Very few rashes belong in the Emergency Department. Just about all rashes can wait until the next day to see the doctor. Parents bring their kids in anyway, often because they are afraid: afraid of infection, allergy,…
My wife tells the story of how two of her nephews screamed non-stop for their whole first year of life. Her sister and her husband were getting so crazy that she offered to watch the kids for a weekend so they could get a break…
It is a busy time of year for us in the ER business. Besides the usual injuries and illnesses, people fill the ERs in the evenings with worries that are NOT emergencies. The waiting rooms are clogged with milling crowds, often…
Many of my conversations with the parents of sick kids begin with "We went to the doctor to get his shots, and the next day he came down with..." Sometimes the parents think the actual vaccinations made their child sick. I…
When I walk through the family room Saturday mornings, my teenage kids aren't watching cartoons anymore. They are watching reality TV. You know which shows I am talking about, the ones where the performers become stars by…
I grew up in New Jersey, home to many chemical companies. I remember one day in my fifth grade science class when some food scientists from one of those companies came to visit, and impress us with what magic they could do with…
When the sun goes down, people worry more. They stay awake at night worrying about their job, their relationships, their finances. There are few other people awake with whom to talk the worries out. And when kids get sick with…
Now that football season is on again, we are seeing a lot of head injuries in the ED. Usually the concussion is obvious- the player was knocked out, or obviously confused after the hit. Last week though, I had a player come in…
We all know kids bore easily. All summer if the kids are not occupied with camps, vacations, or friends, they lay about complaining of nothing to do. Believe it or not, children also get bored during a disaster. Of course the…
My kids and yours are heading back to school in the next few weeks. They're going to get new teachers, new class mates, new books. They are also going to get some new germs too, if they are not careful. We in the pediatrics game…
Kids get headaches too, even as young as two and three years old! But when many parents first hear their child complaining about head pain, they freak out and head for the Emergency Department. When there is a headache, we all…
It is that time of the year, with the hot weather and the summer rains, when the mosquitoes bloom. It is also the time when TVs should be off and the kids outside playing with friends, getting exercise, sun, and air. But when…
