Sightings | interesting tidbits from around the net

Little Niko and Stefano picked up hand-foot-mouth disease, which is a common (but scary-sounding) illness that causes mouth sores, a fever and a rash. It’s a coxsackievirus infection that peaks from August to November. We’re glad they’re feeling better, poor little guys!

Oh no… I know how tough it is when kids are sick by themselves, but Trevor’s ear infection and Bristel’s kidney reflux are a lot to deal with in a week. As Dr. Greene noted, when the bladder contracts, the openings from ureters into the bladder are normally squeezed shut, but in kids with vesicoureteral [...]

Many parents worry the first time they feel a lymph node on their babies, but most of the time it’s no cause of concern, as Graham’s parents recently discovered. If the lymph node lasts more than two weeks or if your little one has other symptoms, you might get it checked out.
PS – That was [...]

Our thanks to Angel Isabel Angeles for her article on The Daily Clog, the blog of the Berkeley student newspaper. She gives common-sense tips on “How To: Dodge a Sneezy, Cough-y, Congested, Achy Midterm Season.
It’s a great reminder that the adult members of the DrGreene.com community need to stay healthy, too!

Hermione, don’t feel bad that you didn’t immediately take Miss Lydia to the doctor when she started tugging on her ears. Kids like to tug on their ears, and research says it’s not an immediate indicator that she has an ear infection. Of course, it was a real bummer to hear that she actually had [...]

Crystal, congratulations on the recent arrival of little Eli! I’m sure you’ll be very busy with your new one and little Luke, who sounds like he had a rough bout with mouth blisters. If he indeed had herpangina, which is a viral infection that causes painful mouth ulcers, it’ll take 3-6 days for him to [...]

Brian, I’m glad you took little Max into the eye doctor to get checked out. It sounds like he’ll grow out of the problem (pseudostrabismus, or, as you put it, "a false turning of the eye."). Keep us updated, and wish your baby a Happy Half Birthday from all of us!
 

Kathy, I just read about your little boy’s struggles. I was relieved to read that Liam’s April MRI revealed good news, and I know your family needs our positive thoughts. I thought I’d share Dr. Greene’s information about epilepsy. Take a look at the related A-to-Z Information links at the bottom for other resources. 
Thanks for [...]

Rebecca, thanks for the thoughtful article on colorblindness in our kids. You make a great point about how colorblind kids are often misdiagnosed with learning disabilities or inattentiveness.
For more insight into the challenge, check out Dr. Greene’s answers to questions from a mom about her son, who was having difficulty naming red and green at [...]

Sarah, did your other boys end up with hand-foot-mouth disease? Hand washing can reduce the spread, but it is pretty common in younger kids. Parents may notice their little ones’ loss of interest in eating solids as a first sign.
Hand-foot-mouth disease is the most common coxsackievirus infection. Most of them have a short incubation period [...]