Tuesday, April 30, 2013

update/ vomiting

I think I jinxed it yesterday by mentioning that the tummies out there were behaving.
I have been on the phone non-stop today with the parents of vomiting kids.
Many of them have not started with the diarrhea yet.

Do review the tummy bug blog post.

Good handwashing!!!!!

Judy

Monday, April 29, 2013

More monday Mayhem/ April 29th

Thanks to all of you who have sent photos.
They are quite wonderful.
 I will let you know when the new website is up and running.

We look like we are going to have another super busy week on our hands.
There are lots of kids with colds, coughs, ear infections, sore throats and allergies.

We have a few kids with high fevers.
There are lots of kids with sore throats. Some have been strep, more seem to be viral or allergy related.

I have a few kids still with vomiting and diarrhea. That is way less of a complaint today than it was last week.

With warm temperatures come the calls about the rashes. Try to keep your kiddos cool and hydrated.


Stay well,
 Judy


Monday, April 22, 2013

Monday update April 22nd/ and request for Photos of your kids!!!

My pile of charts this morning was so high that I could barely peer over it to look at the computer screen.
For all the lovely weather, there are still a ton of sick kids out there.
Last week we actually had a positive FLU test ( strain B...covered by the vaccine)
We had one positive strep throat test today.

The worst illness is the tummy bug. This one has teeth. I think it is likely the Norovirus.
One of my little sweeties was actually popped into the hospital for a day or so due to dehydration. Most folks have been managing at home. Time will fix this. Do your best with the hydration and of course call the office if you are worried. Parents be warned....adults are getting this too.

There are also loads of kids plagued with allergy symptoms. There are lots of runny noses, watery eyes and coughs.
If your child is over a year, go ahead and try treating with the claritin syrup. If you get some symptomatic improvement, you will know that it is likely allergies. If mucous is getting greener and greener, your baby is fussy and there is any fever then I would be looking for another cause.
There are lots of coughing kids. Some of the wheezers are starting to get mildly wheezy.

I have also had tons of odd rashes. Check the rash blog post on the www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com to see if you need to be concerned.
When the weather is hot I always see an increase in cases of heat rashes and bug bites. ( make sure your windows have screens!!)

I also saw a poor little guy in today with what looked like a horrible case of Hand/ Foot/ Mouth..
 I hope I am wrong, because when that virus comes around it tends to spread pretty easily. If I start seeing more I will update.
There are several kids with very high fevers for a few days. These kids are pretty happy within 30 minutes of the fever meds. This might be roseola. Roseala shows up with several days of fever, kids don't look as ill and one might expect, on day 3 the fever goes away and a rash pops out.


PHOTO REQUEST...
 Our web site is going to get a long overdue facelift. I would love to add photos of your adorable kiddos. (We will probably have a brand new site soon, hopefully with the same address)
Do you have suggestions for things on the website that you would find useful? The current one is pretty awful.
If you want to have your little one on the site send me photos!!! Much appreciated.

Stay well
~Nurse Judy


Monday, April 15, 2013

Monday April 15th...a taxing day, to be sure!!!

We were packed in here today. We are very booked up with checkups and there are still quite a few sick kids out there who are taking up the rest of the spots with acute care appointments.
The nastiest thing out there right now is the tummy bug.
This round is a tough one. The kids have vomiting, diarrhea and fever. The diarrhea has been lasting for upwards of 4 days, even with folks avoiding dairy and doing probiotics. I suspect a strain of norovirus.

With most of these illnesses, time will fix things. Your job is to keep your child hydrated.
Check in with us if things aren't clearing after a few days.( check the tummy bug blog post)

I also have lots of kids with coughs, colds and a low grade fever.

Schedule those check ups!! If you plan at least 6 weeks in advance you can more easily pick and choose your appointment times. Last minute appointments are much harder to manage.

If you have friends who are expecting a baby and are interested in using us, have them call early.
We are currently doing 2 intake groups a month. Each group has 9-10 couples.
The groups for May are full.
We hate to turn people away, but seeing how busy we are now with our existing patient load, we can't accommodate any more patients than we allot from the intake groups and the siblings that are being born.

Stay well.
~Nurse Judy


Monday, April 8, 2013

Monday update April 8th

Most of my calls today have been folks plagued with the tummy bug. This is coming with all sorts of combinations of vomiting/ diarrhea/ gassy tummy aches and some fever.
I have a few patients who have been dealing with this for 3 or 4 days.
Refer to the earlier tummy bugs blog post for advice on treatment
The same post is also on my new blog nursejudynvp.blogspot.com where it might be easier to find

We have tons of kids with coughs and mild colds. Allergies are starting to flare up a bit with all the lovely things blooming out there.

We are also seeing quite a bit of conjunctivitis. If you have an older child, it might be worth seeing if the eyes clear up with an over the counter allergy eye drop. My favorite brand is Zaditor.

For younger kids with the goopey eyes, we often like to see them to make sure they don't have an ear infection. Those often go together.

We are getting lots of requests for forms to be filled out for summer camps and activities.
Our office does have a $10 form fee ( $20 if you need it immediately, so plan ahead)
If you have an exam scheduled and you bring the form with you, the fee will be waived.

Enjoy this lovely weather!
~Nurse Judy

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

baby photos

Here are Dr Anne's lovely twins!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Monday Update April 1st

There are lots of little illnesses that continue to float around.
We had 3 positive flu tests last week for strain B ( the type that is protected by the vaccine)
We have seen quite a bit of strep throat.
There is a croup virus going around that has a moderate fever associated with it. The worst of this is lasting for several days ( but the cough hangs on for a while longer)
I had quite a few calls this morning from families with a bit of a tummy bug (too much Easter candy perhaps?)

If you are interested, check out www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com
This weeks entry was all about dealing with head lice.
Older posts include tylenol dosages charts, travel tips, teething charts etc
Hopefully you find the info useful and easy to look through.


Dr Anne stopped by today. Her little twins are doing great. She is still planning on returning to work in July.

I had a cancellation in this weeks Parenting workshop so there is one space left. Full class info is at www.nursejudy.com

Happy Easter and Passover to all of you who celebrate.

Stay well

~Nurse Judy