Are you in need of a wellness exam?

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Do you take advantage of scheduling your child’s annual wellness exam? Surprisingly, many parents don’t. Most parents only make sure their children have wellness exams when they are younger and growing faster and require immunizations. As children grow older, many parents don’t continue to schedule a wellness exam for their children and only see a physician when their child becomes sick, according to a report by ABC News.
We’ve all heard the saying, “healthy kids grow up to be healthy adults.” It is important for children to have regular wellness checkups from the time they are born through  adulthood. A number of insurance companies recognize the importance of regular wellness checkups in preventing many illnesses and diseases or finding them in their earlier stages and may cover these visits at 100 percent of the cost.
Children who participate in school athletics in middle school and high school are required to have a sports physical. Parents may think that this is the same as a regular physical and feel their child no longer needs a wellness checkup. A sports physical is a checkup to assess a child’s health and fitness
as it relates to a sport. During the
sports physical, the healthcare provider looks for any diseases or injuries that could make it unsafe to participate in sports.
“A sports physical is important to make sure these young bodies are prepared and ready for the sports season ahead, but it does not replace the need for a wellness checkup,” said Pam Pourciau, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, BC, CEN, CPE, adult nurse practitioner at the LaPlace Medical Center.“A wellness checkup assesses a child’s health and well-being from head to toe.”
During your child’s wellness checkup, a physician or nurse practitioner will do a complete health assessment to make sure he or she is growing and developing properly. First, a history and physical will be performed.  To check your child’s history, the physician or nurse practitioner will likely ask the parent and/or child about important behaviors, like diet and exercise. This is a chance to mention any complaints or concerns you have about your child’s health. The primary care provider will also check your child’s immunization or vaccine record and administer any vaccines that are recommended at this time. As new viruses become prevalent, researchers may recommend additional immunizations.
“It’s important to stay in touch with your child’s primary care provider, whether a doctor or nurse practitioner, and discuss any new immunizations that are now being recommended,” says Pourciau.  “The ‘contacts section’ of a cell phone can be easily used to list medications, immunizations, or other health history. There are many free downloads for your smart phone that can serve as a child’s or parent’s personal health record.”
Next, the provider will check your child’s vital signs, including temperature and blood pressure. Using a stethoscope, he or she will listen to your child’s heart to check for an irregular heartbeat, a heart murmur, or other signs of heart disease, and will listen to their lungs for crackles, wheezes, or decreased breath sounds, which can be signs of heart or lung disease. A head and neck exam will be performed by
having your child open his or her mouth and say “ah” for the throat and tonsils to be seen. The condition of your child’s teeth and gums also provides information about his or her overall health. Additionally, your child’s ears, nose, sinuses, eyes, lymph nodes, and thyroid gland will be examined. An abdominal exam will be performed by tapping or pressing your child’s abdomen to detect liver size and the presence of abdominal fluid or air, listening for bowel sounds with a stethoscope and palpating for tenderness. Last, the primary care provider will test your child’s muscle strength and reflexes, examine his or her skin and nails, and will examine the arm and leg joints and movements.
The American College of Preventive Medicine encourages parents to use a wellness checkup as a time for the doctor or nurse practitioner to get reacquainted with your child and discuss any issues that may be troubling him or her. It’s a time to ease any doubts or insecurities a child may have about his or her growth and development. The provider can talk to the child about staying safe and avoiding problems that teens and young adults sometimes have as all of these issues affect health and wellness.
The teen years are often the most challenging years of life because of: rapid physical growth and changing hormones, conditions such as acne or allergies, the need to fit in and to be accepted, the pressure to experiment and take risks, challenges to self-esteem, coping with sexual maturity, dealing with extremes of emotions and being torn between dependence and independence.
“Sometimes, just talking about these types of issues with someone who understands them and is nonjudgmental is enough to relieve anxiety,” said Pourciau.
Think of what your child has to gain from having regular wellness exams. At the very least, you and your child will have knowledge that he or she is healthy or not. This can help you to prepare them to participate actively in their health and well-being and to learn to face life’s challenges.
Pourciau  is an adult nurse practitioner on staff at the LaPlace Medical Center. She is affiliated with the practices of Dr. Colin Bailey, family practice, Dr. Andrew St. Martin, family practice, and Dr. Ben Tegala, internal medicine. Their office is located at 735 W. Fifth Street in LaPlace and will soon include a second floor renovation dedicated to occupational medicine. Appointments may be made by calling 985-652-9504.