Common Illnesses And Accidents
NHS Direct
A useful source of health information is NHS Direct, the Government’s 24-hour nurse-led advice line, is available 24 hours a day on 0845 – 46 47.
(The Practice cannot be held responsible for advice given by NHS Direct.)
Using Medicines
Use medicines safely. Always read the instructions on the label and follow them carefully. Keep medicines locked away out of children's reach. If a patient is pregnant, ask for advice from a doctor before giving any medicine.
A Child With A Temperature
Children get a temperature because of infection. Most infections are mild and are part of growing up and gaining resistance to germs. They usually are caused by viruses so they do NOT need antibiotics (these only help bacterial infection). The following advice should help:
Always keep a supply of Paracetamol medicine (such as Calpol, Disprol) at home. (Don't wait to be caught out – almost every child needs medicine sometimes.) Do not give aspirin to children under 16.
If your child feels hot and appears unwell, take his/her temperature if you have a thermometer. (The easiest to use is an electronic one, which can be purchased at a Chemist. We do not recommend the forehead type thermometers.) The normal temperature is 37.0 degrees centigrade. If the temperature is raised, or you do not have a thermometer but you think your child has a temperature, cool him or her down as follows.
q Give the child paracetamol in the dose advised on the bottle.
q Dress the child in loose cool clothes or none at all, cool the room down, and let the air get to the body. (Far more harm is done by wrapping up ill children than by cooling them down.)
q Give plenty of cool drinks – clear fluid is best such as squash, water, or a favourite fizzy drink. If they are not keen, try something different and give a small amount every 5 minutes from their favourite cup rather than expecting them to drink it all at once.
q Sponge them down all over with tepid water, especially the head, and if convenient use a cool fan to dry the water off the body – this gets rid of much of the heat.
q You can repeat the paracetamol every four hours if needed, up to the maximum dose recommended by the makers.
q If this does not work, or if the child is particularly ill, contact the doctor. We will always fit in poorly children as soon as possible if brought to the surgery – the trip in a pram or car will do them no harm (cool fresh air actually helps) and it will ensure they are seen sooner.
q A child with a fever is likely to be restless at night. Offer cool drinks and sponge them down if they wake.
Very rarely a child under five years will have a convulsion with a high temperature. The child suddenly shakes all over and becomes very still. It should subside in less than five minutes. Lay the child on his/her side and stay with them while it lasts. If there is another adult in the house ask them to call the doctor. If not, call the doctor when the convulsion has stopped.
Back Pain
Try to keep as mobile as possible. Take care to sit as upright as possible or else lie on a hard flat surface. In both cases support the small of the back. Aspirin, Paracetamol, or Ibuprofen will not only help relieve the pain but will help to relieve inflammation, and your Pharmacist can advise suitable products to buy. It is advisable to consult the doctor if pain persists for more than a few days.
Burns
Apply as much clean cold water as possible to the whole affected area as fast as possible – seconds count. Keep cool water flowing over all the area until the pain subsides. This may take as long as 15 minutes. If the skin is unbroken or blistered, apply a loose, dry dressing.
If the burn is larger than 4 or 5 inches (10 – 12 cm) in diameter or if the skin is broken, consult your doctor as soon as possible. Paracetamol will help the pain.
Dental Emergencies
You should see your dentist for regular check ups – there should be an out-of-hours emergency service available with him or her once you are registered at a Dental Practice. Dental problems are the province of dentists not doctors and they can prescribe both antibiotics and painkillers, just as doctors do. Holidaymakers and people not registered with a dentist can consult any NHS dentist for advice or else telephone the Emergency Dental Clinic during weekends and Bank Holidays.
If you or your child has a tooth knocked out, carefully pick up the tooth but do not attempt to wash or clean it. Put it straight into a little cold milk and take it and the patient straight away to your own dentist or to Poole Hospital Accident Department.
Colds
There is still no magic cure for the common cold. Go to bed, and take plenty of drinks. If you have a headache or are feverish, take aspirin (if age over 12) or paracetamol. Antibiotics have no effect!
Diarrhoea in adults and older children
In adults, diarrhoea is usually due to a virus infection. The symptoms can usually be eased by avoiding food and drinking plenty of fluids. The traditional Kaolin and Morphine mixture (available from any Pharmacy) may help, as can medicines containing codeine. Consult your doctor if the symptoms persist for more than a few days.
Diarrhoea in very young children and babies
This needs more careful attention. Most babies have loose bowel actions during their first 6 months. Sudden bouts of unusually watery diarrhoea should be treated by taking the baby off solids and feeding it a solution of Dioralyte (available from a Pharmacy). Breast fed babies may continue breast milk and have Dioralyte as well. However if symptoms persist longer than 24 hours, or are accompanied by vomiting or if the child looks ill or is weak, consult your doctor.
Vomiting
The most common cause is gastroenteritis. This describes a group of diseases affecting the stomach or bowel. Symptoms are often diarrhoea, sickness and stomach ache. Because the lining of the stomach is likely to be inflamed, medicines are often immediately vomited up.
Large quantities of clear fluid such as water, squash or fizzy drinks, should be taken to counter the effects of dehydration. Consult your doctor if symptoms persist for more than a day (or in the case of babies or young children, 6 hours).
Sprains
Rest and elevate the part (e.g. ankle) and apply ice or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel for about 15 – 30 minutes. Then put on a crepe bandage and elevate and rest until discomfort has subsided.
Nose Bleed
Sit in a chair (leaning forward with your mouth open) and pinch together firmly the soft part of your nose below the bone for 10 minutes by the clock without letting go. Then let go, wait 5 minutes, and if still bleeding do the same again.
Avoid blowing your nose for 24 hours. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
Minor Cuts And Grazes
Wash the wound thoroughly with water and make sure it is clean with no glass, etc., in it. To stop bleeding apply a clean handkerchief or dressing and press firmly on the wound for 5 minutes by the clock. Do not apply any kind of tourniquet to the affected finger or limb. Cover with a clean dry dressing.
Sunburn
Every year we see several dreadful cases of sunburn. Prevention is much easier than cure – see the next section "Sun Know-How".
Treat sunburn like any other burn. Taking paracetamol or ibuprofen may help a little, as will drinking plenty of fluids, but sadly the real answer is to be more careful in the first place.
Insect Bites and Stings
Antihistamine tablets and hydrocortisone cream can be obtained from a Pharmacist without prescription and will usually relieve most symptoms. Bee stings should be scraped away rather than 'plucked' to avoid squeezing the contents of the venom sac into the wound.
Head Lice
Contrary to popular belief, these are fussy creatures that prefer clean hair and so are not a sign of poor hygiene. They are small grey crawling insects usually found in the hair near the ears and back of the head. You should check all family members to see if anyone else is affected. We advise combing with conditioner and a special comb — a leaflet is available on request.
Worms
It is common for pre–school children (and occasionally older children and adults) to get threadworms. They are spread by hand to mouth contact in the same way as a tummy bug. The worms are often noticed as white cotton threadlike tiny worms moving in the motions in the child's pot. Sometimes the child may wake at night with an itchy bottom and they are then seen near the bowel opening. There is no cause for alarm – it is not a dangerous condition. Ask your Pharmacist to advise on medicines to clear the infection. In the case of infants under 12 months old, consult a doctor in surgery hours.
Chicken Pox
On the first day a rash appears as small red patches about 3 – 4 mm across. Within a few hours of these developing, small blisters appear in the centre of these patches. During the next 3 or 4 days further spots may appear and the earlier ones will turn crusty and fall off. Oily Calamine Lotion may be applied to soothe the often severe itching. Cool baths also help. The most infectious period is from 14 days before the rash appears (the child often has a slight cold then) up to 5 days after it. Children may return to school after 5 days from the first appearance of the rash so long as they are well in themselves. There is no need to wait until the last 'crusts' have dropped off.
Keeping Healthy – Staying Healthy
Sensible Drinking
A small amount of alcohol does you no harm but if it's more than a small amount you may be damaging your health.
Alcohol is measured in units – one unit is 10 grams of alcohol and is found in:
q Half a pint of beer
q Less than half a pint of export beer, lager or strong cider (a 440 ml can of strong cider = 2.6 units)
q A small glass of wine (a 75 cl bottle contains between 7 and 9 units)
q A small sherry (a 75 cl bottle = 13 units)
q A pub single measure of spirits (a 75 cl bottle of whisky = 30 units)
Only you really know how many units you drink. Be fair to yourself and your family – stay within healthy limits.
For men, a sensible limit is up to 21 units a week.
For women the limit is 14 units a week.
Giving Up Smoking
Some people smoke because they enjoy it and do not want to stop. However when we ask most people, they say they do not really enjoy it, would like to stop, but cannot manage to.
Some Of The Risks
q Heart and Arterial Disease – heart attack, stroke, and amputation
q Cancer (all kinds)
q Chronic Bronchitis (a cough with phlegm every morning is an early sign)
q Ulcers
Ask to speak to a Practice Nurse, Midwife, or Health Visitor who can help you join the Smokestop Programme.
Reducing Your Fat Intake
When cooking with oil, use polyunsaturated oils (such as sunflower, or monounsaturated oil, as olive oil). Measure with a tablespoon the amount of oil so you see how much you use, then you can slowly reduce it to maybe half or less.
When cooking meat, trim off the excess fat. Skim off a layer of oil that settles on top of the food.
Eat more vegetables as they can provide more fibre (filling you up) and have fewer calories than meat. Have less red meat and more fish or chicken. Change from full cream (silver top) milk, to semi-skimmed or skimmed. Avoid hidden fat in pastry and pies, biscuits, cake, sausages or burgers.
Want To Lose Weight?
Take a pen and paper and keep a diet diary for one week. Put down EVERYTHING you eat and drink – no cheating! Include all nibbles and snacks, tea and coffee (with or without milk and sugar) and alcohol.
Take a long hard look at your diet. Are there too many sweet, fried or fatty foods? Not enough fibre and roughage? Hidden fat (see above)? Too much alcohol or junk food?
q Substitute with low fat, low sugar, high fibre foods.
q Reduce your alcohol intake.
q Eat raw carrot, an apple or celery instead of cake or biscuits.
q Use artificial sweeteners (or better still no sweetener at all).
q Try to avoid snacks between meals. Try not to eat one big meal in the evening – you will burn off the food more effectively if you eat it as three small meals than one great big one.
Take More Exercise
Go gently at first, and do an activity you enjoy – for example a brisk 15-minute walk twice a day. Join a keep fit class suitable for your age. Go dancing or swimming.
Later, as you become fitter and you feel more lively, consider more active sport or organised games.
If you are very overweight and unfit, it is worthwhile discussing your general condition with your doctor before embarking on an exercise programme.
Sun Know-How ("Slip, Slap Slop"!)
We have seen many new cases of skin cancer in this area in the last 5 years. This condition is increasing rapidly, so:
q SLIP on a long sleeved shirt – do not wait until you start to burn
q SLAP on a hat – preferably one with a broad shady brim
q SLOP on the sunscreen. Apply a high factor (at least 15 to 20) sun screen before you or your child goes into the sun. This is particularly important in breezy weather and from May to July and between 11am and 3pm. (If you or your children have pale skin and red hair, go somewhere shady, not to a sunny beach!) Children are particularly susceptible to sunburn and great care should be taken to avoid over exposure.