Kawasaki disease affects coronary, small, and medium sized arteries throughout the body causing inflammation in the artery walls. Because Kawasaki disease also affects lymph nodes, skin, and mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose, and throat, it is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. Children from two to five years, of Japanese or Korean descent, are usually affected although any child can get this disease. A Japanese doctor, Tomisaku Kawasaki, identified the disease in 1967. Some of the complications... more

An interesting dilemma that parents of special kids face is if or when it’s the “right time” to do certain medical procedures. Depending on your child’s challenges, you may have some very valid reasons for not pursuing a medical procedure that most parents would have their child undergo.

Right now, braces are the medical procedure we’re opting out of. LuLu’s teeth are incredibly crooked. In fact, she may not have enough space for all of them to come in. However, we’re opting to wait at this time, because we can’t imagine adding one more source of... more

Here at the parenting special kids’ blog, we have written several articles on the suggested benefits of a tonsillectomy. Advocates have insisted that our children will sleep better, have straighter teeth, behave better, and have less throat infections. Sounds really simple, doesn’t it. In fact, after putting four of my children through braces, I decided to have some of my crooked teethed children try the tonsillectomy to see if it would make a difference in their teeth, sleep, and ADD. After all, braces here in Michigan are over $5000 a child now. I can’t report on the... more

Yesterday, I learned that our local elementary school had reported a case of MRSA. Usually if something is going around the school, a note comes home with my child. However, this school infection was actually reported as news on a local radio station, which caused me to do some research. Methicillin-Resistant Staph. Aureus, or MRSA as it is better known as, now kills more Americans than HIV/AIDS, according to a CDC report in the October 17, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association. Infections... more

Two children implanted with the Advanced Bionics cochlear implant with positioner died within the past year from infections. The children were between the ages of nine and 11. Neither child was fully vaccinated according to the CDC recommended vaccination schedule for pneumococcal disease. It is believed that one of these children died from meningitis caused by a serotype of Streptococcus pneumoniae, which may have been prevented by full vaccination.

Some parents of children with cochlear implants were asked to complete surveys about their children’s vaccinations. Nearly... more

In April I shared some information with you that I learned at the dentist office and the pediatric office. First, the dentist suggested that I have some of my children assessed for tonsillectomies for multiple reasons. The dentist had actually seen children with straight teeth just a few months after their tonsillectomies, who previously were candidates for orthodontics. In addition, the children were mouth breathing, which causes calcification,... more

In the past, parents routinely took their children to the doctor for ear infections expecting to receive a prescription for an antibiotic. However, that is no longer the case. Apparently, there is increasing evidence to show that most ear infections will resolve themselves in about the same amount of time, with or without an antibiotic. Therefore, many doctors may be reluctant to treat certain ear infections with antibiotics, especially in children over six months old, because the overuse of antibiotics is leading to antibiotic-resistant strains... more

Babies and children between the ages of four months and five years are the most likely to suffer from middle ear infections (otitis media). By the time children reach three years, they have probably suffered at least one ear infection. Allergies such as hay fever, or an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold caused by a virus, also cause middle ear infection.

Swelling and inflammation, of the sinuses and the eustachian tubes, are caused by both colds... more

Last week I took three of my children to the dentist for routine cleaning and when they were finished one of the dentists asked to speak to me. He said that he noticed that one of the three children had a significant amount of crowding and it looked as though she would need braces. I agreed with him and indicated that she had already been evaluated for orthodontics and we were planning on putting them on this summer. Also, the doctor mentioned that she had quite a bit of calcification which indicates that she is mostly ... more