Medical Issues

 Well there has been a H1N1 death in Dallas, Texas of a 11-year old girl.  Our small town in Texas has been very lucky where H1N1 is concerned; however, there is still concern.  Since the outbreak of H1N1 began, my children have been to the nurse practioner more for common colds, allergies, etc.  Anything which can mimic the flu gets a trip to the Doctor's office. 

Today, my son was sick with a sore throat, hoarseness, low grade temp.  I couldn't let him go to school even though the nurse in me figured he was just ill with sinus and allergies.  The questions roll in my head:

1. What if I am wrong and let him expose the students and teachers in his school to something contagious?
2. What if the low grade temp he has now continues to climb?
3. Does my tendency to minimize the illnesses of my children put them at risk?  You know the old if there isn't blood, it can't be too bad.

I called the high school this morning to report that the son wouldn't be at school today and discovered there are others with the same complaints out today.  Maybe a little validation.  Still, I didn't plan on sending him the the doctor, unless he begins to feel worse.  At 11:30 am I call and wake him up.  It is difficult to understand him due to the hoarseness, but I do discover he is feeling much worse.  A phone call is placed to the doctor's office and an appointment is made for the afternoon. 

I still believe it is nothing to worry about.  Allergies are really bad in our family, so I've decided that is the problem.  This is when I made the mistake of reading the online newspaper for the Metroplex area.  There is a report of a H1N1 death in Dallas.  While, intellectually I know the son doesn't have H1N1, I question that he is sick with just allergies and sinus problems.  I check the associated link for who will qualify for the H1N1 and are happy to find my children are within the age range and since both my husband and myself are nurses, we are on the list.  My children are 16 and 18 years of age.  One in high school and one in college.  To be honest, I am more concerned about the 18 year old daughter coming in contact H1N1 than the son.  Colleges seem to be hit more.

The visit to the nurse practioner was uneventful.  The son had what I thought, sinus and allergies.  A allergy shot and script for a Z-pack and he will be okay.  School is in his immediate future tomorrow.  We also will get our seasonal flu shots and H1N1 vaccines when available. 

There  are some things we will do to protect ourselves.

1. Wash hands frequently: either with saop and water or alcohol gel
2. If using alcohol gel---let it air dry.  The time it takes to dry allows for the bacteria to be killed.
3. Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
4. Throw used tissues away.  If you are not going to be around trash cans, consider taking a zip lock baggie with you for used tissues.
5. Limit handshakes.  If someone seems ill, don't shake hands.
6. Limit kissing in casual instances ( greeting friends).  Don't kiss on babies.
7. If you are sick, stay home.
8. If in a high risk group, get the vaccine.
9. Most importantly:  Use common sense. 

My heart goes out to the families of those who have died from the H1N1.  With a little preparation and thought we should be able to protect ourselves and those we love.

 Memorial Day weekend was eventful for our household.  On Bid Day for my daughter's soriety, she fractured her leg.  It could have been much worse.

Evidentally, when bids are passed out to the new girls, the current members stand in back of parked trucks to cheer and holler.  The operative word in the previous sentence is parked.  This was not what happened with the truck my daughter and 7 other girls were standing in.  Instead of putting the truck in park, the driver just put her foot on the brake.  While the girls were cheering, suddenly the truck jumped forward as the driver hit the gas by accident.  Whlie the truck was going forward, my daughter was falling out of the back.  The daughter realized what was happening and that she was falling out head first.  The sides on the bed of truck were high and my daughter was able to grab onto one of the sides and right herself so that she fell out feet first. 

This is where I received a phone call from the daughter with  a hypothetical question, "If someone fell  out of the back of a truck and her ankle was now very swollen and very painful to bear weight, could it be broken?" Duh?  How could I not figure out the hypothetical her was my daughter.  We have spent many years living with bad joints and cryocuffs.  We should have taken stock in brace and ice companies.

The orthopedic's office was closed until Tuesday and a visit to the ER wasn't needed becasue no displacement was noted and the foot and leg was too swollen to be casted.  We have a collection of braces at the house.  So, we took her 20 lbs of ice, a short walking brace and her cryocuff to circulate the ice cold water over the ankle for the weekend and holiday.

Tuesday morning dawned bright and the ankle was still swollen.  A xray confirmed a fractured fibula which luckly is still in place and a sprained ankle.  Tuesday afternoon brought a pair of dreaded crutches into her life again.  Wednesday morning got her a tall brace boot and a talk about having to use the crutches, 

This week we find out if she can be casted.  Her swelling is not gone.  My concern is that without a cast, she will not use the crutches as much as she should.  The upside of casting is that there are now waterproof casts. How waterproof? Don't know.  We have had rain all weekend and are looking at rain for the rest of the week.  A waterproof cast would be the best option if a cast is in her future.

A fractured leg is a small price to pay considering the potential for a head injury.  I would much rather pay for ice and a cast/boot than have to watch her try to recover in a head injury rehab center or worse be at a funeral.  God was watching out for her and us as he always is.  Thank goodness, the daughter realized quickly what was happening and was able to grab the side of the truck to right herself.

I guess the moral of the story is two fold.  First, put the truck in park and turn it off when people are going to stand in back.  Second, don't stand in the back of a truck unless you know it is in park and turned off.