Flu shot clinic

We are holding one more Saturday flu shot clinic.
Probably this will be the last one this season.
Saturday morning December 12
9:30 until Noon.
There is no appointment needed.
This is for Noe Valley Pediatrics patients and families only.

We have all flu mist available as well as the injection.
~Nurse Judy

Flu shot Clinic

We are holding a Saturday Flu shot clinic for our patients and immediate families.
October 24th from 9:30 until Noon.
 There is no appointment necessary.

There have been several reported cases of positive influenza already reported, so I would not wait.
If you haven't gotten your child the shot yet, now is a good time.
~Judy

FLU UPDATE

The supply has been a bit slow getting to us this year.
 I anticipate that by mid October we will have plenty.

We are planning on holding a saturday morning flu shot clinic in the office on October 24th.
I will confirm that will full details when we get closer to the date.

I will occasionally update this site throughout the flu season.
 For  weekly updates, you can visit our facebook page or sign up for the Nurse Judy weekly emails.

~Judy

spam on the account

Hi folks,
 I have not updated this blog in a long time but I want to spread the word that our nvpeds@gmail.com account got hacked ( password has been changed)
Please do not open up any attachments from that address.

I have changed our communication mode from this blog over to our Facebook Page and my weekly email list.

If you want to be added to the list shoot me an email to nursejudynvp@gmail.com

Sorry for any inconvenience
As I said on the Facebook page: May all the spammers in the world get a case of incurable pinworms
~Nurse Judy

new facebook page

I started this blog years ago when the H1N1 was rampant, patients were flooding the phone system and we needed to figure out a way to get the message out to all of our patients at once.
Since then it has transitioned to a weekly "what's going around"


It is our intention to move that over to our new Noe Valley Pediatrics face book page.
My Nurse Judy Blog with a different topic each week will remain intact


If there is anyone out there who will really miss this venue let me know! Comments welcome.

Unless there is a huge outcry, I plan to put this baby to bed and start posting on the Facebook page.
Looking forward to seeing you on Facebook.
Nurse Judy

Weekly update January 26,2015

We are still seeing the flu, but not is the same crazy numbers that we were seeing 2 weeks ago.
We still have a ton of kids with high fever, vomiting and coughing but they are not coming up positive with the flu test in the office.
I also have seen a huge number of kids with ear infections so far today.

http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2015/01/measles-outbreak-2015.html

To nobody's surprise we are getting a lot of calls about measles.
We have not seen any cases in SF so far. If you are traveling and your child is not fully vaccinated, feel free to call to discuss getting your child protected.


and with all the illnesses going around,here is one more useful post
http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2015/01/does-your-kids-still-have-cooties.html


One of our parents told us about a terrific resource out in the community.
The Anahata Integated healing Center in SF is offering Yoga classes for kids that focus on self regulation and impulse control.
For more information call 720-833-8016

Stay healthy!!
Judy

New eye screening tool in the office

Our office is trying out a new screening tool.
The iscreen can test children as young as one year old for the following issues:
Near sightedness
Ambliopia
Far sightedness
alignment problems
unequal focusing
Abnormal curve of the cornea
unequal pupil size
cataracts

Just like a digital camera the Iscreen vision captures dual images of your child's eyes in seconds.
Images are reviewed by trained technicians and results are sent to the office before you leave.

This is covered by most PPO insurances
If you are an HMO or self pay the cost of the test is $40.

If you are interested in getting this done, ask your doc the next time you are in the office!

Weekly Update January 20th

I hope everyone had a nice 3 day weekend.
I apologize to anyone who had trouble reaching us this weekend or this morning.
 We have switched our computers and phone systems to a new server and we had some serious growing pains this morning with no voice mail and one of our incoming lines out of service.
 I think we are back to up and running, but I very much appreciate our patient patients!

There is a ton of stuff going around, but we had plenty of room to see anyone who wanted an appointment today, so that leads me to believe that for the most part folks are "dealing"
We are still seeing loads of Flu. The type that we are finding in our office test is type A. The flu shot didn't seem to block that one at all.
Other offices are also reporting type B. We haven't seen any of that, so it is possible that our vaccinated population is escaping that strain.
The Flu kids have congestion, aches and high fever. Some have considerable belly aches.
 We also seem to have a completely separate tummy bug making the rounds, loads of diarrha and vomiting kids.


Everyone is coughing. The colds go away and the coughs linger for a few more weeks.

I am also seeing croup. The kids wake up in the middle of the night sounding like a seal

Good hand washing everyone, I hope you all stay healthy. Check in as needed.
Judy

Phone issue...ooops

We are back open today Tuesday January 20th after the 3 day weekend.
 We did make a switch to our phone service during the weekend and I am afraid that our voicemail did not transfer seamlessly.
 I apologize for any inconvenience.

I will be back on here with an illness update later on this afternoon.
 Judy

Monday update January 12th

The Flu is here.
We have seen lots of positive tests in here. More than half of the kids were vaccinated.
They all had high fevers. The ones who can talk all had body aches.
Most of the kids had some congestion and wet coughs.
About half of the kids were also vomiting.....which leads me to...

Oh yes, we have another nasty tummy bug out there with LOTS of vomiters.
The difference is the amount of fever.
 If your child has over 103, do call us. It may be worth doing the flu test so that we can get you started on Tamiflu.
 It is a bit scarce, but we have managed to get it for most of the patients who need it.

We also have had a few positive strep throat cases

There are lots of wheezy coughs ( no fever)
All in all today was insanely busy!!!!!

Judy

Monday Update January 5 2015

2015...
Wow.

The maps that are tracking the Flu show increasing cases all over the country. Here in SF we are still considered mild.
We are seeing quite a few kids who look like they have the Flu but the tests are showing up negative.
The symptoms are cough/ congestion/fever.
We have kids with sore throats, but most of the cultures have been negative this week.
I also have quite a few kids with vomiting/diarrhea.
It seems that there are just lots of horrible little viruses going around. A lot of the parents are quite miserable as well.
 I must warn you that the cough has been lingering for a long time after the worst of the illness passes.

We have been having a run on our loaner nebulizers. If you have one that belongs to the office please return it ASAP, we can help you get one from Walgreen's that you can own.

One more thing.
 Dr Schwanke has seen a lot of patients with these cute new pacifiers called WabbaNubs.
He HATES them. He can actually feel the palates being affected by them and strongly prefers the shorter more orthodontic type. Be warned before your patient falls in love with this product, they are awfully appealing until you realize what they are doing to your child's mouth.

Happy New Year and welcome back to all of our returning travelers.
Judy

Monday update 12/29/14 /Holiday Hours

Holiday Hours
We are closing early on Wednesday (NOON)
We are closed all day on Thursday and back in for business all day on Friday.

We are seeing a tremendous amount of respiratory issues. There are more cases of pneumonia than we usually see at one time.
Of course most of our kids don't have pneumonia, there are tons of kids with fevers, coughs and congestion that are dealing with a week or so of illness and then manage to shake it off with simply symptomatic treatment.
Here are some guidelines
If your child has a high fever and a rattly cough they should be seen.
If there is any fever over 102 that does not reduce to at least 101 an hour after meds, they need to be seen
Any fever lasting more than 4-5  days needs to be checked out
Any labored breathing needs to be seen same day.


I am also seeing a number of folks with a tummy bug. Most of the folks have been managing without coming in to the Doctor. The key is hydration. Probiotics, and avoiding dairy ( Except for breast milk) are also helpful.

There is still some Hand Foot Mouth going around.

http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/12/tylenol-vs-advil-dosage-charts.html

Above is my most recent Nurse Judy Blog post.
You may want to book mark it for the dosage charts

Happy and Healthy New year to all.
Judy

Weekly update december 22

Holiday hours this week are as follows:
 We are here with two docs working Monday and Tuesday all day.
We have 3 docs in Wednesday morning. We are closed in the afternoon.
 We are closed on Thursday and back for a full day on Friday with 2 docs.

I thought today might be mellow because of so many travelers, but I was WRONG.
The phones have been quite busy and there are a lot of sick kids (and parents) out there.
There are loads of ear infections for some reason!
We are also seeing lots of cough and colds. The kids with reactive airways are wheezing and the nebulizers have been humming along all day in all of the rooms.
We have a few loaners that we use to send home with folks for a couple of days and I am putting out a call to please return them.
 If you have a Noe Valley Nebulizer please email the nurse team nvpeds@gmail.com to let us know how you are doing and when you might be able to get it back to us.
If you need it for more than a few days, it may be worth getting you set up with one from Walgreens. This is usually covered by insurance and then you own it.

There is a tummy bug out there. I have a variety of kids with vomiting/ Tummy aches/ loose stools.

There are a bunch of kids with high fevers.
There is some Hand/Foot/ Mouth still circulating. It seems fairly mild.
I think I may be seeing Slap Cheek. I saw a few cases earlier in the month and then nothing, but I am suspicious that it is starting to be more wide spread

Happy Holidays to all.
Judy

Monday Update 12/15/14

We had our first positive test for Influenza type A.
The patients was not vaccinated.
She presented in a way that normally would NOT have had us worried about the flu. Doing the test was a last ditch effort to figure out what the heck was going on with her, and sure enough it was positive.
She presented with fever, severe tummy ache, some vomiting, mild sore throat, mild cough.

We have had a lot of kids in here who we were SURE had the Flu and their tests have so far been negative. These kids have high fevers that are lasting for 5-6 days with congestion.

We do have RSV and lots of Strep throat making the rounds.
Other things making the list today are
croup
Diarrhea
vomiting
ear infections
hand/foot/mouth
bites


Insurance is changing for lots of folks at this time of year.
PLEASE PLEASE check your plans and make sure that we are on them.
Some companies have been shifting things around and making things difficult for everyone,
Safest thing is for you to call the number on your card.
If you have any questions, do check in with our biller 1-707-577-8044*

 For those of you who do not get the Friday emails....Here is my last week post on Holiday safety

.http://www.nursejudynvp.blogspot.com/2014/12/next-week-winter-holidays-begin.html


Stay Dry!!!
Judy

Weekly update December 8th/Insurance reminder

Of course the same day that we held our Saturday flu shot clinic, the media was announcing headlines about the flu vaccine being a poor match this season.
The suggestion is still for folks to get the vaccination for at least partial protection. There are often more than one strain that makes the rounds each season, so I would agree with that suggestion.
I actually have not had any positive cases of Flu in here yet.
 I have a couple of kids with nasty high fevers for almost a week, they are congested and coughing.
It sure looks like flu, but the tests were negative.
There is a nasty "whatever it is" virus out there.

We are still seeing some strep throat.
Last week and continuing today are more calls about pinworms, so itchy butts or vaginal irritations should rule that out.

This week I am getting a spike in calls about loose stools.

We are coming to the time of year when many folks switch their insurance plans.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check with your plan to make sure we are on it.
Your best bet is to call the number on your card, but if you have any conflicting information do check in with our biller Susie (you can click the link from our website)
Our receptionist are often not able to verify whether or not your plan is accepted here on the same day as the appointment.

Stay well!
Judy

FLU SHOT CLINIC

If you haven't gotten your shot yet, we have our Flu shot clinic on Saturday December 6th from 9-noon.
No appointment needed.
 This is for Noe valley pediatrics patients and families.

Have a nice weekend.
 Judy

Monday update December 1st/;' FLU SHOT CLINIC!!

I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving. We had a lot of traveling patients who weathered the storms.

Right now most of the ill patients have the harsh cough/ congestion/ fever illness.
We are not bothering most patients by testing it, but I bet we are seeing a lot of RSV. The cough has a certain sound.

We are also seeing lots of strep throat. Most of the tests are coming up positive.
If you have a child with a sore throat, fever and not a lot of congestion, I think it is worth testing them.
 A lot of parents will report that their kids have pretty yucky breath when they have Strep, so give your kids a sniff.

I do think we are also seeing some Slap cheek around. The kids with this have one or two red cheeks on and off. Some also have a fever.

There is still some Hand Foot Mouth persisting, but I am seeing less of that.

There are some vomiting kids, many of those also have ear infections.
I heard rumors that there is some NOROVIRUS starting to spread, but I don't think we have had any here.
Finally I am delighted to announce that we are having our first Saturday morning weekend FLu Shot clinic this Saturday December 6th from 9 am-Noon.
We will give shots or mist to any of the Noe Valley Pediatrics patients and families.
 Parent vaccines are $40. We will be happy to give you a receipt, but we do NOT submit the paperwork to your insurance.
Of course for all of our patients we bill the insurance as usual.
Our vaccine is the Preservative free/ Quadrivalent made by Sanofi.

There is no appointment necessary!
Have a healthy week.
 Judy

Monday update November 24th

Today broke the record for the largest pile of charts that ever awaited me on my Monday morning desk.
I sat there in awe not quite sure where to start.
I am grateful for all of my patients, most of you are all SO sensible, it makes it so much easier.
There were two big issues today...the tummy kids and the coughers.

The tummy bugs is out there again. There is a combo of vomiting and diarrhea.
Right before vomiting the kids look pretty yucky, but feel a bit better once they have thrown up.
Many of these kids have had really poor appetites going on 4 or 5 days now.
There is little we can do for this.
Make sure your child is getting pro biotics.
Make sure they are on a bland/ starchy /easy diet.
I would minimize dairy except for Breast milk.
Make sure they are hydrated.

If days and days go by with no change, do call and we will check them out (assuming we have appointments)

The coughing kids are also out there in large numbers. I think RSV is here with a vengeance.
Again, treat the symptoms.
If your feel like your child is having labored breathing, lets make sure they get seen.

We are in the office only 3 days this week.
Wednesday we have only two doctors working, so our triage bar is set fairly high. We are trying to see those folks who really need to get in.

The after hours clinic will be there every day while we are closed for Thanksgiving.

The good news is that we finally got our flu vaccine.
 We are planning on holding our Saturday morning Flu shot clinic from 9:30-noon on December 6th.
I will send out more details next Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Judy

Weekly update November 18th

For those who wait for this blog with bated breath, I am sorry that I am a day late.

I was gone for a long weekend and came back to mayhem.

There is still a big of a tummy bug circulating.
There is still some Hand/Foot/Mouth
There are lots of kids with fevers

The Big deal of the day is the nasty respiratory stuff that is going around. We have loads of kids that have started with a croupy/hoarse cough that moves down into the lungs and causes wheezing.
the wheezing has only lasted for a few days, but the cough has lingered for weeks.

I also just had our first positive RSV test here in the office.
Check my most recent Nurse Judy blog post for up to date info on this.

I also think I might be starting to see some Slap Cheek  starting to make the rounds.

So, there is a lot going on out there.

We now have flu vaccine in the office to take care of our patients. We are still waiting for the main shipment.
If it gets here this week we WILL have a Flu shot clinic on Saturday morning November 22nd, but that will be confirmed here in a new blog post. It is still not a sure thing.

I am posting the info below on behalf of Nurse Jen

WHAT:

An invitation to join a city-wide book drive benefiting underserved San Francisco and Oakland schools. 

WHO:

Organized by NY-based Project Cicero, San Francisco public, parochial and independent schools will work together to collect books to donate to Teach for America teachers to use in their SF and Oakland classrooms.

WHEN:

In school collection is March 16-20

Teacher event is March 21

MORE INFO:

The books will be collected over one week in March (March 16-20) and then Teach for America teachers will be invited to select books for their classrooms during the one day event (March 21.) All of the details are taken care of by Project Cicero (info below.) The only thing the participating schools have to do is promote the one week drive. Project Cicero provides the collection boxes, picks up the books, sorts them and invites the teachers to the drive. Of course, you (and your students) are welcome to volunteer at the event as well if you'd like but it's not required.

If you are interested in having your school participate, please email Nurse Jen at jbmaeder@gmail.com.

Project Cicero is a partnership of independent, public, and parochial schools, private and public organizations and corporations whose primary goal is to create and supplement classroom and school libraries for children in under-resourced New York City public schools through an annual citywide book drive. Project Cicero also puts books into homeless shelters, juvenile detention facilities, community centers, pre and after school programs, and wherever else there is a need. This past year, its thirteenth year of operation, Project Cicero distributed more than 150,000 books. To date, Project Cicero has placed two million books into more than 11,000 classrooms and school libraries reaching over 500,000 children in under-resourced schools in New York City.

**Flu Shot Update**
We have received 100 doses of pediatric flu vaccine!  This is quadrivalent preservative free for kids under 3 years of age and at least 6 months old.  You can call the front desk to schedule a shot appnt. 
Tues thru Thurs 10:00am-11:30, and 2:00-4:00pm.
Call the morning of the day you want to come starting at 9:00am.