Dr. Deb

Today at football practice we learned that one of the teenage boys that coach my boys’ 5th grade team tested positive for novel H1N1 swine flu. We heard so much about swine flu, but it puts things in a different perspective when the boy passing the football with my son less than 48 hours ago is now in isolation at the  hospital.

What does this mean for him, my sons and their teammates?

The first is don’t panic! We’ve heard so much from the media but the reality is this strain of virus is typically mild and will resolve on its own. The seasonal flu still kills 30,000 people a year but most of those are elderly. Novel H1N1 swine flu has killed younger people but only 477 total deaths as of the latest account. Click for latest statistics.

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My youngest daughter lost her first baby tooth this week. I started to tear realizing my baby was growing up. She looked at me and said ”Don’t cry Mom, I’ll grow a new one.”

In a blink of an eye, she really will be grown up and I’ll be packing her up for college like so many parents are this week. In addition to the books, lamps and rugs, it is important to keep your children healthy in and out of the classroom so here are Dr. Deb’s 5 College Health Tips.

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As a child I always prided myself on my memory. I could and still can remember specific childhood events as early as age 2 in vivid detail. Things started to blur during residency when I worked 36-hour shifts but nothing destroyed my memory  (as well as other body parts) like children.
The deep slide occurred after the birth of my twins when I boiled my breast pump after forgetting I left it on the stove.  The toxic smell of burnt plastic required the fire department to come and air out our apartment. That certainly ruined my chances for mother of the year. I realized 2 things. Hot soapy water is sufficient to clean a breast pump and hormones made me stupid. Certainly sleep deprivation had much to do with it but I remember the moment that I stood in the kitchen and realized my fantastic memory had slipped and I knew that it was related to my hormones.  Fortunately, my memory returned but I can’t wait to see what happens when I hit menopause.

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I know from personal experience, as well as from my patients, that many women see their baby well before the moment he or she is conceived. We dream about what they will look and sound and do, so much that our baby is deep within our heart long before we are able to hold it in our hands.

There is now an over the counter test that can give us a first peak into the actual life of our baby. I have always loved a surprise but for those who can’t wait, you may be able to find out if you are having a boy or a girl as early as 10 weeks gestation.

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Many parents still have a lot of questions about giving their daughters the Gardasil vaccine.  I understand why.
First, We really don’t want to accept that our 10-year-old babies will be faced with the sexual onslaught, now known as Middle School. It is the land of Lollipop parties where girls give oral sex to multiple boys for stature and attention.
Not only are Middle Schoolers engaging in high risk oral sex behaviors, they are not afraid to invite or broadcast it on the internet via their cell phones. I had a patient tell me, “Well you can thank Bill Clinton for that!” At the time, I thought it was absurd but he did introduce the mainstream to the belief that oral sex is not a big deal or even recognized as sex with the infamous,” I did not have sexual relations with that woman!” Teenagers will report that kissing is more intimate than oral sex. My how things have changed!

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