Joey Wahler (Host): It's that time of year, so we're discussing avoiding the emergency room and Quick Care during the summer months. Our guest is Dawn Brazzell, a Board Certified Advanced Practicing Nurse with Kirby Medical Center. This is the Kirby Connections Health Podcast, where we help you nourish your wellness journey with Kirby Medical Center.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi there, Dawn. Welcome.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Hello, welcome. Thank you.

Host: Thank you. Great to have you aboard. We appreciate the time. So first, generally speaking, we'll get into some specifics in a moment. Why is it so important for people to think ahead about avoiding trips to the ER or Quick Care, particularly during the summer months?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Well, everyone likes their time during the summer, so no one wants to spend their time in waiting rooms and exam rooms and unfortunately, coming to the doctor is sometimes very expensive, and there's better ways to spend your money.

Host: Absolutely. And then from the standpoint of you and yours, it's an extra burden on staff when people come in unnecessarily. Right?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Wouldn't say burden, but it does take up some time of people that maybe need it more.

Host: Absolutely. So what are some of the most common summer related injuries or illnesses that send people to the ER from your experience?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: From my experience, a big one is heat related issues, such as being out in the sun too long, getting overheated, which also leads to dehydration. A big one we see in Quick Care has been poison ivy and bug bites, cuts, scrapes, sprains, sunburn, foodborne illnesses. All the fun things that come with being outside and hanging out in the heat.

Host: And speaking of which, you mentioned poison ivy there. Are there any tips for trying to avoid it? How do you know if you're touching it?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: The big rule is that leaves of three, if you see a plant that has the leaves of three in that pattern, try to avoid that because that's usually some sort of plant that does not like human interaction.

Host: Okay. I did not know that. Very good. So what are some of the more misunderstood reasons people come to the ER? Things that might actually be better treated elsewhere, where they're coming to the ER, but don't necessarily need to.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: For the ER specifically, minor cuts, scrapes, sprains, possible even fractures. You can come to see us in QuickCare. Sometimes it's a little bit faster. We don't have the full workups that they do in the ER, so we're a little bit quicker. But if it's something that requires blood work, advanced imaging,

IV treatment, then that is the place for you.

Host: And how about a few simple everyday habits families can adopt to help stay out of Quick Care this summer.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: To stay outta Quick Care, big one for if you're feeling dehydrated, lots of water. Lots and lots of water. You gotta try to drink at least every one to two hours. If they're sitting out in the sun sweating profusely even more frequently. Stay away from sugary drinks, stay away from alcohol. Stay away from caffeinated drinks as those can tend to make you more dehydrated.

Host: It seems, Dawn, as if a lot of these things come from people overdoing it in the warm weather, right? We all wanna enjoy ourselves, have fun, get to do those things that oftentimes we haven't been able to do for several months. But what are a few of the things that people tend to take too far that ends them up needing care that they otherwise wouldn't?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Staying out in the heat too long. Sweating makes you more dehydrated than you really realize. And if you're feeling dehydrated, then it's already too late. You're already dehydrated. So prevention is the key.

Staying out in the sun. I'm a fairly fair toned person. I can attest to I can be out in the sun for 25 minutes and be sunburned.

And I've made the mistake where I stay out and say, well, I'm at the beach, I'm at the pool, I'm here. I'm at a summer concert. I'm gonna get it. And so try to be preventative of all of these things would be the best key.

Host: That makes two of us when it comes to being fair skinned and needing to be very careful in the sun.

 How about people overdoing the exercise outdoors, maybe going for a little bit too long of a run, that type thing again, especially if maybe they've not had the opportunity to do that outdoors as much of late.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Yes. Try to, if you're gonna go for a run, try to get in early mornings or late in the evening when the sun's gone down a little bit. And it's not, the peak heat hours.

Definitely, if you're gonna do that, try to go early. If you're gonna go out during the day, say you're going hiking somewhere, find a shaded area to cool off. Drink some water. Layer on the sunscreen at least every two hours, 30 SPF or higher.

Host: Absolutely. How about any tips? I know you're obviously involved in the medical field, you're not a chef, at least we know of Dawn, perhaps on the side.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: I am the daughter of a chef.

Host: Oh, is that right? Okay. How ironic, because I want to ask you on a serious note, what about any safety tips you might have from your medical experience for being around the barbecue or handling fireworks because Lord knows too many people wind up in the ER and in Quick Care because of accidents involving those things. Right.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Definitely, safety first. If you're around the barbecue, if you're around a fire. Space, make sure it's controlled, make sure you have water nearby to put it out if it gets too high. If it's a propane grill, make sure you don't have it too high. Greasy foods will, can, flare up and singe your face and get into your airway, which would be a very worst case scenario.

Host: And then I mentioned fireworks. Unfortunately, sometimes kids are not knowledgeable enough to handle the fireworks that they're playing with, and sometimes even adults. We all know about that one guy that runs around the neighborhood with the shirt off, right?

And the red face from being out in the sun way too much. And now he's going to complete his day by setting off fireworks and they're usually big fireworks, right?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: I am the boring mom and I don't let, I have teenagers and I don't let my teenagers play with

fireworks. We go to our city's firework show. We, there's, we live in central Illinois where there are amazing firework shows

all summer long, and that's where we see fireworks. I don't do the sparklers. Those have a heat of, I think I remember going to the fire department one time where they did a drill, where they showed how quickly a shirt can catch on fire just from a sparkler. I'm the boring mom that doesn't let my kids play with fireworks.

Host: Boring, but injury free is the way to go. Right? You'll take boring for that.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: I will take boring every time.

Host: No question about it. Few other things. So speaking of which, you led me beautifully into my next question. What should parents be especially mindful of when their kids are playing outside swimming, of course at this time of year, involved in sports during the summer months?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Swimming big one. Make sure we have brightly colored swimsuits. Look for the neon orange, neon green. Anything that can be seen from further away and underneath the water so that you can always lay eyes on them. Make sure they know how to swim. Put them in swim lessons early. Flotation devices, make sure they wear life jackets, anything. I mean, a child can drown in an inch of water. So make sure that we are all aware. Big thing to know is learn CPR. Learn how to do that if needed.

Joey Wahler (Host): And one thing you hit on there, young kids, even babies, the importance of swim lessons as early as possible. So happens our 2-year-old is going for swim lesson number two later today. The first one went pretty well. We're going back for more and, the sooner the better. Right.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: It, they're amazing. They're, and kids learn early and anything that you can teach them how to be safe and you can't trust the child

because they don't know any better. So even on the side of the pool, they should be wearing life jackets, flotation device, something that

would save them if they were to fall in or run in or chase after something, or

hold hands. Be aware. Be alert.

Host: And it's surprising in the beginning if you've not been through it with a young toddler. Isn't it Dawn, how easily and well they take to the water. They love it.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: They love it. They love it, they love it. They love being in the water. Then you know that they can swim, they can be safe. And that's not to take away from still watching and staying within arm's reach, but if they know how to do it. And I think my friend's 3-year-old is in her second year of swim lessons and she, I mean, she swims better than me probably.

Host: Yeah, they told me at the swim school that by the end of the summer, our nearly 3-year-old should be able to swim five feet on her own. I said, I'd like to see that.

I'll take it.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: And I bet she will.

Host: That would be awesome. It really would. Now, how about any red flags or symptoms that should prompt someone to seek emergency care rather than trying to manage it at home? In other words, we've been talking so much about trying to avoid the emergency room with things unnecessarily, but how do you know when you really have something that warrants going there?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: To warrant to go there is if you know yourself best. If you are thinking, I was skateboarding and I hurt my ankle, and I've put ice on it. I've tried ibuprofen. I still can't bear weight. It's time to go. The swelling is too much. The pain is too much. Come on in. There's small fractures that we don't want to go unnoticed and have you continue to try to walk on them and injure yourself further.

Host: How about those with chronic conditions, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, what special precautions should they take in the heat?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Asthma.

Keep an inhaler with you at all times. You never know what's in the air, what allergen, what pollution, what anything is in the air that will flare up an asthma attack, especially if you're away from home or away from your car.

Keep an inhaler in your pocket. Those with heart disease, watch what you eat. Watch the exercise because a lot of times, you hear all of those people that were out mowing their lawn that just had that chest pain and wound themselves up in an ambulance, so.

Host: Absolutely. Many families traveling over the summer, of course. How about smart ways to prepare for a road trip to avoid needing unexpected care.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Yeah. Build yourself a first aid kit to keep in your car. Keep a list of all the medications that you take handy so that if something were to happen, if you were say, to get into a car accident, those paramedics would have a list of your chronic conditions as well as medications. Water, again, that hydration is key. Sunscreen, bug spray, Tylenol, ibuprofen, antihistamines. They make the packets, like the electrolyte drinks that you can add to water so that when you're dehydrated, you can get a little bit of extra electrolytes in you. Keep all of those in a summer kit, in a basket that you throw in your trunk, in the backseat, somewhere where it's handy and readily available for you.

Host: How about people making better use of their primary care provider on an ongoing basis to prevent nonessential ER and Quick Care visits? We're talking about things like preventative care screenings, et cetera. Right?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Yes, all of the things. Make an appointment, see them frequently. Manage your heart disease. Check your cholesterol, check your blood pressure, check your. Simple things. Get your eyes checked. Is it because you have blurry vision, because you're dehydrated? Or are your vision changing, or something worse? Are you having a stroke? Something like that. Your primary is just the genius of all geniuses, and they can manage and make you as healthy as possible, as long as you listen and follow directions.

Host: Yeah, kind of like the point guard on a basketball team. They can keep things under control and point you in the right direction and keep everything organized and tell you where to go from here to there. Right.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Yes, it's definitely easier to stay healthy than get back to healthy, so.

Host: Well put. Very well put. Finally, in summary here, Dawn, you've done a great job for us covering all these different areas and specifics. Generally speaking, overall, what's the one piece of advice to help people stay safe and healthy this summer? How about a mindset people should keep in their head?

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Number one takeaway is prevention. Be alert. Be aware of what's around you. Know your health history, and know how to stay healthy.

Host: Great advice indeed. And hopefully people put those words into action, right? That's the key.

Well folks we trust you are now more familiar with avoiding the ER and Quick Care this summer. Dawn, for you, your family, your kids, the dogs, the whole crew, enjoy your summer, all of you, and great advice. Thanks so much again.

Dawn Brazzell, APRN-FNP-BC: Thank you.

Host: And for more information, please visit kirbyhealth.org/about-us/community-outreach-services. Now, if you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media. I'm Joey Wahler. Thanks so much again for being part of the Kirby Connections Health Podcast.