QUESTIONS AND WHEN IT COMES TO WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR CHILD IN TO SEE A DOCTOR
THAT CAN BE A TEDIOUS DECISION.
REPORTER KIRSTIN O’CONNER
STANDING BY NOW TO ASK A
DOCTOR.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS
RIGHT NOW ON BEST PRACTICES IF
YOUR CHILD IS SICK.
LET’S GET RIGHT TO THE DOCTOR
IN OUR NEWSROOM WITH LOTS OF
ANSWERS FOR US.
THE PEDIATRICIAN FROM ARNOLD
PALMER HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US TODAY.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIGNS THAT
WOULD MAKE IT NECESSARY TO TAKE
YOUR CHILD INTO THE HOSPITAL
QUESTION AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
ARE WORRIED AND RIGHT NOW IN
CENTRAL FLORIDA IT IS ALLERGY
SEASON AND WE ARE STILL SEEING
KIDS WITH THE FLU.
I THINK ONE THING THAT IS
TRICKY IS THE CORONAVIRUS DOES
HAVE A LOT OF SIMILAR SYMPTOMS.
SO KIDS MAY HAVE FEVER OR COUGH
WHICH WE WOULD CONSIDER MILD
SYMPTOMS AND I THINK THE BEST
THING TO DO WOULD BE TO
DEFINITELY CALL YOUR DOCTOR
FIRST.
THINGS THAT WE WOULD WORRY
ABOUT IS IF YOUR CHILD LOOKS
LIKE THEY ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY
BREATHING OR THEY DON’T WANT TO
GET AN AIR IN VERY WELL.
OR THEY ARE BELLY BREATHING OR
IF THEY ARE TURNING BLUE, THOSE
ARE DEFINITELY ALL EMERGENCIES.
IF YOU NOTICE YOUR CHILD HAS A
SLIGHT FEVER, COUGH AND YOU’RE
WORRIED.
I THINK THE BEST BET IS TO AT
LEAST CALL YOUR PEDIATRICIAN
FIRST INSTEAD OF JUST SHOWING
UP AT THE ER RIGHT NOW.
>> AND I KNOW THAT THAT IS A
PRETTY COMMON ILLNESS RIGHT NOW
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR A LOT
OF KIDS.
SO SEE THEM WITH RSP OR THE FLU
IS NOT UNCOMMON DURING THIS
TIME.
YOU MENTIONED CALLING YOUR
DOCTOR’S OFFICE AHEAD OF TIME
IF YOU WERE TO SHOW UP AT THE
HOSPITAL WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE
LOOKING LIKE RIGHT NOW FOR
KIDS?
>> SO RIGHT NOW IT IS STILL
VERY SIMILAR IF YOU WERE TO
COME TO THE HOSPITAL OR TO THE
ER AND SOMEBODY WOULD ASK YOU
WHAT YOU WERE HERE FOR AND TAKE
CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY.
WE JUST WANT ANYBODY WHO CAN
STAY HOME WE REALLY WANT HIM TO
STAY HOME SO THAT IS WHY WE
REALLY RECOMMEND CALLING YOUR
DOCTOR FIRST AND THEN THEY CAN
KIND OF GIVE YOU THE NEXT BEST
STEP IN THE CAN TELL YOU WE
WILL SEE YOU IN THE OFFICE OR
NO, YOUR CHILD SOUNDS LIKE THEY
ARE PRETTY SICK THEY NEED TO GO
TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
SO WE WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE
PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS TO TALK
TO THEIR CHILD’S PRIMARY CARE
PEDIATRICIAN OR FAMILY DOCTOR
FIRST BEFORE JUST COMING TO THE
ER.
>> AGAIN YOU MENTIONED CALLING
AHEAD AND GIVING THAT
INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME.
THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF
TELEMEDICINE THAT IS HELPING
OUT DURING THIS TIME WHERE
THERE ARE SO MANY CONCERNS.
>> DEFINITELY.
I THINK TELEMEDICINE IS ANOTHER
GREAT OPTION IS ANOTHER WAY TO
KEEP YOU HOME AND TALK TO
SOMEBODY.
I KNOW IT’S NOT EXACTLY
FACE-TO-FACE BUT LEASING
SOMEBODY ON THE SCREEN AND
TELLING THEM WHAT IS GOING ON
CAN BE VERY USEFUL SO THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT I THINK SOME
PEDIATRIC PRACTICES ARE USING
AND SOME HOSPITAL SYSTEMS UNTIL
WE HAVE IT.
SO WHAT STEPHANIE ANOTHER GOOD
OPTION SO YOU WILL AT LEAST BE
ABLE TO TELL A HEALTHCARE
PROVIDER WHAT IS GOING ON AND
THEY CAN GUIDE YOU IN THE NEXT
VITAMINS OR ANY EXTRA
NUTRITION.
YOU GIVING THAT TYPE OF ADVICE
TO PARENTS RIGHT NOW WHO WERE
EXTRA COLDS AND RESPIRATORY
IS REALLY TOUGH BECAUSE AS
PARENTS -- I’M A MOM TOO AND WE
WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING
INAPPOSITE TO HELP PREVENT AND
PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE NOT
RECOMMENDING ANY SPECIFIC
VITAMINS.
I THINK MOST KIDS HAVE A
BALANCED DIET AND GET
EVERYTHING THEY NEED.
BUT THERE’S THINGS THAT YOU CAN
DO TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN.
ONE IMPORTANT THING IS TO MAKE
SURE THEIR WASHING THEIR HANDS
A LOT.
I KNOW MOST OF US ARE HOME NOW
BUT I THINK THAT TALKING TO
CHILDREN ABOUT WASHING THEIR
HANDS -- IT’S A SCARY TIME FOR
EVERYONE SO I THINK THE GREAT
THING IS TO ALMOST EMPOWER
CHILDREN.
THERE IS A VIRUS AND SOME
PEOPLE ARE GETTING SICK BUT
WHAT WE CAN DO TO PREVENT
OURSELVES FROM GETTING SICK OR
GETTING OTHER PEOPLE SICK IS
THAT WE CAN ALWAYS WASH OUR
HANDS.
SO WASH HANDS AS MUCH AS YOU
CAN ESPECIALLY IF THERE PLAYED
OUTSIDE AND BEFORE THEY EAT OR
AGAIN, IT IS ALLERGY SEASON SO
A LOT OF KIDS ARE GOING TO HAVE
SNEEZING AND COUGHS SO TEACHING
THEM PROPER SNEEZING AND
DIRECTLY INTO YOUR HANDS AND
TRY TO DO IT IN YOUR ELBOW OR
INTO A TISSUE AND AFTER THAT
FOR THE TISSUE AWAY WASH HER
HANDS.
>> AND YOU MENTIONED ALLERGIES.
AND THEN YOU EVEN SAID YOURSELF
YOU’RE SUFFERING FROM SOME
ALLERGIES RIGHT NOW.
IT IS NOT UNCOMMON.
IF YOU DO HAVE A CHILD WHO YOU
THINK MAY BE SICK BUT YOU
AREN’T ABLE TO GET THEM TESTED
RIGHT NOW, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND
ISOLATING THEM?
AS A PARENT IT JUST SEEMS SO
IMPOSSIBLE TO ISOLATE YOUR
CHILD FOR 14 DAYS.
>> I KNOW IT IS HARD.
I THINK, AGAIN, IS THXT
BEST STEPS WE WILL TALK ABOUT
ALLERGIES FIRST.
BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF
SYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT
PEOPLE ARE SEEING IN KIDS WITH
CORONAVIRUS.
THEY COULD HAVE A SNEEZE OR
COUGH.
THAT IS EVERY ALLERGY SUFFERER
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA RIGHT NOW
TOO.
SO I THINK THE KEY DIFFERENCE
WILL BE FEVER.
MOST PEOPLE THAT HAVE ALLES
WON’T HAVE FEVERS AT THE SAME
TIME.
IF IT IS A VIRAL INFECTION
FEVER MAY COME ALONG WITH THE
SNEEZING AND COUGHING.
AND AGAIN, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT
I WOULD DO AS A PARENT.
I THINK IF MY CHILD TODAY
STARTED HAVING A LOW-GRADE
FEVER AND SOME COUGH AND KIND
OF FEELING A LITTLE TIRED BUT
THEY ARE STILL DRINKING WELL
AND STILL REASONABLY ACTIVE AND
THEY ARE EATING AND I THINK I
WOULD CALL MY PEDIATRICIAN AND
THEY MIGHT SAY YOU KNOW WHAT,
THEY SOUND LIKE THEY ARE OKAY
TO STAY HOME SO KEEP DOING WHAT
WE’RE DOING. BUT IF THERE IS
ANYTHING ELSE THAT WAS
CONCERNING THAT WOULD GUIDE ME
TO THE NEXT STEP WHETHER IT BE
BRINGIN THEM INTO THE OFFICE
TO BE SEEN AND EVALUATED OR
GOING TO THE ER FOR SOMETHING
MORE SERIOUS.
>> I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU
GIVING US THE ANSWER AS A MOM
AND AS A PEDIATRICIAN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JUST
THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EVER TO BE ASKING THESE
QUESTIONS AND HAVING CONSTANT