August 2008 - the Parklander

Plastic Surgery
• Facial Surgery, Laser & Peels
• Breast Enhancement • Body Contouring
• Botox • Restylane & Perlane
American Society of
Plastic Surgeons
Pamela Rosen, MD, FACS
Featuring Obaji & TNS
skin care products
Board Certified By
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Fellow of American College of Surgeons
Call today
to arrange a private consultation
954-341-8907
3100 Coral Hills Drive, Suite 307
(New Medical Offices Next To Coral Springs Medical Center)
Member of the
American Society for
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc.
104 AUGUST 2008
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
ICE: In Case
Of Emergency By Carol Rakoff, R.N.
For emergency purposes, ICE/followed by a name of a friend or a relative
should be entered into your cell phone. For example “ICE/ Leslie 954-000-
0000”. All emergency personnel know how to check your cell phone to find
this number quickly. This way your significant other or relative/friend will
be able to give your health information, medications etc. to a paramedic or
emergency room physician.This could be life saving. It’s always a good idea
to have a list of the medications you take in your wallet as well.
So, what constitutes an emergency? A temperature of 101.3 is not an
emergency. Neither is a sore throat, a stomach ache, a back pain or
something you’ve had all week and is getting “a little better, but I don’t want
to ruin my weekend.” I have an employee who takes her ten-month-old to
the emergency room every time he has a temperature. This is really a bad
practice for many reasons. Emergency rooms don’t know your history and
don’t know the last time you had antibiotics. Many people go to emergency
rooms unnecessarily and back them up causing crowding. This can make it
very difficult for hospital personnel to provide care to the person with a true
emergency. There are walk-in clinics available in the area now for most
weekends or evenings if your primary care physician is not available and you
can’t wait, i.e., you’re going on a vacation and may need medication, etc.
Always call your doctor first. Do you have a doctor? Primary doctors are of
utmost importance to your health. You can locate one in many ways. Your
local hospital has a Physician Referral Service. Ask neighbors, friends, and
relatives. Ask other doctors, your dentist, your chiropractor, and your
podiatrist. Look up the names you get on line. Some practices have a web
site. They will tell you if the doctor is board certified, where they went to
school, etc. You can also look online at www.doh.state.fl.us and click on
Floridians and Visitors - scroll to Forms - Certificates, Registry, etc., -
click on Practitioner/Physician Profiling - then click on Use the Profile
Search System. Wow, this is so Nuevo. In the old days, you used to ask a
friend for a name of a doctor and go to them. If you didn’t like them, you
threw away the prescription and went to someone else. Times have surely
changed. If you have an HMO, you have to choose a doctor from their list
of providers, but you can still ask a friend and also take the above steps.
So, what exactly is an emergency? If a medical condition seems to be
exhibiting serious symptoms and you think that not getting immediate
attention will result in loss of life or limb, call 911. If you are having chest
pain, difficulty breathing not improving in a short time, numbness,
weakness, disorientation (sudden), difficulty talking, sudden severe
headache with no migraine history, bleeding not stopping in 10 minutes,
severe bodily injury, loss of consciousness, severe reaction to an insect bite,
sting, medication or food, or ANY CONDITION THAT YOU FEEL
IS LIFE THREATENING, these are emergencies.
So, if you’re over 50, the trick is, stay healthy, get regular checkups, and
find yourself a primary care physician so your screenings are up to date.
Carol Rakoff R.N. is the president of All Total Care, a Nurse Registry located
in Margate and has been in the healthcare field in Florida since 1978.