Kids' Health | 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 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…

Sep 21 2016

Shots are a real pain for everyone. Unfortunately some of us have an intense reaction, called a vasovagal response, to receiving vaccinations and pass out at the sight (or the mere thought) of a syringe and needle. Heart rate and blood pressure tank. Blood flow to the brain tanks. And thud, fainting occurs and there’s a call for smelling salts. (But I think those are only used in black-and-white movies…) My son is deathly afraid of his vaccinations. He doesn’t go vasovagal, though. I hate to say it, but I kinda wish he did. Because he is an otherwise 100-pound, very determined and…

Aug 30 2016

It’s hard to believe the back-to-school season is upon us. Kids love the flurry of activity that swirls around shopping for new clothes and shoes (a pair of Tom’s, please, requests my 9 year-old, already a cute-shoe guru), school supplies and for us, homeschool curricula. It’s not quite as much fun completing the requisite back-to-school paperwork and gathering and maintaining (ouch) up-to-date health records (yes, even for homeschoolers). As I do the paper-pushing, I am reminded it is time to repost the following essay on the importance of vaccinating our children: I’m going to give this to you straight….

Aug 12 2016

It’s not just adding insult to injury. It’s literally adding injury to injury. Two of my kids, when they need a bandaid to cover a scraped knee or elbow, end up with that painful, red and raised “rash” from the sticky part of the bandage. Talk about unfair. And putting bandaids on a bandaid rash obviously isn’t gonna work. I remember the first time I saw a rash from bandage adhesive. I was working as an aide in a hospital, and the rash was actually from the white tape we used to secure gauze dressings. Then I saw it again….

Jun 16 2016

I completed a half marathon last weekend and this time, I crossed the finish line under my own power (my first “half” didn’t go nearly as well…but that’s another story). Along the way I was relieved to find a port-a-potty a) because I really had to go and this meant b) I was actually well-hydrated for this run through our high-altitude, arid climate. After taking care of business, I was startled to see a man sitting by the side of the road near the portable stall. I hadn’t seen him before so I felt a little creeped out, especially as…

Apr 12 2016

My twin boys are rapidly approaching adolescence. Moods are swinging, zits are erupting here-and-there, and oh, yes, BO is making its presence known. Of course, my younger, sweatier son would be the first to need the Speed Stick. Because in direct opposition to his brother’s love of the shower, he can turn on the water, physically get in the shower, and emerge with a perfectly dry head. In other words, hygiene is even less on his radar than his brother’s. Brushing his teeth is a small victory; getting him to use his “deodorant” is nearly impossible. Fortunately, he is…

Apr 05 2016

A couple years ago I was walking through town with one of my boys when a complete stranger exclaimed, “Oh, my, you’re sunburned!” The concerned individual was referring to my son, whose face looked rather like a strawberry, red with his brown freckles like berry seeds punctuating his nose and cheeks. My guilt resurfaced, a day after my son’s sun-soaked adventure. Even though I had done my best to slather my son with sunscreen, he, like every time before, wiped his face immediately to remove the offensive gooey cream he hates so much, and keeping a hat on him is…

Dec 08 2015

Tis the season for decking the halls, baking cookies, writing wish lists… and nosebleeds. As the popular holiday song goes, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful… and our kids get nosebleeds. I remember one particular occasion, while staying in a hotel, my husband and I were sitting in the cramped bathroom with our son. We were unravelling rolls (yes, rolls) of toilet paper and emptying the kleenex dispenser trying to stop a terrible nosebleed. I was ready to throw in the towel, grab an actual towel, and take our son to the nearest urgent care when,…

Don't overdo it. Consider how AP courseload fits in with an already busy schedule.

Nov 12 2015

A few days after the death of comedian Robin Williams I happened to view the classic Woody Allen movie, Annie Hall. A good art film but the scene that struck me most happened only two minutes in. This introduction had Woody Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, offering a soliloquy which ends with his stating that “I’m not a depressive character…I was a reasonably happy kid, I guess.” Cut to young Alvy, with his impatient mother, in the doctor’s office. He is depressed, says his mother, and she complains he won’t do anything; he won’t do his homework. Alvy explains to his doctor,…

My name is Heidi Black and I have it all... Maybe not in the traditional sense of the phrase but I do feel I have it all: three beautiful, healthy children, a devoted husband and father and the privilege of being a Domestic Engineer. (I used to call myself a SAHM but that just doesn’t fit when my day is filled with coordinating 5 schedules and preplanning their execution, all up to a week in advance.) And now, indulging in a not-so-secret desire to write, and following the advice “write what you know” I am ready to share what I have learned from this ironic life journey and along with you, discover answers to those many questions related to parenting.

Category - Kids’ Health

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

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

What Do I Do If My Child is Afraid of Shots?

It’s Time to Return to School: Should I Vaccinate My Children?

Is My Child’s Bandaid Rash an Allergy?

A Little Potty Talk

Can Kids Use Antiperspirants?

Don’t Get Burned by Your Sunscreen: Tips for Sun Protection

Nosebleeds: What to Do, When to Seek Help

Depression in Kids