Is this your symptom?
- A break in the skin (a wound) shows signs of infection, such as pus, spreading redness, increased pain or swelling, and fever
- Most dirty wounds become infected 24 to 72 hours later
Symptoms of Wound Infections
- Pus or cloudy fluid is draining from the wound.
- Abscess. A collection of pus due to infection. Very painful and swollen. May come to a head and burst. Usually need surgery to drain the pus.
- Pimple. A pimple or yellow crust has formed on the wound.
- Soft Scab. The scab has increased in size.
- Red Area. Increasing redness occurs around the wound.
- Red Streak. A red streak is spreading from the wound toward the heart.
- More Pain. The wound has become very tender.
- More Swelling. Pain or swelling is increasing 48 hours after the wound happened.
- Swollen Node. The lymph node in that area of the wound may become large and tender.
- Fever
- The wound hasn't healed within 10 days after the injury.
When to Call for Wound Infection
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
|
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
|
Self Care at Home
|
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Fever or chills, feeling hot, or shivery
- Increasing pain, swelling, or redness and/or red streaks running out from the wound
- Any face wound with signs of infection (spreading redness. pus, pain)
- Weak immune system. Examples are: diabetes, sickle cell disease, HIV, cancer, organ transplant, taking oral steroids, kidney problems.
- No past tetanus shots
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Discharge (pus) is coming from the wound
- Wound becoming more painful or tender
- Last tetanus shot was more than 5 years ago
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Pimple where a stitch (or staple) comes through the skin
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Mild redness of wound
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
