October, 2016 | PulseonParenting

Live and Learn: When Your Child’s Vaccines Go Badly

Oct 24 2016

Talk about a royal tank. Worse than a tank, actually, a royal disaster. Maybe I jinxed it by blogging about it a few weeks ago. Because my poor son has resolved to never, ever, set foot in the pediatrics office again. That’s how badly his appointment for a flu shot went down. In my time as a physician assistant, I worked in two different family practice settings. In both, we provided vaccines to children. Our medical assistants were skilled at giving multiple shots to even the most fearful of kids. There wasn’t a swirl of activity and dialogue around “shot anxiety.” The…

Oct 12 2016

I’m out of the loop on this one. Is depression taboo? Or is it “en vogue?” I’ve heard it’s “trendy.” (Really?) My doctor’s opinion: the social status of a depression diagnosis is generational…as in whether you’re Gen X or Gen Y. I’ll take her word for it. But here’s what I know: If anyone I’m close to is depressed, it’s hidden pretty well. And, Depression is real. Maybe it’s because my generation is “X,” or maybe it’s just me, but feeling “blue” is confusing. It’s a frustrating, unscalable boundary. As in: This can’t stop me, I’m too busy for this!…

Oct 06 2016

Darn. We really liked that one. My shot-fearing son finally caught a break. And with a vaccine he has to get annually (yay!). A few years ago, after growing out of mild asthma he was finally eligible for the “up-the-nose” flu** vaccine (FluMist), alongside his brother and sister. One less needle, one less time he could proclaim “No fair!” when it came to his siblings. Well, now “No fair” is in triple harmony this fall. And I don’t blame my kids one bit. Because of recent news regarding the FluMist vaccine, our pediatrician’s office will not be offering it this…

Oct 04 2016

Go with your gut. These four simple words guide me more often than not these days. When I hear them in my head, I listen. I never gave this advice much thought until a few months ago, when I read Valerie Gangas’ book, Enlightenment is Sexy, in which she talks about transforming her empty, rat-race life into a life of true fulfillment (and transcendental meditation). One of her first pieces of advice was Go with your gut. Not that I feel I need a complete life makeover, but I decided to practice this particular mantra first before I took a meditation…

Archive - October 2016

Live and Learn: When Your Child’s Vaccines Go Badly

It’s not Weakness, it’s Depression

It’s Flu Season: Can We Still Get the Nasal Flu Vaccine?

When Parents Behave Badly