good medicine
NOTICE that I do not give medical advice! Just helpful information for times when you may need medical attention by qualified medical professionals! (I’m not a doctor, I play Dr. Mom in real life)
Subjects in this topic:
| Support Groups | |
You have probably found your favorite place to have prescriptions filled, according to your insurance coverage and convenient location. Sometimes, you may need something in the middle of the night when your favorite pharmacy may have closed. According to listings, this is the only Plano pharmacy open 24 hours:
Tom Thumb Supermarket/Pharmacy
4836 W Park (SE corner at Preston)
972-964-8287
http://www.randalls.com/store568.htm
Note: the Tom Thumb site has an online prescription refill feature.
Late Night: Check out your insurance coverage to see if it provides for visits to immediate-care facilities such as Primacare. There may be the weekend sore throat that you need a strep test for to determine if your child will attend school on Monday, not to mention the need for immediate treatment in the case of strep throat or other severe illnesses. Schools and all facilities caring for children generally have a policy that students must not attend if they have had fever, vomiting or diarrhea within the prior 24 hours, so there is another case for immediate medical care for certain ailments. Check out Primacare and find their Plano locations:
http://www.phscare.org/primacare/
Children's Medical Center has put together an interactive website, including content designed to be a complete resource on children's health-related issues.
When choosing a family doctor or pediatrician, ask them if they have the ability to test for strep throat on-site within a few minutes. Not all doctor offices offer this, and having to wait a day or more for strep results is useless. Strep requires immediate treatment, usually with prescription anti-biotics, and if you have to wait any more than a few minutes, you risk exposure to others, not to mention worsening condition and increased pain. My understanding is that Strep must have been treated for 24 hours with an antibiotic before it is considered to not be infectious to others.
If someone in your family needs medicine or a nebulizer to help with breathing difficulties, here are some helpful resources:
Nebulizers may be obtained through Texas Health Resources. I was referred to them by our pediatrician when one of my children was diagnosed as having asthma.
Texas Health Resources
Metro 214-263-4172
I found that nebulizer kits are available inexpensively at the Wal-Mart pharmacy. They have kits with tubing and medicine cups, filters and saline solution. Call them ahead to be sure they have them in stock and their prices.
The BEST, up-to-date listings of area support groups are to be found in Dallas Child and Dallas Family magazines. Both are FREE magazines, available at the exit door of Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.
Plano Star-Courier online features a list of local support groups, meeting for a variety of issues. Click here to find a group that meets your needs.