NetWellness Children's Health

Spider bite

Stephen Wilson MD, MSc — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:10:00 EST

Question: My 2 1/2 year old niece woke up this morning with her hand really swollen and red. I cant see a bite mark, but she keeps scratching it. Ice hasn`t helped make the swelling go down. Should I wait to take her in, or could it be a spider bit?

Answer: Thank you very much for the question. While I cannot make a diagnosis with the information that you have shared, I would certainly be concerned that your niece is having either a skin infection or reaction. I think it would be wise to take you niece to her health care provider for a assessment of th . . .

Ask an Expert: Stephen Wilson MD, MSc, Children's Health

HELP!! My son wont eat `big boy` food

Mary Gottesman PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:10:00 EST

Question: my son is a year old and since he was born he has had problems eating and drinking. My son at a week old was drinking his bottle of formula he then projectile vomited and began choking. This has happened several times! i began feeding him pureed food and he would gag and throw up and start choking a . . .

Answer: I know this is frustrating for you! Let's take a look at your son's growth. At 19 pounds he is close to the 10th percentile for a 12 month-old boy. This means he is lighter in weight than 90% of age mates but weighs more than about 10%. In terms of length he is at the 25th percentile, so he is longe . . .

Ask an Expert: Mary Gottesman PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN, Children's Health

What does a smaller head mean?

Michael Spigarelli MD, PhD — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:09:00 EST

Question: My child has a smaller head when compared to her classmates, and on of her classmates said that people will smaller heads are stupid. This is weird coming from the friend since they both are in an Advance Placement Program.

So, my question is: Does a smaller head mean you`re stupid?

Thanks . . .

Answer:

Head size is the result of many factors, as is intelligence, if she is in the advanced placement program, it is likely that they (both her and her friend) are above normal in intelligence and head size has nothing to do with it.

Ask an Expert: Michael Spigarelli MD, PhD, Children's Health

Effects of anesthesia on a 2 year old?

Michael Spigarelli MD, PhD — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:09:00 EST

Question:

My 2yr old had his tonsil out 5 days ago. He does good during the day, but at night he doesn`t want to go to bed and when we do get him asleep, he wakes up every hour to two hours in a panic. He wants up out of bed right then, if we try to snuggle or hold him, he goes into some kind of fit. He ha . . .

Answer:

He is 2 and unable to fully understand what happened to him, and is somewhat upset by it. As he returns to feeling safe when he sleeps, this will pass and he should do well. You are right to be concerned, but please understand that from his perspective, he did not know that his tonsil . . .

Ask an Expert: Michael Spigarelli MD, PhD, Children's Health

3 yr old hair loss

Stephen Wilson MD, MSc — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:09:00 EST

Question: My daughter is 3 and this morning i was brushing her hair and a big clump of hair came out. we just recently moved and now use well water, could this be the cause?

Answer: Thank you very much for the question. It is difficult to say what the cause of the alopecia given the information that you have shared. There are a number of causes of alopecia in children including:

1) Traumatic: aggressive combing or brushing
2) Infection: fungal infec . . .

Ask an Expert: Stephen Wilson MD, MSc, Children's Health

Low grade fever for days with my 9 year old

Michael Spigarelli MD, PhD — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:09:00 EST

Question: My 9 year old daughter has had a low grade fever for 3 days. The fever seems to go up and down. The highest temp was 101.5. The temp was gone during the day yesterday, but came back last night at 100.00f. She was at the doctors the first day, and we where told there was no flu or ear infection, or s . . .

Answer: It is likely that she has a viral infection, which will likely pass without difficulty following supportive care such as increased rest and fluids.

Ask an Expert: Michael Spigarelli MD, PhD, Children's Health

Holding back bowel movements

Mary Gottesman PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:08:00 EST

Question: my 2year old daughter was constipated and got an anul fissure. now she is holding in her poo for up to 4days then she will go, but shes in so much pain and keeps saying sore tummy! shes on lactalose and we have some anaesthetic cream to help and it doesnt seem to be helping and also is only allowed . . .

Answer: This is certainly a distressing problem for both parents and children! Your daughter has a condition called encopresis. As you have noted it all started with a painful experience in having a bowel movement because of the anal fissure. Dry, hard, large stools will continue to be painful to pass reinf . . .

Ask an Expert: Mary Gottesman PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN, Children's Health

Cloudy urine 3.5 yr old

Stephen Wilson MD, MSc — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:08:00 EST

Question: I first noticed my daughter had cloudy urine 6 months ago. Doctor tested urine showed no UTI. Doctor said it must be something she is eating. So I have written everything down and then noted when urine is cloudy. I can not find any relation. Urine is fine for up to 2-5 days, then we get a cloudy one . . .

Answer: Thank you very much for the question. Certainly, urine with a cloudy appearance is often caused by a urinary tract infection. Given that your PCP has tested the urine and found no bacteria, it could be that your daughter has a non-infectious urethritis. Sometimes this can be caused by using bubble b . . .

Ask an Expert: Stephen Wilson MD, MSc, Children's Health

My 13-year-old has pneumonia

Elizabeth Allen MD — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:08:00 EST

Question: My 13-year-old son was diagnosed today with pneumonia (I don`t know what kind) and prescribed the antibiotic Azithromycin. His illness began with a fever, chills, headache and occasional dizziness 7 days ago. I took him to the pediatrician two days later and was told it`s a viral illness. After four . . .

Answer: For the vast majority of patients, having pneumonia once does not make one prone to having it repeatedly.

Repetitive pneumonia can, of course, occur. There are rare cases in which the initial pneumonia causes some lingering damage that is then prone to infectio . . .

Ask an Expert: Elizabeth Allen MD, Children's Health

My daughter seems to have a second tongue?

Sarah Sauntry RN, MS, CPNP-PC — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:08:00 EST

Question: my daughter is four months old and a few days after we brought her home we noticed she had in indent in the base of her spine finding out later she has the spine abifida occluta the most minor form of it. but just today we noticed when she was crying that she has what seems to be a second tongue und . . .

Answer: You seem to be asking two questions: 1.) Is spina bifida occulta associated with other physical differences, deformities, or problems, and 2.) an extra bit of tissue under the tongue. The short answer is probably not. Both conditions are functional differences (don't cause any problem) from absolute . . .

Ask an Expert: Sarah Sauntry RN, MS, CPNP-PC, Children's Health