As someone who sees summer’s worst, it’s sometimes hard to celebrate Memorial Day--or, as we know it in the Emergency Department, the kick off of Trauma Season.
Here’s the thing about injuries: they happen all the time. Everywhere. When mom and dad aren’t paying attention…and when they are. I’m a pretty laissez-faire parent most of the time, as evidenced by the bruises and scrapes seen on my boys. That said, we have a few hard and fast rules in my house, and some of them revolve around summertime activities.
1. If it has wheels, you better have a helmet on.
Listen, I don’t want to be Debbie Downer, but seriously, you guys: the number of kids with head injuries that I see is astounding. At best, they have a concussion. At worst, serious bad news. Current research is showing that concussions are bad on their own, but the cumulative concern? Lifelong cognitive problems. I’ve seen so many head injuries from bike/scooter/skateboard falls. And while we certainly can’t prevent all head injuries, I can tell you that the little annoyance of a helmet literally saves lives. And making it a habit means that my boys know not to even leave the garage without a helmet on. And if they leave it on when they run around back to play on the playset? Well, I’m not pointing it out.
2. Going outside? Slather on the sunscreen.
Admitting kids to the burn unit after a nasty sunburn makes me much more aware of this. The younger they are, the thinner their skin, and the more susceptible to sunburn. Earlier sunburns have been shown to be associated with significant skin cancer risk. Take away the future risk of skin cancer (clearly not enough to deter most of us), and insert the image of the six-week-old with burns bad enough to require admission to the burn unit. The drama of a whining four-year-old with red shoulders makes the sunscreen well worth it. Just like anything, do it for 30 days and it will be the new routine.
3. Pools, hot tubs, lakes, ponds--never alone, and always with tons of help and eyes.
Have you guys seen the video about what drowning looks like? It’s not the person waving their arms above water, screaming for help. Instead, it’s the six-year-old slipping under the water quietly at the family reunion, or the toddler sneaking outside and getting caught in the hot tub under the cover. It’s the teenager who dives into water to impress his friends, or the preschooler who trips while playing in the creek. Someone might realize it within a minute - if you're lucky. But say it takes two more minutes to mobilize help, two more minutes to find the child. Five minutes under water leaves me trying to force the water out of the kid’s lungs while hoping the brain hasn’t been compromised.
Drowning happens SO commonly, especially in the summer. If there’s one thing that really scares me at my children’s current ages, it’s the risk of drowning. Swim lessons are the only activity that I’ll force my kids to do--I’m not looking for Micheal Phelps here, but my kids will learn to swim, even if they do it kicking and screaming (literally). Constant vigilance is absolutely necessary. This might be my soapbox, you guys, but please--make sure you have an eye on your kid, and are within a few steps of them. Drowning happens wicked fast. And by the time they get to me, it’s often too late.
As for "secondary drowning" and the terror that is making its way across the internet? It's certainly a real phenomenon, and it's something you don't want to miss. That said, it's not common. The story is scary: the child seems okay immediately after a submersion, but then becomes increasingly sleepy, sometimes with an odd, constant cough. Many parents chalk it up to a busy and stressful day, but the truth is the lungs are reacting to the injury by putting more fluid in to the lungs. This is why, if a kid comes into my emergency room after having gone under water during a swim that day, I'm going to observe him for awhile to watch for more symptoms. As a parent, you are key to catching this early.
Bottom line? Prevention is key for all of these injuries. Yes, we can offer some treatments and hopefully help with recovery, but prevention is SO much better than treatment.
As for "secondary drowning" and the terror that is making its way across the internet? It's certainly a real phenomenon, and it's something you don't want to miss. That said, it's not common. The story is scary: the child seems okay immediately after a submersion, but then becomes increasingly sleepy, sometimes with an odd, constant cough. Many parents chalk it up to a busy and stressful day, but the truth is the lungs are reacting to the injury by putting more fluid in to the lungs. This is why, if a kid comes into my emergency room after having gone under water during a swim that day, I'm going to observe him for awhile to watch for more symptoms. As a parent, you are key to catching this early.
Bottom line? Prevention is key for all of these injuries. Yes, we can offer some treatments and hopefully help with recovery, but prevention is SO much better than treatment.
Those are my rules, already in place before this year but just reinforced again after working yet another Memorial Day weekend and seeing it start not so fun for too many families.
Wishing you all a summer of warm days at the pool and lazy evenings in the backyard--stay safe!
-Julia
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