Table of Contents

• Going Around This Week: Strep

• WWWD: Our 10 Health Issues This Week

• Health Care Hack: Benefits Time

• Funny Things

• Recalls & Alerts: Children’s Jewelry Sets

Going Around This Week: Strep

‘Tis the season for strep throat; we’ve seen a bunch of it in the office this week.

How to know if the sore throat is strep

In short, you have to get your child tested. It’s a quick and easy throat swab, but it’s not fun. Kids obviously hate it.

Strep throat good news

If your child has a sore throat, strep is actually a good cause. Why? Because it’s easily treated with antibiotics and, after 24 hours of antibiotic treatment, the child is no longer contagious. Back to school and regular activities. Not to mention, and more importantly, the child feels better pretty quickly.

The key: Make sure you finish the full course of antibiotics. Because the child feels better the next day, people sometimes assume they don’t need to keep taking the medication. Wrong. Finish the full course.

***

P.S. If you love what you find on the site, PLEASE help spread the word! Forward this email to a friend. The more, the merrier 💕.

WWWD: Our 10 Health Issues This Week

I often joke that if it weren’t for my profession, we’d be at the doctor’s office weekly with one of our four kids. I use my skills at home all the time. Here, I’ll share a recent example from home and how I handled it, including the products I used. This isn’t an advertisement—I don’t have any financial interest in these products. I simply have parents ask me all the time about what to do in certain situations and the products I use.

Oh man, do you ever have weeks where medical problems abound? Here’s our top 10 list of medical issues we’ve encountered this week and how I handled them:

1. Broken finger. Happened playing basketball, really painful and couldn’t bend it. Got an x-ray to confirm fracture and splinted.

2. Strep throat. Thank you public school for this one. ☹️ Sore throat with no other symptoms. Got a swab to confirm and started antibiotics.

3. Sore throat that wasn’t strep. Hypochondriac kid sure that sibling gave strep throat. Swabbed two different days, both negative. Told the kid to drink some water and reassured. Sore throat was magically cured.

4. Stye (chalazion-swelling along the eyelash line). Used a warm compress and put child to bed (this one happened last night). Used an antibiotic eye drop (because I had one, but not necessary) after the compress and we’ll see how it looks in a few hours. Child will likely need more compresses.

5. Folliculitis (inflamed hair follicles on the body). Applied mupirocin (prescription antibiotic ointment) a couple times a day for three days and resolved.

6. Cut on the foot. Unclear story on how this one happened, but had something to do with school recess. Child has up to date Tetanus shot, so did not need a booster. Rough, jagged cut, not a good candidate for stitches. Cleaned it out thoroughly with betadine (only used on initial cleaning) and dressed with mupirocin and large sterile dressing. Changed dressings after bath tubs every night. Healing nicely without infection.

7. Colonoscopy. This was routine and I was just the designated driver. Keep in mind, the recommendations are to get screening done at age 40 if there is a first degree relative with colon cancer or polyps and age 45 for everyone else.

8. Toothache. This one is mine and it started last night. I saw the dentist routinely a month ago and all was well, so I was hoping this would just go away. Turns out, that’s a bad approach. I’ll need to call the dentist again. I can’t solve that one myself.

9. Skinned knee. Fell on our driveway. I cleaned the knee with some soap and water, applied some mupirocin ointment (prescription antibiotic ointment) and covered it with a Band-Aid. This one also needed a big reassuring hug.

10. Eczema. The weather is changing, so eczema is flaring. I applied a thick moisturizing cream (I used Cetaphil) and topped with a steroid cream three times a day. Before bed, after putting the moisturizer and steroid on, I coated the affected areas with Aquaphor. After three days, the child’s skin looks clear.

So if you think yours is the only family falling apart medically, fear not, we’re right there with you at our house. 😊 

Good luck, and stay healthy!

Health Care Hack: Benefits Time

It is coming to that time of year when companies have you sign up for annual benefits. You get to make your choices on what insurance plan to sign up for. This is when my nerdy numbers side really shines.

Generally, stick to the low deductible plan (often listed as a PPO or copay plan) and avoid the high deductible plan if:

1. Your child has chronic medical conditions (e.g., cancer, asthma, diabetes) that require either multiple visits or expensive interventions (infusions, medications, monitors, etc.).

2. You know your child will need surgery (e.g., tonsillectomy, knee surgery).

3. You anticipate needing to see a specialist who will likely order expensive testing (ECHOs, MRIs, EEGs).

If you rarely go to the doctor, everyone is pretty healthy, and you don’t have any known upcoming expenses, you may be better off gambling on the high deductible plan and putting the premium difference into a health savings account that can go in tax free and grow.

For example:

My work benefits plan has the high deductible plan at $478/mo. and the PPO plan at $858/mo. That’s a difference of $380/mo. ($4,560/yr.) The deductible is a $6,000 family deductible. In years past, I chose the high deductible plan, but this year I anticipated my daughter’s tonsillectomy, which was roughly $8,000 and chose the lower deductible plan. I was way better off on the PPO plan economically even though it looked like (based on just premiums) that the high deductible plan was better. So run the numbers (deductible, premiums, copays, percentage covered, etc.). Knowing the plan to choose is probably the biggest health care hacks of all.

Potential savings: Thousands.

Funny Things

I had to get a urine sample from a 6-year-old boy yesterday in clinic. The child could not generate the urine and declared in explanation, “Doctor, my kidneys are shy!”

Recalls & Alerts: Children’s Jewelry Sets

Legal Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice or medical treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or the health and welfare of your child. We do not endorse any specific products or brands mentioned in this article. Readers are encouraged to perform their own research and consult with appropriate professionals before making any decisions based on the information provided herein.