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…
This happens at least once per month, the last time just three weeks ago. A teenager comes into the Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain, vomiting in the morning for a week or two; and by the way, has not had a…
Occasionally I am surprised by some parent’s beliefs. There are a lot of “old wive’s tales” out there which I am used to: fever curdles milk in baby’s stomachs, fever will cook baby’s brain, blowing cigarette smoke in ears is…
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…
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…
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…
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 "…
