Flu season stress

For parents of young children and teens flu season can be stressful, and with the added 'bonus' of a pandemic this year, it has not made times any easier. From making sure your children get their flu shots to staying constantly vigilant of their potential symptoms, it can be an exhausting season. Even when taking these precautions, we all know children are super-spreaders and will likely get sick at some point during the many contagious months ahead. When this happens, we must decide whether to see a doctor or to lockdown in the house until symptoms disappear. Even with calling the doctor, it can be hard to diagnose without seeing the patient's symptoms. Understandably, this adds to your stress because it may lead you to make a decision that you might not be confident in making. 

What can we do as parents?

If you feel overwhelmed, that is okay! Veteran parent blogger Catherine Newman has some tips that I would like to share with you. She emphasizes that parents need to understand that worry gets you nowhere, instead plan the logistics and find your calm. Now we all know that this is easier said than done, but having a plan is always better than diving in blind. With the internet, it can be hard not to worry. Upon searching symptoms, Google tends to give you a barrage of life-threatening diseases that can only add to the stress and leave you convinced you need to go to the ER. In the article, Catherine states, "As a single mom of three, I worry that once one kid gets sick, we're all going down. Which means missing work and losing pay while I stay home with them." This highlights that having a plan to track your child's symptoms can be a considerable time, money, and stress saver. Having a doctor one tap away, who can also see your child's symptoms, is a breath of fresh air for many working parents and will allow you to make the best decision for your child.   

Taking my child to the doctor costs how much?

Even with insurance, a quick doctor's visit can cost anywhere in the range of $15-$50. Now, when factoring in the cost of taking time off work and having multiple children, it can grow to a major expense. Now I am sure that you're thinking, "How has there been almost 0 innovation for busy parents who can't always rush to the doctor for any symptoms their child has?” This is exactly what inspired Remmie's founder, Jane Zhang, when creating a revolutionary ENT device. This futuristic otoscope allows you to send high-quality images to doctors while being able to track symptoms regularly. As a parent, it empowers you to take an active role in your children’s health while saving you the time of visiting the doctor's office and potentially spreading/getting sick from someone else. This is especially important during the approaching flu season and the current pandemic.

We can make it through this together

To summarize, as a parent, flu season is probably not your favorite time of year. Taking measures to prepare can make a huge difference in your work, home, and family health. It can also allow you to stay focused on your career and family while taking a proactive role in everyone's health care. It will enable you to make more educated decisions when deciding what is best for your child, and ultimately isn't that what we all want?

Author: Matthew Hobbs

Editor: Jessi Connolly; Dean Sekol

Photo by Aiony Haust