weekend fun

and what did you do this weekend?

happy friday

rejoice! for today is national margarita day.
get out your salt lick and tequila and start mixing.
cheers!

fifths disease

i very rarely write about my life as a primary health care provider here on the old blog.

there are too many reasons to list (in brief, there is HIPPA, liability, the fact that i still cant believe i'm actually doing this, and mostly that there is an entire subculture in the blogosphere devoted to writing about nursing and medicine written by others who are amazingly articulate about their roles, their trials and their experiences in the world of health care).
but the main reason really is that this is a journal for my friends and family across the country and none of them want to hear me go on about how i've overcome my fear (and even gotten pretty darn good) when lacerations come through the door, or about how cool it was that i had to drain an abscess, or hear me bitch about people who come in for cold symptoms demanding antibiotics because "i just need to nip it in the bud because its just not getting better after 4 days and ive got shit to do".
gets old, i'll admit.

but, i was feeling pretty good about diagnosing a little virus thats been going around this week. this groovy little rash can make a kiddo look like they really dont feel good, although the majority are still bouncing around the exam room.

moms hate rashes. daycares hate rashes more. i can say with great conviction when its says "rash" on the nurses note, i also feel a sense of dread.
failure is more like it. about 75% of the time, i am unable to pinpoint what might have caused a rash. (thats really being generous. at the risk of sounding completely inept, its realy about 90% of the time).
we joke and say its idiopathic. i explain, smiling thin lipped, that an idiopathic rash means i'm an idiot and the rash is pathological.
makes me look real smart, doesnt it?

truth is, rashes happen, and although there are some that are big and bad and worrysome out there (i feel pretty confident that i know how to pick these out), the great majority are a nuisance that simply go away with time and antihistamines.

today i had two patients with the same symptoms several hours apart. they were aged 4 and 9. both had sudden onset of very reddened cheeks, no fever and a "weird all over rash". neither complained of itching, had been noticeably ill prior or had fever.

fifths disease, or erythema infectiosa, is caused by the human parvo virus. its called fifths disease after four more common viral rash illnesses seen in kids, which are measles, scarlet fever, rubella and scarlatina. the sixths disease is roseola.

its hallmark is a lacy pink, macular, blanching rash on the extremities and trunk and generally bright red patch over the cheeks with clearing over the mouth. the rash typically itches only about 50% of the time, which makes it markedly different from your run-of-the-mill urticaria.

diagnosing this and reassuring these moms made me look like a hero.
and who doesnt like to look like a hero?

lets rondy (again!)

did you know you can now blog in filipino?
crazy shit.
and, yet another person came to this little piece of the web because they searched for "snorkel stove"?? you could make a killing selling those puppies.

we're just sitting back here getting ready to RONDY. (say it like a television announcer, really loud, stretching out the R).
the rondy is the age old tradition of gathering in los anchorage (thanks dave, im stealing your name for that "fair" city) and showing off your dead animals.
dont worry, im not going to get all PETA on you. i'd be shot in a new york minute for spouting off in that direction.

we're planning on meeting up with our seward friends and attending perhaps the outhouse races, the running of the reindeer or maybe we'll get in a little ice bowling at the peanut farm. you can see the schedule of events for yourself here.

seems like we can smell spring far off in the distance drifting in on all that rain and wind. the cold snap is over for now, most of the snow is slush. mother nature gave me the perfect window to drain, scrub and refill our hot tub. what a delightful chore that was yesterday afternoon in 40 degree weather.
we now have lots of daylight now and continue to gain over 5 minutes a day. (sunrise/sunset--8:30-5:56)
at the end of march sunset doesnt occur until after 8:30 pm.

i can feel the mania setting in, and boy, does it feel good.

winter weekend

saturday

im trying hard not to simply write about the weather or moose, but both continue to dominate our landscape.
its a blustery dull day and we three are putzing about the house rather happily.

our hot tub is in dire need of having the water changed out. something the current temperature isnt going to allow. upon learning there would be no hot tub sitting yesterday, jade took a bath at high noon.

tomorrow we may go snowmobiling (although this is not an acceptable term here, its snow machining) which we are excited about.

the biggest news here is that jeff is changing jobs. i am both excited and nervous for him. change is always hard, but how do you avoid it?

happy valentines day

still suck at this blog thing

can anybody out there tell me how to play with the blog layout to put 3 pics in a row for my banner, like this?
i didnt mean for that photo of pioneer peak to be SO HUGE.. but it seems after a year of doing this, im blog-o-retarded.

damn.
thats so politically incorrect.

hello birdie

we had a rather puffed up visitor today, a bohemian waxwing. isnt that a great name? i read all about them here.

we've not seen much in the way of birds lately. i dont know how you would survive here as a bird....but this lovely was hanging around the house most of the day.
squirrel was taunting from afar.




we are making valentines today. thanks to scribbit for the ideas.

other places i've been spending far too much time lately are here, here and jaden is really digging this site here.

sun (grin)

sorry about the obscenities.
february has made me a bit feisty. (just like me to blame my mood on a month).
maybe its be the 50 mile an hour wind gusts coupled with the single digit temperatures. (BUT THE SUNSHINE, OH, THE SUNSHINE!!)
maybe i just am feeling my sailor genes and the swearing and obnoxiousness is coming deep down from my d.n.a.
thats possible.
anyhow.
we just had a caucus here in alaska. say it out loud.
caucus. fun, right?

i must say it seems alaska surprised itself with the turnout for the event across the state.
the democrats (thats democrat with a capital D) held a caucus, while the gop (thats short for grand old party with a capital O) held a preferential vote.
the papers were full of statistics supporting the notion that the people of alaska, and the country on the whole and hungry for a change.
anything will be better than the shrub. the dub. the decider.
enough of that.

seems influenza isnt done with us just yet. the next wave has hit the big town of wasilla this week sending children and grownups alike scrambling for tylenol and popsicles.
i am bathing in lysol and my hands are practically bleeding from the 100 or so times i washed them today.

just living life in the cold, snowy, windblown lane. way up here, latitude 61.
peace out.

'nuff said

welcome february

dear january,
it does not pain me at all to bid you adeau. you have been dark and cold these past 4 weeks, and i have grown tired of you.

i feel that you, along with brittany spears, should pack it up and go away for at least a year. like her, you seem to suffering from some sort of mental illness.
you know they make medication for just this sort of thing. its called lithium.

here, you have been as uncooperative as a child who's eaten captain crunch for breakfast. while mother nature has given us snow, you have kept us in the darkness with snot freezing, nipple stiffening temperatures.

how is one supposed to enjoy anything about you?
and dont think i dont know your secrets.
you treat mexico like a prodigal son, all warm and welcoming and sunshiny.
how can you be so cruel?

darling february has promised to be short and sweet and even sunny.
ha.
oh with valentines day and all, how do you even think you can compete?
i know you come to us by way of the christmas madness. but do you have to keep bringing us down from the holidays like a lead balloon?
you'll never change.

adios january. enjoy your time off.

sincerely,
akfnp