Yup, it was a hot day yesterday

It was hot in Montreal yesterday. Very hot, with a high of 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) and with the humidity factor, a temperature that felt like in the 40s (over 104 F).

Environment Canada has this Humidex chart that gives you an idea of how the temperatures feel according to the humidity in the air.

We don’t have air conditioning in our house. It’s a 45-year-old home that has hot water heating, so to put in central air would be expensive. We’d have to go with the ductless type. Window units drive me crazy with their noise, but we do have one in our bedroom we use on the really hot nights. I’m lucky in that I don’t often feel the heat, but I do feel the humidity. Oddly enough, it shows when it’s humid because I can’t laugh. My asthma is affected by the humidity and if I laugh, I have to take a deep breath and I can’t. So, I end up coughing away for hours all because I laughed. I know, I said it was odd. :-)

We’re young though, we’re healthy, so the heat is really more annoying than anything else. But I worry for those who aren’t young and aren’t healthy. The elderly who live in top floor apartments or flats so not only does the heat rise, but they have the sun beating down on them. Those with limited resources can’t afford to air condition their homes. Our city does declare an emergency when we hit a certain temperature for three days in a row, so that is some consolation. When that happens, they open shelters and air conditioned areas for those who need the help.

We know the drill of how to stay safe in excessively hot weather: drink plenty of fluids, stay inside as much as possible, don’t do anything strenuous if you can avoid it, and so on. But there are still a lot of people who don’t take it seriously enough and do develop heatstroke, or hyperthermia.

How serious is heat stroke? According to the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, during the period between and including 1999 to 2003, there were 3442 deaths related to heat. Of these 3442, 65% (2239) were directly caused by the heat. Heat was considered a contributing factor to the remaining number of deaths. Some of these deaths make the news, like when it’s a student athlete: Heat-related deaths in middle, high school football players spikes in 2006.


The Red Cross has this very informative page about heat-related illnesses. They discuss the prevention, the different stages, and emergency interventions for people who are affected.

Oh, and one more thing – watch out for Fido. Dogs feel the heat too. Don’t let them overexert themselves in the heat. Walks should be kept to a minimum and don’t forget that the pavement is burning hot on those paw pads. And please, please, please, don’t leave your pooch in the car, even with the windows cracked. It’s like leaving him in an oven.


News for Today:

Screening improves detection of major stroke risk factor
Ontario to provide teenage girls with HPV vaccine
Alberta gets first human case of West Nile
Breastfeeding moms quitting too soon, officials say
Many heart attack patients still not getting emergency clot-busting treatment
Heat-related deaths in middle, high school football players spikes in 2006

When is baby sick enough to go to see the doctor?

Taking care of our children can be scary if they aren’t feeling 100%. An infant who is vomiting or a toddler who fell out of bed can bring out the worst fears. How do we know when it’s important to seek medical help and when can we take care of things on our own?

There are a few guidelines that are generally followed, but the best thing to do is listen to yourself. If your gut is telling you that something is wrong, follow that intuition. While you may end up seeing a doctor only to be told that everything is fine, it’s much better that you have a false alarm than if you ignore your intuition and end up having a more serious problem.

I used to teach first aid and many people in my classes were young parents. This was one of their concerns: how to tell if their child was really injured or sick? I can assure you that even a nurse, with many years of experience, as well as being a first aid teacher, I wasn’t always right myself. I sometimes brought my children unnecessarily and other times, they waited a bit longer than they should have. But, we can only do our best.

Now, it’s fine to tell you to follow your intuition, but as I said earlier, there are some guidelines as to when you should call your doctor as soon as possible (Source: Mayo Clinic, Ohio Health).

Infants:

Circumcision: Boys whose penis begins to bleed or is oozing.
Dehydration: Babies who haven’t wet a diaper for 6 hours or longer.
Diarrhea: Babies who have diarrhea or watery stool for 6 or more diaper changes in a row.
Fever: Babies under 2 months old who have a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
Lethargy: Babies who are difficult to wake, don’t want to feed and seem really out of sorts.
Loss of appetite: Infants who don’t want to nurse or take a bottle for a few feedings in a row.
Umbilical cord: Infants whose umbilical cord seems tender, oozes, has a foul smell or bleeds.

While not emergencies, you should also call a doctor if your child:

-appears to have ear pain, pulling on ears, discharge
-discharge from the eyes
-has a rash for an extended period of time
-has skin that is jaundiced, or yellowish
-is constipated (for infants, after only a couple of days)


Emergencies that require a visit to an urgent care or emergency for any age child include:

Bleeding that you can’t stop with pressure
Choking
Head injuries
High fever
Poisoning
Seizures
Sudden lethargy or inability to move
Trouble breathing
Unresponsiveness

For older children, many emergency room visits result from accidents. If your child has injured his or herself, it’s best to be safe than sorry. Listen to your instincts and listen to your child. You make up the best team and can usually figure out what to do.


News for today:
U.S. Mammography Rates Dropping

Anti-epilepsy medications recalled

Mumps sidelines hospital workers