This week's guest columnist is Dr. Yamuna Jaladanki, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. The other day in the ER I saw two kids from the same family, one 11 months old and the…
I often pick a column topic based on what I am seeing a lot at the Pediatric Emergency Department here at Lafayette General. Lately we have been seeing lots of unhappy kids- suicidal teenagers, violent grade schoolers, children…
In the past weeks the news has reported on stomach virus epidemics in several states. More than the usual amount of kids and adults have had vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Though Louisiana wasn't listed, we in the pediatrics…
One day the ambulance brought in a 13 year-old who had almost drowned in a local hotel pool. He was awake on arrival, but everyone had a good scare. The pool had a deep end but no lifeguard. The boy could not swim, the parents…
Last week's blog post on eczema brought to mind two other common rashes we see in the Emergency Department: hives and poison ivy. We see hives a lot because it really does look bad, and is associated with bad allergic reactions…
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…
We can tell by the paramedic’s voice on the radio if a child is truly sick. This time his voice has that urgency that says “be ready.” Moments later they come trundling in, oxygen cylinders hissing, monitors beeping, and the…
