Notes from the Nurse

Dear Nurse McDavid,

Should we pop blisters or let them go away on their own?

From (our first winner!) Chelsea Hamilton

Dear Chelsea,

Experts at the Cleveland Clinic recommend leaving your blister alone! Blisters are the body's way of protecting what is under the skin with creating it's own bandage. When we pop blisters, the risk of infection increases. One exception to not popping blisters is if you are immunocompromised, or at a higher risk for infection, then a doctor might choose to drain the blister with a sterile needle. If you have a blister that pops on its own, it's best to cover it with a band-aid and keep the area dry. To prevent blisters on your feet, wear shoes that properly fit or place band-aids or blister band-aids in areas where you feel friction before a blister occurs. (Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/blisters-causes-treatments-and-why-you-should-never-pop-them/)

Nurse McDavid

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Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes, also called insulin-dependent diabetes, typically occurs in childhood, and occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin. This is an autoimmune condition, meaning the body has attacked the pancreas with antibodies. Insulin is like a key to all of our cells that unlocks the cell to allow glucose to enter. Our blood glucose level decreases when glucose enters the cells. Those with type 1 diabetes will need to be given insulin injections before every meal and most snacks.

Type 2 Diabetes, also called non-insulin dependent diabetes, can occur at any age. The prevalence is increasing among children. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually still creates insulin, and the problem lies with the cells. Cells become insulin resistant over time due to obesity or even certain medications (one example are the statin drugs used to treat high cholesterol) and glucose remains in the blood stream. Type 2 diabetes can increase your risk for infection, heart disease, and stroke.

Prediabetes is a state when your fasting blood sugar is higher than it should be. Normal fasting blood sugar is 99 mg/dL or lower. Prediabetes is diagnosed with your fasting blood sugar is 100 to 125 mg/dL, and 126 mg/dL or higher indicated diabetes. (CDC, 2021). Prediabetes means that you have an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Losing weight and exercising can lower those risks.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/types-of-diabetes-mellitus

Click HERE to take a quiz from the CDC to see your risk of developing prediabetes.

What is a seizure?

Many of us have seen seizures on television or in person. When we think of a seizure, we usually think about convulsions. But seizures don't have to just be convulsions (which are called tonic clonic seizures). Seizures can also be seen when someone looks off to the side or up in the air for an extended period of time. This is caused by sudden disorganized firing of many neurons at one time leading to changes in consciousness, sensation, behavior, or mood.

What is the difference between Epilepsy and Seizures?

"A seizure is a single occurrence, whereas epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by two or more unprovoked seizures" (hopkinsmedicine.org, 2021).

If you see someone having a tonic clonic seizure, you can help in the following ways:

• Ease the person onto the floor
• Turn the person to their side
• Clear the area around the person
• Protect their head if possible while they are convulsing by placing a blanket, jacket, or sweatshirt under their head
• Loosen anything around the neck that could make it hard to breath
• Stay with the person until the seizure ends
• Never put anything in their mouth
• Call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Interested in seizure training for school personnel? Click HERE

Click on the Seizure First Aid Poster below for a quick reference:

The Book of Phisick from 1710 recommended treating epilepsy with a powder made of hair and deer bones. The recipe was to "cook a strong man's hair with a deer legbone, turn it into powder, and then eat it leading up to the new moon" (www.mentalfloss.com).

Ancient "treatments" for diabetes included eating milk with rice and starchy, gummy food, powders of wormseed, easy to digest foods such as veal and mutton, or rancid animal food. In reality, these did not work to "treat" type 1 diabetes, and people would die within weeks to months of the onset of symptoms.

Source: Medical News Today

Aren't you glad we have modern medicine?

Email: mcdavidl@friscoisd.org
Phone: 469-633-5808

Email: lulashnyks@friscoisd.org
Phone: 469-633-5828