Recent Curiosities Since ER Visit.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

**Disclaimer: This is not a thread seeking medical advice. I am just curious of a few things I learned during a few ER visits I had this week**

So this past week and a half has been pretty cruddy. I was cultured with strep about a week and a half ago, went home on Augmentin and of course wound up in the ER dehydrated and nauseated after about ten hours of watery stools. (Thank you very much doc in a box for not even given me a little heads up on that. I know about C-Diff and the regular side effects of antibiotics but for some reason my nursing brain shut down on me on this one.).

After about two liters of IVF the nurse came and asked me how I felt. I stated I had a bit of a sudden headache which she called "hydration headache". This was a new one for me, and I wondered if this is pretty common, and maybe it could explain some of the random headaches my new admits get.

Well I went home on hycodan (which I threw up later on and was unable to take) and no more antibiotics and by Saturday I was back in the ER dehydrating, tonsils the size of plump limes, fevering and feeling miserable. They gave me Decadron IV for the tonsil swelling, which gave me that sometimes fabled "genital pain flash" which I have randomly come across, mostly in males I just though were being pervy. Does anyone know the pathophys behind this reaction?

Also when my fever was spiking I never got chills, instead I just got incredibly sweaty. I could probably just look this one up, but I feel like I have fallen into a lul with patient care expecting that fevers will be accompanied by chills. My oral temps never got much above 98.1 (usually I run around 97.1) but my axiallary temps were 99.5-100.5 when I would feel this sweating. Now that I write it up I am wondering if I wasn't fevering but just having a hot flash?

Sufficed to say I am home and feeling much better than I was at 0530 this morning when I dragged my hubby out of bed and off to the ER.

Another last and slightly unrelated curiosity is "nausea bracelets". I was talking to one of the RN's about being worried about nausea during pregnancy, she told me to pick up some of these pressure point bracelets. Has anyone heard of them?

I think that is about it :)

Tait

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Steroids will cause hot flashes. I've had them from steroids that were almost as bad as the ones I had during drug induced sudden menopause.

[pfongk]

The nausea bracelets or "seabands" as they're known in australia were a godsend when I was pregnant. They're work on some accupressure point in your wrists. It was thanks to these and ginger bears that I was able to function in the 1st trimester and not end up in hospital on IV fluids due to dehydration.

[CuriousMe]

Naussea bracelets are supposed to work by putting pressure on pressure points. They're a popular sea sickness remedy (used to work on a cruise ship, I've seen just about every remedy for sea sickness). Personally, they never worked for me (if seas were really rough, meclizine was my tx of choice), but I know folks who swore by them.

YMMV

Here's a link to a popular brand of these.

Amazon.com: The Original Sea-Band Wristband for Motion and Morning

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Steroids will cause hot flashes. I've had them from steroids that were almost as bad as the ones I had during drug induced sudden menopause.

I wasn't on the steroids yet though.

[CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN]

I wasn't on the steroids yet though.

Decadron is a glucocorticosteroid.

[mercuryrawks]

I have severe motion sickness, and when I was pregnant with my first, at my 6 week initial check up, the doc said to gather up whatever remedies I used for motion sickness since morning sickness and motion sickness kind of pair together. I felt great, so I kinda brushed him off. Week 8 hit me like a mac truck. and it didn't let up until the day I delivered. The same remedies worked for me for break through nausea while on my zofran pump. Put your wrists on something cold. That pressure point--the basis of the bracelets--hook right up to the gland that causes both. Has always given me instant relief. Have never tried the bracelet, though. Good luck hope you feel better!

[CuriousMe]

I have severe motion sickness, and when I was pregnant with my first, at my 6 week initial check up, the doc said to gather up whatever remedies I used for motion sickness since morning sickness and motion sickness kind of pair together. I felt great, so I kinda brushed him off. Week 8 hit me like a mac truck. and it didn't let up until the day I delivered. The same remedies worked for me for break through nausea while on my zofran pump. Put your wrists on something cold. That pressure point--the basis of the bracelets--hook right up to the gland that causes both. Has always given me instant relief. Have never tried the bracelet, though. Good luck hope you feel better!

The gland in your wrist that causes nausea? Missed that in my A&P class

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Decadron is a glucocorticosteroid.

Let me clarify, again. I received the steroids after the aforementioned "fevers/hot flashes" at home. Therefore I was not on a steroid of any kind when theses situations occurred.

Tait

[Bobbkat]

Nausea bracelets never worked for me. I was Zofran all the way when I was pregnant.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Nausea bracelets never worked for me. I was Zofran all the way when I was pregnant.

Considering I used to get nauseous off my short stint with birthcontrol pills in my 20's I have a feeling Zofran will be my savior as well.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Ginger is great for nausea. But I believe there is some discussion on bleeding risk that might contraindicate for pregnancy depending on the OB.