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AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 2006

Nurses needed

By all accounts, the U.S. is facing a continuing shortage of nurses for the forseeable future. Some projections and indicators (Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing): • One year ago, a job analytics agency reported a 46% increase in postings for Registered Nurses over May 2010 figures. The increase translated to 121,000 new jobs for RNs alone.

• On March 9 of this year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that job growth in the healthcare field was ahead of even 2010’s rapid pace, accounting for 20% of all new jobs created so far in 2012. The BLS says nearly 300,000 new jobs were created in healthcare during 2011.

In January and February of this year alone, the number was 92,300, with a mjority of those jobs (filled or unfilled) being RNs. • According to BLS Employment Projections 2010-2020 released in February of this year, RNs are the top occupation in terms of projected job growth through 2020. The report says 1.2 million new RNs will be needed by 2020.

The figure includes 495,500 replacements to account for attrition along with 712,000 added RNs. The projections and predictions of shortfalls are increasing as baby boomers age and the need for healthcare grows.

Here’s a snapshot of the nursing profession, courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 29, 2012:

Registered Nurses • 2010 median pay: $64,690 per year; $31.10 per hour • Number of jobs, 2010: 2,737,400; Projected change, 2010-2020: +711,900 • RN Job Growth Outlook: 26% (average for all jobs: 14%) What Registered Nurses Do Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.

(More details on page 3) Work Environment Registered nurses work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities. They also work in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and with the military.

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Being A Nurse Means...

You will never be bored.

You will always be frustrated.

You will be surrounded by challenges, So much to do and so little time.

You will carry immense responsibility And limited authority.

You will step into people’s lives And you will make a difference Some will bless you, Some will curse you.

You will see people at their worst And at their best.

You will never cease to be amazed At people’s capacity for love, courage, and endurance.

You will experience resounding triumphs And devastating failures.

You will cry a lot, You will laugh a lot, You will know what it is to be human, And to be humane. +

How to Become a Registered Nurse Registered nurses usually take one of three education paths: a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an associate’s degree in nursing, or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses must also become licensed Please see NURSING NEED page 3

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THE SKINNY ABOUT VITAL SKILLS NURSES NEED EVERY DAY Critical-thinking skills Registered nurses must be able to assess changes in the health state of patients, including when to take corrective action and when to make referrals.

Compassion Registered nurses should be caring and sympathetic, characteristics that are valuable when treating patients.

Detail oriented Registered nurses must be responsible and detail oriented; they must make sure that patients get correct treatments and medicines at the right time.

Emotional stability Registered nurses need emotional stability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stresses.

Organizational skills Nurses often work with multiple patients with various health needs, and organizational skills are critical to ensure proper care.

Patience Registered nurses should be patient so they can provide quality care under stressful or hectic circumstances.

Speaking skills Registered nurses must be able to talk effectively with patients and clearly explain how to take medication or give other instructions. They must be able to work in teams with other health professionals and communicate patients’ needs. + Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

MAY 4, 2012

The Short White Coat

by Hevil Shah

T

his past Friday, I finished my last rotation as a medical student. For emergency medicine, I worked a dozen shifts in an offcampus ED. A whirlwind of an adventure, I had my fair share of chest pains, broken bones, twisted ankles, and the occasional “My child swallowed a (your guess here).” But surprisingly, the most common and at times enigmatic of chief complaints that patients presented with was two simple words: abdominal pain.

A med student’s notebook Maybe it’s something about April, but it felt like every other patient that came into the ED was there because of abdominal pain. And the descriptions varied from dull to sharp, localized to one small area, or tender everywhere, and my personal favorite that I heard, “my stomach feels like it’s being diced by a meat cleaver.” For the most part, most patients’ abdominal pain was secondary to the vomiting and diarrhea they were suffering from because of a viral stomach bug that was making its way through the community. But there were a few patients I still remember whose symptoms did not match up to what I expected.

There was the British gentleman in Georgia for a work-related project. Prior to coming to the ED, he had for a few hours been having on and off stomach pains that just kept getting worse. The pain would only last for a few seconds, but when it did happen he was writhing in pain. Then he would be okay again for roughly 20 minutes. When my attending and I saw him, his physical exam was completely benign. We poked and mashed his abdomen to see if we could localize his pain and figure out where it was coming from, but our efforts were futile. It wasn’t until we got some of the lab results back that we realized the gravity of the situation.

His white blood cell count and his inflammatory markers were greatly elevated.

A subsequent CT scan showed an appendix that was inflamed, enlarged and ready to burst. Acute appendicitis – a diagnosis that was low on my differential based on his physical exam. Without his labs and imaging, I would’t have considered it.

Fortunately, we were able to get him to the OR immediately.

I came to find out this past month that a presentation of appendicitis like his was fairly common in the male patients I saw. They would come in with a complaint of some intermittent abdominal pain and have a benign physical exam, but lab and imaging would reveal otherwise. With women, it wasn’t the appendix that was the issues. It was the gall bladder.

These women presented with the classical picture: right upper-quadrant abdominal pain, tender to the touch, worse after eating, and can be elicited with deep inhalation.

However, the person I remember most was a pregnant patient. She was in her mid-30s and after multiple attempts to get pregnant she was just a few weeks into her first pregnancy. She presented to the ED in the afternoon with severe abdominal pain that had started earlier that morning. She didn’t eat anything for breakfast, but it was after showering that she started to develop some mild cramping that continued to worsen.

In the ED, she was tender everywhere on her abdomen. Concerned about the pregnancy, whether she was aborting spontaneously or if she had an ectopic pregnancy that was rupturing, we immediately got the ultrasound to look at her uterus and find the fetus. Fortunately, we found no issues with her pregnancy.

Swinging the ultrasound probe around, my attending went looking further up on her abdomen, and there it was – a thickened gall bladder wall with gall stones sitting and giving off its shadow. Surgery and OB were immediately Please see SHORT WHITE COAT page 7

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NURSING NEED… from page 1 by passing a national licensing examination.

Job Outlook Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow 26 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will occur primarily because of technological advancements; an increased emphasis on preventative care; and the large, aging baby-boomer population who will demand more healthcare services as they live longer and more active lives.

Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.

Duties Registered nurses typically do the following: • Record patients’ medical histories and symptoms • Give patients medicines and treatments • Set up plans for patients’ care or contribute to existing plans • Observe patients and record the observations • Consult with doctors and other healthcare professionals • Operate and monitor medical equipment • Help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results • Teach patients and their families how to manage their illnesses or injuries • Explain what to do at home after treatment Some registered nurses oversee licensed practical nurses, nursing aides, and home care aides. For more information, see the profiles on licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses; nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; and home health and personal care aides.

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Registered nurses sometimes work to promote general health by educating the public on warning signs and symptoms of disease. They might also run general health screenings or immunization clinics, blood drives, or other outreach programs.

Most registered nurses work as part of a team with physicians and other healthcare specialists.

Some nurses have jobs in which they do not work directly with patients, but they must still have an active registered nurse license. For example, they may work as nurse educators, healthcare consultants, public policy advisors, researchers, hospital administrators, salespeople for pharmaceutical and medical supply companies, or as medical writers and editors.

Registered nurses’ duties and titles often depend on where they work and the patients they work with. They can focus on the following specialties: • A specific health condition, such as a diabetes management nurse who helps patients with diabetes or an oncology nurse who helps cancer patients • A specific part of the body, such as a dermatology nurse working with patients who have skin problems • A specific group of people, such as a geriatric nurse who works with the elderly or a pediatric nurse who works with children and teens • A specific workplace, such as an emergency or trauma nurse who works in a hospital or standalone emergency department or a school nurse working in an elementary, middle, or high school rather than in a hospital or doctor’s office.

Some registered nurses combine one or more of these specialties. For example, a pediatric oncology nurse works with children and teens who have cancer.

Many additional possibilities for specializing exist. +

What’s your story?

Nearly all of us — even doctors and nurses — are sometimes patients. Perhaps you were recently injured playing your favorite sport, or years ago you somehow got hurt without even leaving your favorite recliner. Maybe you were diagnosed with a dreaded disease, mugged in a dark and lonely parking lot, or you stubbed your toe in the safety of your own bedroom. On the other hand, perhaps you needed medical attention 5,000 miles from home.

Whatever your medical experience, we’d like to hear your story for our Medicine in the First Person feature. It can be frightening or funny, ordinary or extraordinary, just a few paragraphs long or quite a lengthy tale. We’ll publish your encounters with the medical profession as often as we receive them. + Send your submissions for Medicine in the First Person to the Augusta Medical Examiner via e-mail: info@AugustaRx.com or to PO Box 397, Augusta, GA 30903-0397. (The Medical Examiner reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any submission at its sole discretion.)

The

FISCA L H EA LTH

Money Doctor

appears exclusively in the Medical Examiner’s 3rd Friday issue of even months, written by Augusta’s own Bill

Why would anyone pay for a subscription to a free newspaper? That’s certainly a legitimate question.

The answer: as a major regional medical center, patients come to Augusta hospitals and physicians from all over the Southeast. The MCGHealth Medical Center alone sees patients from every single county in Georgia, not to mention South Carolina, Florida, and beyond. Add to that the regional reach of Eisenhower Army Medical Center and both Veterans Administration hospitals, the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, Walton Rehab and University Hospital, and it’s clear that many people seeking treatment in Augusta are not local residents.

Furthermore, some of our most loyal readers are in town only occasionally. Or their treatments and visits to Augusta are only temporary. Even local residents may find it more convenient to walk to their mailbox than visit one of our many newsstands.

Subscriber copies are mailed the day prior to the issue date so they will be received by most readers no later than the publication date printed on the paper. Copies are sent by First Class mail in a sealed envelope so they’ll arrive promptly and in crisp condition. Rates are $16 for a 6-month subscription (12 issues), $32 for a full year (24 issues). Complete the form below and drop it in the mail with your payment. Thank you! +

by Medical Economics magazine as one of the “150 Best Financial Advisors for Doctors” in the U.S.

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Why subscribe to the Medical Examiner?

Cleveland, a certified financial planner recently named

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MEDICAL EXAMINER

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AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER

www.AugustaRx.com The Medical Examiner’s mission: to serve as a central source of news within the Augusta medical community, to provide information on topics of health and wellness of interest to general readers, and to offer information to assist readers in wisely choosing their healthcare providers.

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MAY 4, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Hope IS Possible

Love, engagement and marriage

Helen Blocker-Adams

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ast time we discovered that our relationships can be strengthened by allowing biblical principles to take over negative attitudes we have about the subject. I am proud of the many women friends in my life who are either engaged or getting married.

And the fact these are women who have been married before gives me and many other women hope. So as we look

further into Philippians 4:6 we see that God asks us to have ‘thanksgiving.’

But before I go further, this conversation is for those women (and men) who are interested in long-term relationships. So if you’re interested in that, you will be willing to ask yourself the following questions.

1. Are you willing to reflect on what you want and who you are?

2. How long do you want to go with the flow to see what the end is going to look like?

3. Are you willing to truly work to make the relationship succeed?

We must remember that we have to go through a process that is often painful and full of anguish, anxiety, misunderstandings. We put ourselves through a lot of unnecessary emotional trauma.

Why? Because we want to do things our own way. We say to ourselves, “I got this,” but we really don’t. Statistics say

Helen Blocker-Adams – 2012 Mental Health Advocate of the Year Helen Blocker-Adams, coordinator of NAMI Augusta’s Sharing Hope program, and columnist for the Augusta Medical Examiner, has been selected as the 2012 CSRA Mental Health Advocate of the Year. Gareth Fenley, past President of NAMI Augusta will present the award to Helen at the 11th Annual Augusta Coalition for Mental Health Advocacy Legislative Dinner at the Augusta Country Club on Thursday, May 10, 2012.

“Out of all the awards I have been blessed with over the years, this award has the most profound meaning to me,” said Blocker-Adams. “My passion for advocacy of mental health/ mental wellness was stimulated after I took a public stance and rallied the community to raise funds to bury two children who lost their lives at the hands of their mother. That entire experience changed my life. I am deeply grateful to the Coalition members in selecting me for this prestigious award.” + You can find more about Helen’s mental health advocacy achievements on the NAMI Augusta website. www.namiaugusta.org

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

— Philippians 4:6,7 that 50% of marriages end up in divorce. Obviously, we are doing something wrong. In my last column I talked about my friends who are either engaged or getting married as second and third timers. They have all gone through “stuff” in previous relationships – but they feel like they finally get it. I don’t know what the “aha” moment was for them when they realized this guy is the “the one,” but they’re happier than they ever have been.

For me it was the nudging from God to the two power verses in Philippians that took me to a sense of peace and awe of how God can release the anxiety I put on myself.

So what are some of the things you could be thankful for regarding your relationship?

Do you remember the nice greeting card he sent you in the mail? Or the unexpected text or phone calls in the middle of the day? Or what about when he brought you dinner when he felt that you might have had a bad day? Or the way he was able to sense a negative tone in your text message and asked “Is something wrong?”

Are you thankful that your sweet thing picked up your kids – that are not his biological children – and took them to the park last Saturday? What are you thankful for in your relationship?

That is precisely what the scripture was saying. Be in thanksgiving for everything and also in thanksgiving make your requests to God. Wow! Do you really want it to work?

Is he showing any signs that he has feelings for you? What is the rush? God knows who He has in mind for you. Sure He will let you mess it up – as we’ve done so many times – and He will patiently wait for you to wait on Him. I took these scriptures very seriously and personally. The impact was so profound that I had to share with you and expand it to write this column.

Our emotional well-being is so important. When it’s off we don’t function at full capacity.

Almost like when you need a tune-up. Your car is sluggish and lacks energy and vitality.

Does that sound familiar to you? It’s time for us to reflect on ourselves and ask what we want

Part II

in our personal relationships. Is God anywhere in your plans?

Have you asked Him how He expects relationships to be? Try googling that last question and the information you will find is tremendous.

Some people unhappily have given up on love. They’ve chosen to remain bitter about past failed relationships. They chose to bash men, in general, and put them all in one category.

How sad is that? Whose emotional well-being are you impacting negatively? Yours.

What you are doing is creating anxiety and stress which can lead to health and emotional problems. Folks, it’s simply not worth it.

I have never given up on love despite two failed marriages. I have put men and relationships on the back burner, a low priority for many, many years, but I never gave up on love.

Love is a beautiful thing and it’s wonderful for your emotional well-being. + Helen Blocker Adams is President/ CEO of The HBA Group, Intl and Executive Director of the Southeast Enterprise Institute, Inc. Visit her website at www.helenblockeradams. com. If you like politics, visit her blog at www.projectlogicga.com.

You can reach her via email at hba@hbagroup-intl.com Helen’s new book, Unlikely Allies: 8 Steps to Bridging Divides that Impact Leadership can be purchased by visiting www.hbagroup-intl.com or www.authorhouse.com

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MAY 4, 2012

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT TERMINAL 3

by Bad Billy Laveau We have always been fascinated with the number 3.

We find it everywhere.

In the Bible, we have the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

In politics, we have the 3 branches of government: The Judiciary, the Executive, the Legislative.

Workdays have 3 shifts of eight hours each: Days, Evenings, Graveyard.

Weekends have 3 nights: Friday; Saturday; Sunday.

For a murder, you have 3 groups: Shooter, Shootees, Witnesses. Witnesses can’t seem to agree on who did what, and with which, and unto whom.

In a court trial, you have 3 conflicting teams: Defense, Prosecution, Jury. Judges and bailiffs are there to keep the various parties from committing mayhem upon each other.

Marriages require 3: Preacher, young girl, anxious mother. Have no fear, they will find a husband.

Wars have 3 participants: Winner, Loser, Innocent populace caught in the middle.

Spiritual life has 3 levels of residence: Earth, Heaven, Hell.

You have no choice except to be born on Earth, but you have your whole life to decide whether to spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. And for the

life of me, I can’t see why that is such a hard choice.

Pregnancy has 3 trimesters: First, Second, Third. Each trimester lasts 3 months.

Funerals have 3 participants: Minister, Grieving Congregation, Dearly Departed.

ER nurses and EMTs know that DOAs come in 3s. If you have one death, two more are almost certain to follow.

And with that sobering thought in mind, I hereby take note that recently Earl Scruggs, at age 80 something, left us behind to play 3-finger rolls for Jesus. Jesus was fair enough with us. He let Earl be born in poverty in the rural South.

B.E. (Before Earl) the banjo was an ancillary instrument played in carnivals and by jokesters in country bands.

But God turned a few extra knobs and made Earl special.

In his early teens, Earl got a banjo, retreated into his room for 3 days and came out doing 3-finger rolls on a 5-string banjo. Banjo playing changed forever. Just listen to Earl blast your mind away with Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Or the intro to TV’s Beverly Hillbillies. Try to fathom just how a backwoods teenager with no musical training could conceive of, much less invent, those intricate digital wonders.

Everyone who plays the banjo must compare themselves to Earl. They all

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t s e B come up short. But there is no shame in that. There is a sort of grace in trying to surpass Earl, but failing, while praying you got vaguely close.

Just a couple weeks before he died, Earl visited Little Roy Lewis of the Lewis Family in Lincolnton. Little Roy is a banjo player of considerable note. I was not invited to hear Little Roy and Earl jam, so I didn‘t go. Had I known that Earl was soon departing us, I would have beaten the door down to shake Earl’s hand just before the High Sheriff hauled me off to the cooler. Overnight in the Lincoln County Jail would have been a small price to pay for such a privilege.

I shall always hold Little Roy accountable for me missing out. Never mind that Little Roy doesn’t even know who I am. That’s his problem.

And that same week, Harry Crews passed on to Glory. Harry was a couple years ahead of me in Bacon County High School in Alma,

e n i c i d ME

Georgia. He most likely did not know or remember me.

But I knew him. He became a prolific writer of books and articles for Esquire magazine.

He taught Creative Writing at the University of Florida.

His book, A Childhood, vividly captures the post-WWII era in Bacon County. If you haven’t read it, you have missed out. It is in the same vein as Erskine Caldwell’s Tobacco Road about the pre-WWII CSRA. I shall miss both Earl and Harry. The world is less well off without them, no doubt.

But I must suck it up and bear the disappointment. Now, neither of them have aging bodies nor failing health. In the cool of the afternoon, I can just see Jesus reclining gracefully in the shade of magnolia trees surround by the wonderful fragrance of sweet shrubs. He and the angels listen attentively as Earl plays soaring 3-finger rolls on a banjo of gold, and Harry reads his latest composition

from a crystal pedestal. Both the playing and the reading will be well-crafted beyond the abilities of us mere mortals.

But all that imagery leaves me with a heart tugging problem: Who is Number 3?

Who is the next person so important to our lives that will soon slip silently away? I don’t want to lose anyone. Neither do you.

As you also should, I dwell on the joys derived from the enjoyment received from the lives of 1 and 2, and not dread the sure-to-happen 3.

I guess #3 might be different for each of us.

Help me out here. Let me know your Number 3. Tell me why they should be the Magic Number 3. A column based on your suggestions would be interesting. It might just pull me out of the funk of losing both Harry Crews and Earl Scruggs in one tragic week. +

Bad Billy Laveau is a retired MD with a pointed sense of humor.

Bad Billy speaks and entertains at public and private events for audiences not subject to cardiac seizure secondary to overwhelming laughter and glee BadBilly@knology.net or 706306-9397

The new MacBook Pro now at PeachMac

ATTENTION Compensation and medical benefits are available for covered illnesses related to exposure to radiation, beryllium, silica and toxic substances through the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP).

Over $420 million has been paid to eligible Savannah River Site workers or their survivors through this program.

Anyone with questions and/or potential claims is asked to contact the program through the Savannah River Resource Center, 1708 Bunting Drive, North Augusta, SC or call 803279-2728 or 866-666-4606.

YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION AND MEDICAL BENEFITS For a child, love is spelled T-I-M-E. — Zig Ziglar

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MAY 4, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Health 101

by Sandy Turner, RN, EdD, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Assistant Dean for Administration in the GHSU College of Nursing RUNNY NOSE? ITCHY EYES? STUFFY HEAD? THIS MUST BE GEORGIA. was reading an article last week about ‘Tennessee body rot” and decided he might need a few tips on how to deal with pollen in Georgia.

While those Smoky Mountains have a lot greenery, the winds help blow away a lot of the allergens. Not so here! We live in a unique area. The weather people say we often have inversions. That means things just sit here and don’t blow away. The atmosphere puts a lid on it and until it rains the pollen — coupled with the air pollution from factories and cars and air conditioners — just builds up.

So, as the saying goes, if you live in and around Augusta, it isn’t if you’ll get allergies, it’s when you’ll get them.

Sooner or later you will have symptoms.

Allergies are a histamine response to an irritant. Some things irritate the body more than others, like poison ivy which causes a greater response with rash and bumps and severe itching. Think of pollen like a little cocklebur that, when breathed in, sticks to the membranes in the nose and sinuses and sticks in the eyes when we walk around.

People usually have different times of the year that are worse for them.

Spring is bad for oak pollen, for instance. Most people see pine pollen, that yellow stuff all over cars, and think it’s the worst, but actually oak

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pollen is more abundant. It’s just smaller and isn’t seen.

It is carried with the pine pollen and causes most of our problems. In the summer we see grass pollens.

One of my worst problems is crepe myrtle blooms.

Then along comes the giant ragweed! It is everywhere!

And, with a lot of the budget cutbacks road crews aren’t cutting it down beside the road this year.

If you watch the pollen counts you can see that rain will help wash the pollen down a bit — on the rare occasions when we get it — but on the other hand rain helps plants grow, so the pollen count pops back up again in a day or too.

Be aware of what sets off your allergic response and try to limit your exposure.

If you are allergic to leaves, remember that tobacco is made from leaves so cigarette smoke exposure will make you worse.

The real key is to keep

the histamine count — the irritation level — in your body low enough so the pollen isn’t causing severe symptoms. Try anti-histamines like Benadryl, Claritin, Zyrtec, or ChlorTrimeton. All of these, if taken enough, will make you sleepy, but they do help lower the histamine levels in your body.

But when pollen levels get very high they can only do so much.

Other measures I like to take: if you are outside for any time working, change your clothes when you come in. Get out of those pollen-covered clothes and take a shower, wash your hair and your face.

Rinse out your eyes and nose.

I like to use a salt water spray in my nose every morning to remove pollen and prevent inflammation.

Eyedrops help ease itchy eyes and they will drain down in the sinuses and open them up too. When you get that burning, itchy feeling that your eyes are stuck together, a few drops of over the counter anti-itch drops really help.

If — I mean when — the pollen gets overwhelming you can get swollen sinuses and fluid behind your eardrums and lots of drainage and just feel miserable. A decongestant is needed, but you have to be careful if you have high blood pressure because decongestants can interfere with your medicine.

So like they say, the best defense is a good offense.

Be proactive; know what time of year is the worst for you and start taking your antihistamines early so your body is ready for the offending pollen when it comes. If you start getting a lot of drainage, it can become infected and may even turn into a cold or bronchitis. So keeping things cleared out and dry is the best offense. Or defense. + HEALTH 101 – Information to help you make positive changes in your life to improve your health by Sandy Turner, RN, EdD, Family Nurse Practitioner, Director of the Good Samaritan House, A Free Community Health Center Open Mondays 15 pm. 213 N Main St., Dearing, GA 706-556-9080.

Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. ~James Baldwin

Editor’s note: Exceptional Living appears exclusively in the Medical Examiner each month, addressing issues that all of us can benefit from involving people with special — let’s call them exceptional — needs.

Exceptional Living

When to say when

by Naomi D. Williams, MPH, CHES, CIC® Security guards surround the entrance and exits of the parking circle. A man paces back and forth as a woman nervously stands next to a car.

“What’s all of this about?” I inquired as I walk into the building. I learned there had been a domestic dispute in a very public setting. The man was abusive to this woman and onlookers called security and filed a report.

Despite the number of witnesses and a detailed account of the scene, the abused woman denied that the event happened and refused to cooperate or press charges. As if this scenario wasn’t bad enough, it gets worse: she is pregnant.

So at what point does one ask for or seek out help, in any situation?

For this young lady, it could have — Brian Kessler been an optimal time to escape an abusive relationship and work towards a fresh start, not just for herself but also for her unborn child. It’s easy for outsiders to give advice and say what one should or should not do. Ultimately, it’s up to each individual to determine when enough is enough and when they need to say when. It’s up to the person to say they need help or that they want to adjust their lifestyle.

I’ve had to learn this lesson the hard way. I had to walk through an experience in order to recognize that it was going to take more than simply my desire to change my situation. I would need outside intervention. No, I wasn’t — and never have been — in an abusive relationship; however, the principles of knowing when to say when still apply.

The birth of my son brought a host of stress for which I was not prepared. When it was time to bring him home I found myself anxious and having panic attacks on top of dealing with depression. After months of trying to cope and deal with things on my own, I realized that I needed real help. I had to weed through an enormous stack of emotions and feelings, as well as get over my concerns about what people might say if they found out that I was taking antidepressants and seeing a counselor at the same time. I had to confront the stigmas, not just those impressed by society, but those that I had too, toward people needing assistance (mental health, governmental, or professional). I had always been an independent person, so admitting that I needed help was well out of my comfort zone.

Finally about six months ago I had an “aha moment” that helped me understand how hoarders feel the way they feel and could live the way they do. No, I’m not a hoarder, but I learned how I could turn into one. I got to a point where I just wanted to escape my life. I zoned out almost completely. I did what was needed at work and to care for my child and that was about it. I started neglecting my health (not hygiene though) and the care of my home (not living in squalor, yet deficient in my normal domestic routine and duties). My wakeup call came when I saw a woman on the show Hoarders sitting on her front porch crocheting (crocheting has become a favorite pastime and my means of escape, especially if I can’t get out and run). She was happy as a lark, completely zoned out while she truly was living a dysfunctional life. It was at that point I identified those people in

“The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment that we realize we’re not.”

Please see WHEN page 7

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MEDICAL EXAMINER EVERY 1ST AND 3RD FRIDAY

MAY 4, 2012

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

WHEN‌ from page 6 my life who I considered “safeâ€? to ask for help and have recently taken a person up on their offer, “Is there anything that I can do to help?â€? I said “Yesâ€? and I have let her see my nakedness: my house in disarray.

I can’t express enough how important it is for people to have a safe person to go to. For me, a safe person is someone who will not judge you or condemn you for who you are or where you are in your life. They can listen without always giving advice; they don’t gossip or purposefully embarrass you. They know and see your potential and work with you to be the best that you can be.

No matter what the issue is in your life, alcohol, drugs, depression, abusive relationships, difficulty parenting, the only way things will get better is first acknowledging when to say when and enough is enough, then finding that safe place (often a person) to help you navigate your next steps. + Naomi Williams is a health educator by training, an entrepreneur by nature, mom, and advocate of the best kid ever, Noah Samuel.

SHORT WHITE COAT

‌ from page 2

consulted and she was admitted and taken to the OR a few hours later.

But not all abdominal pain is life threatening.

One patient I had was driving to South Carolina for a wedding the next day. En route, she started vomiting and had some mild stomach pains. She only came to the ED because her vomiting had reached a point where she wasn’t able to hold down any liquids she drank and she wanted to be healthy and able to drink and party for the wedding tomorrow. The labs we drew didn’t show anything of concern. She was a little dehydrated, but that was given, especially with how much she was vomiting. But it was one test that took us and especially her by surprise. She was pregnant! After telling us “No way!

That can’t be possible! I can’t drink tomorrow!!� she asked for some privacy and picked up her cell phone. Now, whether she called the father and told him good news or gave him an earful, I’ll leave it to your imagination.

But that’s abdominal pain for you. The simplest of complaints caused by a multitude of illnesses. So next time your stomach hurts, think about all that it could be – from a viral infection, to constipation, to reflux, to appendicitis, to gall stones, and for guys, if you’re like Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Junior,� even to pregnancy. +

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P harm acy 41 1 EDITOR’S NOTE: Very little if anything about healthcare is inexpensive, and that includes medicine. Tiny pills can command large prices.

Over-the-counter medications may be less expensive, but are they also less effective? Find the answers to lots of your drug store questions in this column written by Augusta pharmacists Chris and Lee Davidson exclusively for the Medical Examiner.

DO I REALLY NEED TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE? We all have a number of medicines in our medicine cabinet these days. How do you take each medicine, since some are for everyday use and others are for occasional use? The answer lies in what each medicine is being used to treat. In this article we will discuss how a number of common types of medicines are intended to be used.

First, let’s look at some of the medicines you need to take every day. These are medicines being used to treat a chronic condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma, and some medicines for chronic pain.

Check labels for your doctor’s instructions since only very rarely will a doctor prescribe use of a diuretic or blood thinner less than every day to achieve the desired result. Most of the time blood pressure and cholesterol medicines are to be taken every day regardless of whether you feel like you need them or not. These medicines are being used to prevent an undesirable outcome and should be taken on a regular schedule.

Diabetes medicines are also for the most part an everyday group of medicines. Shortacting insulin is an occasional exception to this rule, in that patients on a sliding scale of insulin will test their blood sugar on a regular basis, but only inject the insulin if directed to do so by the sliding scale. Other patients are on longacting insulin that is designed to be injected every day. Patients may also be on a regularly scheduled dose of short-acting insulin designed to be given before meals. In such a case, short-acting insulin is a maintenance medicine designed to be taken every day.

Asthma medicines are, for the most part, in the everyday group of medicines. The one exception to this is a rescue inhaler designed to stop an acute attack. There are several of these inhalers on the

Around town: • Barney’s Pharmacy, 2604 Peach Orchard Rd. • Birth Control Source, 1944 Walton Way • ASU Student Bookstore • Blue Sky Kitchen, 990 Broad Street • Columbia County Library, main branch lobby, Ronald Reagan Drive, Evans • Enterprise Mill (North Tower), 1450 Greene Street, Augusta • Daniel Village Barber Shop, Wrightsboro Road at Ohio Ave. • Hartley’s Uniforms, 1010 Druid Park Ave, Augusta • International Uniforms, 1216 Broad Street, Augusta • Marshall Family Y, Belair Rd, Evans • Mellow Mushroom, 12th and Broad Streets, Augusta • Southside Family Y, Tobacco Road, Augusta • Surrey Center, Surrey Center Pharmacy, Highland Avenue, Augusta • Top-Notch Car Wash, 512 N. Belair Road, Evans • Wild Wing Cafe, 3035 Washington Road, Augusta

Plus... 500+ doctors offices throughout the area for staff and waiting rooms, as well as nurses stations and waiting rooms of area hospitals.

MAY 4, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

market, but they all contain albuterol or levalbuterol as the active ingredient.

Most patients who are on medicines for epilepsy are going to be taking these medicines on an everyday basis. The goal is to prevent most, if not all, seizures from occurring. An epileptic may be on a medicine like Diastat to treat a breakthrough seizure. Remember to let your doctor know if you have a breakthrough seizure so he or she can keep up with any future dosage changes that may be needed.

When it comes to pain medicines, they can fall into either the everyday or occasional use category depending on the situation.

People with chronic pain may need to use gabapentin or Lyrica every day to prevent nerve pain. Pain relievers may be taken either way depending on the type of pain medicine. Long-acting pain medicines, like Oxycontin or MS Contin, are designed for management of chronic pain and are designed to be taken every day to prevent pain. Other pain medicines are short-acting for treatment of occasional pain episodes. These medicines should be only taken to treat a current pain episode and not to prevent pain as addiction may occur if misused.

Please consult your pharmacist or doctor about how to take each of your medicines. + Questions about this article or suggestions for future columns can be sent to us at cjdlpdrph@bellsouth.net Written for the Medical Examiner by Augusta pharmacists Chris and Lee Davidson (cjdlpdrph@bellsouth.net )

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AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

i e D t itian a k s A Sugar 101

Have you ever read a food label that includes cane sugar as an ingredient? Did the wording alone, or perhaps in combination with a steeper price, convince you that you were about to embark on an exotic adventure chock full of health benefits? Surely, you thought, cane sugar is better than sucrose. One sounds so natural; the other has a chemical sound to it.

If that was your thinking, you may have been duped: about 80% of sucrose (table sugar) is derived from sugar cane, with the remaining 20% coming from sugar beets.

If you paid more for “cane sugar,” you were paying for the same ordinary sweetener that’s commonly dispensed in little paper packages with the word “sugar” printed across the front.

Of course, plain “sugar” doesn’t sound nearly as exotic as “cane sugar” and does not evoke the mental picture of a sugar plantation and donkeydrawn cart teeming with stacked sugar canes.

Before marching back to the store in demand of a refund, take heart in knowing that there are indeed variations of cane sugar, from minimally processed to highly processed, which can impart a subtle difference in flavor. Some choose to pay a higher price for these flavor differences; perhaps you fall into this category.

To understand the flavor differences we have to go back to the beginning, to the plant.

Not the plant in the field, but the sugar manufacturing facility. It is here that the harvested stalks of sugar cane

(the ones from the donkey cart) begin the process of becoming sucrose.

The obvious first step is the extraction of sucrose from the stalks, which is achieved by either milling or diffusion.

The resulting product is a juice which looks more like dishwater than the white fine granular product in the sugar bowl on our tables. The liquid is sent off to be “cleansed” with the use of slaked lime, a chalk-like substance. The newly clean liquid is then converted into syrup through the process of evaporation.

At this point the liquid is either cleansed again or it begins the crystallization process. For some the word “crystallization” evokes memories of the elementary school science project where sugar water was turned into rock candy using a glass, pencil, and string. Actually, the two processes are very similar and that mental image is not too far from reality. However, in the home kitchen the candy is eaten or discarded, whereas in the manufacturing plant, with high profits at stake, the process continues with the separation of crystals from residual liquid via a wild ride in a centrifuge. As effective as this process is, it is simply not possible to remove all of the sugar from the liquid.

Thus a by-product, molasses, is created. While molasses is typically shipped off to become cattle feed, the crystals remain in the plant where they are dried and stored as raw sugar.

The raw sugar can now be eaten as is, but will have a noticeably different taste due to higher molasses content.

The molasses is also what contributes to the amber color and sticky texture of raw sugar. Since most people aren’t fans of this flavor, the majority of raw sugar undergoes further processing upon delivery to the consuming country in accordance with the palates of their population and the intended use of the product.

This transition from raw to refined includes bleaching and filtering, which not only removes the molasses color and flavor, but also trace amounts of minerals and nutrients found in the molasses, such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron. However these levels in raw sugar are not significant enough to be considered of any nutritional value and do not validate the consumption of sugar. Sugar of any kind is considered an empty calorie and should be consumed responsibly.

So were you duped?

Only if you thought there was nutritional or health superiority to cane sugar over ordinary table sugar. + Author Cindy Elia, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. is the Nutrition Specialist for the CSRA Area Agency on Aging, your gateway to aging resources.

Got a question? Drop us a line: info@AugustaRx.com.

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The blog spot From THE Bookshelf Posted Sunday, April 29, 2012 at http://emergency-room-nurse.blogspot. com/

Your life. My hands.

That’s me at the triage window. The one who looks exhausted and a little bit peeved. I watch you walk down the hall towards me and, like it or not, I sum you up in seconds just by the way you carry yourself. I watch you walk in and see how you approach me.

Are you shuffling? Are you frantic? Do you have to stop to rest on the way? When you get to the window do you go into excruciating detail going back five years about why you are here? Do I have to pull what’s wrong out of you? Are you hanging over the desk in a dramatic fashion? Are you pale, sweating? Short of breath? Did you come alone? Do you come with a posse? Do you immediately ask me how long the wait is?

Do I need to run you right back? Are you accompanied by the police? In handcuffs?

I will have a pretty good sense of the seriousness of your condition and what kind of person you are before you even come through the triage door. After about a year in ER you are pretty much an expert on the human race and all its quirks and personalities.

I can go into a room and take one look at you and sum up how sick you really are. You might think that sounds unfair. I am not giving you a chance. It’s reality. I have to be able to sum you up quickly. If I can’t tell if you are real or fake, a wimp or really sick, I’m not doing my job.

I am the first one to see you. I have to develop an instinct for people. If I don’t, you might die. If I assess you in your room and you are in trouble and I don’t intervene immediately or call the doctor, you’re probably going to go down the toilet.

When people come to the hospital, often they concentrate on the doctor: When can I see the doctor? Where is the doctor?

You really should be concentrating on me because I’m the one who will prevent you or your loved one from deteriorating. I’m the one who spends the time with you, monitors you, trusts my gut when dealing with you. Your life is really in my hands.

Especially if you really have a real emergency. +

Here’s the scoop from a

triage nurse.

OSTOMY SUPPORT GROUP MEETING THE SECOND MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH FROM 6:00 TO 7:00 P.M.

2604 PEACH ORCHARD ROAD AUGUSTA GA 30906 For more information, call 706-798-5645

In a perfect world, nobody would need this book. It would be ranked #9,791,463 in Amazon sales.

Alas, that perfect world is not this one, at least not yet. We have more problems than even a mathemetician could count, and few if any of them have clear solutions. Can you end unemployment? Unlock the cure for cancer or solve the mysteries of the aging process? Figure out how to get people to use their blinkers?

See what we mean?

And yet into the realm of problems without solutions enters Augusten Burroughs.

No stranger to many readers, Burroughs has led a difficult life, so difficult that he’s made millions of dollars writing about how tough it’s been.

That’s not to say life hasn’t been a real life hell for him.

His family life put the dys in dysfunctional. He was abandoned by his mother at an early age and, while he wasn’t quite raised by wolves, he might as well have been. His bestselling autobiographical memoir of his squalid childhood, Running With Scissors, is usually described in reviews as a “harrowing” tale.

He followed up that success with Dry: A Memoir, recounting his stay in America’s most frumpy and depraved alcohol rehab facility.

To this point in his literary career, Burroughs has liberally laced his sordid confessions with humor. It takes real talent to live the life he has and write about it with such humor.

But that was then. This Is How. And This Is How is exactly what its title advertises: self-help. Or to quote directly: “help for the self.”

Yes, in its entirety here’s the title (it’s a little small to read above): This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude &

More. For Young and Old Alike.

Let’s face facts. Some of these issues are really, really difficult to handle. And they aren’t problems that come and go in a few days, or within a week or two. They can follow us around for en entire lifetime if we don’t learn to face them and stare them down.

Several years ago much criticism met the news that Jane Fonda had been named to spearhead a Georgia initiative to reduce our teen pregnancy rates.

At the time, we wondered why.

Would a nun, for example, be a believable and realistic advocate for celibacy? Or would someone who had made mistakes and learned from them be more relevant?

In a similar vein, advice from a guy who has really gotten his hands dirty so far in life seems a lot more qualified to write a book like this than someone who lives in an ivory tower. + This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike by Augusten Burroughs, 240 pages, published May 8, 2012 by St. Martin’s Press

the

Clipping File A surprising PTSD antidote Oxford University researchers have preliminary data suggesting that playing Tetris is a solid antidote to post-traumatic stress disorder.

If you’re unfamiliar, Tetris is a very basic (even primitive) tile-stacking video game. As simplistic as it may be compared to today’s generation of hyperrealistic games, Tetris does require progressively increasing levels of concentration.

The researchers feel that focus is the reason for its success against PTSD, at least in early tests.

The premise was that 60 study participants were exposed to a film that showed traumatic scenes of injury and death. Half an hour later they were divvied up into three groups: one took a 10-minute computerized trivia quiz; one was instructed to sit quietly and basically do nothing; the third group played Tetris.

All were then sent on their way and asked to keep a week-long journal logging any traumatic

flashbacks from the film.

Tetris players averaged two flashbacks; the do-nothing group averaged 4.5; the trivia quiz takers suffered on average eight traumatic flashbacks.

Brain experts say memories are stored most indelibly within the first six hours after an event occurs, so Tetris Therapy — if further studies confirm its benefit — will be of little use for those with old traumatic memories. But if diversionary activities like Tetris can be employed within the first few hours after a traumatic event, preliminary results say it may significantly lessen PTSD. Keeping the fam out of the ER It’s a scene that has been recreated in tens of thousands of movies and television shows: the family of an injured person spending time, hours perhaps, waiting in... uh, waiting rooms... for news of the fate of their loved one behind closed doors.

In the movies the mother, father, wife or husband walks

alongside the gurney being wheeled in and is always stopped at the door to the trauma unit and asked to wait outside.

Maybe that scene is soon to disappear.

A study at a Level 1 trauma center in Washington D.C. has found that as medical teams performed invasive and potentially life-and-death procedures, outcomes were unaffected by the presence of family members - or their absence. Parents feel their presence will help comfort their children at a most difficult time, and the study authors say they have no data to suggest otherwise. They also found no instances in which a family member interfered with care.

A mere 10 percent of U.S. hospitals have a written policy in place addressing the issue, meaning that it’s a day-to-day, family-by-family decision.

Particularly in pediatric cases, perhaps the rule should be “Come on in.” +

+ 12

THE EXAMiNERS +

What was your eye doctor’s diagnosis?

MAY 4, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Astigmatism.

by Dan Pearson

I wonder why no one ever gets two?

Two what?

I see your point... sort of...

Stigmatisms.

The Mystery Word for this issue: GRINUSN

© 2012 Daniel Pearson All rights reserved.

PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Brown, for one 6. Deception 12. Garlic-seasoned mayonnaise 13. _____ oil 14. Girl’s stuffed toy 16. Phone or power company worker 19. Acute care dept.

20. Separated 22. New prefix 23. Wound reminder 25. Enclosed automobile 26. Fracture remedy 27. Islamic sacred book 29. Like some recruits 30. Dimwit 31. Expulsion, dismissal 33. Miscarriage (Latin) 35. Lump 37. _____ Ming (NBA) 38. Law 41. SC’s Lindsey 45. Brunswick alleys 46. Enemy 49. Sea or moon follower 50. Off-Broadway award 51. The Donald 53. Slim and fit 54. Lou Gehrig’s letters 55. Oakland players 57. Gist 58. Reticular 60. Pertaining to certain cats 62. Like some cereals 63. Stroke or seizure 64. Straighten 65. Prostate cancer treatment option DOWN 1. Onetime team of Vaughn Taylor and Garret Siler

BY

Simply unscramble the letters, then begin exploring our ads. When you find the correctly spelled word hidden in one of our ads — enter at AugustaRx.com All Mystery Word finders will be eligible to win by random drawing.

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

VISIT WWW.AUGUSTARX.COM TO ENTER! 1 11 14

2

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Click on “Reader Contests”

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QUOTATION PUZZLE

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— Author unknown

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DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in each

65

vertical column to fill the boxes above. Once any letter is used, cross it out

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 All rights reserved. Built in part with software from www.crauswords.com

in the lower half of the puzzle. Letters may be used only once. Black squares

Solution p. 14

indicate spaces between words, and words may extend onto a second line.

39. Pitt’s former mate 40. Casual shirt 42. Pretense 43. Type of Aiken racing 44. One belonging to a group 47. Mandolin of Arabia 48. Vomitus 51. Captivated by 52. Cost 55. Religious practice 56. Satisfy 59. Biopsy destination 61. Mire

2. Help 3. Ambiance 4. Sandwich City street (in downtown Augusta) 5. 25th metal?

6. Like many cots 7. Extraterrestrial 8. Sort 9. Famed Anne Baxter role 10. Remainder 11. GHSU’s dental dean 15. Answerable, responsible 17. Greek god of medicine 18. Short letters 21. First Lady in 1900, wife of William 24. Face Smoltz?

26. Mongrel dog 28. Emperor of Ethiopia (d. 1732) 30. Portals 32. Decay 34. Papa had a brand new one 36. Help, support, encourage 38. Kettering partner

E

B E D S S W A T

E B O L A

T A B E S

A M O R E T I R T C H O O E N A P E P L O E E P R A L I D E

L P O P A E R A T D A R I C A L F U L S A T B I H H E L T E N O M A L E S S H O T D I T P S T S U I B I S A I D S N O S Y

E S T R O G E N

H A R E L L E A M N T S E F I R A L M R V I I N C A S L

A P I A

I S N T

R E D E

O P E N

U S E D

S A S S

E V A D E

R A N G E

S L E E P

4 7 5 8

X A M I N E R

The April 20 solution. Oops.

F O R C E

Solution on page 14.

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 All rights reserved

3 5

5

S

2

4 3 1 5 3 2

9

2 6 7 3 9 8

4

2 1 6

7

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 All rights reserved. Built with software from www.crauswords.com

U D O K U

DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.

Use the letters provided at bottom to create words to solve the puzzle. All the listed letters following 1 are the 1st letters of each word; the letters following 2 are 2nd letters of each word, and so on. Try solving words with letter clues and entering unique and minimal choice numbers (such as 4 thru 6 in this puzzle). A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.

1

2

1

2

S 1 2 3 4

3

1

1 2 3

A 3 4 5

2 1

S 2 3 4

1

6 5

2

6

3 — Gertrude Stein

1.AAAWIST 2.AGHLERN 3.MEEEWS 4.IEA 5.DY 6.SE

SAMPLE:

1. ILB 2. SLO 3. VI 4. NE 5. D =

L 1

O 2

V 3

E 4

I 1

S 2

B 1

L 2

I 3

N 4

D 5

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2012 All rights reserved

WORDS NUMBER

THE MYSTERY WORD

MAY 4, 2012

13 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Who reads this newspaper?

The Patient’s Perspective

by Marcia Ribble

S R E D A E R R E N I M A MEDICAL EX +

HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS*

25% 75% HEALTHCARE CONSUMERS**

* Doctors, nurses, people in the medical profession. ** Patients

Of course, 100% of our readers are interested in medicine, health and wellness.

USE US! +

PLEASE USE OUR ADVERTISERS WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT THIS PAPER WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.

WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT OF THEM, THEIR SUPPORT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

While some seniors have the good genes or the good fortune to remain physically, mentally, and socially fit after their work lives are over, others have various handicaps that make their lives challenging. Whatever happens next seems to make a huge difference in the quality of their lives. One bereft group says to themselves, “That’s it, my life is over.” Those with healthier attitudes refuse to be limited by their limitations and begin to readapt to their new realities.

I am one of those adapting to my current realities. After two years on a daily dose of dexamethazone, a steroid, in the late 1980s, I now have severely deteriorating joints just about everywhere in my body. These include my whole spine, neck to coccyx, shoulders, fingers, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and feet.

Pain is a pretty much everyday companion. Moving around isn’t easy, but I’m still managing to live pretty independently. I can still drive. I can still cook my own meals, go to the grocery store, wash the dishes, the whole deal. I can still do my own laundry. To accomplish these tasks I use assistive devices, like a grabber and a pair of kitchen tongs, and a walker.

So how do seniors with deteriorating bodies manage to be necessary to others and useful to themselves? Sure, there are some things I can’t do anymore, but my emphasis is not on those things. It’s on what I can do. For one thing, I can still listen.

In the hospital a year ago, I spent my time listening to my even more elderly roommate who desperately needed to talk. She was disoriented and frightened.

She annoyed the nurses with constant demands for attention because they had lots of other things to do. She told the same stories over and over again, stories only loosely connected with reality. She made me realize that in twenty years or so I could be like her and need someone to listen to me, to help me figure things out. How did I respond

Talk is cheap.

Not talking can be deadly.

to her? First of all, I took her meandering stories as legitimate from her perspective.

What she saw in the mirror was red hair, so she talked about how beautiful her red hair was.

She couldn’t see the bald spot, nor the curly white hair in the back of her head.

It wasn’t my job to correct her.

She bragged about her husband who, she said, was tall and very handsome. When I finally met him I realized his handsomeness was her personal view, not even close to an objective evaluation, and he was only tall in comparison with her tiny self.

She talked about how much he took care of her and worried that he might starve to death while she was in the hospital because she thought he didn’t have any money to go out to eat. Because I took her seriously, it was pretty easy to help her figure out some less terrifying outcomes.

Best of all, trying to help her kept my mind off my own medical issues. I had a serious infection in one foot that was capable of causing me to lose that foot, or even my life, but I don’t remember worrying about it at all. I’m sure my focus on her and her problems was responsible for my healing — along with good medical care from the wound folks at the hospital. + Marcia Ribble received her PhD in English at Michigan State and recently retired from the University of Cincinnati where she taught composition. She taught writing at the college level and loves giving voice to people who have been silenced. She can be reached with comments, suggestions, etc., at marciaribble@hotmail.com.

+ +

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR MEDICAL EXAMINER? +

CSRA

Among our many delivery destinations: Burke County Hospital, downtown Aiken, St. John Towers, Brandon Wilde, Washingtom Commons, Wild Wing Cafe, Surrey Pharmacy, Select Specialty Hospital, Augusta Back & + Neuroscience, and Barney’s Pharmacy. +

+ 14

MAY 4, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

THE MYSTERY SOLVED The Mystery Word in our last issue was: PARAMEDIC

EXAMINER CLASSIFIEDS HOMES, APARTMENTS, ROOMMATES, LAND, ETC. LOFT APT. Above commercial building on Walton Way; newly renovated, updated and private; nice 1-BR 900sqft layout; $675/ mo, references; 706-589-3548.

51812

...carefully hidden in the page 10 ad for WALTON WOUND CARE CENTER Congratulations to Brooke Gentry, who scores a $20 Wild Wing Cafe gift certificate, two free movie passes courtesy of Health Center Credit Union, a free Top Notch Car Wash gift card, and anything else we may be able to scrape together on short notice. Win this stuff!

The new Mystery Word is on p. 12. Start looking!

GETAWAY 14 acres natural wooded with beautiful rocky creek flowing through. Available immediately to enjoy while planning future devel. Hiking trails cleared, hunting, fishing, golf near outstanding Glascock school system. Call owner: 706-798-4359

new, 2 master suites, sunroom, all appliances. $98,000 (706) 504-4023

on-request estimates. Call 706.831.8552 or 706.831.8553

HOMESBYOWNER.COM Sell • Buy • Rentals • 706.564.5885

NOTICE! ATTENTION! If any current or past employer has failed to pay you min. wage or time and a half overtime pay, you may be entitled to an order from US Federal Court awarding you twice the amount of your unpaid wages plus atty. fees. For info, call Arthur H. Shealy, Attorney at Law, 803-278-5149, 1010 Plantation Rd, North Augusta SC 29841. You may be entitled to a similar award for unpaid wages if your employer required you to perform duties during your lunch hour, before clocking in, or after clocking out.

WEST AUGUSTA Luxury 3 BR / 2 BA Townhouse, 1-car attached garage located off Pleasant Home Road $725 /mo 706-228-4655 TOWNHOME 3 bedroom, 3 full bath townhome. 2 master suites, like new, end unit with extra parking, single garage, covered patio, $125,000. 706-799-0394

81712

The Celebrated MYSTERY WORD CONTEST ...wherein we hide (with fiendish cleverness) a simple word. All you have to do is unscramble the word (found on page 12), then be the first to find it concealed within one of our ads. Click in to the contest link at www.AugustaRx.com and enter. If we pick you in our random drawing of correct entries you’ll score our goodie package: gift certificates from Wild Wing Cafe, Top Notch Car Wash, Cheddar’s, and movie passes from Health Center Credit Union!

SEVEN SIMPLE RULES: 1. Unscramble and find the designated word hidden within one of the ads in this issue. 2. Visit the Reader Contests page at www.AugustaRx.com. 3. Tell us what you found and where you found it. 4. If you’re right and you’re the one we pick at random, you win. (WInners within the past six months are ineligible.) 5. Prizes awarded to winners may vary from issue to issue. 6. A photo ID may be required to claim some prizes. 7. Other entrants may win a lesser prize at the sole discretion of the publisher.

HOUSE FOR SALE 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, 2-car garage. Off Dyess Pkwy near Ft. Gordon. $99,900. Call 706-3395548 or 706-210-4334 TOWNHOME large furnished room (dresser, bed, night stand, linens) for rent with private bathroom in convenient and very nice neighborhood near Doctors Hosp. $445 a month includes utilities and Internet service. Please contact 706589-0238 ask for May. APARTMENT One bedroom, one bath garage apartment, $595/mo. TOWNHOME Two bedroom, 1.5 bath townhome, $645/mo. Quiet West Augusta area.

706.951.3598 or 706.855.5986 31612

The new scrambled Mystery Word is found on page 12

SENDING US A CLASSIFIED? USE THE FORM BELOW AND MAIL IT IN, OR GO TO WWW.AUGUSTARX.COM AND PLACE & PAY CONVENIENTLY AND SAFELY ONLINE. THANKS!

TOWNHOME Great location, everything

SERVICES

LAWN SERVICE Commercial, residential.

Call Vince: (704) 490-1005

HOME HEALTH CHECK-UP Biological and chemical contamination will make you sick. Help your doctor! We Cure Sick Homes. 706-772-9898 www.commandonow.com LYNN’S CLEANING SERVICE over 20 years experience in the CSRA with an eye for detail. Call 706.833.2658 or email lynn_dubose@hotmail.com 1612

BIBLE BY PHONE - Free daily Bible readings; for Spiritual Encouragement and Growth. Call 706-855-WORD (9673) SPARKLING CLEAN Looking for offices to clean. No contract req. Husband & wife team have years experience and give FREE

WHAT’S YOUR DRUG OF CHOICE?

.75

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

3.50

3.75

4.00

4.25

4.50

4.75

5.00

5.25

5.50

5.75

6.00

6.25

6.50

6.75

7.00

7.25

7.50

7.75

8.00

8.25

8.50

8.75

9.00

(Copy this form or continue on additional sheet if more space needed.)

Send this form with payment to:

AUGUSTA MEDICAL EXAMINER, PO BOX 397, AUGUSTA, GA 30903-0397 Total ad cost by number of words as shown above: $

A N I S T O U N

A M E S I O L I D O L L D I V B S E A N R T E R G O B T U T E E S F E T R R A I L I K E A T E N B E N D

F O L I D D A A W A Y

A L I E N B A G

O E U M P D E R S I I C S E

K E R Y I V E N E M A N D N E O C A S T D U N C E O R T U S O L R A H A M S C A P E T R I M S N U B A M E S E T U S R E D S

QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION: Page 12: “There are people so poor the only thing they have is money.”

— Author unknown

AD COPY (one word per line; phone numbers MUST include the area code): .50

S L O A N

A C C O U N T A B L E

J A G U A R S

QUOTATION

In case we need to contact you. These numbers will not appear in the ad.

.25

D R I S K O

SEE PAGE 12

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING FORM Name Address Work number (if applicable) ( ) Home phone ( ) Category of ad (leave blank if unsure):

CAREGIVER/COMPANION Need a ride to the doctor, store, etc. or someone to come in to visit and help you. Great References, reasonable rates. Call (706) 589-1698 or email msmagic4@yahoo.com.

THE PUZZLE SOLVED

(OURS IS COFFEE)

Augusta Medical Examiner Classifieds

PERSONAL TRAINER Certified by United States Sports Academy in Science of Bodybuilding and Strength Training for Athletes. Significant improvements for all sports at all ages. Natural techniques for relief of all common sports-related injuries employing positioning and myofascial release. Rapid recovery and strength gains.

One free session to 1st 10 applicants.

E-mail Hme3065805@aol.com or call 803-257-5421

The Sudoku Solution

COFFEE IS GOOD MEDICINE VISIT DRUGOFCHOICECOFFEE.COM FOR YOUR REFILLS TODAY

4 3 8 7 6 1 2 5 9

7 5 2 4 3 9 6 1 8

9 1 6 8 5 2 3 4 7

2 7 4 9 8 6 1 3 5

1 8 3 5 2 7 9 6 4

6 9 5 3 1 4 8 7 2

5 6 1 2 4 8 7 9 3

8 4 7 6 9 3 5 2 1

3 2 9 1 7 5 4 8 6

WORDS BY NUMBER “We are always the same age inside.”

— Gertrude Stein

Multiply by number of times ad to run: x Total submitted: $

The Augusta Medical Examiner publishes on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month.

Your ad should reach us no later than 5 days prior to our publication date.

Thanks for reading!

www.AugustaRx.com

MAY 4, 2012

15 +

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS!

VISIT WWW.ISSUU.COM/MEDICALEXAMINER. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL EDITION. IT’S FAST & FREE.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED TOO! SEE PAGE 3!

M E D I C A L S E RV I C E S D I R E C T O RY Knob

Home Health Check CENTER FOR PRIMARY CARE

Hill

BACTERIA, MOLD, MYCOTOXINS, VIRUS AND VOCs Cause Asthma, COPD, Fibromyalgia, Fatigue, Congestion, Eye Irritation, Respiratory Problems, Stuffy Head, Sore Throat, Skin Conditions and more.

ASSISTED LIVING CENTER, INC. A specialty care community offering:

Spinal Cord Injury Care • Traumatic Brain Injuries Respite Care • Specialized Rehabilitation Care Specialized Dietary Requirements Adult Day Care • Alzheimer’s Care

39

$

COMMANDO SERVICES

LOCAL HOME INSPECTION CALL TODAY!

706-772-9898

FAMILY MEDICINE CPC-EVANS

2011 WINDSOR SPRING ROAD

706.650.7563

706.798.1700

CPC-CENTRAL

CPC-N. AUGUSTA

706.868.7380

803.279.6800

3614-D DEWEY GRAY CIRCLE

CPC-CROSSROADS

Approved for VA and Medicaid and private pay Knob Hill Assisted Living Center is just off Washington Rd. near Windmill Plantation, approx. 3 miles from Evans WalMart

CPC-SOUTH

363 NORTH BELAIR ROAD

105 HUGH STREET

CPC-AIKEN

1701 MAGNOLIA WAY (OFF DYESS PARKWAY)

410 HITCHCOCK PARKWAY NEW CPC OFFICE AS OF AUG. 1

706.922.6600

803.649.6941

Evans, South, Crossroads, Central and North Augusta offices open 8:30 am-8:00 pm Monday thru Thursday and 8:30 am-5:00 pm Friday Aiken office hours: 8:30 am-8:00 pm Mon & Tue and 8:30 am-5:00 pm Wed thru Fri

For more information or to make a referral, please contact us: KNOB HILL ASSISTED LIVING CENTER Ryan Hunt • huntglobalinc@gmail.com 2822 Knob Hill Farm Road • Evans, GA 30809

CPC-Crossroads open weekends for CPC patients with acute care needs. Please call ahead.

26 PHYSICIANS • EVENING HOURS • 6 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS •

706-860-0541

DOCTOR’S OFFICE CLEANING SERVICE FREE E ST I M AT E S

D.O.C.S. HELPING DOCS T H O R O U G H • D E P E N DA B L E • D I L I G E N T • H O N E S T • • • DA I LY • B I -W E E K LY • W E E K LY • P R N

7 0 6.2 8 4.7 2 8 7

FREE E ST I M AT E S

TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL 706.860.5455

+ 16

MAY 4, 2012

AUGUSTA MEDiCAL EXAMINER

Do the right thing W

e haven’t preached this particular sermon since way back in ’10, but here at Medical Examiner world headquarters we alertly continue to keep our finger on the pulse of local, national and international trends that could affect the health and wellbeing of our many precious readers. Based on our careful evaluation, it’s time to repeat Sermonette No. 47 again.

The topic, in case you’re wondering, is doing the right thing. The right thing.

Specifically, obeying the law — yes, the law — which we have summarized in the green circle prominently and conveniently displayed for our readers above and to the right.

When this law was passed in both Georgia and South

Carolina they didn’t ask for our input — in any event it was decades ago — but trust us when we tell you that our four words are exactly what their 135 words below say. Their 135 words are just part of the even wordier complete law.

What they both say is this: vehicles should drive in the right lane and only move into the left lane (the so-called fast lane) when necessary, and then only temporarily before returning to the right lane. In short, drive right, pass left.

The Georgia law excerpted to the right further states that it’s illegal to do something you can see on Riverwatch Parkway (among other places) virtually every day of the week: a slower driver in the left lane (already breaking the law there) refusing

Georgia law 40-6-40 and South Carolina law 56-5-1810 say in part: a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, except as follows: (1) When overtaking and passing another vehicle; (2) When an obstruction exists making it necessary to drive to the left of the center of the highway, provided that any person so doing shall yield the right of way to all vehicles traveling in the proper direction upon the [opposite] portion of the highway; ...(b) Any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic shall be driven in the righthand lane then available for traffic, or as close as practicable to the righthand curb or edge of the roadway, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn. +

Thursday evenings:

Wine & Tapas

A sterling selection of Chef Heinz’ unique culinary skills and Augusta’s most extensive wine list. $25 per person Friday evenings:

Specialty Martinis Half price

to move over to the right (as in correct, and as in right-hand) lane for a faster vehicle coming up from behind.

Laws have reasons Why, pray tell, would this topic appear in the Medical Examiner? What possible connection could there be between the lane you drive in and health?

Quite a bit, as it turns out.

For starters, traffic engineers figured out a long time ago that the more separation there is between traffic going opposite directions, the safer everyone will be. That’s why medians and suicide lanes were invented. On roads without them, opposing lanes of traffic are separated by nothing more than a stripe of paint.

As common as suicide lanes have become, it’s just as common to see drivers doing most of their driving in the left or inside lane, right next to the suicide lane. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot going on in suicide lanes: stopping, starting, turning, merging, and more. It’s safest to obey the law and stay in the lane farthest from all of that.

La Maison Our May Wine Dinner

Georgia law 40-6-184 says in part: On roads, streets, or highways with two or more lanes allowing for movement in the same direction, no person shall continue to operate a motor vehicle in the most left-hand lane...once such person knows or should reasonably know that he is being overtaken in such lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed, except when such motor vehicle is preparing for a left turn. +

Request a FREE estimate online or by phone

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Visit the blog at AugustaRx.com for a video showing the dire consequences of driving in the left lane. (www.AugustaRx.com/news) WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

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A 7-Course Dining Experience featuring superbly matched foods & wines

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law states that drivers passing a stopped emergency vehicle (police, ambulance, tow truck at a wreck, etc) are required to take one of two actions: move over one lane, or if that is not possible, to slow down below the posted speed limit.

Happy motoring! +

Protecting food, health and property

ON TELFAIR

80 PER PERSON

Something else to consider: when the Drive Right/Pass Left laws were passed, nobody was driving while talking on a telephone. No one was texting behind the wheel. No one had earbuds in place, deaf to the world. Nobody was looking at a satellite-based navigational screen for directions.

All of those factors, plus a few million more cars on the road than back then, and the guys who wrote those laws are looking pretty insightful.

While we’re on the subject of lanes, don’t forget that Georgia

DRIVE RIGH PASS LEFT T

Chef Heinz welcomes you

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