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…
We were already busy that night- every bed had a sick or injured child in it. The waiting room was also full, full of families clamoring to be seen too. Then, when it always seems the time is wrong, the ambulance phone rang. …
People used to have difficulty naming their fears about when their child hit their head. Now their fear has a name- Natasha Richardson. Everyone has heard a story like the famous actress's. A person hit their head, looked well…
In most of my blog entries, I discuss how to stay out of the Emergency Department. However, getting a deep cut that needs stitches is one of those times that it is probably best to bring your kid to the ED. Here are some good …
This morning Tracy Wirtz and I talked about drowning prevention. Whenever I talk about drowning the worst cases I have seen come to mind, but also the silliest. One day I was in the Emergency Room when the ambulance brought in a…
I see a lot of impoverished families in the Pediatric Emergency Department. At least a couple of times per week I see a bright-eyed, curious child who has the potential to become a success. The child smiles, plays, looks around…
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…
The parents got our attention by banging on the Ambulance Entrance doors. In their panic they had stopped there and did not read the signs about the walk-in entrance. They were panicking for good reason. The father had his three…
3:30 am: Mom brings the three-year old into the ER. He awoke screaming with ear pain, crying about "buzzing." I look in his ear with the otoscope and see a tan-colored insect, waving its floppy wings against the poor boy's…
Many parents fear that high fever will hurt their children. A common visit to my Emergency Department often starts with "My baby had a fever of 103, so I rushed right in." Many times I look the toddler over and he is jumping up…
