 am. This class is geared to new or expectant parents. It will deal with many of the routine issues that you may face with your newborn. This will include colic, diaper rash, infant acne, cord care, blocked tear ducts, cradle cap...etc etc. The classes are $20/person sliding scale, but this class is $30/couple. To hold a spot or if you have any questions about the class email nursejudynvp@yahoo,com ( The website won't have much info about it until I can get my web master kid to get on there and update it) Judy

Monday update June 4th 2012

We are loaded with Well Child appointments. Some of the Doctors are booked until August. Please call ASAP to schedule summer check ups so that we can try to accommodate your needs. I have seen an absolute upsurge in Hand Foot Mouth cases. Most of the kids have rashes on other body parts as well as the hands and feet. If you check out earlier blog entries about this virus you may get most of your questions answered. We have seen quite a few sore throats today. Half of them were positive for strep throat. We are seeing a normal amount of coughs/ colds and ear infections. Stay well, Judy