A must read article- What every man should know! ( Mishaps for Children at home)

         As human beings, we all know that we keep fighting for survival directly or indirectly every moment. And now, please add on these tips to your encyclopedia of tips for survival  ( Not for politicising in work place) when the human life is endangered.



AT HOME:
 The common accidents that can happen to a child and the first aid or sensible measures that have to be taken are mentioned here.
1. A child swallowed a foreign body- 

•      If the object is still in the mouth, well, you can always take it out gently with tact. Encourage coughing or spitting it out)
•      If the child has got it in the throat, ( try encouraging coughing) It IS BEST TO KEEP YOUR HAND OFF THE MOUTH,   LEST YOU PUSH IT FURTHER INSIDE. In these cases it is best you adopt the HEIMLICH MANOEUVRE. ( Kindly spare time to google it. As images are copyrighted I cannot display them here. IT IS REALLY A LIFE SAVING PROCEDURE. YOU WOULDN'T KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE USEFUL.TRY DOING IT ONCE AS YOU LEARN IT)

        And remember to keep your eyes wide alert for potential foreign bodies. A moment of attention can avoid a life long regret.

2.  A child is bleeding through his nose. 

   The commonest mistake one does is to make the child lie flat. 

Make the child sit comfortably, ask him or make him/her lean forwards, pinch the nose ( both nostrils together) and encourage him to breathe through the mouth. maintain the nosepinch for atleast 5 minutes. And release it then only to see if the bleeding has controlled. if it has not, repeat it for 2 or 3 times. If in vain, take the child to the nearest physician. 

WHY s? 

Not the lying down position , as the blood can get into the airway ( You always knew that an airway is supposed to be for the air only!) and that is why the leaning forward position. 

Pressure to be applied continuously- for the time to be taken for the bleeding vessels to be sealed effectively. 

AND THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF A BLEEDING NOSE IS FREQUENT NOSE PICKING. Try avoiding that with your child.    

3.  A child has fallen down . You are unable to guess if it is serious.
         Any witnesses of the fall can give clue to the site of impact. If not available, the child himself might, at times. The child might not use the limb if the impact had caused a fracture of the limb ( Any movement produces pain and it avoids it) Still, it can be just a bruise. Watch out for swelling and abnormal posturing of the limbs. If so, it might be a fracture. Get him/her to the nearest Physician.
          If a child has suffered a significant impact on the head, it is always better to be on the safer side. If you are suspicious about it needing attention, well and good , get an X ray done and meet a physician. If the child complains of headache or constantly crying or vomiting or drowsy after the fall, get her to the doctor as early as possible. There are chances the child might be bleeding inside the skull.
         Simple falls - If you are 100% sure your child is safe owing to the triviality of the fall- Child cries- Check if he is really safe-  Let him continue playing-  Do not pamper him please!! ( he knows to console himself).

4.  A foreign body in the ear .. ( Every household has its own story)
       Unless it is not a timebomb waiting to blast, you can always think a hundred times before meddling with it! Get her/him to the nearest doctor. What else have they established practice for! They can easily remove it under illumination with specialised instruments causing the minimum discomfort. Applying oil imagining that it can slide down the ear canal or using tweezers on your own to pull it out might be risky tasks.
 If an insect has entered the ear canal, if it is still flying inside, there might be a hell lot of pain. We have heard stories- An ant can be allured by a cube of sugar at the exit!! It works! But my sample size is not quite good to give a solid evidence. STRICTLY NO OIL. A flying insect might know its way out ( For it is quite dark inside and it might eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel) If it doesn't come out or if it is dead,
It is always better to take the insect along with you to the doctor. ( And i will tell you why) A doctor can inspect if it is really an insect or wax - ( Most of us do not see insects as they enter). If it is an insect, an ear syringing might be all that is required. And I hear butterflies in your stomach at the mention of syringing. It is just the cleansing of the ear with water using a syringe to provide a gush. The doctor might remove the insect.
(Pay due respects for the corpse. Remember the pains you suffered to get it. ) And if it is wax, BE really happy. It is an effective barrier to insects.!!
WHYs?
The skin lining the ear canal is extremely sensitive and even minor pressure provokes severe pain. Hence do not manipulate the foreign body in the ear all by yourself. the ear canal has curvatures which the doctors are well aware of ( We were asked those questions a thousand times at medical school!!) and the right angulation while removal causes minimal pain. The abraded skin can also be the entry site for infections
And what I did forget to mention is, why you need to go to a doctor for the ear syringing.. It is because the ear canal is supplied by the vagus nerve which also supplies the heart and so many other structures. Any excessive stimulation of the vagus nerve can cause A CARDIAC ARREST..It is better a doctor or  a trained nurse does the procedure.

5. A foreign body in the nose..
      Nature takes good care here. Sneezing.... and the object is out. If you have a crooked nose!!!, Like a child knowing its way up the stairs but not down, the object might get stuck. Take the child to the doctor or the ENT physician. A good illumination and specialized instruments make it easier.
Do not be surprised if the peanuts come out in pairs!!

6. Loose stools .
A must know fact for every mother and father ( even to be's). A child is more prone for dehydration due to loose stools. Dehydration must be prevented owing to the  irreversible consequences it might cause.
Always observe the frequency, consistency, colour, odour and the presence of blood in the stools.
A typical rice water stool,  profuse and effortless and  a case of cholera in the neighbour hood- RUSH TO THE DOCTOR.
Semisolid stools- NO  fever/ NO abdominal pain/ NO vomiting/ NO Blood - Probably benign- BUT NEEDS ATTENTION-  Hydrate the child . Give easily digestible foods. DO CONTINUE FEEDING THE CHILD IF IT IS BEING BREAST FED ( It contains the antibodies and can confer immunity) Use commercially available electrolyte solutions for rehydration and encourage the child to drink it as much as possible. ( It will vomit most of the solution as the taste is not too good) . You can buy flavoured ones too. Your aim must be to give him/her the daily required water plus the amount of fluid lost in stools. After each episode of loose stool you can administer the solution to the child .( It makes the calculation of losses and the amount to be given easier). IT IS A COMMON MISCONCEPTION THAT A CHILD SHOULD BETTER BE MADE TO FAST DURING THE ILLNESS. It is definitely not so. Bland easy digestible foodstuff can very well be given as much as the child wants.

If you find the child showing signs of dehydration- irrtitable or lethargic, sunken eyes, excessive thirst, less amount of urine, loss of elasticity of the skin ( SKIN TURGOR), GET HER/HIM TO THE DOCTOR. Oral rehydration is not effective in such cases and more aggressive treatment is required.


If the stools have blood in them / there is fever/vomiting/abdominal pain/mucus in the stools, the chances of it being a dysentry is high. It needs antibiotics. Consult your doctor.


WHYs?

Why the importance to hydration?
Dehydration may seem a simple term. It is not just loss of water. But a threat to the kidneys, brain and what not..it might end in kidney failure, electrolyte abnormalities, coma and death.

Why not sugar and salt solution?
An electrolyte solution offers the best mixture of salts in the right proportion that have escaped your body.
Salt and sugar solution is only when the electrolyte solution is not available.
The electrolyte solution has to be prepared properly after cooling down the boiled 1 litre of water and
used within a day.
Most of the diarrhoeas are self limiting and need NO ANTIBIOTICS.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES:

Clean hands!
Clean drinking water!
Avoid bottles for feeding milk.!! You can always rent the bacteria other reasonable places !
Avoid undercooked or uncooked meat or milk products.
Avoid unhygeinic foods.
Untouched foods while cooking at home are the best.

7. You see your child eating an inedible thing..

  It is called PICA. The appetite for inedible things.( Chalks, sand, stone, wood, etc.) Your child might be anaemic!! Test his/ her Haemoglobin levels and consult a doctor.
Sometimes teh inedible things might be really tastier ones. Try them yourselves before taking the child to the doctor or start preparing tasty food.

8. WORMS....!!
We know when a child scratches the anal region, it is always a worm which causes it. Leave it unattended and you ll have to spend correcting the anaemia. Poor appetite might have its roots here. Make sure your child doesn't have any serious drug allergies including for albendazole. After consulting your doctor, You can always give a single dose of albendazole to your child ( >1 yr - 200 mg: >2 yrs- 400 mg) at night and repeat it after 1 or 2 weeks.( A TOTAL OF 2 doses only) AND REMEMBER TO TAKE IT FOR YOURSELF TOO ... The whole family has to eat the tablet the same time to prevent cross infection.) ( However hygeinic you may be!)

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