WOMEN’S HEALTH – Page 3

SQUIRREL ATTACK DURING HIDE N’ GO SEEK FATHER-DAUGHTER’S BONDING STORY

All my daughter’s friends were over for their little party.

http://ornamentalpeanut.com/googlede60784cb6278df7.html These eight or so girls, all about 7 years old were playing crazily. You see wintertime had broken in Minnesota, and the summer was near. But it was one of those days you live for there, vibrant blue sky, gentle breeze, and life’s passions greening up.

correlatively Well, the little girls had played on the playground equipment for quite awhile, and in the sand making “things.” They were drawing chalk style hopscotch boards on the sidewalks, and had jumped rope without any bruises. Such a great day, such harmony in family and friends with nature watching.

My daughter and her little friends decided it was time to play “hide n’ go seek." No one better to hide than dad. Their collective eyes leaked with sincerity of request. How could any father turn such princesses and angels down for this next fun event, on such a great day, in such prime weather, in Minnesota ?

The "search and rescue" group of small girls began to count.

ONE. TWO.

Meanwhile, my scurrying about reminded me to tell them to, “Count Loud” and “NO peeking." They, in unison, guaranteed this with giggles and laughter.

THREE. FOUR.

My eye scanned the topography. Where to hide? How long would it be to hide quickly, yet stealth like? Scanning the local yard’s horizon, a brilliant idea now could become reality. Ha ha ha. Those little ones will never see me there.

FIVE.

Quickly, quietly, and with ease my legs jumped up into the tree. This tree was strong. It could hold an adult, even a hidden stealthy adult. Lots of those huge Minnesota leaves that would cover all the color of the “hide n’ go seek” secret agent. So covert.

SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT.

Hurriedly my arms pulled my body into location, in the tree. Knowing how to quickly judge and climb a tree was like riding a bicycle or swimming to me. All those hours building huge tree houses in the skies of tall ash or elm trees now would pay off. All those limb evaluations of size versus strength and caliber were emblazoned in this climber. This was a confident spot.

NINE.

As my arms lifted me into position, with my sitting spot almost prepared, the little girls were starting to rustle. Shifting my seat gently as not to be heard by doing a pull-up on the branch above, suddenly my stealthy world changed.

TEN.

As my pull-up ended, my line of sight was slightly diagonally upward. A loud noise, a squeal. Then heard of buffalo, a covey of quail, and a wild horse stampede came right at me! My ears were frozen on the word, “TEN” that the little princesses had yelled. My eyes were beyond frozen to see eye to eye with it.

Squirrel attack !!!

Yes, man to female animal, face to face, and eye to eye there it was. No time for a counterattack. It was cold. It was heartless. The attack of the mother squirrel was like no other. Brutally shown teeth, larger than a shark – claws drawn, sharper than the griz. Lightening speed, out of no where. An ICBM loaded and launched at the intruder. No early warning system for the unprepared “hide n’ go seeker.” BAM. The war was on. Knowing my face had been hit, a cover was needed. No where to hide now. Too far up to jump, as a youth might attempt. Age and wisdom prevented that action quickly. Swiping away the blood, my fight was limitless but so ill directed. Not once was there a hit on the enemy despite readjusting my coordinates while in the leaves. Retreat was the only option. Cut the losses. Sooner, not later. This mother wasn’t retreating from the nest she had so preciously prepared for the family.

The gaggle of girls was coming down the sidewalk. They too had heard the noisy breach of the stealthy sacred safe place. It was over…almost.

The “hide n’ go seeker” now did what all attacked, retreating, and severely mentally and physically injured “hide n’ go seekers” do. Swing out of the tree. With two great leaps of caliber-calculating swings, my feet hit terra firma. Solid. Looking around quickly, the attack was over.

All the faithful players of the “hide n’ go seek” family game came running. My position was still of a prepared martial arts stance, ready to counter strike as if a secondary push might occur.

“We see you,” they all yelled. The girls approached quickly to prove they had seen me. But as they received their victory in game, they realized what was different. Suddenly, they all began screaming at the top of their choral lungs, high pitched in fear, yelling and running away faster and faster. My daughter said, "Daddy, you have blood,” and she ran away too, to the safety of the flock. Reaching up to my face, it was warm, and slippery. Looking at my hand, realizing my sweat from the environmental battle was not red – it was blood. Wiping away the blood from my hand to my pants, the flow of blood continued. A painted warrior of sorts.

My wife came outside to see how things were going with the “hide n’ go seek” game. She had come around a corner just as the girls were approaching. “My goodness,” she said, “Why did you fly out of that tree…to scare the girls…They were yelling so loud…And YOU looked like a gorilla flying out of the tree… AND you are bleeding!” “What happened?”
Re-living it…worse….

As my eyes close yet to this day, that mother squirrel is in my view forever. Everyone survived. A family moment. A father-daughter memory forever. And now you know why my 20 something daughter sends reminders once in a while, and why she sent me a shirt with a squirrel on it that states the rules: “ADVICE FROM A SQUIRREL.”

WEST NILE VIRUS UPDATE – IDAHO LEADS NATION DISCUSSION CONCERNING PANHANDLE DISTRICT

IDAHO LED THE NATION IN 2006 AND WAS THE HARDEST HIT AREA IN THE USA FOR WEST NILE VIRUS. 996 cases of WNV were diagnosed in 2006 with 171 neuroinvasive type and 825 fever – and 23 deaths. (neuroinvasive = meningitis, encephalitis, neuro complications during and after diagnosis)

As of June 2007, GEM COUNTY has identified the first positive mosquito pool in Idaho.

Hospitals, physicians, health professionals, and labs must report probable and confirmed cases.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND PROTECT YOUR KIDS THIS SUMMER.

The biggest problem in the Northern Idaho region that I talked with Panhandle representatives about is the standing water drainage systems.

It appears that the Planning and Zoning, government maintainence such as roadways, and the health departments are NOT talking to each other. The ground water grassy swales that are imposed are now the breeding grounds for such mosquito populations. This water is stagnant until it filters down through the ground to protect our ground water. The drains typically are set 8 inches above the level of the ground to allow overflow in heavy rains or runoffs, but this is the rub. The swales stay wet. Hopefully all parties will begin to plan for such health disasters at the early stages of future developments. Revising the swales may need to become a priority.

Review WNV and WNV-birdflu-hunting at the these sites:

http://www.castmd.com/?p=35

http://www.castmd.com/?p=45

www.cdc.gov

www.westnile.idaho.gov

DVT – DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS – POTENTIAL SILENT KILLER – planes, trains, and surgeries

YEARS AGO, MY FATHER RETURNED AFTER SEEING MY GRANDFATHER, FROM THE SMALL HOSPITAL IN THE LITTLE TOWN IN MIN-NEE-SOOO-TAH.

My grandfather had been in the hospital after a minor surgery. Remember years ago, even small procedures were done in the hospital by the general practitioners or early surgeons and patients were held in the hospital for days. Just shortly after my father returned from seeing his father, our telephone rang. I remember seeing his face change and his voice quiver slightly. But dad was a strong man. He said to all of us, a big family, and my mother, that grandpa had "some trouble" and that he needed to go to the hospital right away. Only, not just dad went, but mom went hurriedly along also. Grandpa died that few moments between my dad seeing him, and returning home, about 5-10 minutes. Grandpa died of a pulmonary embolism, a clot in the lungs that travelled from his leg, after that small procedure. Certainly a sudden and quick death, a reality that still exists these days.

Deep vein clot (thrombosis) is a relatively common, and a very serious potential disease. We see those patients in the emergency room, immediate care, and certainly worry about many more. The mortality and further injury (morbidity) from clots in the legs is not in the leg! The risk occurs from associated lung clots (pulmonary embolism) and a rare condition of post-clot syndrom (post-thrombotic syndrome).

There is not one specific symptom or sign that clinches the diagnosis. The elderly have rates of DVTs in the 200/100,000 range while younger people have rates of about 50 per 100K. The clots occur in the higher deep veins of the legs, or from extension of clots in the lower legs – even though this risk is lesser. When clots in the lower leg veins extend, the risk of lung clots goes up. The problem with DVTs creating the lung clot (PE) is that symptoms can range from sudden death to minimal at all symptoms.

In a doctor I knew, his clot formed during a long airplane ride and he lived. In my grandpa's case as told by my father, it was sudden death.

Risks for developing DVTs in the leg veins are:

conditions: cancer, pregnancy, blood disorders, kidney disorders, estrogens, and smoking

stagnant movement: surgery, immobility, paralysis, obesity, extended travel

other: previous DVT or PE increases risk, and trauma increases risk.

If patients have any two or more of these, they really become at risk. Symptoms that patients can feel or see are: swelling of the leg compared to the other side, calf swelling, localized tenderness of the calf or leg, new pain or numbness in the leg. There are other causes of these same symptoms, therefore you should see a doctor without hesitation.

Your doctor will most likely go through the above lists with you. But your doctor will be concerned. Lab tests will be drawn most likely and an ultrasound of your leg will be ordered stat. Usually if both of these are negative, the cause is not a clot. If the ultrasound is positive, you will begin treatment. If the blood test is positive and the ultrasound is negative, you will probably have a repeat ultrasound in about a week.

Treatment consists of starting the pill, warfarin, for "thinning the blood." But this takes days for the body to change. Therefore, almost all patients will need to use injections of a heparin substance that "thins" the blood quickly. Usually, patients will need to be on heparin medicine for 5 days or so, or at least until the pill warfarin reaches a therapeutic level in your bloodstream.

Patients will need to use compression stockings during this time and after the event to minimize risk of recurrence of DVT. These stockings also help prevent the post-thrombotic syndrome of pain, swelling, inflammation that can become a chronic condition.

Risk of recurrence never goes away. That is why proper treatment and post-event planning is so important. Expect to be on medicine for 3-12 months after a DVT or PE. Risk reduction knowledge goes a long way.

TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT CONCERNS AND PREVENTION.

DRUG ERROR – COLCHICINE – POSSIBLY LINKED TO FATALITIES

THIS IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE PERSONS SEEKING MEDICAL AIDES AND MEDICAL CURES. (REFERENCE CITED.)

(generic photos from tufts.edu and generic medicines)

The Herald – Everett, Wash. – www.HeraldNet.com

Published: Saturday, April 28, 2007

Toxic drug at Portland clinic causes three deaths

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three people in the Pacific Northwest have died after receiving a drug that was erroneously made 10 times more potent than intended, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday.

ApotheCure Inc., a drug-compounding pharmacy company in Texas, said an employee made a weighing error in the creation of the drug colchicine, which lead to the deaths. Colchicine is commonly used to treat gout, but in these cases it was being given intravenously to treat back pain.

The drug was sent to the Center for Integrative Medicine in Portland, where three people received injections of the defective batch of the drug this spring. All three people, two from Portland and one from Yakima, died between the end of March and beginning of April from the toxic levels of the drug.

The defective doses were sent only to the Portland clinic, ApotheCure said.

The Food and Drug Administration said it is investigating the case but believes the problem has been contained.

The Center for Integrative Medicine has since closed, and representatives from the organization could not be reached.

Colchicine works by stopping cells from dividing, which reduces inflammation in conditions such as gout, said Dr. Rob Hendrickson, associate medical director for the Oregon Poison Center. But in excess doses, the drug stops all cells from dividing – eventually leading to organ failure and death.

The medication is not commonly used anymore and the use as a back pain treatment is less common than for gout.

Gary Osborn, a pharmacist and certified clinical nutritionist for ApotheCure, said the situation could have been contained earlier, but the clinic did not contact ApotheCure until nearly two weeks after the first death. He said the second death occurred before the company was able to complete recalling the batch and sending them a new lot. He said this is ApotheCure’s first incident of this sort.

“We are kind of the leaders in the industry,” Osborn said. “But you know what people say, stuff happens.

Copyright Â©1996-2007.
The Daily Herald Co.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

POISON CENTERS AND TOXINS AND POISONINGS METH to METHANOL to MUSHROOMS – One Call 1-800-222-1222

This is the time of year when lawn chemicals, yard cleanups, and neighborhood events start to be exposed and available to little hands. Certainly many chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides, fuels, and cleaning agents are ubiquitous in homes and garages. But beware. Many of these chemicals are poisonous and dangerous with regard to flammability, explosiveness, and chemical burns.

Each dollar invested in poison centers saves about seven dollars in expenses not needed if the patients go into their doctor, their clinics, or their hospitals. This is a great public health service.

Over the years since the early 60's, the poison centers have become an integral part of the healthcare network. Now with the terrorism issues, the poison centers have become an integral monitoring source of information, as many times calls come to the poison centers early and often, thereby making a grid of what is happening and where it is happening.

For instance, when the bad botulism toxin product that was being used by spas and clinics that were trying to save money by not buying and using the approved botulinum toxin brand, the poison centers were seeing a problem early. Patients across the country, in pockets, were being paralyzed – not just the muscles of the eyebrow, forehead, and other smaller muscles.

The poison centers across the USA now have a single number. Depending on your area code, your call will be forwarded to the center in your area, or the one contracted by your state officials. For instance, Idaho calls go to Denver's poison center. Alaska's poison calls go to Oregon. Washington's poison center gets all of Washington State's calls. This year that number will be around 150,000 calls! Poison calls are answered by an expert group of pharmacists, nurses, Pharm Ds and have backup by physicians specializing in toxicology and poisonings. It is the number that the experts in all fields, from dermatologists to kidney specialists, call when the patient has been poisoned, or is toxic from unknown sources, or when the patient doesn't act or change based upon "normal" disease states.

The goal of Poison Prevention Week is to reduce illnesses, injuries, and deaths due to poisonings; build safer communities; and reduce unnecessary health care costs for everyone.

Here are some ways to be poison cautious:

Obtain syrup of ipecac and keep it in your home – but use it ONLY if instructed to do so by a poison center or physician

Use child-resistant containers and remember, they are not childproof

Keep products in their original containers

Never call medicine candy or take it in the dark

Return products to storage areas immediately after use

Teach children about Mr. Yuk

Put Mr. Yuk stickers on all poisonous products

Call the Poison Center for a free information packet and Mr. Yuk stickers

Keep emergency numbers next to your phone:

1-800-222-1222

What is National Poison Prevention Week?

Public Law 87-319 authorizes the President to designate annually the third week in March as National Poison Prevention Week. This act of Congress was signed into law on September 16, 1961, by President Kennedy, after which the Poison Prevention Week Council was organized to coordinate this annual event. Congress intended this event as a means for local communities to raise awareness of the dangers of unintentional poisonings and to take such preventive measures as the dangers warrant.

(PC week and listing adapted from WAPC.org website with commentary from castMD.com)

PACK RATS AND SAVERS – CLUTTERERS ADDICTION

Have you ever wondered why you saved something? You find the dust accumulation, like fresh snow on the sidewalk, on the old book or stack of papers. You can’t live without it, or them, or the files, or the boxes of the papers or files or smaller boxes. You absolutely know, beyond any shadow of a doubt – that you, yes you, will indeed, one day, not soon, but some day – require that item to be whole. Wow….

Why do the savers do this? I remember walking into an office of a professor once. Little did I remember of our conversation. Overwhelming amazement and disbelief warped my mind as the mountains of papers sat from the floor to the ceiling. Not only papers, but also the books, the binders, the boxes of books, and the boxes of binders. Why would he need a conference syllabus from 1979?

That little seashell gift from your Auntie is still valuable and taking up space not only on the mantle, but also in your brain. She gave that to you in 1960!

Clutter is intimate. Clutter represents the untapped resource of the final idea. Clutter is the soul of what can become. All those articles neatly filed, catalogued, scanned into a progression of finding it someday. All the unread, partially read, outdated books that may become part of your next book, or writing, or an editorial.

Possibly the worst offending clutterers? Certainly teachers hit the top of the list, at all levels. Hobbiest are great clutterers, never know when you need that spool or dried up glue. Some of that remaining blue yarn could become the hair of that unique doll for the grandchildren. But everyone is a clutterer.

Your next dinner party, social engagement, or backyard barbe will prove my point. Just look around. Why is the broken golf ornament still on his desk? Big Bird finger puppet – thought he went out years ago? What’s behind that door?

Offices, garages, and closets make great hideaways for the clutterer’s calmness. But overall the problem rests somewhere between poverty, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADD, and depression, all mixed for normality to hypomania. Within all of this, is creativity. Clutterers are creative, like the addictive mind. They find the place, the time, the hidden capacity to make the world around them in the mirror look normal. But the reflection from the mirror tells a different truth and perspective.

Now, not all clutterers, savers, and pack rats deserve such painful insight. But as the time train continues the “eternal project” remains incomplete for another day.

The rules:

1. Experiment with throwing something away. Calculate in advance how you will feel, then, in a day or so, compare your reality with what you calculated. Pain or gain?

2. Start clearing by starting with smaller boxes of items, a drawer, a desk, a closet. Can’t eat the elephant with one bite.

3. Feel good about donating to others who might use it, like Goodwill or other charitable agencies.

4. With the modern day video cameras, photograph the things that represent memories and get rid of the junk. It is the memory we clutch to, not really the item.

5. Talk with your family, friends, colleagues. They do it too. Every family has one !

6. A nice compromise for families that distress over the junk…make a memory box.

7. Remember, only the feelings are real, the uncompleted task is still part of the soul.

8. Professional counseling is required to break the grip of this strange yet sometimes funny process of the human spirit.

Well, today, I was going to go find a cheap storage unit. Which stack of paper was that ad in? Which box? Which room? Oh, ya, in the bathroom…oh, it was at work…….

(adapted from The Magazine, 2007 Jan. with significant commentary by CastMD)

USS NEW YORK BUILT TO SALUTE THE FALLEN

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.

It is the fifth in a new class of warship – designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment for everybody there."

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget" And we should not !