If you have visited our centre recently you will see we are doing some building work. The plan is to completely renovate the entrance and the facade of the building to make it easier to access. While this work is being carried out, the entrance to the centre is through a door on the other side of the building. This entrance is well sign posted. Please accept our apologies for the disruption. We hope the building work will be complete in about four weeks.
The weather is fantastic at the moment and is expected to continue for at least another week. While the good weather might help everyone to feel better there are risks associated with extreme temperatures particularly for the young and old. The following tips might help you survive the hot temperatures and avoid heat stroke.
So finally we have a bit of sunshine and summer weather! While the sun is great for our mood and Vitamin D it also carries a risk of skin cancer. Currently there are over 9,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed in Ireland every year. Many of these can be traced back to unprotected sun exposure or the use of sun beds. Enjoy the sun while it lasts, but make sure to follow three simple rules to protect you and your family against skin cancer
For more information on this topic visit the Irish Cancer Society website by clicking here. You can also watch this video to learn more about skin cancer and how to prevent it.
If you are planning any trips abroad this summer, make sure you are protected against serious infectious diseases such as Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Malaria. Many common destinations for Irish travelers can pose significant health risks particularly for travelers over 65 and children. Safe and effective vaccines are available at Kilmacud Medical Centre for many of these infections. We can also prescribe pills to protect you against Malaria depending on your destination, health status and budget. When phoning for a travel vaccine appointment, mention this at the time of booking as these sessions take a little longer than the usual visits.
If you are between 25 and 60 and have not had a cervical smear you can get one done for free under the HSE Cerv
ical Check programme. The test is very simple and can help diagnose early cervical cancer. To register for a cervical smear, just login in to the cervical check website and provide your details including your PPS number. If you haven’t time to do this we will be happy to register for you once you provide us with your PPS number.
To get the smear done just make an appointment with us telling the receptionist it is for a cervical smear. Alternatively request an appointment using the link from this web site.
Results of smear tests are available within 4 weeks. You will contacted either by our practice or the cervical check programme.
To find out more about cervical check and cervical smears click the link to this video.
The practice will be closed from 1pm on Friday the 29th of March until Tuesday the 2nd of April. If you have an urgent medical problem over the bank holiday weekend, contact EastDoc on 2094021 between 10am and 6pm. Outside these hours emergency care will be provided by Doctor On Duty on 8300244. We wish you all a Happy Easter!
Whooping cough (Pertussis) infection appears to be making a comeback this winter with 444 cases notified to the NSPC as of last December 2012. This is probably an underestimate of the true prevalence of this infection as the swabs and blood tests GPs require to diagnose this infection are not being made available. The main group affected by this years outbreak are young babies and children with almost a third of cases occurring in babies under six months of age. This group are also most at risk of complications from the infection.
The characteristic symptom of whooping cough is a severe cough lasting more than two weeks and associated with a “whoop” or vomiting. Antibiotic treatment can be useful if given early. The HSE are also recommending that pregnant women receive a booster of their Pertussis vaccine between the 28th and 32nd week of pregnancy in order to protect their newborn babies. We are happy to provide this to any expectant Mums or see children with persistent cough for advise and diagnosis.
If you are faced with the prospect of finding a nursing home for a loved one, an article by Anna Patterson who is Director of Nursing at Cairn Hill Nursing Home may help. A link to the article is provided below and it covers a range of topics including the “Fair Deal” support scheme and some tips on what to look for when choosing a nursing home. Anna has a huge amount of experience in this field and the short article is choc full of useful information for families faced with this difficult challenge. You can download the article by clicking here.
With temperatures dropping over the past few weeks elderly people are particularly at risk of Hypothermia. With large number of young Irish people emigrating for work, our elderly people are often left alone and unable to cope in bad weather conditions. If you know an elderly person living alone, please call on them to see if they are OK. A prolonged spell of bad weather can leave an elderly person without food and at risk of hypothermia. Those with Alzheimer’s Disease, Cardiovascular Disease or poor mobility are particularly at risk. In Kilmacud and Stillorgan we have one of the highest concentration of people over 70 so most of us will have at least one person over 70 living alone near to us.
We would like to wish all our patients a very Merry Christmas and a healthy new year!!