Helping to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

By Nurse Diane

When my mother was a teen, teenage pregnancies were mostly unheard of.  If someone happened to get in the family way, the girl was usually shipped off to Aunt Clara's house, or to some other remote location before any signs of the indiscretion became apparent.

When I was a teen, it was still quite uncommon for a girl to get knocked up, however if it happened, the girl usually stayed away from school, and was whispered about around town.

These days, seeing a pregnant mother at high school is a common sight, no one even blinks twice when a pregnant girl walks down the high school halls.  The vocational schools have day cares and child caring classes, and there is even a television show glamorizing the scenes of teenage pregnancy.

Becoming a parent while you are still a child is not as fun as the media makes it seem.  Not only have you lost your childhood, unable to do activities the other kids are doing, but also you are also responsible for another life.  You have to provide food, shelter, and heath care for another person for the next 20 years or so - should you decide to keep your baby?

Today is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.  While it may not be a popular or comfortable subject to talk about, as adults, we have the responsibility to at least make an effort to inform the younger generation about the repercussions of unprotected sex and the effects it will have on their lives.  If you know of a teen, or have one in your home, take today and start a conversation with them, find out what they know, and what they don't. 

Stayteen.org has an online quiz here, http://www.stayteen.org/quiz/.  Ask your teen to take this quiz as a starting point for your conversation. 

To find other ways to help visit: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national/. 

There is plenty of time for young girls to become mothers.  Encourage the teens to wait until they are able to care for themselves and another human.

Mom, Dad, - time to do your research - get the facts - and determine your path forward for your children.  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy offer Ten Tips for Parents :  

1. Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.
2. Talk with your children early and often about sex, and be specific.
3. Supervise and monitor your children and adolescents.
4. Know your children's friends and their families.
5. Discourage early, frequent, and steady dating.
6. Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older than she is. And don't allow your son to develop an intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is.
7. Help your teenagers have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood
8. Let your kids know that you value education highly.
9. Know what your kids are watching, reading, and listening to.
10. These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen pregnancy work best when they occur as part of strong close relationships with your children that are built from an early age.

Parents and Guardians – PLEASE take a few minute to click on this link read the entire article.

National STD Month

By Nurse Diane

When I was in nursing school, I worked at the school's health clinic.  It was just starting up, so the clinic was a mobile nursing unit.  It was a big RV that had been converted to a traveling clinic complete with a classroom, exam room and waiting room. The nurse practitioner, myself, an office staff member, and driver would travel to different schools in a 100 mile radius once a week to perform various tasks such as checking blood pressure, doing simple blood tests the occasional physical exam, but mostly education.  The number one subject the kids wanted to learn about was sex related topics.  Not only did we instruct about disease and pregnancy, we also provided condoms, and instructions for using them.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are 20 million new cases of STD are a year with a cost of 19 billion dollars to treat them.  I also learned that one out of every two sexually active people will contract a sexually transmitted disease by the age of 25, and some may not even be aware that they have a disease.

The good news is that most STDs are treatable, and many are curable – early detection through testing is key. Yet, stigma, inconsistent or incorrect condom use, access to health care, and a combination of other factors contribute to high rates of STDs among teens and young adults.

Research has shown that most adolescents feel more comfortable discussing this problem with their primary care physician, an with the person who initiates the discussion, and is knowledgeable about the diseases, causes cures and prevention.

Sexually transmitted diseases are a real problem; if you have any young teens in your family, don't be afraid to bring up this discussion with them.  Don't judge them or show disproval, just provide them with answers, and the tools to prevent sexually transmitted disease.  If you or other parent doesn’t feel comfortable having this discussion, talk with their primary care physician about bringing up this matter to them.

Since I routinely had these discussions in the course of my job, I was comfortable having it with my son.  You want to make sure that you have the discussion in a non-threatening place.  I decided to take my son to the Dairy Queen and have banana splits.  The talk went well, until a catholic nun walked up to our table, and had been listening to our discussion.  This proved a little embarrassing, and put an end to our conversation, but makes for a funny story now.

The most important thing is to bring up the subject, don’t be afraid to answer any questions, and if you don't know the answer, you can find out together. Show your support to your kids, and help stop the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases!

Celebrating National Braille Literacy Month

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By Diane Forrest

Yesterday I wrote about the seeing eye dogs.  Today, I want to let you know about another tool used by the vision impaired to assist them with their daily lives.  In 1809 Louis Braille was born.  43 years and 2 days later, he died, but not before he created a reading system so that blind people would be able to place their fingers over raised dots and read. When Louis was 3 years old, an accident in his father's shop cause  an object to be tossed into his eye.  His wound became infected, and the infection spread to his other eye.  By the time he was 5 years old, he was blind.  His parents took great pains to raise him as a sighted child, teaching him how to navigate around the town alone.  He was "at peace" with his disability.  His bright and creative mind impressed the local teachers and priests, and he was encouraged to seek higher education.

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When he was of age, he went to school and learned to read by tracing letters on heavily embossed pages.  These books were very heavy and hard to handle.  According to Wikipedia.com, Braille was determined to fashion a system of reading and writing that could bridge the critical gap in communication between the sighted and the blind. In his own words: "Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge, and that is vitally important for us if we [the blind] are not to go on being despised or patronized by condescending sighted people. We do not need pity, nor do we need to be reminded we are vulnerable. We must be treated as equals – and communication is the way this can be brought about."

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In 1821 he learned of a type of communication used by the French army called night writing.  It was made of dots and dashes that could be read by soldiers tracing their fingers over the pages.  This method was too complicated to learn and understand, so Louis devised his own method.  When he was just 15 years old he began working on his own system by using the same tool that cause his blindness.  His work was published in 1839, and the rest...is history.  He contracted tuberculosis and died, 2 days after his 43rd birthday at home with his family.

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This is National Braille Literacy Month.  ehow.com has some suggestions on how to participate in this great achievement.  They include:

1.    Celebrate the birthday of Louis Braille- see if you can learn to spell his name in Braille on the birthday cake.

2.    Talk to your children about blindness.

3.    Blindfold yourself and see how well you can manage to move through your own home with someone guiding you. Keep it up and see how much you improve.

4.    Check out a book in Braille in the library and study it. Show it to your kids.

5.    Learn to write your own name in the Braille alphabet.

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Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

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By Nurse Diane

Earlier this month we told you that is was gynecologic cancer awareness month.  Included in the group are Ovaries.  Ovarian Cancer is one of the most deadly of women's cancers. Each year, approximately 21,880 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In 2010, approximately 13,850 women will die in the United States from ovarian cancer. Many women don't seek help until the disease has begun to spread, but if detected at its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate is more than 93%. Recent research suggests that together the four symptoms of: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urinary urgency or frequency may be associated with ovarian cancer.  Below is a copy of the Presidential Proclamation:

NATIONAL OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, 2012

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 

This year, thousands of American women will lose their lives to ovarian cancer. They are mothers and daughters, sisters and grandmothers, community members and cherished friends -- and the absence they leave in our hearts will be deeply felt forever. During National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we honor those we have lost, show our support for women who bravely carry on the fight, and take action to lessen the tragic toll ovarian cancer takes on families across our Nation.

Sadly, women are all too often diagnosed with this disease when it has already reached an advanced stage. Because early detection is the best defense against ovarian cancer, it is essential that women know the risk factors associated with the disease. Women who are middle-aged or older, who have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, or who have had certain cancers in the past are at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Any woman who thinks she is at risk of ovarian cancer or who experiences symptoms, including abdominal pain, pressure, or swelling -- should talk with her health care provider. To learn more, visit www.Cancer.gov.

Ongoing progress in science and medicine is moving us forward in the battle against ovarian cancer, and my Administration remains committed to improving outcomes for women suffering from this devastating illness. Through agencies across the Federal Government, we are continuing to invest in research that paves the way for a new generation of tests and treatments. Through the Centers for Disease Control's Inside Knowledge campaign, we are working to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. The Affordable Care Act already bans insurance companies from dropping a woman's coverage because she has ovarian cancer, and from placing lifetime or restrictive annual dollar limits on her coverage. Beginning in 2014, the law will also prohibit insurers from denying coverage or charging higher premiums because a woman has ovarian cancer -- or any other pre-existing condition. 

 Ovarian cancer affects the lives of far too many women every year, and the tragedy it leaves in its wake reverberates in communities across our country. This month, we stand with all those who have known the pain of ovarian cancer, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of new and better ways to prevent, detect, and treat this devastating disease.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do hereby proclaim September 2012 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I call upon citizens, government agencies, organizations, health care providers, and research institutions to raise ovarian cancer awareness and continue helping Americans live longer, healthier lives. I also urge women across our country to talk to their health care providers and learn more about this disease.

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September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.  I urge you to visit your gynecologist if you have not done so this year, and also encourage all the women in your life to be checked as well.  Early detection can provide a successful survival rate.

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