ppp 02-12-07

Quote of the day: Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.

Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000), Charlie Brown in "Peanuts"

My brother and I went ice fishing this weekend. We were joined by my nephew and one of his fishing buddies. The part that my brother brought to fix the furnace at "the cabin" did not work. Outside temperature was 15 below. Inside temperature was 15 below. We did have an alternate plan; we each brought an electric heater along. While it took a while to heat up the living quarters we were eventually able to make the space livable. While I made some last minute adjustments to my tackle, my brother went to the bait store to buy minnows. When he returned with the bait he said that he was $0.30 short but the clerk let him go on.

We do keep gas powered heaters in the "fish houses" to take the chill off. While setting up his portable fish house, my nephew's was caught by a gust of wing and knocked over. The heater inside started several things on fire but the fire was quickly extinguished. We fished from one end of the lake to the other and caught only Northern pike too small to keep. The fishing was GREAT! (the catching was ok and the keeping was lousy… but the fishing was GREAT!) Fishing is less about fish and more about the "ing". Confined to a 4' by 8' tent for hours on end, we carried on long conversations. Although we had planned to have a fish fry, we had a steak and potato dinner Saturday evening. (We learned long ago to have a contingency plan and NOT depend on our luck hunting or fishing). We were able to laugh at our series of misfortunes and learn from the mistakes made.

As of Sunday morning we decided that we had "enough fun" so we packed up to head for hearth and home. We did make one stop on our way home… my brother made it a point to stop at the bait store to pay the $0.30 that he owed. Would $0.30 have forced the bait store into bankruptcy? It probably would have gone completely unnoticed if he had failed to stop. Was it the right thing to go back? You betcha! Dad would have been proud to see this display of honesty. Doing the right thing has to be a way of life. Without personal integrity life is left to a series of arbitrary actions that rely solely on whim.

When faced with the letter of the law versus taking extra time to make sure patients understand how to take their medications or nurses know how to properly administer drugs which do you choose? Take the time. Expend the effort to "do the right thing". $0.30 is a cheap price to pay for a good nights sleep. That "extra" 3 minutes in helping others to understand their drugs might just buy you a better night's sleep too.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Super bowled over!" a friend from Indy

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

With the goal of providing safer care for patients the 2 agencies will exchange data. The VA has been the site of many drug studies over the years, granted that they have been predominantly performed in men, and have produced useful guidelines. One such set are the Beers criteria which sets forth cautions about drugs more likely to cause harm to the elderly. Drugs such as Darvon, Valium and Dalmane are among 48 drugs with guidance attached.

FDA approves OTC diet aid. "Alli" is the brand of orlistat was approved in a less than prescription strength for dieters. The drug reduces the amount of fat absorbed from the diet. Unabsorbed fat passes through the GI tract and emerges as foul smelling stool. About half of the users end up with diarrhea. I can't wait to see the DTC ads on this one; including the disclaimers. (Diet and exercise works but is harder than swallowing a pill)

Look alike vials of 10units/ml and 10,000units/ml heparin caused the death of several children. Some hospitals had already standardized heparin availability and require the signatures of TWO nurses before administration. (Site has pictures of the two vials, side by side)

A pilot program to see if pharmacist screening can adequately slect patients for appropriate use. They will need to see a physician for any refills. Seems like a reversal of roles to me.

Study shows phenomenal effects from injection of "clot busting" drugs drictly into a clot that has produced a stroke. Being haled as the "Lazarus Effect" it appears to offer hope. Not approved by the FDA yet but the implications are huge. (About 80% of all strokes are "white strokes" where a clot blocks blood to some areas of the brain.) In the mean time, listen to your doctor's advice about an aspirin a day. (Note:Aspirin is NOT for everyone)

After finding the H5N1 strain of influenza (bird flu) in a flock of domestic birds , the government is talking turkey with Roche about buying more Tamiflu.

Suicide rates have increased in adolescents since black box warning about association with suicide and antidepressants have resulted in fewer depressed kids receiving antidepressants. Early associations between suicide and antidepressants may have been unrelated to use of the drugs used to treat the depression…. may be the originally treated kids needed MORE and not LESS.

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