articles
The Bully Strikes Again
Well, National Influenza Week is finally over! I’m having some serious post-holiday depression. You look forward to something for an entire year and then, whoosh, it’s over and done with in a flash. Wow, I can’t believe it’s already over. I hope all of you had a wonderful time. I certainly did. However, I was reminded this week that not everyone is excited about the flu vaccine as I am. See over here in the UK, we don’t have all the choices we do in America, like the Flumist nasal spray or the new intradermal (right into the skin!!) option. No, all we have is the plain old shot. Which I don’t think is that bad but I guess not everyone agrees.
“I don’t like shots,” said my babysitter. “And I never, I mean never, get sick.”
“Well, you’ve also never worked for a lady who brings home disgusting germs after getting snotted on all day. And Eva and Zoe, well, when are their noses not running?”
Do you get that I had to do some convincing? Unfortunately, the fact that I work in a hospital, surrounded by the sickest of the sick wasn’t quite enough for her. So I pulled out the big cards.
“And, by the way, I’ve gone public speaking about the flu shot. As in I’ve been invited to join conference calls with people like Dr. William Shaffner , chief of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University. And on that call was Jennifer Lastinger, a mother who’d lost her 3 ½ year old totally healthy child to influenza. This is not a cold. It’s serious stuff.
I could see her beginning to crack. And then I went for the kill.
“And, by the way, if it were to come out that my own babysitter dropped dead from the flu, after all my talk about making sure my children are well-protected, well that would destroy my reputation and derail my career. Which means I wouldn’t need you to babysit.”
And that did it. She’s now vaccinated. Sometimes you’ve just got to hit ‘em where it hurts.
I’m a Bully. Yes I am.
You all know that the entire family living here at Dr. Zibners’ house has had their flu shots, right? Now that that’s done, I’ve began bullying anyone who comes near us, from neighbors to friends to babysitters to get their shots. Our “Uncle Frank” who is a very close friend and frequent visitor protested, claiming “I’ve only had that shot once in my life and I’ve always been fine!” To which I answered, “Yes you dope, that was when Eva was a 3 week-old and I personally dragged your behind to Walgreens, along with her father, and pushed you into that chair, standing over you until the needle was out and the Band-aid was on.
See, I’m a flu shot bully.
Most recently I worked on our babysitter who “never gets sick.” I just pointed out that she’s also never worked for a family where the mother goes into a hospital and purposely touches germy children, bringing home bits of virus and spreading them all over the front door, the banister and the kitchen counter. She caved.
It’s the germy children who do it to us, you know. Actually that’s the truth. Turns out that little kids with influenza shed more virus than adults and are contagious for longer than adults. That makes them the worst of the worst when it comes to influenza transmission. I learned that little diddy last night when I was invited to participate in a Flu Conference Call in anticipation of National Influenza Week, which starts next week.
Yes, there is actually a National Influenza Week. Who knew? Okay, so it’s not as big a celebration at our house as National Adoption Month, but it’s still worth bringing up.
Anyway, I learned lots. And I’ll be sharing some more little bits with you next week, because this flu bully has to stretch the fight out. But let’s just start here:
1. Children touch, lick, kiss and snot on every surface within reach and therefore are some of the germiest critters on the planet.
2. When it comes to influenza, they shed more virus (meaning they spread more viral particles) and shed for longer (meaning they are contagious for more days) than adults. This means when it comes to influenza, they are practically criminal in their behavior.
3. Influenza peaks in the US in February and March. Which means it’s not to late to get your shots.
Now excuse me, I’m going to see if there is anyone else I can get into a headlock and jam a needle into.
Gobble Gobble!
Happy Turkey Day!
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. May this holiday be filled with happiness, family and friends. May your football team score big and your turkey not be dry.
Over at our house, we’ll be hosting a dinner for some Americans, a Canadian, a few Englishmen, a New Zealander, a couple of Germans and of course one Indian. Sorry, kids, that’s Indian. Not Native American. But it’s still going to be a good mix of natives and foreigners, all stuffing their faces and bonding over life in another land, living in another culture.
Which reminds us a lot of the first Thanksgiving, doesn’t it? When the Pilgrims sat down to give thanks to the first Americans for helping them survive a harsh winter. Of course, the difference at my house is that I won’t then be giving my guests deadly cases of smallpox.
Because we got rid of that back in 1979. Before then 80% of infected children died. A the end of the 18th Century, around 400,000 Europeans died every year from the disease. It was responsible for a third of all cases of blindness. All in all we can thank smallpox for between 300 and 500 million deaths during the 20th Century. Oh, sure you can argue that medicine today is so much more advanced that we’d be better off. Until you realize it killed 2 million people the year my parents got married. (And I’m not that old.)
What’s all that say to me? Vaccines are awesome. Oh, but I’ve gone slightly off track here. Back to the point.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jab! Jab! Jab!
Yep, that’s what they call immunizations over here in London. So because I try really hard to sound like a local (saying things like “put that in the bin, darling,”) that’s exactly what I asked for yesterday. As soon as we got called in to see our pediatrician (or paediatrician to be exact) I sat the girls down and announced to their doctor, “Hi, we’re here for our flu jabs!” Actually first I said hello and inquired as to his health, seeing as how I’m exceedingly polite around the man responsible for my childrens’ health. But then I demanded our jabs.
And let me tell you, he did not disappoint! Poor little Eva had come running in calling, “I first!” Little did the silly darling, ahem, I mean dopey kid realize. She looked a bit hesitant when the cold spray hit her leg but then she didn’t even cry. Or at least she didn’t have time to before I shoved an M&M in her mouth.
Then it was Zoe’s turn. She found the whole thing mildly amusing until the bandage went on. That was apparently very upsetting, having a sticky piece of tape on her body. But she got over it within seconds, M&M’s notwithstanding.
Oh, did I mention that I had mine a few weeks back and their dad got his at the office? Yes, we are a family unified by flu shots.
So, just in case you were wondering if you should make that appointment, thinking maybe this year it would be too much trouble, wishing you knew what Dr. Zibners thought of the flu shot, there you go. I believe in protecting not only my family from flu but making sure we don’t cause serious illness or even death in anyone else who might not have been well enough or old enough to get his own shot.
The CDC estimates the annual death rate from influenza to be between 3000 and 49,000 people a year in the United States. Okay, I admit that is a ridiculous range, but their best guess is made difficult since many people who die from the flu have other health problems or were never actually tested for influenza before they died. In other words, this is no joke. The flu is not a runny nose for a week. It is serious stuff.
And I am also completely serious when I say that I actually carried two bags of M&Ms with me to the pediatrician’s office, knowing full well that he usually keeps his own bag in his top desk drawer. I wasn’t taking any chances. I thought it was more than fair that they get rewarded for their mother’s stubbornness with chocolate. Twas the least I could do. That and to call it a trash can.
Now go get jabbed.
Real Life Heros
Everyone needs heros. Whether it’s Elmo’s dad (a Gulf War veteran, did you know?) or a Steve Jobs (cuz the iPad is awesome), we all need someone to look up to, to admire, to make us want to work hard to become better people. I bet right now you are wondering who my heros are. Well, I’m going to tell you, from Jonas Salk to Joseph Lister to the guy who invented the Kraft marshmallow, my list is long. I’m not terribly exclusive when it comes to building a list of people I think are fabulous. So in the interest of time, let’s focus on just one member of my list: Gerald Ford.
What? Okay, I know you are thinking it’s because he not only survived childhood but became the President of the United States with “Rudolph” for a middle name. But no. It’s not even because his real given name was Leslie. Even though these facts make me a little dizzy with respect. Nope, good old Gerry is on the list because he was the President who first declared National Adoption Week. Isn’t that fabulous?
And do you know what is even better? November is National Adoption Awareness Month! Have you guys got your decorations up, because I’ve had the kids working hard all day, drawing little crayon families, smiling babies and tearful Family Court judges and the whole shebang.
Okay, so I’m exaggerating. But I do want to draw your attention to the fact that this month is dedicated to celebrating the beauty of adoption. Many of you know that at least one of our kids is adopted and our family couldn’t be more proud of that. Nor can we contain our excitement when we hear that another set of people has become a family.
Adoption can be scary, time-consuming, and emotionally exhausting. But what you get at the end makes all that paperwork and worry seem like nothing. Of course, the one obstacle I can’t argue with is the cost. With the average cost of an adoption running into the tens of thousands of dollars, it can seem out of reach for many families that would love to get out there and find their kid.
So you can imagine my joy when I was flipping through People Magazine a few weeks back and stumbled on the Heroes Among Us column. They were featuring an organization called Help Us Adopt, a financial assistance grant organization. In other words, they help families who can’t quite make the full economic sacrifice to complete the adoption process.
And because I’m me, I called them up. Spoke with Becky Fawcett herself. I like her. I like them. I like what they do. I’ve added them to my Hero List.
And I love adoption.
So I smashed the the girls’ piggy banks and made a donation. Okay that is a lie. I picked all the pennies out of a fountain. Okay, also a lie. I actually went on PayPal and sent them a donation. But the point is, whether it’s 25 cents scraped together from under your couch cushions or the money you were planning on spending on my Christmas gift, every single donation makes a difference to the families who need help coming together.
Just go have a look and a think. www.helpusadopt.org If you know someone who would love to adopt but simply can’t afford to, share the link with them. And if you have some spare change in your pocket and want to help change the world this month, then by all means please do.
I realize I sound like I’m hosting a telethon here but I’m a passionate adoptive mother and a pediatrician who wants to see a world full of happy and healthy children. Can you blame me?
connect
buy the book
reviews
"WHAT I LIKED: This book is written in a funny, down to earth way that doesn't make you feel like an idiot. I really would have appreciated something like this when my kids were really little and I freaked out over everything they put in their mouths. It has a scenario/question and answer format, with clear answers on when not to panic and when to call 911."
- Chic Book Chick
events
media
media
Find...
- tags:
- ear pain
- fever
- vomiting
- wheezing
- asthma
- dehydration
- bronchiolitis
- feeding
- cpr
- appendicitis
- travel
- deet
- sunscreen
- diarrhea
- constipation
- head injury
- stitches
- food allergy
- vaccines
- choking
- car seats
- otitis media
- seizure
- abdominal pain
- foreign bodies
- sunburn