Ask a Nurse

08/01/2024

I never give reviews or recommendations. But,! I bought this automatic doggie pad. It rolls everything up in a tight roll. No smell, never touch the pad. Changes pad surface after 1,2,or 3 uses. I have yet for two. You can check in on dog with camera if you need to know when they go. You can advance pad if you are leaving the house and don't want to leave a solid pad till dog returns. I don't k ow who of my friends that have inside pets. But this is the best invention since sliced bread. The fancy smancy one is $250. And pads are $45 a roll. The roll last for Mia almost a month. Aside from the machine it cost me about $20 more a month than I pay for loose pads. Worth it!!!

08/21/2016

I am shutting down this site. It is not getting the response I thought it would. I am glad it is not needed. The Internet has the answers. Good bye, good luck.

07/15/2015

Remember to drink plenty of fluids ( non-cafeine is better) while it is so hot out. Take plenty of breaks, and do not ignore the warning signs of heat exaustion.
Perfuse sweating, headache, dizziness, stop and cool down.

04/08/2015

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome only effects the hands, if you are having numbness or pain in the arms, you have to look farther up the nerves. The inside if the elbow is called the cubital area there is a nerve tunnel there also that can get swollen. And what they call tennis elbow. Do not just accept pain. Pain is our warning that something is not right. Keep pursuing an answer. Good luck writer...

04/07/2015

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: There is a nerve cannel ( tunnel) that goes through the wrist ( the carpal bones). This cannel allows the nerves, tendons and blood vessels to reach the fingers and thumb. Carpal Tunnel is usually considered an occupational hazard, for people that type, use computers or work an assembly line type job. Strenuous use of the hands, gripping, or flexing the hands. It is usually considered an injury from a repetitive use, or from poorly designed tools. causing the tunnel to swell and press on the nerve. Other conditions can cause the carpal tunnel to swell and create inflammation, such as arthritis, and a host of others. The pain in usually numbness, tingling and weakness. This weakness can effect the thumb, forefinger, middle finger and half of the forth finger. A lot of times you can test for carpal tunnel yourself by holding the fingers out flat , with palms down and bending the hand at the wrist downward for about a minute. By doing this it puts stress on the carpal tunnel and will if already inflamed cause the tingling and numbness. The first thing to try as treatment is resting the hands, by placing them in a neutral position whenever possible. Lay the hands flat and just relax them, by allowing the hands to curl up just a little. If work related, you should alter your work environment (if possible) to rest periodically. Anti-inflammatory medications, there are many over the counter. the next involves your doctor to prescribe Steroids to decrease the inflammation and swelling. And last thing is surgery, when all conservative treatment has failed. The doctor/surgeon will decompress the nerve. This can be done in a couple of ways. by cutting the carpal tunnel ligament. Or endoscopic release of the nerve.

03/27/2015

Plain Talk Medicine: Q. What is the difference in a pacemaker and an ICD ( implanted cardiac defibrillator)
A. The simple answer is they are both implanted in either the chest or abdomen, Now days they are very small and barely noticeable to most people. The pacemaker Is designed to help the heart to keep a regular rhythm. For example; normal (at rest pulse) is about 80 beats per minute. Athletes' a little slower, couch potatoes a little faster. But when the beats per minute drop below 60 the pacer will cause the heart to beat faster. When the heart is doing its job the pacemaker does nothing. The ICD sets doing nothing until the heart starts beating too fast. then the ICD sends a pulse to restart regular rhythm. There are devices that have both so that you do not have to have two pieces of equipment implanted.
Longer answer: The heart has its own electrical system. The Sinus Node (The hearts own pacemaker) on the upper part of the heart, starts the pumping process. When it fires a pulse the Atriums pump, then the pulse goes to the ventricles and they pump. If the Sinus Node doesn't fire enough times a minute to supply the body with enough blood/oxygen then the pace maker will step in and cause it to fire more often. Sometimes the heart will get stuck in the middle of a cycle and the ventricles will keep beating, not giving the itself time to fill with blood. When they are beating very rapidly, it is called ventricular fibrillation. That is where the ICD comes in and fires to reset the rhythm. These devices can add many years to life. They are checked regularly by the cardiologist and can be reset as needed. the batteries can be changed every 10 years. or change devices to new & better models. The new quality of life is remarkable. The person will feel so much better.

03/23/2015

Plain Talk Medicine:
It's just heartburn?! Gastroesopnageal reflux disease or GERD is where the content of stomach or upper intestines backflow into the esophagus past the esophageal sphincter. The pain this causes may mimic a heart attack by radiating to the chest and arm. GERD increases as we age and in pregnancy or obesity. There are several reasons for GERD: weakening of the esophageal sphincter from excessive vomiting, increase pressure from the abdomen related to weight from being pregnant or obese, ingestion of some foods and alcohol, Smoking, some medications like morphine, diazepam, some cardiac meds, also hiatal hernia and a nasogastric tube that has been left in for several days. The lower esophageal sphincter should close tight enough to prevent the pressure of the stomach content. When it is not, the stomach pressure pushes very strong acid into the throat. This causes irritation, pain and spasms. This usually occurs just after meals or when the person lies down. When we lie down the weight that we carry on the abdomen increases the pressure on the stomach. There are several test that your physician may preform, Esophageal acidity test. He can do a visual with an Esophagoscopy to see the damage to the mucus, Barium swallow to identify a hiatal hernia, Treatment is usually: diet change to small meals, no eating before bed, may need to sleep with the head of the bed elevated, no lying down just after meals, Increase fluids to dilute acid in stomach, antacids, histamines, Stop smoking and IF there is an hiatal hernia your doctor may suggest surgery. Don't ignore heartburn. There is something you can do about this discomfort. If allowed to continue this strong acid can erode the esophagus. Painful & Dangerous.

03/14/2015

Plain Talk Medicine;
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a condition effected by several disorders that cause the lungs to have air flow resistance, such as Asthma, Bronchitis and Emphysema. When these conditions happen frequently, the lungs start to not recover between acute events. Then it is considered Chronic. A person can be predisposed to Asthma, Bronchitis and Emphysema, which lead to COPD by: smoking, recurrent respiratory infections, allergies or some inherited factors. The biggest risk factor is smoking. Smoking destroys some of the bodies natural defense mechanisms. First smoking destroys the ciliary action in the airway. (Cilia are little hair like bodies that point upward, and have wave motion that pushes matter out, away from the lungs.) Smoking burns these little hairs off. Smoking keeps the body from protecting its self and causes inflammation, destroys the alveoli (air sacks in the lungs) and the bronchiolar fibers. What happens is, something; smoke, and allergy agent inters the lungs, this irritates the cells lining the bronchi, histamine are released which then causes swelling and inflammation to the smooth muscles, (Bronchitis) and stimulate excessive secretion of mucus. Mucus lines the bronchi to soothe the irritation and while doing so drain into the air sacks filling them, where air exchange cannot take place. At the same time the other areas of the lung cannot compensate. This makes the person very short of breath. While the body is trying to compensate to part of the lung being out of order, it is over expanding the good alveoli. As these air sacks get over stretched, they begin to loose elasticity. This makes it harder to exhale. Air gets trapped in the saggy air sack so fresh air can’t get in. Less lung capacity, less elasticity to the air sack equals COPD. These people are very prone to respiratory infections. Any energy usage can leave them extremely short of breath.

03/13/2015

http://www.poisoncentertampa.org/healthcare-providers/
Great site for what to do for stings & bites

Poison Information for Healthcare Providers: Hospital staff, pre-hospital providers, school and clinic nurses, health departments, college students in medical fields. Contents: Hospital Weapons of Mass Destruction courses Topics and speakers Poster Ad Registration information Treatment of bites from…

03/12/2015

Q. Why do diabetic have to be so careful about their feet.
A. Sugar in the blood vessels keep oxygen and nutrients from reaching the feet. The cells and nerve ends can die. Then the diabetic can't feel when they have damaged a foot. The wound can't get what it needs to heal its self. Plus the blood stream is feeding the bacterial infection sugar making it stronger. 1. feeding the infection. 2. Not allowing oxygen or antibodies to reach the infection. Plus some of the worst infections are the ones that grow without air. (gangrene) A diabetic person should check their feet every night for blisters, scraps or sores. The feet should be kept clean and dry. If you use lotion, do not put between the toes. Never go bare foot, not even indoors. Shoes should fit properly. and you should be very cautious cutting the toenails not to nick the skin. If you have high blood sugar levels, let your podiatrist cut the toenails.

03/09/2015

Florida has a lot of critters that are poisonous, Can cause seer irritation, or that people are allergic to. Allergies kill more people than snake bites. If you already know you are allergic to bugs or bees, Now is the time before we really start enjoying the summer to check your epi-pen for date. buy fresh Benadryl. Don't wait till you have trouble breathing to take action.

03/09/2015

Todays Plan Take Medicine, I am posting this number for everyone to store in their phones, When you really need it is not the time to go searching the web for help. Many things we don't give a second thought to what can be deadly to adults as well as children. Did you know the filter to ci******es has enough ni****ne to make a toddler deathly ill. Some of our most beautiful flowering plants can cause hallucinations. A couple of things you should know while calling poison control. If it burned going down, it will burn coming back up so for these things, don't induce vomiting before calling. Don't wait to flush the eyes, if you get splashed in the eyes start running fresh water over the eye right away. Eyes can be damaged quickly, a quick response is needed. Keep milk and bread around the house, The poison control operator may suggest coating the stomach with milk or absorbing the poison with bread. The main thought is to act fast. If you have any thought that someone has been poisoned, call right away. Better safe than sorry. If the substance is not poison all you are out is a phone call. If it is you can save a life. American Association of poison Control Centers 1-800-222-1222 www.aapcc.org

The American Association of Poison Control Centers supports the nation’s 55 poison centers in their efforts to prevent and treat poison exposures. Poison centers offer free, confidential medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. This service pro…