My Favorite Excuse

The worst six words in healthcare: “I thought it would go away.” How often do we have a health concern and  hope that it will go away soon. Sometimes it does. What if it doesn’t?  Do you finally drag yourself to the doctor? Yeah, men are worse than women with this. What kind of things do you look for.

1. The worst is airway constriction or anything that keeps you from breathing.

2. Changes in circulation. Anything turning blue?

3. Pain that has no incident or came on for no reason.

4. Pain that is getting worse and is constant.

5. Numbness or pain that causes loss of bodily functions

6. Temperature increasing of course

7. Do you have regular bowel movements? Does it hurt to go to the bathroom?

Well these are just a few alarms. Add some in the comments if you like. Take care of yourself. Listen to your body and know when to go to the doctor.

Ear Infection

Ear Anatomy

Have you ever had an ice pick stuck in your ear. That’s what an ear infection can feel like. For a child it can mean sleepless nights, fever, and lots of pain and discomfort. My son, who is three and a half, had a fever of 102F for about a day. We had tried every over the counter treatment available as well as Activator Chiropractic adjustments. Each different treatment would lower my son’s fever for a few hours, but it would come back. We took him to his pediatrician who was not available and we were seen by a PA, physicians assistant, she told us that he must go on antibiotics or it would just get worse. Well after one manual chiropractic adjustment of his C1- C2 neck region. His fever dropped and his ears popped. That’s what I call efficient. So, remember antibiotics are not always the answer.

Broken Bone Club

Splinted and leaving ER = Tough Guy

My 5 year old son fractured his tibia skiing on Friday. It was educational for me since there were no signs that there was a fracture. There was no swelling, no redness, no bruising, and no deformity. There was only pain. He was only in pain when he moved it. Apparently this is common for pediatric fractures.There was no fracture to the fibula and his growth plates were intact. Gratitude is due.

Union of pediatric diaphyseal tibial fractures occurs in approximately 10 weeks. Non-union occurs in 2% of cases according to:

J Am Acad Orthop Surg, Vol 13, No 5, September 2005, 345-352.

The fracture is splinted for the first 3-4 days to monitor for compartment syndrome and swelling. Then we get a perfect blue cast of the whole leg for 4 weeks, then another lower leg or half-cast for the remaining 6 weeks.

The biggest problem is teaching a 5 year old how to use crutches. I guess we’ll start slow with flat surfaces and build up to stairs. Heal fast little man. You will be stronger for going through this.