Up and Coming

Hello Redwood's Fans!

You . . . have . . . officially survived the holidays! Congratulations. Now, we can get on with life-- if only my husband would get the Christmas decorations packed up. I know, not fair, but I DID buy and WRAP 80% of the presents.

As the new year has officially set in and we seemingly have all survived the Mayan apocylpse, the beginning of a new year generally brings about some reflection about the past and future.

I'm no different. I do like to make New Year's resolutions or at least set goals for the coming year. Here's a post I did recently at the WordServe Water Cooler that talks about goal setting and lists some ways to help achieve your goals for the coming year.

However, here at medical mayhem central I thought I'd spend a week discussing Dr. Eben Alexander's book, Proof of Heaven.

What do you think about human consciousness? How do these cells we call neurons collectively bring rise to our sense of self, our interaction with the environment . . . our sense of morality.

Do you believe in heaven, hell, or any sort of afterlife?

Let's see what Dr. Alexander thinks of it all as he recalls his Near Death Experience (NDE) during his week long coma as he nearly died from a rare form of bacterial meningitis.

His journey is truly one filled with miracles and a fascinating read. I hope you'll check it out.

Management of Infant Crying

This week, I'm highlighting some blog posts that I did for Erin MacPherson's Christian Mama's Guide last year. Some of you may not know but I am a real live pediatric ER RN. As always, these posts are meant to be educational and do not replace a doctor's visit if your child is ill.

Erin has a WICKED sense of humor and is releasing a series of books this spring so I hope you'll keep an eye out for them.

There is nothing that will bring a weary family into the ER faster than an infant who won’t stop crying. This is a leading cause of ER visits for the infant population.

Our approach starts with a good physical exam looking for a source of something that would cause the infant pain. Is there an ear infection? Is there a hair tourniquet?  Did they accidentally scratch their eye? Are they dry and fed?

A hair tourniquet happens when a piece of hair becomes wrapped around a baby’s fingers, toes or penis in the case of boys. They are usually easy to identify because the area distal to the constriction becomes purple from lack of blood flow. Imagine when you wrap a string too tightly around the tip of your finger.

If a hair tourniquet is found and we can see the piece of hair, first we’ll try to unwrap it. If it isn’t embedded into the skin, we may try a hair removal product to disintegrate it. If the hair is deeply embedded, the child may require surgical removal.

A corneal abrasion is a scratch to the eyeball and is quite painful. To look for these in a child, we’ll stain their eyeball with a dye and look at it with a Wood’s lamp in a darkened room. If one is present, generally the child is sent home with an antibiotic ointment for the eye for several days.

If a source of the infant’s pain cannot be found, we’ll generally try soothing measures like oral pain medication to see if that will calm the infant.

If the child continues to cry, a source of infection cannot be found and the baby is also resistant to soothing measures, then the physician may choose to proceed with a spinal tap and additional septic work-up. One reason for an inconsolable infant is meningitis.

If a septic work-up is negative, the infant may be said to have colic.

Were you aware of other sources for pain in the infant like a hair tourniquet or corneal abrasion?

Eight Questions: New Authors

Last week, I did a blog post that answered these eight questions about my current wip. You can find the post here. It's all about Peril which will follow Poison-- releasing here in Feb.

1. What is the working title of your book?

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

3. What genre does your book fall under?

4. What's the synopsis of your book?

5.  Will you book be self-published or represented by an agency?

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

7. What other books would you compare this sotry to within your genre?

8. What else about your book might pique a reader's interest?

So check out the following authors and their eight questions!

Anita Brooks: http://brooksanita.com/eight-questions-why-did-i-write-this-book

Dena Ratliff Dyer:  http://denadyer.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/01/a-resource-for-wounded-women.html

Sheila Hollinghead:  http://www.sheilahollinghead.com/2012/12/the-next-big-thing.html

Laura McClellan: http://bellewoodfarm.blogspot.com/

Carol Moncado:  http://carolmoncado.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/questions-about-my-wip/

Enjoy!

Top Three Pet Peeves of Pediatric ER Nurses

At least my top three!

This week, I'm highlighting some blog posts that I did for Erin MacPherson's Christian Mama's Guide last year. Some of you may not know but I am a real live pediatric ER RN. As always, these posts are meant to be educational and do not replace a doctor's visit if your child is ill.

Erin has a WICKED sense of humor and is releasing a series of books this spring so I hope you'll keep an eye out for them.

Here’s a look into the mind of the pediatric ER nurse. Don’t we all have pet peeves when it comes to our jobs? Of course… the ER nurse is no different. Often times, these are not mentioned in “public” as we don’t want to offend families. But, in honesty, there are some things parents do that drive us crazy. Here are a few at the top of my list.

1. Calling medicine candy. This is a big no-no for us pediatric nurses. We really don’t want kids to associate taking medicine with the fun of having candy. Candy is good. Candy is fun. Candy is generally not lethal if you eat too much. Medicine is far different from that. So say something like, “This tastes sweet.” Or “This tastes like orange.”--- but don’t associate medicine with candy in the same sentence.
2.  Children not wearing helmets. I’m amazed at how many families come to the ER over concern for head injury after a fall off of (insert something with wheels here) and their child wasn’t wearing a helmet. First question: Do they have one? Often times the response is, “Yes, I just can’t get him to wear it.”

First off, as a parent, set the example. Are you wearing your helmet when you ride your bike? Second, from the moment your child is on anything with wheels, they need a helmet. Yes, even when they’re on their tricycle. This will institute a habit and an expectation—just like wearing a seatbelt.

Secondly, be firm. If they don’t wear their helmet, they lose their wheels. Parent, “I can’t keep him off his bike.” Well, then the wheels come off the bike. The skateboard is locked in the trunk of your car. Be firm.

It only takes one bad head injury for devastating effects. Don’t risk it.

3. Smoking. Secondary smoke is a big health risk for kids. If you smoke, you need to stop. Smoking outside, unfortunately, doesn’t help. Yes, even if you have a “smoking jacket”. If I can smell smoke, the particles are on you and can even be enough to trigger an asthma attack in kids. If you are a smoker, talk to your pediatrician about resources your state might have to help you quit. Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to the development of congenital heart defects in infants along with a host of other problems.

Now, you tell me, what are some other pet peeves you think a pediatric ER nurse may have? Are you offended by reading these?