“The City That Never Sleeps”

Growing up in New York, I was (and still am) proud of the motto that describes my city. It was great! You could get anything you wanted at anytime. A decent pizza was only a phone call away. Then everything changed— I went to medical school. “The city that never sleeps” became a whole new meaning for me.

Medical emergencies/issues/questions know no time. It is amazing what can actually happen in the middle of the night. The most extreme event in my experience was witnessing an emergency open heart procedure at a patient’s bedside. That is not a normal occurrence- but it makes the night interesting (the patient did well). My call last weekend brought back memories, as it was unusually busy. Each call was a personal emergency for a parent and their child. For every night you mange to sleep well, many of your fellow parents are not- whether it is for medical concerns with their children or personal concerns with their in-laws (we do not handle those calls), amongst other things. We are all glad to be there to help in any way we can.

As the holidays approach, remember to be extra cautious with your children. Illness is going to be coming with all those relatives bearing gifts. Remember to use hand sanitizer frequently, especially in public places (when Santa visits Tysons, he has his own bottle next to him). Have a special “quarantine room” for those family members that are ill- or the ones of which you are not quite fond. Be especially careful with newborns. An adult’s common cold can be quite serious for them. Pass their picture around, not the actual baby.

Accidents also seem to happen more around the holidays. Children can get into trouble in an instant, which always seems to be at an inconvenient time. Be careful with stairs, windows, etc. Make sure the house- including any holiday decorations- are child-proof. Keep medicines out-of-reach and/or in child-proof containers, especially those from any guests.

The Holidays are a time for celebrating- and not just for the credit card companies. But, should anything at anytime ever arise, we are always here to help- something we enjoying doing. After all, PAA “never sleeps.”

Andreas Siderdis, MD

PS
If anyone is looking for a decent slice of pizza don’t lose sleep over it- there is none in this area.

Stay tuned, we’ll be up and running soon.