It is no secret that doctor's offices and Emergency Departments are extremely busy these days. It is the "cold and flu" season, and RSV season, and that makes for a lot of sick kids. In other columns and blog entries, I have…
I took care of a teenager this past year who suffered from too many antibiotics. Her doctor originally thought she had a skin infection and put her on the first antibiotic course. The skin did not improve, so he put her on a…
A common reason for parents to bring their kids to the ED is belly pain. Doctor’s offices and “quick care” urgent care clinics also send us a lot of kids with belly pain. Everyone has the same basic concern- is it appendicitis…
Every day several families bring their kids in to the Emergency Department with non-emergencies- runny noses, rashes, diarrhea. Then many times the mom, perhaps sensing our impatience with the inappropriateness of that visit,…
Every pediatrician has come to know The Look. The parent’s face falls. They are obviously disappointed, sometimes angry. It happens when the parent came in expecting that the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic for their child’…
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 people, when they tell me their kid is getting sick with a cold, start with "he was outside yesterday without a coat or shoes, and now look at him!", as if cold air and exposure gave him the illness. Many people believe that…
DODGING VOMIT I have gotten pretty good at dodging vomit over my years as a pediatrician. It only takes once or twice really to learn, after you have been hit. "Gastroenteritis", also called "stomach viruses," "stomach flu," or "…
