Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 23 hours
Today was sweet and short. When I got in, Dr. Kelly and I went to see a 2 year old with a rash on her nose and a diaper rash. The mom thought the rash on the nose was a rash, but it actually was just the remains of a small scratch that's healing and probably collected some bacteria. It will go away in a couple of days. The diaper rash was quite large however and covered a large portion of the bottom. Dr. Kelly renewed a pre-existing prescription and changed it to 2% Hydrocortisone. The girl also received a measles vaccine because they are moving to Germany, where there is an outbreak of measles.
We then saw a girl who was sick with a high fever, and was very miserable; coughing a lot with a sore throat and deep breathing. We know right away that it isn't strep because cough is not associated with it. So Dr. Kelly checked her up and came to the conclusion that she probably had the flu. He did a flu test which involves a nasal culture. It looked very painful and very uncomfortable because the swab had to be shoved way up into the nose. I felt really bad for the girl, but it was absolutely necessary.
Dr. Kelly then had a physical with a teenage boy and I wasn't allowed to go in, so instead I went with Dr. Pickering for a pre-operation.
A 9 year old girl explained how when she was 5, she was running on the beach and stepped on something sharp, but thought nothing of it since there was no trace of anything stabbing through the skin. 4 years later, she feels more pain and can barely walk on that side of her foot. Her mother showed us x-rays which showed she had a piece of metal in her foot and it had snapped in half. We all came to the conclusion that it could be a hypodermic nail. The surgery is a simple outpatient surgery, and they'll put the girl under anesthesia, but the real concern is the chance of getting Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV. However, if the needle had those traces, the girl would've been infected long ago. And she has already had her Hepatitis vaccinations, so she's immune. But a blood test was taken to reassure that the girl has no disease. What surprised Dr. Pickering and I however, was the fact that the needle left absolutely no trace and no presentation until 4 years later. And it was never infected or swollen when the girl first got it.
Dr. Kelly and I then talked a bit about rheumatic fever and how it can come from strep and could cause rheumatic heart disease as well as brain damage and swollen joints.
I was also able to ask Dr. Kelly about Elephant Man, since we're watching the movie in class. He said that the movie and play were very wrenching and emotional compromising, but it's actually not completely rare to get this genetic disorder where your child ends up growing up with large tumors and sever deformity. It's called neurofibromatosis and Dr. Kelly actually has a patient with this genetic disorder who is 20 years old now and very severely deformed. The worst part is that there is no cure and no treatment.
For next week I have to read about the "5th Disease", which is literally called the 5th disease. I have to read on the importance of the other 4 diseases as well and focus on Roseola.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Capstone Log 10
Today: 3 hours
Running Total: 18.5 hours
"We're not just us, we're the germs we carry."
Wise words of Dr. Kelly; studies show that there are actually more germs in our bodies than actual cells that make up our bodies. Quite an interesting tidbit for the curious readers.
Today was a very very busy day! Amazing how much can be squeezed into 3 hours. I'll try not to ramble.
When I got there, we went to see an 8 month boy who has had diarrhea, He took antibiotics for an ear infection, which could've been the cause, however the antibiotics were in effect last month which disproved our observations. The common cold simply caused his irregular bowel movements.
We then saw a 6 month girl for a checkup and diaper rash. Dr. Kelly was asking for the milestones, and she's very healthy, having reached most of the major milestones at 6 months. She sits up and was smiling at everyone. I was allowed to listen to her lungs and Dr. Kelly pointed out that her breathing is a lot faster than that of what a teenagers would be, which is no surprise at all.
After that, we quickly went in to see a boy who said he had his ear cleaned yesterday only to go home and find blood coming out of it. Dr. Kelly looked in his ear and concluded that the passage towards to the inner ear was scratched on accident and will heal on its own.
We saw a boy who has frequent headaches and has had it going on for many many years. Dr. Kelly checked everything and he was okay, so he sent him to get a CAT scan, a blood sugar test and a sodium test. If he drinks too much liquids, it could dilute the salts in his body and unbalance the fluids, causing more headaches.
A boy with a major speech delay then came in. He is 3 years old, however, he rarely talks. He only says "yes", "no", and "baby", which is very very unusual for a child this age. But his mother was not worried because there is a history in the family of major speech delay like his. Even though he doesn't talk, it has nothing to do with attention span problems because he'll listen to stories, and sit down and solve puzzles. And Dr. Kelly said it has nothing to do with intelligence, which surprised me as well because the boy can only count to 2 and doesn't know any colors or anything. He won't talk at all, doesn't interact too much, and doesn't make noises. It was quite intriguing to me to see a boy this age not say anything. But with proper speech therapy, he'll come to speak perfectly well one day.
Next, we saw a girl who had a minor eye infection, and the mother was scared it could be contagious. It is contagious but will only spread if the girl touches the gunk in her eyes, touches something else and then another child comes around, touches the same thing and touches their own eyes.
To end the day, I was allowed to sit in with another prenatal but this time with experienced parents. However, they still had lots of questions. What surprised me is the fact that they're having a home delivery, with a midwife. I was unaware of the fact that midwives still even exist. Dr. Kelly doesn't strongly approve or recommend home deliveries because many complications could occur and distance from the hospital puts the mother and the newborn at a risk of not having the right instruments and tools around if something goes wrong.
For next week, I have to read a little bit about coxsackie A6 which connects to my topic from last week: hand foot mouth disease. It's a fairly new virus though, and is similar to the other hand foot mouth disease: EV71. I also have to read about headaches, which could better educate me on a more personal level since I get headaches a lot.
Running Total: 18.5 hours
"We're not just us, we're the germs we carry."
Wise words of Dr. Kelly; studies show that there are actually more germs in our bodies than actual cells that make up our bodies. Quite an interesting tidbit for the curious readers.
Today was a very very busy day! Amazing how much can be squeezed into 3 hours. I'll try not to ramble.
When I got there, we went to see an 8 month boy who has had diarrhea, He took antibiotics for an ear infection, which could've been the cause, however the antibiotics were in effect last month which disproved our observations. The common cold simply caused his irregular bowel movements.
We then saw a 6 month girl for a checkup and diaper rash. Dr. Kelly was asking for the milestones, and she's very healthy, having reached most of the major milestones at 6 months. She sits up and was smiling at everyone. I was allowed to listen to her lungs and Dr. Kelly pointed out that her breathing is a lot faster than that of what a teenagers would be, which is no surprise at all.
After that, we quickly went in to see a boy who said he had his ear cleaned yesterday only to go home and find blood coming out of it. Dr. Kelly looked in his ear and concluded that the passage towards to the inner ear was scratched on accident and will heal on its own.
We saw a boy who has frequent headaches and has had it going on for many many years. Dr. Kelly checked everything and he was okay, so he sent him to get a CAT scan, a blood sugar test and a sodium test. If he drinks too much liquids, it could dilute the salts in his body and unbalance the fluids, causing more headaches.
A boy with a major speech delay then came in. He is 3 years old, however, he rarely talks. He only says "yes", "no", and "baby", which is very very unusual for a child this age. But his mother was not worried because there is a history in the family of major speech delay like his. Even though he doesn't talk, it has nothing to do with attention span problems because he'll listen to stories, and sit down and solve puzzles. And Dr. Kelly said it has nothing to do with intelligence, which surprised me as well because the boy can only count to 2 and doesn't know any colors or anything. He won't talk at all, doesn't interact too much, and doesn't make noises. It was quite intriguing to me to see a boy this age not say anything. But with proper speech therapy, he'll come to speak perfectly well one day.
Next, we saw a girl who had a minor eye infection, and the mother was scared it could be contagious. It is contagious but will only spread if the girl touches the gunk in her eyes, touches something else and then another child comes around, touches the same thing and touches their own eyes.
To end the day, I was allowed to sit in with another prenatal but this time with experienced parents. However, they still had lots of questions. What surprised me is the fact that they're having a home delivery, with a midwife. I was unaware of the fact that midwives still even exist. Dr. Kelly doesn't strongly approve or recommend home deliveries because many complications could occur and distance from the hospital puts the mother and the newborn at a risk of not having the right instruments and tools around if something goes wrong.
For next week, I have to read a little bit about coxsackie A6 which connects to my topic from last week: hand foot mouth disease. It's a fairly new virus though, and is similar to the other hand foot mouth disease: EV71. I also have to read about headaches, which could better educate me on a more personal level since I get headaches a lot.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Capstone Log 9
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 15.5 hours
Today, the office wasn't very busy. When I got there, Dr. Kelly made a phone call to a mother concerned about her 18 year old daughter. She's been having fainting spells in the morning because she gets dizzy after waking up. But apparently it's fairly common to faint in the morning. While we waited for his 4 o'clock, we talked about what I had to read up on for this week, which was Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is a subtype of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). I found an article from the NY Times about a boy who had used a drug that usually treats ADD patients, however he didn't have the disorder and abused the drug instead. It led to his addiction and reliance on the drug and when it was no longer available to him, he hanged himself in his closet. Dr. Kelly questions whether it's an actual disorder, and since the percentage is so high, it's actually "normal" to have ADD. There is a lot of controversy with it and the way people perceive it to actually be.
Dr. Kelly told me how this week, there are a lot of patients with earaches and congestion. There was a patient who had earaches as well as coughing and congestion. There was a lot of pressure in his right ear and water in his left, but no ear infection.
Ear infections could be potentially fatal if not properly treated and could spread throughout the area surrounding the ear. It could get to the point where one whole side of the face could become paralyzed.
Dr. Kelly then explained Huntington's Chorea disease, which is a neurological disease and is distinguished in 30-40 year old people and above with involuntary movement of their limbs and then possibly dementia.
Lastly, a girl came in with hand-foot-mouth disease, with which the name seems so informal that it was hard for me to believe that it's a real infection. A mother was concerned if she can get it from her daughter, and yes she can. It's characterized by a sore throat and rashes on the hands or feet. It's also my next topic to read up on for next week. I'm excited to learn about it, it's quite intriguing.
Running Total: 15.5 hours
Today, the office wasn't very busy. When I got there, Dr. Kelly made a phone call to a mother concerned about her 18 year old daughter. She's been having fainting spells in the morning because she gets dizzy after waking up. But apparently it's fairly common to faint in the morning. While we waited for his 4 o'clock, we talked about what I had to read up on for this week, which was Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is a subtype of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). I found an article from the NY Times about a boy who had used a drug that usually treats ADD patients, however he didn't have the disorder and abused the drug instead. It led to his addiction and reliance on the drug and when it was no longer available to him, he hanged himself in his closet. Dr. Kelly questions whether it's an actual disorder, and since the percentage is so high, it's actually "normal" to have ADD. There is a lot of controversy with it and the way people perceive it to actually be.
Dr. Kelly told me how this week, there are a lot of patients with earaches and congestion. There was a patient who had earaches as well as coughing and congestion. There was a lot of pressure in his right ear and water in his left, but no ear infection.
Ear infections could be potentially fatal if not properly treated and could spread throughout the area surrounding the ear. It could get to the point where one whole side of the face could become paralyzed.
Dr. Kelly then explained Huntington's Chorea disease, which is a neurological disease and is distinguished in 30-40 year old people and above with involuntary movement of their limbs and then possibly dementia.
Lastly, a girl came in with hand-foot-mouth disease, with which the name seems so informal that it was hard for me to believe that it's a real infection. A mother was concerned if she can get it from her daughter, and yes she can. It's characterized by a sore throat and rashes on the hands or feet. It's also my next topic to read up on for next week. I'm excited to learn about it, it's quite intriguing.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Capstone Log 8
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 13.5 hours
When doctors get sick, who do they go to?! Dr. Kelly has laryngitis, so today he didn't really have any patients. Instead, I tagged along with Dr. Pickering. We saw a nine year old boy who had a nasty cough and a high fever which lasted over the weekend. His symptoms showed that he has the flu, but his breathing said it could have been pneumonia. He took a chest x-ray and Dr. Pickering allowed me to see the images, front and side view. They showed that he had a lot of mucus and congestion, but definitely no pneumonia. The doctors were thinking it could be bronchitis, but nobody can really tell just by looking at x-rays.
Dr. Kelly then had a patient, a little boy who was about one. He's had a cough for the past 2 months already and uses a flow vent for when he's wheezing. Fortunately for the child, he hasn't been wheezing since the end of January, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to use the stethoscope to listen to a child that wheezes and compare to normal breathing. But we're glad he's healthy.
Dr. Kelly then allowed me to go with him into a prenatal with a soon-to-be-parents couple. A prenatal is basically a visit with the parents before the birth of their child in order for the parents to ask questions and get familiar with the pediatricians and actually establish a pediatrician for the new child instead of having one assigned. They asked questions about diapers, sunlight, and bringing the child out into crowded places. It was interesting to hear about what you are supposed to do and what you're not supposed to do with a new born baby.
After the prenatal, Dr. Kelly talked to me about rotavirus, which by the way, has an amazing vaccination that works stupendously. He talked to me about how rotavirus causes extreme diarrhea and it causes intussusception, which is when part of the small intestine gets pushed and invaginated into the large intestine. It causes tremendous pain and the part that gets stuck will die, causing the rest of the small intestine to die and then causing death. Most children get rotavirus several times during childhood which builds their immune system, so adults almost never get it.
For next week, I have to read about attention deficit disorder (ADD). It really is an interesting topic, seeing as how I know many people who have it.
Running Total: 13.5 hours
When doctors get sick, who do they go to?! Dr. Kelly has laryngitis, so today he didn't really have any patients. Instead, I tagged along with Dr. Pickering. We saw a nine year old boy who had a nasty cough and a high fever which lasted over the weekend. His symptoms showed that he has the flu, but his breathing said it could have been pneumonia. He took a chest x-ray and Dr. Pickering allowed me to see the images, front and side view. They showed that he had a lot of mucus and congestion, but definitely no pneumonia. The doctors were thinking it could be bronchitis, but nobody can really tell just by looking at x-rays.
Dr. Kelly then had a patient, a little boy who was about one. He's had a cough for the past 2 months already and uses a flow vent for when he's wheezing. Fortunately for the child, he hasn't been wheezing since the end of January, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to use the stethoscope to listen to a child that wheezes and compare to normal breathing. But we're glad he's healthy.
Dr. Kelly then allowed me to go with him into a prenatal with a soon-to-be-parents couple. A prenatal is basically a visit with the parents before the birth of their child in order for the parents to ask questions and get familiar with the pediatricians and actually establish a pediatrician for the new child instead of having one assigned. They asked questions about diapers, sunlight, and bringing the child out into crowded places. It was interesting to hear about what you are supposed to do and what you're not supposed to do with a new born baby.
After the prenatal, Dr. Kelly talked to me about rotavirus, which by the way, has an amazing vaccination that works stupendously. He talked to me about how rotavirus causes extreme diarrhea and it causes intussusception, which is when part of the small intestine gets pushed and invaginated into the large intestine. It causes tremendous pain and the part that gets stuck will die, causing the rest of the small intestine to die and then causing death. Most children get rotavirus several times during childhood which builds their immune system, so adults almost never get it.
For next week, I have to read about attention deficit disorder (ADD). It really is an interesting topic, seeing as how I know many people who have it.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Capstone Log 7
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 11.5 hours
Sometimes I hear the doctors talking to patients about the most bizarre things. But today was normal. When I came in, Dr. Pickering was on the phone and asked if someone was sensitive to butter. But her tone was very unconvincing. Made me laugh.
Dr. Kelly was phoning patients when I arrived; he spoke about how parents often worry about green stool in their newborn (which is absolutely normal) and eating habits (which could mean a small sore throat or simply no hunger). First-time parents are usually the most skeptical and always have, in the doctors' eyes, some silly questions.
I went in with Dr. Kelly for a physical with a 10 year old boy who still occasionally wets the bed at night, which isn't too common at his age, but not very rare either. He explained to me about a special hormone called antidiuretic released by the pituitary which is not released when you're dehydrated, therefore you don't urinate. I asked if this boys pituitary didn't release any, but he said no. Which confused me a bit, because then there's no real reason why he still wets the bed. But he's taking medication to supply antidiuretic so that it doesn't happen anymore.
We then saw a boy who came in with a sore throat, cough, and high fever. Once he said there was a cough, then we knew it couldn't be streptococcus because cough doesn't come with it, but we tested it anyways. After Dr. Kelly took the swabs, he allowed me to do the actual "lab test" to determine whether the strep was positive or negative. Gina helped me and it was pretty simple. I like performing the little tests with the tubes and the special enzyme drops and everything.
After I was done doing the test we met with a 7 year old girl who has asthma. She had a physical but we discussed her drug intake. She takes a liquid every morning for heartburn and then uses the inhaler twice a day in the morning and at night for her wheezing. She fortunately is not on steroids Dr. Kelly and I were talking about how oral steroids especially in children, can ruin bones and joints and cause several other problems. He told me a story of a lady who was in her 40's but had to get both hips replaced because her doctor prescribed her oral steroids and only those.
We talked a bit about how doctors rarely ever use the brand names for drugs, such as Tylenol, Advil, Pediacare, etc. He believes that parents should know the ingredients and know the real uses of each drug instead of giving their child Tylenol for a runny nose. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sudafed; these should all be in the parents' vocabulary and they should be aware of their uses.
For next week I have to learn about rotavirus, which I know absolutely nothing about. So it should be an interesting topic for me to read on.
Running Total: 11.5 hours
Sometimes I hear the doctors talking to patients about the most bizarre things. But today was normal. When I came in, Dr. Pickering was on the phone and asked if someone was sensitive to butter. But her tone was very unconvincing. Made me laugh.
Dr. Kelly was phoning patients when I arrived; he spoke about how parents often worry about green stool in their newborn (which is absolutely normal) and eating habits (which could mean a small sore throat or simply no hunger). First-time parents are usually the most skeptical and always have, in the doctors' eyes, some silly questions.
I went in with Dr. Kelly for a physical with a 10 year old boy who still occasionally wets the bed at night, which isn't too common at his age, but not very rare either. He explained to me about a special hormone called antidiuretic released by the pituitary which is not released when you're dehydrated, therefore you don't urinate. I asked if this boys pituitary didn't release any, but he said no. Which confused me a bit, because then there's no real reason why he still wets the bed. But he's taking medication to supply antidiuretic so that it doesn't happen anymore.
We then saw a boy who came in with a sore throat, cough, and high fever. Once he said there was a cough, then we knew it couldn't be streptococcus because cough doesn't come with it, but we tested it anyways. After Dr. Kelly took the swabs, he allowed me to do the actual "lab test" to determine whether the strep was positive or negative. Gina helped me and it was pretty simple. I like performing the little tests with the tubes and the special enzyme drops and everything.
After I was done doing the test we met with a 7 year old girl who has asthma. She had a physical but we discussed her drug intake. She takes a liquid every morning for heartburn and then uses the inhaler twice a day in the morning and at night for her wheezing. She fortunately is not on steroids Dr. Kelly and I were talking about how oral steroids especially in children, can ruin bones and joints and cause several other problems. He told me a story of a lady who was in her 40's but had to get both hips replaced because her doctor prescribed her oral steroids and only those.
We talked a bit about how doctors rarely ever use the brand names for drugs, such as Tylenol, Advil, Pediacare, etc. He believes that parents should know the ingredients and know the real uses of each drug instead of giving their child Tylenol for a runny nose. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sudafed; these should all be in the parents' vocabulary and they should be aware of their uses.
For next week I have to learn about rotavirus, which I know absolutely nothing about. So it should be an interesting topic for me to read on.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Capstone Log 6
Today: 3 hours
Running Total: 9.5 hours
When I got to the office, Dr. Kelly was already in with a patient, so Gina asked me to hang out for a while. When he was done, he told me about how an 18 month-old boy had a case of speech delay and he barely spoke, which by his age, could mean Autism. But he believes it's not Autism, and simply just a speech delay. Everybody grows at their own pace.
We then met with a little boy named Mason who had a high fever of 104.5 as well as wheezing. The parents said to have gone to the clinic the night before where Mason was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears and was given amoxicillin. However, Dr. Kelly checked and found nothing. And with his better and more experienced judgment, told them to stop the antibiotics because Mason was okay.
Dr. Kelly allowed me to use the stethoscope several times today to listen to the lungs of a child who was wheezing before and a child who was healthy with normal lungs at that moment. There was a big difference between the two, as for the child who was wheezing had longer exhales. But it was very cool to listen through the stethoscope. I want to buy my own.
It was great to be able to connect everything from today with what I learned about asthma from last week. The parents of Mason were concerned with asthma, which wheezing could be a symptom of. In my study, I learned that antibiotics (eg. amoxicillin) in early life can result in a higher chance of getting asthma when you're a bit older. There's no specific reason why, but it could do with the fact that you don't properly build up your immune system. Dr. Kelly explained to me how asthma happens, with the bronchioles and how air needs to be pushed out because of the inflammation, which is why people wheeze.
Dr. Kelly then talked with a patient who had shingles and explained to me how it's like chicken pox. They only come back in certain spots and in the same spot every time, which has to do with dermatomes, which I plan to read up on my own just for my own personal advantage.
He then talked a bit about Occupational Therapy, which he thinks is absolutely pointless. If a child doesn't like to, for example, get dirty, someone will suggest OT. It doesn't mean there's a problem if a child doesn't like something, it could just be part of their personality. However, an occupational therapist will always find something to diagnose, which Dr. Kelly doesn't agree on or enforce.
Richard III has an interesting story about scoliosis and I plan to read up on that as well.
For next week, I have to study on childhood leukemia. Like the book My Sister's Keeper. Can't wait to broaden my knowledge on the matter, considering that my family has a history of cancer.
Running Total: 9.5 hours
When I got to the office, Dr. Kelly was already in with a patient, so Gina asked me to hang out for a while. When he was done, he told me about how an 18 month-old boy had a case of speech delay and he barely spoke, which by his age, could mean Autism. But he believes it's not Autism, and simply just a speech delay. Everybody grows at their own pace.
We then met with a little boy named Mason who had a high fever of 104.5 as well as wheezing. The parents said to have gone to the clinic the night before where Mason was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears and was given amoxicillin. However, Dr. Kelly checked and found nothing. And with his better and more experienced judgment, told them to stop the antibiotics because Mason was okay.
Dr. Kelly allowed me to use the stethoscope several times today to listen to the lungs of a child who was wheezing before and a child who was healthy with normal lungs at that moment. There was a big difference between the two, as for the child who was wheezing had longer exhales. But it was very cool to listen through the stethoscope. I want to buy my own.
It was great to be able to connect everything from today with what I learned about asthma from last week. The parents of Mason were concerned with asthma, which wheezing could be a symptom of. In my study, I learned that antibiotics (eg. amoxicillin) in early life can result in a higher chance of getting asthma when you're a bit older. There's no specific reason why, but it could do with the fact that you don't properly build up your immune system. Dr. Kelly explained to me how asthma happens, with the bronchioles and how air needs to be pushed out because of the inflammation, which is why people wheeze.
Dr. Kelly then talked with a patient who had shingles and explained to me how it's like chicken pox. They only come back in certain spots and in the same spot every time, which has to do with dermatomes, which I plan to read up on my own just for my own personal advantage.
He then talked a bit about Occupational Therapy, which he thinks is absolutely pointless. If a child doesn't like to, for example, get dirty, someone will suggest OT. It doesn't mean there's a problem if a child doesn't like something, it could just be part of their personality. However, an occupational therapist will always find something to diagnose, which Dr. Kelly doesn't agree on or enforce.
Richard III has an interesting story about scoliosis and I plan to read up on that as well.
For next week, I have to study on childhood leukemia. Like the book My Sister's Keeper. Can't wait to broaden my knowledge on the matter, considering that my family has a history of cancer.
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