Infantile Autism is a rare disorder affecting firstborn males more often than others.Autistic children are either unresponsive to human contact or respond with rigid, screaming resistance to touch and attention.They may not speak at all or may use single words to express a series of activities.They may answer a question by repeating the question for “yes” and saying nothing if the answer is “no”.Bizarre behavior such as screaming, rhythmic rocking, arm flapping, tearless crying, and disturbed eating and sleeping habits mark the autistic.
Autistic tendencies become apparent before the child reaches 30 months of age.Treatment is prolonged and difficult.Progress is slow.Reduction of self-destructive activities is of primary importance.Treatment is directed at improving acceptance of minor changes, improving self-esteem, encouraging self-care and providing support of the parents.
For more information, I recommend contacting the Judivine Autism Project in Cape Girardeau at 573-339-9300.–Helen
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Spider Bite
“Can a brown reclusespider bite kill you?How do you know when one has bitten you?What do they look like? --AC
Rarely can a bite from a brown recluse spider be fatal.Usually, though, the bite will become very painful as the venom spreads into the tissue and causes it to turn red, hot and slough away.Other symptoms may include fever, chills, weakness, nausea, vomiting, swelling and poor circulation to the area.Size and pain of the wound can be reduced if a physician begins treatment promptly in the first 10-12 hours following the bite.Healing may take 6-8 weeks if a large chronic ulcer forms unless affected tissue is removed promptly.A skin graft may be done.
Symptoms usually begin within 2-8 hours after the bite. A small, reddened puncture wound will form a bleb and begin to grow larger as the venom spreads.In 3-4 days, the center of the bite will become dark and hard.If untreated, an ulcer will form in 2-3 weeks.Most bites occur between April and October with the increased activity common to changing out closets from one season’s wear to another although it can happen anytime.
Watch for a gray to brown spider with long legs, a dark brown violin on its back and three pairs of eyes.Both male and female are poisonous.These spiders are most often found in dark undisturbed areas of homes such as closets, attics and basements.Avoid reaching behind furniture without looking or using blankets without checking the folds for inhabitants.--Helen
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Hypertension
“At my last doctor’s appointment, I was told that my blood pressure was good.So, why do I have to keep taking medicine?”
Your blood pressure was good because you are taking the medicine.Keep up the good work.--Helen
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Exercise
“I have repeatedly planned to exercise regularly to get and stay in shape but after a few weeks, I don’t stay with it.Any suggestions?”--JS
You are not alone.Most of us have set high goals only to find ourselves not staying with it.Generally, what happens is that we expect too much too soon.Perhaps if youstart off a little slower, you won’t get sore and discouraged before you realize the benefits of your good plans.Try this:
Set aside a certain time each day that you plan to exercise and go even when you don’t feel like it.It must become a habit for you to stay with it.On the days you don’t feel up to it, exercise only a short while less strenuously than usual.At least you will have stayed with your plan.Chances are you will feel better that day for having done something.
To help you get started each day, lay out the exercise clothes you plan to wear the night before.
Spend time with others who also want to exercise.Avoid those who are less active especially around the time you set for exercising.Tell your friends to keep asking you about your exercise.When you get to the gym or park, pay attention to others around you as you workout.That will take your mind off any small aches and pains and make the time go by more pleasantly.Above all, don’t overdo it.Avoid exercising rigorously in the beginning and burning yourself out before you really get started.After all, you are trying to set up a healthy habit to last a lifetime, not train for a marathon.
Recent studies show that a leisurely walk has just about the same effect as a more vigorous workout in lowering blood pressure.Even mild exercise has powerful benefits.Of course, the more strenuous exercise reaps a higher level of benefit---when you stay with it.Start out slow and grow from there.--Helen
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Caffeine
“I know caffeine is supposed to be bad for me but I enjoy my coffee in the morning and usually drink a cola in the afternoon.What does the caffeine really do to me?”--MP
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant.That means it will give you a boost of energy for a about an hour just after drinking a cup of coffee, tea or a soft drink and then leave you yearning for another boost or feeling sluggish and jittery the rest of the day if you don’t drink more.Caffeine is a trickster.It makes you feel like you have more energy, but you really don’t.
It raises your blood sugar, causes your heart to beat faster and may even cause palpitations, and removes fluid and calcium from the body just like other diuretics.It makes you feel restless, so much so that it interferes with sleep for 5-7 hours after a single cup of coffee.Suddenly avoiding caffeine may cause headaches and irritability.Contrary to popular opinion, caffeine does not reverse the effects of alcohol.--Helen
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Aspirin
“My doctor has me taking a baby aspirin every day for my heart.How can something so small make a difference in a 185 pound man?”--LT
That little aspirin tablet is actually even more than is needed for the benefit your doctor is seeking for you according to recent studies.Just 30mg of aspirin (a baby aspirin contains 80mg) is enough to reduce the risk of a heart attack.It works by thinning the blood, making it less likely to form a clot that can then break free and travel to a smaller blood vessel blocking the blood supply to that portion of your body.Clots lodge in the heart triggering about 98% of all heart attacks. In addition, studies tell us that taking the little aspirin tablet at bedtime may even reduce blood pressure slightly.
The little aspirin tablet a day is not the answer for everyone though.Aspirin can irritate the stomach lining, causing it to bleed.More seriously, though, aspirin may increase your risk of a stroke triggered by bleeding in the brain.On the other hand, aspirin may decrease the risk of the most common type of stroke---the one caused by a blood clot in the brain.
No one should try treating themselves with a daily aspirin without first discussing the pros and cons with their doctor.Your doctor knows your health history and can advise you safely.--Helen
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Fear
“I’m going away to college soon.This will be my first time on my own and even though I’m excited, I’m nervous and afraid too.Why does something that I’ve been wanting for so long make me so fearful?--RP
You have just described the feelings we all have in going into a new situation.Fear is not a bad thing but it does make us uncomfortable.Let’s look at what this fear does to us.
One of the things you need to meet the demands of new teachers and friends is energy.Fear causes our body to release adrenaline, glucose and other energy-producing chemicals into the bloodstream to help us meet those needs.It sharpens our senses and heightens our awareness to our surroundings.This helps us absorb information and process it more quickly.Fear actually improves our memory.It causes us to pay closer attention to the really important things happening to us and around us and helps us let go of the less important stuff.At a time when you have so much to learn and want to take it all in as quickly as possible, your body is giving you the power to do just that.
The only big problems with fear is the impatience that comes with it and, for some people, it is improperly used as an excuse not to do something instead of saying to themselves “I feel the fear and am ready to go ahead anyway.”--Helen
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Heart Attacks in Women
“I have heard that women have heart attacks today just about as often as men do.How can a woman protect herself from heart disease?”--LP
True, heart disease is the number one killer of women--just as it is for American men.A first-time heart attack in a woman is more likely to be fatal or to be followed by a second attack that will kill her.Following heart surgery, a woman is twice as likely to die than a man.That’s the bad news.
Some things we cannot change about our bodies.We have no control over our inherited traits, our sex, or nationality.We can be aware of these things and take immediate action when trouble finds us.Activities that increase our heart risk include smoking, lack of exercise and being overweight.These are all things we can change.Now for some good news.
Fortunate for us, our bodies respond better than men’s to changes in diet and lifestyle.A woman who takes a leisurely walk at a 3 mph pace can reduce her heart attack risk by 18%.Studies show this exercise performed 3-4 times each week increases HDL, the good cholesterol, by 6% in women.High cholesterol is known to be one of the major risk factors in all heart disease.Add to that, the habit of improving dietary intake of beta-carotene by eating a single serving of fruits or vegetables high in this nutrient.Just one carrot a day provides enough beta-carotene to reduce the risk of a heart attack or a stroke by up to 40% in a woman.Men do not receive this benefit so easily.Research has also linked beta-carotene to better immunity from disease and a means to lower the risk of cancer.--Helen
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VNA Answer Nurse
The last time my six-year-old son was sick, I would get a high temperature reading one time and a low one the next even when I knew he still had a fever because he was so hot to touch.What is the best way to take my child’s temperature?BL
Years ago, children’s temperatures were almost always taken with a glass rectal thermometer because the alternative method – by mouth – was considered dangerous should the child bite down on the glass and break it.Today, the rectal temperature is generally no longer used for several reasons.
We are cautious to avoid puncturing the delicate tissue of the bowel with a hard thermometer as this may cause an infection that can be very difficult to treat.Also, we now know that the rectal temperature is not as accurate as once thought.Generally, we want to know what the body’s core, or internal, temperature is right now.A rectal reading may not be current as the bowel contains heat-holding fecal material and heat-generating bacteria.It may be as much as an hour behind in registering the true internal temperature of the body.
With the availability of the digital, battery-operated plastic thermometer, we can now take a child’s temperature orally, just as we have adults for years.This may or may not be an accurate reading depending on correct placement of the end of the probe.It must be in contact with the soft tissue under the tongue continuously between insertion and sounding of the “beep” that signals a reading.It is also important that the child has not eaten or drank anything for the past 15 minutes, isn’t breathing through the mouth, or talking or crying while the thermometer is in place.These things are important with adults, too.Adults must also refrain from cigarettes for at least 15 minutes before testing.
If you have used one of these thermometers, you have probably noticed that your child rarely has a 98.6°F temperature even when well.“Normal” can be anything from 97° to 100.4°F in children. Adult men generally range from 97° to 99°F though anywhere from 96.4° to 99.4°F is normal for an adult.Women can get as high as 100.2°F during ovulation and still be “normal”. The body’s actual core temperature will be about 0.8°F more than the oral reading.
The newer thermometers that test through the ear have been found to be the most accurate means of checking a person’s temperature outside of the hospital setting.They work by sending out an infrared signal that tests the temperature of the tympanum, or eardrum without touching it.The tympanum works so well because it is the closest thing to the hypothalamus, which is the body’s thermostat, and is fed by the same artery that feeds the hypothalamus.They have been proven effective even during ear infections and with cerumen, or ear wax in the ear canal ~ as long as the ear is not completely impacted with cerumen.Remember, too, that most people have two ears!
The only thing you need to remember in checking the temperature in the ear is to follow the manufacturer’s directions in using the device.Generally, be prepared to begin the testing promptly following insertion in the ear canal to obtain the most accurate reading and clean the device after use rather than before.If you question test results, either wait 15 minutes before re-checking since the presence of the heat-absorbing probe will have altered the temperature or use the other ear.
If you have any questions, talk to your physician or contact me again at VNA at (573) 471-0520 or PO Box 1608, Sikeston, MO 63801.Thank you for asking.Helen Sander, RNC.
VNA Answer Nurse
I recently ran into an old friend I had not seen in a while.I was left speechless though when he told me he had incurable cancer.What can you say to someone when they tell you they are dying?RF
Almost everyone feels uncomfortable and inadequate when informed of another’s serious illness.It is precisely for that reason that many people do not visit the sick.This is unfortunate.Most of us need the contact and support of others at a time like this more than at any other time.We don’t necessarily need someone to “say” anything.A good listener is the best companion.
It’s hard to imagine what might be the right thing to say or to do when confronted with the idea of the death of someone you care about.Each person and each circumstance is different.There is no pat response to such a statement.It is important to respond honestly.Say you are sorry.Let periods of silence pass as you work through your own discomfort without talking.Sometimes silence is the greatest gift.A touch or squeeze of his hand may “say” what you feel better than any spoken words.
Avoid clichés such as “Be strong.” or “You can’t give up.”He has already heard all the often-said things that offer little comfort.Silence says it all when words are inadequate.Your eyes will speak volumes.Your gestures and attitude will say more than anything you could verbalize.Remember that one of the most painful things one human can do to another is to ignore them.Don’t pretend that you didn’t hear him or that he didn’t say it.That would build a wall between you.Loneliness is one of the most painful side effects of a terminal illness.Your friend does not have to suffer in this way if you remain a friend.
Remember, he is alive right now.Give him the benefit of life.Hospice care focuses on the fact that our patients are living, not dying.They have the right to enjoy the best, and the most, that life has to offer.Be yourself.Be sincere.Give him the same you that you always have.Just be there for him.
VNA Hospice provides support and assistance to those facing a terminal illness.The hospice volunteer training that is offered to anyone interested in learning what to say or do to help an ill neighbor is a good place to start in learning what helps most in such an emotional situation.If you want to learn more, contact VNA HOSPICE at 1-800-286-5892.Remember, the best thing to do in most cases is to let your friend know that you still care.
