I think I'm allergic to Beaver

Well the hat making class is back on; went for the first time last night and got my hat making skills underway. I missed the first night because I was out with the medevac crew again for a long haul all afternoon. Still can't get over the excitement of those trips. More pictures to go on facebook soon. But anyways, we were all breathing in beaver fur last night at class- the downey stuff just gets everywhere. I think it's worse than the amount of hair I get covered in when I shave Teaser.
Plans are underway for sightseeing and tourism in Anchorage late next week, including a drive down to Seward to see the ocean and glaciers. Now I have to start thinking about packing all my stuff up after settling in for 7 weeks here.

Mundane weekend

Well after all the excitement of Medevacs it's back to the normal routine of cleaning, homework, and laundry for my Sunday. Not all that exciting. But the reality of only 2 weeks left before I come home also hit me. And a few days in Anchorage makes it seem even closer.

Wound care

I also spent time touring with wound care today. I saw my first case of really bad frost bite. Black toes, black heel, black sole. Literally black skin. But the real kicker was the temperature difference; that black skin is cold (even after 72 hours of being in the hospital). And from there it's just a waiting game. A lot of that tissue won't recover and it's sad, but the patient has their life.

Second memorable experience was the 8 year old girl with second degree burns, all because her older sister got mad during a steam bath and threw the water at her. I can only imagine the amount of pain for that poor little girl but she was a trooper and only shed tears during debriding the wound. She definitely put me to shame on my pain tolerance though. I think she was more irritated by our questions keeping her from her games than being in the hospital. And that courage goes for just about all the natives I have encountered thus far; it's really inspiring.

Village Travel= SUCCESS!

Well I finally reached a village; went on a medevac run (and then some more) to see a few villages. Check on facebook for some photos soon (too tired right now).

Travel was a blast and prop planes really let you see everything. It was so cool! The team was awesome as well; couldn't ask for better teachers and companions.

The trips in all just feel undescribable, there were so many things to see and do. It really opened my eyes to the real challenges of rural health care. We also discussed some other things like weather that can make those challenges even worse and more difficult to overcome.

Well you're not going to give me any blood either

Today I volunteered my finger to complete a quality control test on the equipment we use for testing INR levels for people on warfarin. It was giving us some variable readings and needed to be double checked. Well apparently my body didnt want to give up any blood after the finger stick and the pharmacist used the line above on me. I called her a vampire and said she shouldn't be so greedy. We had a good laugh and then milked my finger for blood.

Only in Bethel

Mandy told me to keep my eyes and ears open for those only in Bethel moments that are inevitable here. Yesterday one stood out above all the rest though.

The history of present illness (HPI) is a space on the visit summary form where the doctor/nurse can summarize the course of the current complaint. Yesterday's patient had listed under thier HPI: shot a moose over the weekend.

...Only in Bethel

Overheard at Lunch today

What is that?

Shrimp curry

I'll take a plate of fries then, thanks.

I learned my manners well

Well apparently it is the bug that keeps on giving; I have shared the nasty germ with my preceptor too. I just hope it doesn't affect the grading...

mmmm interesting

Funny that when you're sick and finally on the road to recovery you find some gatorade in hopes of replenishing your electrolytes.....after finishing 3/4 of the bottle you realize that it's expired, has been for 3 months. Appetizing.

Quinhagak Strike 3

Well I struck out on Quinahagak. Mark (one of the PA students) was gracious to share his germ with me and give me the worst flu I can remember. So I spent Thursday and most of Friday hidden away at home. The other guys left on Friday and were hoping for no travel delays as they headed back. Saturday got me out and about again. I went to Saturday market and found some good finds. It was a beautiful day (by beautiful I mean 20 degree weather and some scattered sun) so I walked home.
Today I got many Valentine's calls from lots of family (THANKYOU!). I have been catching up with some housecleaning and work projects since missing some time last week. I have to admit some procrastination to root for the olympians however.
Tomorrow is set to be a great day and we are planning on snowmachining so watch for some more great pictures on facebook soon. The rest of the week promises more snow too (everyone up here keeps wishing for more).
Unfortunately the fur hat making class that I was going to take next week has been cancelled; there was confusion over provision of supplies and then we lost a lot of students due to the mix up. They'll reschedule but not likely in my time here.
That catches you up for now. More to follow soon again!

Quinahagak strike 2

Village visit try 2: Another strike out. After checking in again for a morning flight and waiting about 45 minutes (after we had called ahead to check on flying status), a l o n g announcement with every flight number (obsolete as you don't get a boarding pass) and village we were told that they were on hold due to weather; this was followed by the weather forecast coming across the TV that declared blizzard conditions in Bethel. All in all another fun trip out to the airport.

The day was then made up of a stint in peds in which I say the cutest little 3 year old girl who reminded exactly of Sophia (without all the talking, pounding, and boomshackalackas). That was the moment homesickness set in, but just a little.

The afternoon was project time, super productive, and some experience in the workflow. I had to peel off and then relayer all my warmest clothes today too. I'll have to think of doing some wash soon too, clothes stash running low after 4 weeks.

Mundane Monday

A big lag in posts, but nothing fun or exciting going on here. I got to cook again for the super bowl party yesterday and that was fun (another batch of chili, some guacamole, and pecan pie bars). I even ate the chili (Mom and Dad would be so proud); growing up it was a battle, not just a struggle, for me to eat chili. In fact Mom and Dad usually added elbow macaroni so that I had something to pick at and eat. Oh how things can change as we grow up. Snowmachines were out in abundance again with another 2 inches of fresh snow here. They even managed to "break" one and by break I mean they disconnected Mandy's pull start cord from the handle. I had no part of this. The longer I am here though, the more interesting people I get to meet. It's not all that uncommon to hear of people who have just moved up here randomly. They all say Bethel has a strange charm about it and a unique attraction; I certainly believe that but I would have to guess that it's likely due to the openness and friendliness of the locals.
That's all from the weekend; plan for today is to be in the OB ward (part of working on my big project).

Pack a lunch and dress warm

Well today was long; I got up early after a night of constant awakenings with that inner fear that I wouldn't wake up and then miss my flight. We sat at the airport for quite sometime, another sign of the paces here in Bethel. I was totally shocked by the announcement "Flight to Hooper Bay set to board. Meet your pilot at the gate" - which is the only gate in this small building. Nno security, no restrictions, and much luggage left unattended throughout this room. I also thought it was so cute to see blankets draped over the noses of these prop planes as they were awaiting a flight. The waiting area also featured aerial shots of all the villages. This was interesting to be able to see the variations in sizes and potential in the village area. Some were quite shocking with an air strip being the largest, most prominent feature. Others were larger and featured some paved roads. No fears though, the adventure will continue as the flight has been rescheduled for next week. And a plus side, we didn't have to miss hamburger Wednesday (a huge favorite at the cafeteria). And talk of food makes me think that my grocery supplies are starting to dwindle again and its time for a trip to the store again soon.
Now if only I could stave off this head cold that thinks it can settle in...

Jealous Tuesday

Well something about jailhouse row is prohibitive of sleep, Im confident in that. Today the other 2 students are off exploring the tundra around Bethel on snowmachines and I am here, drudging away at pharmacy tasksssss... woe is me. Although I can't complain much as they are done next week and headed back to PA while I still get to enjoy Bethel for 4 more weeks. Tomorrow is a village visit to Quinhagak, travel booked. I should have many more pictures to post and some great insights into village life of the YK Delta. Soon I shuold have a chance to snomachine too I hope. I might volunteer to run a trap line too.... possibilities are endless depending on how you want to spend your time. There is another Saturday market coming up in a few weeks at which artifacts and crafts are sold so if anyone has requests for that special item, let me know. This weekend I have to decide if I'd like to see the Bethel dog show, an event that is put together with no real true classic champions, just sport here.
Enough rantings and on to homework again...