Articles tagged with 'news' | Checkup Newsroom

Seasonal illnesses are in full swing and hitting Cook Children’s at an unusually high rate. The medical center is under a ‘Facility Alert’ due to an extremely high census. On Monday, Nov. 18, our staff saw 567 patients in the emergency room, which...

For 10 years I’ve been walking into hospital rooms and entering someone else’s story. For 10 years, I’ve made eye contact with the precious kiddo on the bed and told them that I was there to make sure they understood everything that was happening to ...

Your child’s throat is sore, has a headache and a fever. Is it strep or the flu? Maybe, both? Strep and flu are two very different things, although they may have similar symptoms at times. First, let’s distinguish between the two. The flu...

Six-year-old Raven Goff never met a stranger. If she didn’t know your name, she’d simply call you ‘friend.’ Her family recalls her generosity, always more worried about others than herself. Sometimes, that generosity meant several trips to Target to ...

"What happens if my child eats all of my adult vitamins?" We received this question recently. Let's discuss. Just like any adult medication, vitamins should be locked away so that kids can't get to them. Vitamins are particularly risky because,...

"Why is the school nurse calling me?" "Your child is here with a sore throat. I know they haven’t had a fever, but strep has been going around." Whelp, there goes your day. Cancel all your meetings. Call your pediatrician's office. Get an appoi...

Weather forecasters say an active weather pattern could bring with it a "strong storm system approaching North Texas," which could include tornadoes, 2-inch hail, damaging winds and flooding. The National Weather  Service Storm Prediction Center i...

“I went to the hospital on a warm summer day with fear in my heart, I felt some dismay. The registrar said, with a smile on her face, ‘Let me show you your room, it’s a very nice place.’” For most of her 20 years, Shanley Stuteville has been a pat...

“What do I do when my pre-teen or teenager starts to pull away?” Man…this is a tough one. Remember when your child was a toddler, and you taught them to poop on the potty? It was all leading up to this moment. Everything we have taught them alo...

Almost 2.2 million people in 230 different countries visited checkupnewsroom.com this year. They found a variety of pediatric health news, with topics ranging from inspiring patient stories to information on keeping your child healthy. These are the ...

An unusual and even deadly flu season continues to impact the area's children. Last week (Dec. 22-Dec.28, 2019) at Cook Children's Medical Center, 1,457 children tested for the flu. Five hundred forty-six patients tested positive for Influenza B, ...

The Marvel Comics Universe consists of ordinary people whose lives turn extraordinary once they discover their superpowers. Braden Baker is one of those superheroes. Except Braden is not only in the pages of a comic book, appearing on Ellen and a ...

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the beautiful process of a fever. Yes, I’m a mega-dork for the functions of the human body ... and yes, I think fever is a great thing in most settings. Fever has been recognized as being around for thousands of y...

Your holiday cheer may be put to the test this weekend, with more than 104 million estimated to take to the highways from Saturday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Jan. 1. AAA reports this will be the most holiday travelers in nearly 20 years since the co...

The world is buzzing about the release of the latest film in the Star Wars saga “The Rise of Skywalker” set to hit the big screen tonight. Earlier this month, Disney released a statement with the Epilepsy Foundation warning viewers that certain scene...

Every three minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. For 70% of those patients, the only hope for a cure is a bone marrow transplant from someone outside of their family. This is...

As a gun owner, Daniel Guzman, M.D., understands what a rite of passage going hunting is for many kids in Texas. As an emergency room physician, Dr. Guzman also knows the importance of gun safety. Dr. Guzman has seen serious, even deadly conseq...

Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott plays live in front of thousands every Sunday and millions of more people watch him from home, but during a recent visit to Cook Children's the quarterback showed how impressive he can be when he's just one-on...

My name is Anna Carey, and I am 16 years old. I was hospitalized at Cook Children’s for five days because of vaping and dabbing. I used to play volleyball and tennis, but now I will never be able to play sports again. I started vaping when I was a...

On Thursday, Dec. 5, Tarrant County Public Health confirmed the first pediatric flu death since 2015. Three other pediatric flu deaths have been reported in Texas in this current season. “Because of the sensitive nature of the information, we can’...

Last week, 255 kids tested positive for the flu (24 for Flu A, 231 for Flu B) at the medical center. So, I thought now would be a good time to look at some quick facts about the flu. What The Flu Is The flu is a respiratory illness. The flu ...

What is Fifth disease? I have seen so much of this over the last month at Willow Park! So much so that I did some research to better inform our patients about this "fun" rash. I want to go over a few basics with you. Fifth disease, also known a...

Germs are gross. Kids are gross. Germs and kids are doubly gross. As parents, we know this is true, especially during this time of year. The illness visits are piling up in my office and throughout the Cook Children's system. The days off sc...

As a mother of three, Audrey Ferrel knows about giving the gift of life. But it wasn’t until her oldest daughter, Jackie, was in renal failure and would need a kidney transplant to survive that she would have the chance to provide that gift one more ...

Aaden Balderamos hops up and down, squealing with joy as the bubbles float into the air. "Bubbles. Bubbles. Up. Up. Pop!" The nurse taking Aaden's vitals before his doctor's appointment can't help but smile too. She's blowing the bubbles as she...

It’s 3 a.m. and your child wakes up feeling like an oven. Quick! Where’s your thermometer? The preceding message was a drill. A drill that I should practice more often because when the heat is on, I flame out every time. Let’s assume you are...

Sitting outside of a movie theater, Damian Wells hoped he’d embarrassed himself for the last time. Moments earlier, the 15-year-old Weatherford, Texas teen was watching a movie with his younger sisters when all of the sudden, a fit of cursing and ...

Last week, Nov. 17-23, 2019, 826 patients were tested for the flu, with 210 testing positive for the flu (197 Flu B, 13 Flu A) and 209 more testing postive for RSV. ...

Hi. My name is Landry Murphy. I’m a teenage girl with a lot of hopes and dreams, but with a lot of desires comes big responsibilities. One responsibility that I did not get to “choose” is being a Type 1 diabetic. I’ve been a Type 1 diabetic and a ...

I’ve never been a big proponent of giving a baby medication for normal fussiness or spitting up. But when the fussiness symptoms are severe and consistent with reflux or the baby is not gaining weight well, treatment with an acid reduction medicat...