Nursing News

• Men's Health Month
• National Aphasia Awareness Month
• National CMV Awareness Month
• National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month
• 6/1-6/1: CPR & AED awareness week
• 6/10: Family Health & Fitness Day
• 6/14: World Blood Donor Day

• Chronic headache occurs with much more frequency, several times a week. If a child who has only had an occasional headache (once or twice a month) starts experiencing them more frequently (two, three, or four times a week), then these should be considered chronic and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible.
  

• Some children, once diagnosed, will find immediate relief from prescribed treatment. If the symptoms persist despite the best efforts of your family physician or pediatrician, then it’s time to ask your family doctor for a referral to a pediatric neurologist or headache specialist.

• Over-the-counter medications are very helpful in relieving the symptoms of either episodic or chronic headaches. Your physician might suggest acetaminophen (Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Advil®) or naproxen sodium (Aleve®). Remember these medications are safe to take every once in a while. However, these medications can have side effects if taken frequently or on a long-term basis including stomach, liver and kidney problems. If you find you’re giving your child medication more than twice a week it is a good idea to talk to your doctor about other treatments including the non-medication based treatments discussed above. Generally, children under 14 are not advised to take aspirin because of its connection to Reye’s syndrome.
  

As always, feel free to contact me any time you have questions or concerns. Let me know if there is something you would like to see more or less of. As a reminder, my schedule is below:

M,W,F @ Torrey Hill

T,TH @ West Shore

Have a safe and relaxing summer, you deserve it!

Jordan VanRiper, RN BSN

District Nurse

Lake Fenton Community Schools

810-591-3692/810-591-6308

jvanriper@lakefentonschools.org