Capstone Log 11

Today: 2.5 hours
Running Total: 21 hours

Today was slow-paced, but still very exciting nonetheless.
When I got in, we talked about headaches and how vomitting is sometimes caused by headaches. Dr. Kelly explained to me how too much pressure in the brain will push down and hit the brain stem, which is the source of many functions including eyes, ears, and several physiological aspects, and cause vomitting. He told me that there are ways to relieve pressure in the brain through steriods and medicines. But another way to get rid of pressure on the brain is to drill a burr hole, also called trepanning, and to release blood and therefore release pressure.
We first saw a 7 month boy who had a fever. However, when we walked in, he was very happy and cheerful, playing with his toys which is a good sign. His throat was red and he had sporatic, painful coughs, but he was completely healthy. Just a small cold to set him back.
We then saw a boy who had hit his head very hard on the concrete. He remembered everything that happened which was a good sign, and there was no bleeding from the spot of impact, nor from the ears and areas around the head. No broken skull, not even a visible bruise. He was nauseous, but we concluded that it was probably from the stress of the injury.
I was able to sit in with a normal 18 month checkup, and during this checkup, several questions are asked about milestones and progression of the child in order to sort of test for autism. MCHAT is the name of the questionnaire, but even Dr. Kelly didn't know what it stood for. It won't directly determine if the child has autism, but it's mandatory now to take the test either way. This boy, however, was very active and very responsive and definitely not a candidate for autism. He's healthy and smart, increasingly improving motor skills and learning abilities, and he loves to run around and climb on everything. The hills of San Francisco will definitely be a fun place for him to roam.
To end office time, we saw a boy who had a low grade fever, but was very cranky and irritable. He was teething as well which made everything worse. And to top it off, he had Roseola. It's a viral infection that results in a fever and a rash. The boy had small pink spots on his back and torso which indicated that he had this infection. It's not contagious though, and with proper care, it will go away within a few days.
I was then allowed to go with Dr. Kelly to the CPMC on California Street to witness a checkup for a newborn baby, which was very exciting. I walked into the nursery and was able to see some of the babies in care there. Dr. Kelly and I discussed some of the paper work, making sure the delivery was okay and the baby came out okay. She had a 6/9 Apgar score, which is good, and she was very healthy; 7 lbs, 21 inches long. The labor was 16 hours and the baby was born today at 2:18 pm. We then went in to see the baby. Dr. Kelly checked the head, which was swollen, but it was okay. He checked for broken collarbones, checked the lungs, posture, and muscle tone. The baby hadn't eaten yet, but that's actually normal for the baby to not eat for the first 48 hours. She was just extremely tired, so she slept a lot of the time. Ultimately, she was very healthy.
For next week, I have to read about the Apgar test performed on babies when they're first delivered.