29 December 2003
Dear Readers: Sincerely,
Dr. Warren hopes to help all who ask his advice and to enlighten all who read Ask Dr. Warren. For your own well being please keep in mind that
advice you read here may not apply exactly to your own situation, and that if you are sick, no information on the web can take the place of a hands on examination by your physican who knows you and cares about you.
Dr. Warren
-Perri
Dear Perri: Many viruses, especially flu, cause muscle aches. I have occasionally seen children develop severe calf pains with virus infections. These generally last a few days and resolve. If the kids are spending a lot of time in bed, they may be having muscle spasms due to keeping their legs straight out, especially if their blankets are tight around the foot of the bed. The leg cramps should feel better with warm baths, massage, and ibuprofen (Children's Motrin or Advil).
It is not possible for me to reassure you that there is nothing seriously wrong with either of the children since I haven't seen them. If either of them is still running high fever associated with severe headache or other severe pain, she should see a pediatrician.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-B
Dear B: Clear yellow liquid draining from an infected ear is most likely pus coming out through a ruptured drum. On occasion, I've had patients tell me there was a discharge from the ear that turned out to be just ear wax which had melted from the heat of the ear infection.
Whether the ear is draining or not, you would expect the hearing to be decreased in an infected ear. You should not use the numbing drops if there is drainage from the ear. You should contact your doctor since he may want to see your son and prescribe other drops to use for the draining ear.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-ED
Dear ED: Children turn blue from anything that prevents adequate oxygen from getting into their blood. This can occur in response to breath holding spells, as a result of respiratory diseases such as pneumonia or severe asthma, or as a result of certain types of congenital heart disease. The term "blue baby" generally refers to those infants with cyanotic (cyanotic means blue) congenital heart disease. Cyanotic heart disease can be caused by a variety of defects which prevent adequate blood flow to the lungs. Treatment is generally surgical, the type of surgery depending on the type of defect. Some infants require surgery to open up circulation to the lungs followed by surgery to correct the defect at a later date. They may also require medication to control congestive heart failure which results form the heart working extra hard to do its job.
Children who are cyanotic generally grow poorly and cannot participate in taxing physical activity. How well they do later depends on the degree to which their defect can be repaired.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
My question is can it be detected on a toddler and if so what are the treatments for a child?
Thank you
-Amanda
Dear Amanda: Scoliosis is rare in young children and may be difficult to pick up on examination since the children don't stand still and straight for the examination. Unfortunately, no matter how difficult it is to detect, scoliosis does occur in young children, and when it does, it requires more urgent intervention.
Congenital scoliosis may be associated with kidney abnormalities. It is generally cause by abnormalities of the vertebra and may require surgical intervention to prevent progression. Neurological and muscular disorders may also cause scoliosis in young children.
If the specialist you saw did a thorough exam and was able to assure you that there was no evidence of scoliosis, then you can relax. But if the conclusion was that scoliosis can't be detected on a child so young, since the suspicion was raised by your pediatrician, you need to see a pediatric orthopedist and get your child thoroughly examined. Such an examination may require x-rays if the doctor cannot be sure of the degree or presence of scoliosis.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
Please reply. Thank you very much.
Thanks
-Vanessa
Dear Vanessa: Your daughter should have a complete evaluation by a speech pathologist to determine what her specific deficits are and to recommend and provide appropriate therapy. Many states provide free early intervention services for children under 5 years of age, so you should check with your pediatrician or your local health department to find out what services your daughter may be eligible to receive.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
Thank you for any help you can give me.
-Science Teacher
Dear Teacher: Compare ringworm to bread mold. Both are fungi, microscopic organisms that grow from spores. Mold grows on bread. Tinea (also known as ringworm) grows on skin. Since it is alive, treatment requires killing it so it will stop growing - not very different from using weed killer to get rid of crab grass or antibiotics to cure infections. When the fungus is just on the skin, it can be treated with a cream, but when it gets into the hair or nails, it gets into the root and can't be cured with a cream. For that, you have to take medicine by mouth since the medicine goes through the body and gets into the hair and nail roots.
Ringworm spores don't spread through the air like bread mold spores. In order to get a ringworm infection, your skin has to come in contact with the ringworm. This can happen by touching someone else's ringworm and then touching yourself. It can spread by touching the hands of someone who has ringworm after he has touched (for example - scratched) it. Ringworm can be picked up from surfaces such as wrestling mats which have been contaminated by others who have ringworm. Hats and combs of people with ringworm in their scalps can spread the ringworm to others. Athlete's foot, a similar fungus, spreads from walking barefoot on contaminated floors such as public showers and locker rooms. Sharing towels, clothing, or linens with someone who has ringworm can spread the infection (only if these items have not been washed).
If your school has had a significant outbreak, measures need to be taken to disinfect common surfaces which may spread the fungus such as gym mats, athletic gear, head phones (as in language labs). Simple ringworm (not on the scalp or nails) can be treated with a variety of not too expensive over-the-counter antifungal medications such as Tinactin, Micatin, or Lotrimin.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-SM
Dear SM: Phantom pain generally refers to pain in a limb which has been removed. I have not ever heard any other use for this term. Growing pains refer to a variety of leg pains that children get when they are at rest. These are often muscle spasms which occur during the night, sometimes waking the child from sleep. The more active the child, the more likely the pains.
Any leg pains which persist during the day and cause limping or interfere with activity cannot be considered growing pains and requires further evaluation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-J & L
Dear J & L: Sharp pains in the neck just below the ear suggest spasms in the sternomastoid muscle. The spasm can cause a sharp pain and then be over quickly leaving just a dull ache until a particular movement causes another spasm. Since this seems to be an ongoing, escalating problem, you need to determine what is causing these muscle spasms. You should consult a chiropractor or an orthopedist.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
If your questions haven't been answered here, perhaps you would like
to
question?!?
