Connect

I love Peds.

I'm probably beginning to sound like a broken record, aren't I?

Today I saw well babies who needed shots, kids with viral illnesses and fevers whose parents were worried about the possible need for antibiotics, kids with dry skin and coughs and ear infections. I sat and chatted with a very shy just-turned-teenager whose mother began our talk with "He won't talk to anyone he doesn't know."

"Ok then," said I. "Let's get to know each other." I told him my name, where I was from, things I liked to do. I asked him where he went to school, what he liked to do with friends, what he wanted to be when he grew up.

"There. Now we know each other."

And suddenly we know that I like video games just like you like your xbox, and you got a kinect for Christmas, and you might be able to use that to exercise. Now we can identify goals and make changes and try to bring your blood pressure down and get you to stop eating chips after school so you can lose some weight.

I handed out some Benadryl today, and looked in ears and proclaimed them uninfected, but more than that I made connections. And hopefully those connections will result in healthier, happier kids and families.

That is why I love peds.