Tag Archives: common cold

Cold and Flu? Not You!

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previously published in KC Parent magazine January 2012 issue

Yes, once again we have hit the cold and flu season like a bag of bricks, and it’s a challenge to avoid catching these nasty germs. But if you follow a simple rule, you have a better chance of saving yourself some misery—not to mention some cash on the tissues and cough drops.

People often find it difficult to tell the difference between the two most common winter illnesses. Consider this information:
Common Cold Signs and Symptoms (American Academy of Pediatrics)

  • Sneezing
  • Stuffy/ runny nose
  • Coughing
  • Sore throat
  • Watery eyes
  • Mild headache

People generally contract a cold from a cough or sneeze or direct contact with infected persons. Colds normally resolve within 7 days, but some can last up to 2 weeks. Symptoms appear 2-3 days after exposure.

Flu Signs and Symptoms (AAP)

  • Sudden fever and chills (normally >101°F)
  • Head and body aches
  • Extreme fatigue (more than usual)
  • Sore throat
  • Dry cough
  • Stuffy or runny nose

Usually after a week or two, most symptoms have disappeared. “However, it’s important to treat the flu seriously,” reports the Nemours Foundation, “because it can lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening complications, particularly in infants, senior citizens and people with long-term health problems.”

Hand Washing vs. Hand Sanitizer: Proper hand washing often is the best method to prevent common winter maladies.
Using soap and warm water and rubbing thoroughly for at least 20 seconds is recommended—which just happens to be the duration of the “Happy Birthday Song” repeated twice. “An alcohol-based hand cleanser or sanitizer works well, too,” says the AAP. “Put enough on your hands to make them all wet, then rub them together until dry.”

Hand Washing Facts:

  • Use warm water.
  • Use whatever soap you like. Antibacterial soaps are popular, but regular soap works fine. If you suspect that your hands have come into contact with someone with an infection, think about using an alcohol hand sanitizer.
  • In public restrooms, consider using a paper towel to flush the toilet and open the door, because toilet and door handles harbor germs. Throw the towel away after you leave.

(Nemours Foundation)

Final Words to the Winter Wise: While washing your hands more frequently and exposing them to the colder elements, use mild soaps with warm water to avoid chapping. Blot hands dry and, finally, apply a moisturizing lotion with no added fragrances or dyes.

Stacey Hatton is a pediatric RN and freelance writer.

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Kick the Common Cold and the Kleenex it Rode in On

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Originally, posted in KC Parent magazine on 1/1/2010

If you are a worrier, jump to the next paragraph, because I’m here to tell you there are more than 200 viruses which cause the common cold. Great! No wonder a child gets so many colds a year. The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “In the first two years of life alone, most youngsters have eight to ten colds.” You may recognize these…

Signs and Symptoms

  • Sneezing
  • Stuffy/runny nose
  • Sore throat
  • Coughing
  • Watery eyes
  • Mild headache

People generally contract a cold from a cough or sneeze or direct contact with an infected person. Colds resolve within one week, but can last up to two weeks. Symptoms appear two to three days after initial exposure.

Treatment There are no medications to cure the common cold. All a parent can do, according to Shahnaz Pedram, an Overland Park pharmacist, is let the cold “run its course. Just try to help the child be comfortable and hydrated.” Child Care Limited Pediatrics’ Dr. Megan Loeb, KCMO, says parents of infants need to “keep the head of the bed elevated if possible. Use saline drops and bulb to suction a baby’s nose as needed.” She also recommends a cool mist humidifier in the baby’s room.

For older kids, Loeb has parents instruct them to blow their nose and “use saline spray throughout the day.” She instructs the child to get plenty of rest. “(Having) the child slow down a bit so they can get and stay healthy” is key to a speedy recovery. Angie Roth, mother of a preschooler and a 17-month-old, says when her kids are sick, they “spend a lot of time in the rocking chair.” She is also “a fan of sterile saline nasal mist and the vapor plug-in unit(s).”

When to Call the Doctor
Loeb says that if your child experiences cold “symptoms lasting longer than two weeks, worsening respiratory symptoms (especially fast and heavy breathing), fever that is not improving after two to three days or signs of dehydration” you should call your child’s provider. “If the child is under 2 months of age, (she) would want to hear about a fever immediately.”

Prevention of Colds
Proper hand washing is the best way to prevent getting or spreading the common cold. Using warm, soapy water and rubbing hands briskly for 15 seconds is recommended –same amount of time to sing through the ABCs. Cover your mouth with the crook of your elbow, when coughing or sneezing. If you sneeze or cough into your hand or tissue, make sure to wash your hands with every instance. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are as effective as hand washing; liberally apply and rub until your hands are dry.

Rulings on Pediatric Cold & Cough Meds
In October of 2007, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported infant deaths linked to pediatric cold and cough medicines, 14 were pulled off the shelves by the drug-makers. The Food and Drug Administration and drug manufacturers are currently not recommending any over-the-counter cold medicines for children under 4 years.

Finally, the only way to catch the common cold is to contract the virus. Don’t let any wife tell you otherwise. So feel free to run outside without a coat in the freezing rain – just don’t let anyone sneeze or cough on you while you’re doing it!

Stacey Hatton is a KC nurse and mom of 2 girls, and after finishing this article will bathe in hand sanitizer and dump all her expired medications down the drain.

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Winter Weather Woes: Avoid the Hazards

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(previously published on 1.03.11 in Lawrence Journal-World news)

Winter has marched in, bringing with it frigid temperatures. Not only is the cold weather a drag on spirits, it can be damaging to you and your children’s health.

Catching a “bug”

If you have never had the flu (respiratory influenza), you are one of the lucky few. This virus is freely passed from October through May, and typically with one dose, your family members are protected that year from the seasonal flu.

According to the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP), “The rates of infection are highest among children, and symptoms can last a week or longer.”

Symptoms may include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills, muscle aches and fatigue. Some children whose immune symptoms are weakened from other illnesses can become much sicker, and flu can turn into pneumonia.

“There are two types of seasonal influenza vaccine: inactivated (killed) vaccine, which is given by an injection (shot), and live attenuated (weakened) vaccine that is sprayed into the nostrils,” says the AAP. “The 2010-2011 flu vaccine includes H1N1 as one of the three strains it protects against.”

The only way to protect your family from the common cold is to live in a cave, and that still might not do it. Proper handwashing (AAP recommendation: warm, soapy water for 15 seconds) is the best prevention of winter illness. Make sure to wash those kids’ hands before they eat, after leaving school or indoor playgrounds.

Nose bleeds

Low humidity levels in the air are responsible for many winter woes, including frequent nose bleeds.

Dr. Steven Bruner, a family practice physician with Lawrence Family Medicine and Obstetrics, says, “A whole-house humidifier or a humidifier in the room where the child sleeps” is recommended and also placing “Vaseline on the septum (internal separator of nostrils) can help.”

Dry skin and chapped lips

These can also be relieved with a whole-house humidifier. The added moisture reverses the dry heat from the furnace. Without this your family members’ skin can become dry, cracked or irritated.

When bathing your child, don’t use too hot of water and use soap only on the necessary parts.

“Soap leaches out the moisture in our skin,” Bruner says. And be sure to moisturize right out of the bath. Adding the lotion to wet skin, can help seal in moisture.

For chapped lips, vigilance is key.

Bruner says, “A beeswax lip balm needs to be used often until regular humidity returns.”

Frostbite

This does not occur as often in the Midwest as our northern neighbors, but parents must ensure their kids aren’t out in the frigid elements for too long. If clothing becomes saturated with wetness, the risk of frostbite increases.

Dress your children in many layers which can be removed when they get wet.

“Frostnip is an early warning sign of the onset of frostbite,” reports Nemours Foundation. “It leaves the skin white and numb.”

“Jack Frost nipping at your nose isn’t just a song,” says Dr. Bruner. It really can be dangerous if your child doesn’t know to come in from the cold.

Frostbite mainly is found on nose, ears, cheeks, fingers and toes. “The area becomes very cold and turns white or yellowish gray,” according to Nemours. “If you notice frostbite, take your child immediately to the nearest hospital emergency room.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless gas produced by wood-burning or gas appliances, such as older heaters, stoves, water heaters or dryers.Symptoms of CO poisoning are feeling overly tired, dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath and confusion. If more than one person in your household has these symptoms, you should be suspicious of CO exposure, get out of the house and call 9-1-1.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Department reported approximately 35 carbon monoxide related calls in 2010.

It is recommended to have carbon monoxide detectors outside of bedrooms. Yearly inspections and cleanings of woodstoves or fireplaces are advised to ward off potential carbon monoxide hazards.

Additional winter dangers:

• Risk of house fires increases in the winter. Extinguish all candles if you leave the room, keep space heaters away from furniture and curtains, and replace your smoke detector batteries twice a year (daylight saving time can be a good reminder to change clocks and batteries).

• Snow shoveling is fine for older, school-aged kids, but young children should not shovel due to risk of muscle strain from lifting too heavy amounts of snow.

• Make sure to have a first-aid kit, extra blankets, snacks and water, and gloves and hats in the car during the winter months just in case your family is stranded on the road. If you have a teen driver, make sure to supply their car as well and let them know of its placement and to actually use it if stranded.

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