Georgetown Week 7

This week I'm covering Peds and the stepdown NICU. I started peds on Friday, and I immediately disliked it.

My first pt, a 10 yo with a lupus flair wouldn't talk to us. We got consulted because of his decreased PO intake. When we walked into the room, he was playing video games with a young male volunteer. We asked him if he ate anything today, and he ignored us. We asked again, and he said "No" as he was taking a bite of a pop-tart! How frustrating. So, the kid was being a brat. After we talked to the RN, we all decided that he was eating, but just saying he wasn't. Weird. Our intervention was just to continue to encourage PO intake, record intake, and monitor wt.

My second pt was a MRCP pt who came in for some surgery. He has a very involved and knowledgeable mother! I had to sit with her as she discussed his home regimen, and the various supplements and meds he was on. She thought it was imperative that he return to his home regimen ASAP so he can gain back the wt he lost since admission and be strong for his surgery. So, we had to make a list in our note with TF recs, probiotic doses, and carnitine. She also likes to add baby food to his TFs at home, so we had to talk about that too. It just went on and on.

On the bright side, not all pts are difficult. This week has been okay so far. Peds is really a different world. The kids are constantly growing, so their needs are always changing. We have to plot on growth charts, and constantly monitor ht, wt, and BMI. There's a lot going on with these kids, so it's definitely a challenge!