Last week we saw a 7 year-old girl with eight days of sore throat and fever. Her parents were frustrated: they had seen their doctor twice, another ED once, had three flu tests and two strep tests and blood tests that were all…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. Danielle Duhon, a family practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. First the child complains of chest pain. She might even say it in scarier terms: "My heart…
On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the icy Potomac River in Washington during take-off. Joe Stiley, one of the few survivors, saw the crash coming, seeing out his window how the plane was falling to the river…
Its a great time of year to be a kid- swimming, biking, hiking, camping,and exploring. TVs, computers, phones, and other screens should be off when the sun is shining, and the kids should be outside playing and exercising. With…
When I was in college, I volunteered at a homeless shelter. Back then people were allowed to smoke indoors, and after a night shift I would leave with my hair stiff with cigarette smoke. Then I caught a cold, and a cough that…
When I was in high school, summers meant lots of exercise in the heat. I would go for runs with sweat literally pouring off my arms. Then came summer soccer practice- push ups and calisthenics, sprints and indian runs with grass…
Kids and teens will sometimes have chest pain. It happens more often than you think. We see at least 4-5 kids per week in the Emergency Department for complaints of chest pain. When it happens, parents sometimes freak out. Is…
When I was in college, I volunteered at the local homeless shelter. Back then you were allowed to smoke indoors, and the morning after a night shift I would leave with my hair stiff with the smell of cigarettes (I had a lot more…
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…
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…