Children's Health for Dummies by Katy Holland & Dr. Sarah Jarvis Gp

Author:Katy Holland & Dr. Sarah Jarvis Gp [Holland, Katy & Gp, Sarah Jarvis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Health Care Issues
ISBN: 9780470027356
Amazon: 0470027355
Publisher: For Dummies
Published: 2006-10-16T05:00:00+00:00

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Part IV

Symptoms,

Illnesses, and

Treatments

“Now, Simon, I hope you’re all right with

needles......”

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In this part . . .

When your baby or child is ill it is distressing for

both of you, especially if you’re not sure what’s

wrong with your little precious.

This part helps you to diagnose what might be the problem, and offers solutions to make your child feel better.

Chapter 13 covers all the aches – headaches, earaches, tummy aches, and sore throats. Chapter 14 gives tips

about coping with common infections from measles to

mumps, and you can use this chapter with the colour

section to identify any rashes your child may develop.

This is also the part for you if want to know more about asthma and eczema, and behavioural and emotional problems such as autism and hyperactivity.

If you’re concerned about your child’s health, don’t hesitate to visit your GP.

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Chapter 13

Symptoms and What

They May Mean

In This Chapter

ᮣ Finding out what’s causing a headache

ᮣ Treating ear, tummy, and throat infections

ᮣ Making sure that your child isn’t seriously ill

All children suffer from minor illnesses at some stage – which doesn’t come as much comfort when your little treasure’s poorly. Having an ill child is one of the most worrying aspects of being a parent: Is your child seriously ill or simply fighting off a bug? Should you dial 999 or just administer a little infant paracetamol and lots of TLC? The rule of thumb is that you should always call a doctor if you’re at all concerned about your child’s health – you understand your child better than anyone else and your instinct’s likely to be right.

In this chapter, you can read about how to spot the signs of some of the most common complaints that affect children, such as tummy pain and headaches, and what you can do to help soothe them.

Tackling Headaches Head-on

Although headaches are rare in young children, they become more frequent as they get older. By school age, most children have complained of at least one headache. Because a headache is often difficult to work out exactly where it’s hurting, your child may find it hard to describe what she’s feeling.

Headaches don’t occur in the brain – there aren’t any sensory nerves there.

Rather, headache pain is located in the membranes surrounding the brain or in the muscles and blood vessels beneath the scalp.

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190 Part IV: Symptoms, Illnesses, and Treatments

Causes of headaches include all sorts of things, from colds and fevers to stress, hunger, and overactivity. By far the most common type of headache in children is psychogenic or stress headache, which can be caused by anything from reading for too long to worrying about something. This sort of headache tends to come on gradually during the day and is felt all over the head rather than in one particular area.

Your child (and you) can get headaches because of eye strain, which becomes more likely when she’s reading, or looking at a blackboard at school.

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