Saint Patrick School Health News
Introducing the monthly newsletter about health in your school.
This month's topic:
ALLERGIES
TYPES OF ALLERGIES
SEASONAL:
What you may experience: Many of us are experiencing the sneezes; sniffles; watery itchy puffy, eyes; tender sinuses.
What you can do: Shower and clean off the allergens daily. Wear an article clothing only once, then wash it. Vacuum twice a week. Limit the amount of throw rugs in your home. Keep windows closed and use air conditioning. Limit the use of fans that kick up the dust and allergens. Do not allow smoking in your house. Using over the counter medications that go directly to the source often work better. For example, nasal sprays and eye drops. Decongestants and Antihistamines work well and adding occasional Ibuprofen to reduce swelling of sinus cavities helps as well.
MEDICATION:
What you may experience: Reactions to medications can range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms may include slight nausea, or some skin reactions such as hives. Severe reactions can result in anaphylaxis which is a life threatening drug reaction.
What you can do: Alert your Family Physician of any reactions you may be experiencing during drug therapy and they will help you decide if the reaction is actually a side effect of the medication or if the drug is something you should avoid using in the future. Anaphylactic reactions require immediate medical attention and symptoms are life threatening. It is not uncommon to be completely unaware of an allergy to a drug until the body is actually exposed to it which in most cases is in an acute care setting such as an Urgent Care or other hospital setting. Examples of some drugs that are known to cause anaphylaxis are Morphine and Codeine. Wearing a Medic Alert bracelet to warn healthcare providers of the reaction can save your life.
FOOD:
What you may experience: As with drugs, reactions to food can be either mild or severe, causing anaphylaxis. Mild symptoms often include rash, nasal congestion, clear nose drainage, nausea or diarrhea which can be chronic. Some common foods that can present with somewhat vague and chronic symptoms include Dairy and Gluten. Severe allergic reactions to foods is Anaphylaxis. Symptoms of Anaphylaxis include but is not limited to: tingling, itching or swelling of the mouth and throat; facial and eye swelling; red, itchy skin; abdominal cramps, diarrhea or sudden vomiting; wheezing sounds with breathing; pale skin; dizziness; unconsciousness.
What you can do: As many families are already aware, in our school community we have several students with peanut allergies. Care has been taken to greatly reduce and eliminate the risk of severe peanut allergic reaction in the school environment. Awareness and support from everyone ensures the health programs' success. For example, several classrooms have been made Nut Free Environments. There is a Nut Free Table in the school lunchroom for students with known allergies where they can sit without concern of exposure. Other things that can be done are teaching your children the importance of the peanut free environments, teaching and promoting good hand washing habits, and discouraging students from trading or sharing foods.
If you or a loved one suspects any type of allergies, contact your healthcare provider and discuss your experience. For more information about the Medic Alert program, visit their website at: Medicalert.org.
Next months' topic, Healthy eyes and ears and screening for potential issues.
As always, should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at the school office 386-3941 or perfectrn@hotmail.com
Deb Perfect, St. Pat School Volunteer School Nurse
