HEALTH & Lifestyle
A Brief Medical Guide for Parents
Part 1
looking sad and listless. HereWing Commander Jon Griffiths the Senior Medical Officer at Cottesmore gives some words of advice..
E
Most bouts of illness pass quickly and leave children better able to resist the next attack. Sometimes, if the illness or accident is serious, immediate (and possibly long-term) help is needed. Here I deal with common childhood illnesses and accidents, the best ways to prevent them, and the action to take in an emergency.
Sometimes there is no doubt, but often it’s difficult to tell whether a child is ill; children may be listless, hot and miserable one minute and running around happily the next. Watch out for: Signs of illness like vomiting or a temperature, cough, runny nose or runny eyes. Or behaviour unusual for your child, like a lot of crying, being very irritable or refusing food and drink, being listless or drowsy.
very child becomes ill occasionally and every parent has had that feeling of anxiety as they see their normally cheerful child
Possible signs of illness are always more worrying if your child is a baby or very young. If your child is older and you’re not sure whether or not to see the doctor, you might want to carry on normally for a while and see how things go. It might be best not to let your child see you watching. Most children can put on an act, especially if they see you’re worried. Above all, trust your feelings. YOU know your child better than anyone, so you’ll know what’s unusual or worrying. If you’re worried, contact your doctor. Even if it turns out that nothing is wrong, that is exactly what you need to know.
It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t want to stay in bed when unwell. Being with you, maybe tucked up in an armchair or on a sofa, might be less lonely.
Give your child plenty to drink. For the first day or so don’t bother about food unless your child wants food. After that, try to find ways of making food tempting. Try to give your child time for quiet games, stories, company and comfort. Sick children are often easily tired and need lots of rest. Encourage your child to doze off when he or she needs to, perhaps with a story.
Looking after a sick child, even for a couple of days, is exhausting. Make things as easy for yourself as you can. Get rest and sleep when you can, and try to get somebody else to take over every now and then to give you a break.
Medicines Medicine isn’t always necessary when your child is ill. Some illnesses simply get better by themselves and make your child’s immune system stronger and better able to resist similar illness in the future. If you’re offered a prescription, talk with your GP about why it’s needed, how it will help, and whether there are any alternatives.
Asthma Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways (bronchial tubes) of the lungs. These carry the air we breathe. With asthma the
26 Summer 2009
airways are extra sensitive to substances or trigger factors which irritate them, such as dust, animal fur or cigarette smoke. When in contact with a trigger factor, the air passages become narrower and sticky mucus (phlegm) is produced making it difficult for air to pass through. The exact cause of asthma is unknown but Asthma is on the increase, especially in children.
Coughs and Colds It may seem that your child always has a cold or upper respiratory tract infection. In fact it is normal for a child to have a cold eight or more times a year. This is because there are hundreds of different viruses and young children are meeting each one of them for the first time. Gradually they build up immunity and get fewer colds. Most doctors are now reluctant to prescribe antibiotics for common illnesses such as colds and adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ policy to make sure an infection is caused by bacteria.
Most colds will get better by themselves in five to seven days. Cough and cold medicines have not been shown to work and may produce side-effects in young children. Tickling the nose with a teased cotton bud causes sneezing and is helpful for clearing the nose before feeding, as babies must breathe through the nose when feeding. Increase the amount of fluid your child normally drinks; especially in the heat. A pillow or blanket put under the baby’s mattress to raise the head may help snuffly babies breathe more easily.
Fever and pain can be treated with the correct dose of Paracetamol for your child’s age or with junior ibuprofen if your child is over the age of one and weighs 7 kg (15 lbs) or over. Encourage all the family to wash their hands to prevent the spread of colds from infected secretions.
If your child has a temperature, cough and/or is breathless, this may indicate an infection on the chest. If the cause is bacteria and not a virus, your GP will prescribe antibiotics to treat this – although it won’t soothe or stop the cough straight away.
www.raf-families-federation.org.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48