Winter illnesses have arrived
February 14, 2010 by Kenneth Carlson, MD
Our office is experiencing increasing demand for visits in last 2 weeks. We are adding hours and appointment times in an attempt to keep up with demand. If your child needs a same day appointment please call early in the day. Read more
Busy winter at the office
February 7, 2009 by Kenneth Carlson, MD
In recent weeks we are experiencing our typical seasonal increase in office visits that usually peaks in February. This year is no exception as we are having some of our busiest days in the history of our clinic. We are experiencing very high volume of phone traffic, at times overloading our phone systems. We will be adding capacity soon, but until then read on for some tips.
Tips to communicate with us in the busy winter months
- Call early in the day for urgent same day appointments
- For questions about symptoms consider visiting Legacy Emmanuel Children’s KidsCare for health advice
- For nonurgent calls consider calling later in the day or avoiding Monday (our busiest day)
- For routine prescription refills call the pharmacy directly. If they need to authorize more refills the pharmacy will contact us. (For medications that require paper prescription to be picked up please continue to contact our office by phone or online)
- Use our My Health Online service to send us messages through the internet securely (sign up in the office)
- If you are at our office for a visit be sure to make your next appointment prior to leaving the office.
Most commonly we see an increase in respiratory infections, including colds, bronchiolitis (often cause by RSV), and influenza (respiratory flu).
What this means for you is to remember to call early in the day if you are interested in same day appointment. We are typically filling all appointments by about 4pm each day. Also, feel free to review health topics on our website as well as in our print Red Book for common questions.
We thank you in advance for your patience during this busy time.
RSV is here
January 28, 2009 by Kenneth Carlson, MD
In recent weeks we have seen an increase in young children with RSV. This is a virus that causes bronchiolitis in young children and severe colds in older children. Bronchiolitis is a viral infection that is like a typical cold with nasal congestion, fever, and cough but also includes mucous production and swelling in the lungs. This can lead to faster breathing, increased mucous in the lungs and sometimes wheezing. The peak activity is often January through April.
The virus is pretty common. All children by preschool have likely had the virus at least once.
Children most at risk include:
- Young children under six months old.
- Children with other chronic illnesses (especially respiratory and cardiac)* Children and toddlers with a history of asthma
There is no vaccine for RSV so the prevention strategy is same as prevention of common colds. Avoiding ill persons, crowded places, and lot of hand washing can decrease transmission of the virus.
There is no specific treatment against the virus itself. Treatment is primarily supportive like a cold. This includes using nasal saline to help clear nose of young children. Increasing humidity in the room to also help a child cope with the mucous. If a child has history of wheezing or asthma than asthma medications, like inhalers are sometimes used.
Antibiotics are not helpful against RSV but vigilance for ear infections is prudent since ear infections occur in about one in four children with RSV.
Hospitalization may be needed for a child who is working very hard to breathe, needs oxygen support or getting dehydrated from not being able to take in enough fluids. Many times a child will be seen daily in the office to measure weight and asses their breathing.
Hope you and your families stay healthy this winter. Keep up that hand washing!
Polls
Loading ...
