Ear Ache Head Ache

Our pediatrician is relocating. Just when my daughter doesn’t automatically cry at the site of her waiting room, she is closing the practice to follow her husband’s job to another state. Thus, we’ve switched over to a new doctor that my daughter says she doesn’t like. Well, I don’t like doctors as a rule myself, but I’m sure my girl will come around as this doctor is pretty nice.
We’d slated the four year check up as our first visit to the new doctor, but as life has its own schedule, my daughter got an earache just after the xmas break. As I was 50 miles away, my husband took our daughter in for the exam. Yep, infected ear. So as the doctor is writing out a prescription for antibiotics, my husband asks, “Is there any alternative?” The doctor looked up, surprised, and said that antibiotics aren’t even the recommended treatment for ear infections, and haven’t been for a couple of years now but since every parent expects the script, she always gives it to them.
Oh, this bothers me on so many levels: I am troubled by the fact that on the once-per-year occasion we took our daughter to her former pediatrician, she gave us antibiotics even though we told her we like to avoid them–never mentioning that they aren’t the currently accepted treatment for earaches. And I’m appalled that not only does this current doctor hand prescriptions out automatically, but that any doctor is giving out antibiotics when the American Academy of Pediatrics says they are not the preferred treatment for ear infections based on its 2004 guidelines. (more info: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/earinfections.cfm) Okay, so parents have come to expect antibiotics… time to change their expectations and to save antibiotics for ailments they’ll actually treat, not add to the problem of resistant illnesses by over-prescribing them.
Yes, some parents will be a pain about it. Same ones that want antibiotics to “treat” a cold. But doctors are supposed to be the experts here, and help us parents make informed decisions. The path of least resistance isn’t going to get us very far.

Obsession du Jour: Water Bottles

It is back to school season, replete with buying frenzy. Of course my dear girl has only just begun preschool, something not even deemed necessary when I was her age, but a milestone nonetheless. My mother sent her some goodies to mark the occasion and I got her a fabulous new dress (she is in a extreme girly phase) and a new water bottle. The latter I thought would be a nice transition from the sippy cup she and her cohorts in the 2-3 room drink from.

I bought what I thought was the latest and greatest: a “lined” aluminum bottle. With old-fashioned aluminum, one has worries about the link with Alzheimer’s but the new ones, like those made by Sigg, are resistant to the deleterious effects of the acids found in many beverages. Thus, the aluminum isn’t supposed to be released into the liquid and, therefore, not ingested. But alas, I got suckered and didn’t buy an authentic one so when my husband went to “sign off” on the latest addition to the lunch pail, he threw up all kinds of flags. And, okay, he might be right. Even IF the Sigg bottles are resistant to leaching aluminum, I may not have purchased a lined bottle. Oh, for shame.

I am in the midst of a horrifying cycle at my job; one of the busiest times per year. Thus, I found an insatiable need to obsess on my poor choice of beverage receptacle (instead of work, which I can’t control). No, I’d not chosen to stick with mini disposable water bottles, not wanting to perpetuate the massive plastic usage these have added to our ecological issues (though they are darned handy those little bottles…). And no, I’d not fallen prey to affordable Nalgene Lexan Ibottles, often clad in cute characters, which may well leach all sorts of nasties into our drinks as well as nasty flavors. But I’d made the “wrong” choice anyway. Oh the hours spent trying to figure out the right one! My husband wisely pulled the plug on my OCD research binge, pointing out that my daughter would certainly benefit from these same hours spent with her instead. Oh, and he suggested I buy something stainless steel. Oh, duh.

Well, duh and not so duh. Sure, stainless steel is sleek and time tested. But it isn’t adorable like those made from aluminum or plastic! Shallowness, take me away. All this said, I have found the water bottle that will grace my daughter’s lunch pail until she loses it or I hear something bad about stainless. And she loved Earth Day so, despite its lack of name brand characters, I’m optimistic she’ll still like her new Klean Kanteen water bottle.

Interogate Before you Medicate

I was just talking to my sister-in-law, who is a fourth grade teacher, about her new fall class.  She teaches at a very rural school and therefore has a small class.  Her entire class consists of 14 students.  Of those 14 students, seven require medication for various mental/medical conditions.  Three of the seven suffer from ADD/ADHD and four have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.  This means 50% of her students take daily medication and 29% are being treated for a illness that is relatively rare in children.  This quite frankly made me really sad.  Although I have never met these children and could hardly pretend to diagnose them, statistics alone lead me to doubt the diagnosis.  As a parent as well as a health care provider, I strongly recommend getting a second opinion before medicating your child.  If a doctor is quick to prescribe, you should rethink your doctor.  I am not suggesting that you do not medicate your child, I’m not Tom Cruise, I’m simply suggesting that you really ask all the questions before you chemically alter your young.  Has your doctor spent any amount of time observing your child?  Has she spoken to your child’s teacher?  Do you feel you have mentioned all of your child’s symptoms?  Are symptoms able to be corrected through behavior modification?  Is there a pattern to your child’s behavior?  Don’t be afraid to go to more than one office.  If ever you are uncomfortable asking your doctor questions, or if you feel you a being brushed off, you are seeing the wrong doctor and should look into employing a different one.  If your doctor does prescribe something, ask how many of his patients are taking the drug.  If this seems like a large number compared to the size of his practice, consider the possibility that your doctor may be a one trick pony who uses a catch all diagnosis and seek a second opinion.  While medications can offer a real miracle, they are often over given as a chemical restraint, masking other problems.

Baby Talk

We have a relative with three daughters, ages 2-6. Each one has had some sort of speech development problem. The oldest has worked with speech therapists for two years and remains unintelligible more than half the time. The middle one has also struggled mightily, despite seeming to be an extremely bright girl in all things, and was recently diagnosed with hearing loss in one ear. The third also may have something going on with her ears, but in any case, is having a really tough time pronouncing even the basics.

Their experience has taught me that there are a whole lot of reasons a child may have trouble developing speech and that a mom has to be on the lookout. However, the oldest girl is quite healthy and yet has had so much trouble with her verbal skills. But I’ve noticed something about that branch of the family tree: they baby talk. Everyone baby talks–mom, dad, grandparents.

Now I’m no expert, but I do wonder at the correlation between parents who choose to speek to their little ones like humans and an ability to pronounce words. You’ve got to wonder about kids who hear nothing but gibberish all day… well, at least there’s hope that they’ll learn Spanish correctly from Dora & Diego.

Death By Doritos?

The title of this post is based one a quip made by one of my coworkers, who sent me a link to an article in the New York Times bearing the headline “Death by Veganism.” He knows that my daughter is being raised vegetarian, per the wishes of my vegetarian husband. As the Times restricts archival access to registered users, I will share the compelling lead here:

WHEN Crown Shakur died of starvation, he was 6 weeks old and weighed 3.5 pounds. His vegan parents, who fed him mainly soy milk and apple juice, were convicted in Atlanta recently of murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty.

My first thought was, “How stupid are these people?” My second was, “Why in the hell weren’t they breastfeeding?” The author of the Times article goes on to make the assertion that a vegan mother’s milk would not provide all of the essential nutrients for an infant, but while a child lacking sufficient Omega 3’s might, say, not have the shiniest hair in daycare (okay, DHA does more than that, but let’s not over-reach, either; besides, flax is a good vegi option), no way will any breastfed child starve to death either. Children are breastfed in impoverished circumstances the world over and survive.

Breastfeeding aside, let’s return to the issue of ignorance. Any mother should make nutrition a priority before and after childbirth. However, my own very-intelligent OB GYN is raising two children who are overweight and under-nourished. She lives on protein bars and giant iced coffees so they don’t exactly have a role model for optimal eating. When I was pregnant, I told her that it was tough to give up fish (mercury), blue-veined cheese (lysteria), and that I felt guilty I could only reduce my three cup a day coffee habit to one. She was stunned that I had done this much research into what I should or shouldn’t eat while pregnant, but I can’t imagine a subject that merits as much effort.

Except, perhaps, feeding my growing girl. I suppose it is because she is vegetarian that I “bother” to know how much protein a child should ingest. I see the sources of protein parent’s find it acceptable to feed finicky toddlers and I’m proud that my daughter eats tofu and that we food combine and supplement as needed. She also eats a colorful assortment of vegetables, which is a relatively easy way to ensure a spectrum of vitamins.

So what does a tragedy like the one in the Times article come down to? Certainly not veganism. It is ignorance, plain and simple. When my coworker asked what I thought of the article, I said it begged the question how many children in the U.S. (the numbers worldwide would be too daunting) in omnivorous families die of malnutrition each year. To which he replied, yes, Death By Doritos.

Sick Humor

Ah, the bane of preschool (right up there with kids that bite): rotavirus. Nothing quite like the sharing of fecal matter that goes on in a room full of diaper changes, the almost-potty trained, and the hand washing-challenged. No telling exactly where she picked it up, but my precious angel spent a good two days puking, interspersed with a smattering of diarrhea. Amidst the worry; the hydration issues that culminate in force-feeding my dear girl Pedialyte, which she (and I believe every other toddler) hates; and the sleepless nights, there was a single moment that shined like headlights into the eyes of a deer: It all started when HQ projectile vomited. My efforts to have buckets stationed strategically throughout the house were thwarted as spew covered me from neck to feet. I then tracked vile goo through the house in an elegant path from the couch to the toilet. I sat her down on the potty, fearing an equal attack from the other end, and then had the poor judgment to begin to remove my soiled garments. She sobbed uncontrollably, muttering something unintelligible… “What honey, what?” I asked. “My hand, my hand,” came the reply. “Mommy, wash my hand!” Alas, a wee bit of vomit had, in fact sullied her hand. After the offending ick was removed, she looked up and asked, “Mommy, what happened to you?”

Preschool Obesity

I have no clever title for this post. I am from a family of women who have struggled with their weight and all associated health issues. I know this accounts for much of my own health consciousness, maybe even to my marrying a vegetarian. So not only am I aware of how important it is to be active and try to maintain a healthy weight, I am also aware that it is easy to head way off into the other deepend, in which one becomes obsessed with not being fat. Aint nothin’ easy.

I really have a difficult time understanding the significance of height/weight charts for kids. When I have asked any questions about where my daughter falls on these, my (overweight) pediatrician looks scandalized, as if I’m going to pack my (lovely) girl off to a fat camp. Uh, no way. Just trying to get if there’s significance if she’s, say 40th in height, 60th percentile in weight. Honestly, just trying to make sense of all of the data. Anyhow, she’s 50/50 at the moment, so its all good. And we’ll keep trying to eat right and play a lot.

Anyhow, it was with a hint of horror, and an equal quantity of skepticism, that I read the headline “Rise in preschool obesity behind fitness festival” in the Waterbury Republican. The article reported that one third of the 350 Northwest Corner preschoolers surveyed by the Torrington, CT based Northwest Child and Family Health Council were found to be obese or at risk for becoming obese. The study relied on body-mass index (BMI), which may be one of the more accurate means of assessing weight risk, but still…. there are so many variables. I guess the important thing about this article was that the town held a fitness festival to encourage parents and kids to be more active, not go on diets.

Infirmary

My children have just caught a cold.  I say children because while only one is currently affected the other will be in a matter of moments.  As a mother, I must first say that I hate to see either one of my children ill.  I would rather be sick than see either one of them have so much as a cough.  Having said that, I will tell you that of the two children, the older one is the worst when he is ill.  (He must get that from his father)  When my three year old is sick, it is like having a ferrel animal loose in the house.  He is growly, and refuses all treatment.  The child will not allow me to take his temperature or give him medicine.  I used to take his temperature under his arm (not the most accurate spot), then I tried an ear thermonmeter (accurate, but my husband couldn’t make it work), now I have discovered something called an infared temporal scanner.  I know, it sounds like it might be from “Star Wars,” but, you simply rub the wand on the childs forehead starting at one side and by the time you get to the other side of his head, you have an accurate temperature reading.  Brilliant!  It’s painless, quick and virtually drama free. 

The same child proves to be very difficult to medicate.  Tylenol would require nothing short of hog-tying, prying open the mouth and forcing the medicine down his throat.  This event would of course, be followed by my child vomiting red, sticky medicine everywhere. (I have a couch cushion that I can never flip over)  Then he would run off in tears, still sick and not trusting me to help him.  Now, I rely on Tylenol suppositories.  The administration route is unpleasant for all of us, but atleast I know he is getting the medication that he needs and his fever comes down with a lot less drama.   I will never understand why they are unable to make medicine that isn’t disgusting,  I tried some to prove that it wasn’t that bad and therefore not worth all of the drama but, YES, it is really that gross.  I can’t even blame the kid, the stuff is down right nasty, I wouldn’t want to take it either.  For any of you moms out there who have a kid that finds medicine revolting see if it is available in a suppository form, it has been a life saver for me.

my two cents

If you have ever read the posts on this blog, you will notice immediately that my dear friend Michelle is actually talking about children and pertinent things while I have ranted and raved like a lunatic.  This is of course just the way it is, Michelle usually has a point while I am off on a caffeine fuelled tangent.  But then again, I have a lot  more anger issues than she does, I blame all the cheap hair dye I’ve been using. 

In any case, she has inspired my to write something that may actually help others.  I recently spent some time in a very sunny climate and being that my children have unfortunately inherited my pasty Elmer’s glue complexion I too have had to use a lot of sunscreen.  While Michelle suggests Blue Lizard, I whole heartedly recommend Coppertone Spray sunscreen.  Lord knows I love a gimmick, which is why I purchased the spray in the first place, but imagine my surprise when it worked like a charm.  The great part of it is that its a fine misty spray that covers really evenly.  I loved it because my two boys are, for lack of a better phrase, like farts in a whirlwind.  They simply will not sit still long enough for me to apply traditional lotion.  With this nifty spray I can completely cover them as they run from me.  Not only was it easy to apply, but it also did a great job.  My boys spent three weeks of ENTIRE days outside in the desert sun and neither of them turned even a little pink.  Even the bald one walked away with the same alabaster dome that he started with.  The other benefit? It smells really good and reapplication is a snap.