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Here we go, we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of a whooping cough outbreak here in Seeley Lake this week. You may have been hearing about the outbreak in the Missoula high schools. Well, guess what, it's found its way here-high schoolers are good at sharing! As one of my favorite nurses always says, 'sharing is caring!" In this case, I beg to differ, sharing your whooping cough (AKA pertussis) is not caring, it's just mean! So, here is what you might need to know: • Pertussis (the b...
Let's talk today about one of the most horrible illnesses known to, well-MAN-the man flu! As a man and a previous man flu sufferer, I can tell you-it's awful. While my wife (and women in general) may not agree, the urban dictionary explains quite clearly that the man flu experience is more agonizing than childbirth. The nurses at our clinic are pretty good at spotting this terrible affliction. It's pretty much a text-book diagnosis, just watch for a man who is emitting involuntary groans of...
I want to talk today about a vaccine. Wait...don't roll your eyes! This one is important, especially in light of the recent outbreak of measles that you have probably been hearing about. I feel it appropriate that we reexamine our thoughts on the MEASLES (MMR) vaccine. Most of our children here in Seeley Lake have been vaccinated, as have most of us adults. This has given our community a certain 'herd' immunity. In simple terms, this means that those of us that have been immunized have been a sh...
Let's talk about one of the most frequent reasons people visit their doctor – back pain. Statisticians tell us that one in five clinic visits are related to back pain and I believe it! I think every one of us, at least at sometime in their lives, will suffer with back pain. Some people suffer with chronic and debilitating back pain. This is something that is hard to treat and even harder to deal with. Fortunately though, most episodes of back pain will resolve. Back pain can be caused from a n...
My dad doesn't smoke but this last year he was diagnosed with lung cancer. I suspect this was caused from radiation he received as a teenager in the 1950's. It's certainly not just a smoker's disease, but by-in-large, those who smoke are the ones who typically get lung cancer (among other things like bladder cancer or COPD). Ok, don't give up on this article just yet, if you think this is just another forum to scare you into stop smoking, read on because this is a forum to introduce you to an...
As a kid, I remember certain ailments being, well just creepy. Like a goiter, or corns, or gout. While I had no idea what any of these things were, in my mind I would picture an old grandpa or grandma sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair rubbing a sore elbow saying something like, "I feel a storm's a comin'." I even thought at one time that, while creepy, it might be kind of cool to predict the weather just by the way your elbow felt for the day. I have since learned that it is in fact...
Having a headache is no picnic, in fact, these things can be quite debilitating. People get headaches for all kinds of reasons. Sore muscles, a bad neck or just a stressful life often causes tension headaches. Another type of headache that frequents the unlucky person is a migraine. It's not unusual for a person to be entirely disabled with a migraine-and they can be tricky to get rid of. How do you know if your headache is a migraine? For people who suffer from them, it's probably a silly...
Lately it seems as if the Internet and television have been flooded with new recommendations regarding Hepatitis screening and this has sparked many a great conversation in the clinic. So, what's up with these new recommendations? What is hepatitis anyway, and why should I be worried about it? Don't we get immunized for hepatitis? Why should you be screened? Hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver. This can be caused by exposure to toxins, drugs, infections and certain diseases. When...
As a young resident covering night shifts, I remember my first 'code blue.' I was nervous but the staff was competent and confident. We did CPR, we pushed meds, and we did everything as we were suppose to, yet the patient died anyway. He was about the same age as I am now and died of a blood clot to his lungs. I've been thinking about him a lot lately, having recently developed a blood clot myself...pretty scary. Blood clots are more common (and more dangerous) than you might think but don't...
In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is so prevalent that when someone presents with fever and body aches, they are presumed to have malaria until proven otherwise. It's kind of the same here during influenza season. While we've had just a few cases of influenza here in Seeley Lake so far this year, the combination of fever, body aches (and headache), and cough make you really suspicious for influenza. Thankfully, we've done a pretty good job as a community of getting vaccinated. So for everyone who...
Let's talk vaccinations, shall we? I have been hesitant to tackle this subject as there are many with strong opinions. So before you roll your eyes and quit reading, let me assure you that I have no intention to preach hellfire and damnation to anyone who is hesitant to have their children (or themselves) vaccinated. Are you defensive when the topic is brought up? Perhaps feeling that there is an agenda that takes precedent over any of your concerns-you must vaccinate! This should never be the c...
I once saw a poster in the airport of Freetown (Sierra Leone) that said "Beware of Bigfoot". I thought it funny to see those words in Africa but on closer inspection, found that it was referring to the parasitic disease known as elephantiasis rather than the mystic, mountain creature that we are familiar with here in the Rocky Mountains. I've always been fascinated with these exotic diseases. Elephantiasis is quite something to see. Spending two years in Africa without seeing a single case of...
We've all been tired at one time or another-it's seems to be one of those unfortunate side effects of life. Most often we can look to our busy schedules or our lack of exercise to find something to blame. At times, however, there may not be anything easy to blame and this is what brings many a patient into the clinic. So what causes fatigue? The answer is generally not that simple, as there are seemingly thousands of things that can cause fatigue. What follows is a list of the top ten that I've...
Wow, just finished a great week at the clinic here in Seeley Lake, Montana! What a great place to live and what a great place to work. With the advent of spring, we've seen the typical springtime ailments, allergies, tendon problems from track and we are already seeing some springtime trauma-let's be careful out there this season. This week, we've heard from a lot of people concerned about catching MRSA (methicillin resistant staph aureus). This is not just a springtime problem. It's a yearlong...
