Worth every mile: Short bowel syndrome brings family to Boston
During his most recent visit to Boston Children’s Hospital, 3-year-old Konrad Schienke resembles a tiny tornado, gleefully scampering around the room as he mugged for the camera and shouted, “Cheese!” Later, he smiles as a doctor gently felt his abdomen, giggling as if he was being tickled.
“It’s hard to believe what a sick little kid he has been,” says his father, Erich.
Yet, just a few years ago, this energetic boy resided in the neonatal intensive care unit at his local hospital in Pennsylvania, struggling with a diagnosis of short bowel syndrome. This rare but serious condition can occur when a child eith...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 16, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jessica Cerretani Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation Mark Puder short bowel syndrome (SBS). Source Type: news
When your sons are both diagnosed with cancer
One day, our 2-year-old son Javon complained about a bit of pain at daycare. It seemed harmless enough. But after a visit to the pediatrician, we ended up in the hospital for emergency surgery. There, they discovered that a mass in his body was causing the pain. “Cancer?” we feared, but it was too early to confirm.
As young, first-time parents, their father and I were unsure where to turn for help. There’s no manual on how to be a parent when you hear the news that your son has been diagnosed with cancer.
Our doctor referred us to Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, and for two years...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 13, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Ebony Glass Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Source Type: news
Why it ’s important to ask about your baby’s heart during an ultrasound
Did you know that at least half of all babies born with a heart condition are not diagnosed during pregnancy? Heart defects can seriously impact a child’s health, but knowing ahead of time will allow you to find the right people who can help. In some cases, prenatal detection can lead to earlier treatment for the baby.
Watch this short video to learn what to ask at your 18- to 22-week screening ultrasound to make sure your baby’s heart is healthy. If you don’t feel comfortable asking the questions yourself, download the questions and share them with the person performing your ultrasound.
Taking a few extra moments at...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 8, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: Health & Wellness Fetal Cardiology Program fetal testing for heart defects Heart Center ultrasound Source Type: news
Our son ’s journey with CSWS epilepsy
Our son Joshua was born in 2010, a happy and healthy 9 pounds. At the age of 2, he was a loving and sweet little boy who loved books, trains, puzzles and playing with his older siblings and friends. He was highly intelligent, speaking in clear four-word sentences. He was curious about the world and loved to learn.
At the age of four, Joshua began to decline in his social skills, becoming anxious, withdrawn and easily angered. He developed a stutter and had difficulty finding words to express himself. He often would not answer when spoken to and began exhibiting autism-like symptoms.
Within a year, Joshua began having fac...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 7, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Vinez Campbell Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories epilepsy epilepsy center Source Type: news
How to stay safe on the football field: Learning from the NCAA
Even with the known risk of injury, football is as popular as ever among kids and teens. How can parents encourage their QBs-in-training to enjoy playing the game while staying safe? Dr. William Meehan, Boston Children’s Sports Medicine physician and director of The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention says the answer is clear: Follow the rules.
Meehan participated in the development of a new policy released in January by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) limiting contact in year-round college football practice. He says, these regulations “should translate to a decreased incidence o...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 3, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: In the News Kids' Safety concussion Division of Sports Medicine Dr. William Meehan Micheli Center Source Type: news
Coming together from worlds apart for spina bifida care
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Molly Gotbeter giggles impishly as she accepts a sugar cookie and frosting from a nurse. She’s sitting patiently on an exam table waiting to see one of her favorite people in the world — Benjamin Warf, MD, director of Neonatal and Congenital Anomaly Neurosurgery at Boston Children’s Hospital.
For this visit to the spina bifida clinic, Molly has traveled from her home in Charleston, South Carolina. But her journey to Dr. Warf and Boston Children’s has been much longer.
Molly was born in a ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 2, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Ellen Greenlaw Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Benjamin Warf Dr. Terry Buchmiller neonatal and congenital anomaly neurosurgery spina bifida Spina Bifida Center Spina Bifida Clinic tethered cord Source Type: news
Francesca ’s story: Beating a heart tumor
Although her parents were warned she might not breathe when she was born, the moment Francesca Durkos came into this world, she let out a gutsy cry.
“It was music to our ears,” says her mom.
Michelle Carino Durkos was 40 weeks pregnant when she learned there was a tumor attached to her unborn daughter’s heart — a tumor so large that doctors near her home in Pensacola, Florida, were unsure if the baby would live.
“It was a shock, because at 20 weeks everything was normal,” says Michelle. “We had a wonderful ultrasound; we saw all four chambers.”
Yet, call it a mother’s intuition, Michelle knew something wa...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 1, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Our Patients’ Stories cardiac fibroma cardiac tumor Department of Cardiac Surgery Department of Cardiology Dr. Pedro del Nido Dr. Tal Geva echocardiogram ECMO Fetal Cardiology Program heart tumor neona ultrasound Source Type: news
Winter safety goes beyond ice and freezing temps: tips to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning
Old Man Winter has been kind to New England this year. Less snow and warmer temperatures have been the norm in recent weeks. But don’t let moderate snow fall and unseasonable temperatures fool you. Protecting your family from carbon monoxide (also known as CO) poisoning is of utmost importance, experts say.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide often called the silent killer, is responsible for more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 hospitalizations. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and tasteless, making leaks and buildups difficult to notice.
S...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 31, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Maureen McCarthy Tags: Kids' Safety carbon monoxide poisoning Source Type: news
Getting back into the swing of things: Jake ’s journey with Crohn’s disease
It was a cloudy, September day at the Country Club of Miami in South Florida. Jake Goodstat, a high school sophomore and varsity golf player, approached the ninth green. He walked up to his ball with putter in hand, took a deep breath and gently tapped the ball to make the putt.
He says this was the hole where he cinched second place in the 2016 South Florida Junior Golf Tournament.
“It was the greatest feeling in the world to know that I placed,” recalls Jake, a Florida teen who underwent surgery two months prior to treat his Crohn’s disease. “Before my surgery, I would register for a tournament, end up in ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 26, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Maureen McCarthy Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Athos Bousvaros Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Crohn's disease Robert Shamberger Source Type: news
The gift of grandmothers
Nancy and Susan with Sophie at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Nancy sits in a tiny hospital room in New York City, reading to Sophie, her infant granddaughter who is quarantined while she battles a respiratory virus.
She keeps vigil over Sophie so her daughter, Katie, can safely spend time with Sophie’s twin sister, Maddie, and her son-in-law can work to support the family. “There was no one to talk to and nothing to do,” remembers Nancy, “So for days, I just sat with Sophie and read her the A.A. Milne poems my mother used to read to me.”
Nancy wit...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 25, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Parenting neonatal intensive care unit Source Type: news
How to talk to your kid about not being perfect
Twelve years into this whole parenting thing, with my daughter barreling full tilt into her teen years, my wife and I have gotten a little bit lazy on certain aspects of the parenting game. Specifically, we’ve started to slack off when it comes to defending our personal reputations as paragons of parenting perfection in our daughter’s eyes.
Early on in your child’s development, you may find yourself fully and wholeheartedly committed to being the ultimate role model for every aspect of their lives. But as time goes on, it just gets tiring trying to cover up the mistakes of your past, and honestly, you might find it...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 23, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Steve Coldwell Tags: Parenting Source Type: news
Superheros, specialists and sidekicks
Sporting a Superman sock on her left foot and Batman on her right, Bella Burton, a 12-year-old from Woburn, Massachusetts, listens intently to her orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Karlin. Lots of people mix up their socks, he tells her. “You should really stand out from the crowd. Wear unmatched shoes.”
She chuckles and pretends to ponder his advice. Ultimately, Bella decides against Karlin’s fashion tips.
The exchange is typical of Bella and Karlin, says her mother Rachel.
The pair first met in 2007 at the Boston Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Center when Bella was just a toddler. Genetic experts suspected Bella ha...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 19, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Lawrence Karlin Morquio syndrome Orthopedic Center rare disease Source Type: news
Trusting your instincts: One mom ’s story
Serena with Julia and Sebastian
Serena Hadsell has no medical training. But when her 4-year-old daughter Julia got sick a few days after Christmas in 2013, something else kicked in – her mother’s intuition.
“Julia had a stomach bug and was having trouble keeping anything down,” recalls Serena. “It was very late and I was trying to go to sleep, but I got the sense that something was wrong: Her breathing wasn’t quite right.”
A frightening late-night hospital trip
Serena considered waiting out the night at home and calling their pediatrician in the morning, but she couldn’t stop watching Julia. So, despite th...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 18, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Ellen Greenlaw Tags: Our Patients’ Stories ECMO emergency department Family Advisory Council ICU RSV Source Type: news
A new option for kids with severe allergies
(image credit: CVS)
For parents of children with severe allergies, keeping our kids safe in the event of an allergic reaction is a priority. We rid our houses of allergens, we write detailed allergy plans for caretakers and we stock up on Epinephrine, the medication that will save our kids if they ever experience anaphylaxis.
Epinephrine auto-injectors are expensive, they expire every year even if unused, and we have to purchase multiples for home, school, and elsewhere. Which is why we’re thrilled that CVS now offers a generic Epinephrine auto-injector for $109.99 per two-pack — that’s about a sixth of the...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 17, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: Diseases & Conditions In the News allergies anaphylaxis Dr. John Lee Source Type: news
From strep throat to RSV: Winter health cheat sheet
According to this study published in Pediatrics, vapor rub can be effective in decreasing nighttime cough. Please note that some children may experience skin irritation. Vapor rub is not recommended for children under the age of 2.
Keep the nasal passages as clear of excess mucous as you can.
Elevate the head when sleeping to help support comfortable breathing.
Keep a close eye on your child’s breathing.
Notify your pediatric health care providers of any changes in your child’s condition.
You should notify your pediatrician or call 911 immediately if your child displays signs of respiratory distress such as: rapid br...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 12, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Meaghan O'Keeffe Tags: Health & Wellness Parenting Croup RSV strep throat whooping cough Source Type: news
