ErikPaul.net

Inland Hurricane Pictures and Video

2009-05-14T07:17:00.002-05:00

I'll post more pictures later, but here are some of the radar pics of the hurricane:

here are some other pics:

Click here.
Click here.

links to Ameren Pictures:

Click here.

This is what pretty much every power line looked like (we were without power for 6 days):

Here is a video of the storm. I was also in the middle of this in my car with my wife (this isn't me filming).

Here is the official Ameren video of the storm where the head of Ameren says it is the worst storm he's seen in 30 years:

Inland Hurricane!

2009-05-09T09:49:00.001-05:00

we got hit by an inland hurricane yesterday. I'll have more news when I have time, but over 70K people are without power. We are in a world of hurt right now in Southern Illinois.

Keep us in your thoughts.

Erik

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My poor wife

2009-05-06T21:21:00.001-05:00

our new home is big. So big that we can't hear each other sometimes.

My wife was in her walk-in closet and the door shut behind her. The problem was that the door handle froom the inside was broken, so she couldn't get out.

She banged the walls and screamed, but I couldn't hear her. My mother in law finally found her, after she spent an hour locked up.

Don't call DFHSS on me :)

Erik

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Kindle DX changing medicine?

2009-05-05T20:31:00.001-05:00

My wife has a Kindle 1 and I've always wanted to get my medical textbooks on a kindle. The number of medical textbooks available for kindle are small, but they are increasing.

Tomorrow Amazon is set to announce their new version. This one is reported to be larger and made for textbooks.

With my $2000 book stipend this fall, I'd love to get me an armada of kindle e-books that will be at my fingertips in the clinic and hospital.

Here's to hoping...

http://m.news.com/2166-12_3-10233764-36.html

Erik

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NHANES Obesity Allergies Association

2009-05-05T07:56:00.001-05:00

An recent article is has been published with new NHANES data (www.nih.gov/news/health/may2009/niehs-04.htm ). The findings show a positive association with childhood obesity and allergies.

The obese children had an increase rate of allergies to the tune of 27 percent. IgE levels were measured as well as compared against a questioneer.

This disease is a far-reaching disease and, hopefully, we can get it under control. Now is the time for more PE in schools, not less.

Erik

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New Home

2009-05-03T19:10:00.001-05:00

I'm very happy to report that we closed on our home! It was a handful of work to get it done, but we did it. I thought for certain we wouldn't get funding, since Bank of America ended the "doctor loan" program, which is what we used.

We are all moved in and we are trying to sort through the mess. It is nice, however, since the home is very large (over 4000 sq feet). This is providing us with ample space to move around.

I have a feeling that we are going to be here for a while.

Erik

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Pens in medicine

2009-04-09T06:53:00.001-05:00

So I just read this really funny post about the "one true pen" and why docs fascinate over their pens.

What I find interesting is I don't have this obsession. You see, my clinic has an EMR. Our hospital has an EMR, and our signout notes are completely electronic. So, I have a pen, but he is lonely in his pocket. In fact, I use my calipers much more than my pen. Who else can claim such?

When I did use a pen, though, it was a 4-colored bic. Now, I had to go way back for that one. You see, I took my notes in medical school on my tablet pc using my "virtual" pen. I had a wide array of virtual colors to choose from. It was simply amazing.

Carry on.

---sent from my treo...pardon my spelling---

The American Dream turning into the American Nightmare

2009-03-17T20:18:00.001-05:00

The AIG "controversy" has incited a lot of discussion and rage among the public, as can be seen in this article below:

http://m.cnn.com/cnn/lt_ne/lt_ne/detail/266673/full

Here is what I don't understand. The reports are showing that these bonuses were in contract prior to the arrival of the new CEO and TARP money. So, essentially, we are getting in a huff because we gave money to this company with no strings attached (that was what the treasury secretary wanted) and AIG attempted to compensate their employees in the hope to keep the brightest minds at the institution. Sounds like we should be pointing the finger at somebody else in Washington.

We are setting these companies up for failure. Why would an executive want to stay at an organization that is restricting their salary? These executives aren't handcuffed to their company. If they don't like the compensation they are receiving, they can jump ship and go to another company. Then what? Who will run the company?

I'd be livid if the government decided ex post facto to tax me 90 percent. This is a florid sin our government is committing. It doesn't make me proud to be an American, right now. The American Dream is turning into the American Nightmare.

erik

New Server Settings

2009-03-14T22:39:00.001-05:00

I'm posting this as a test for my new server settings.

Erik

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V8 fusion

2008-03-29T22:20:00.001-05:00

I am in walmart right now and am delighted to report that V8 has come out with a new flavor called Acai (pardon the definite lack of accent characters on my treo). This brings back very fond memories of my days in Brazil eating fresh acai that had been chilled and served over yogurt with granola. It was delightful. I can't wait to get home and do my workout so I can spoil myself.

Erik

http://blog.erikpaul.net

---sent from my treo 700p not so smartphone...pardon my spelling---

HELLP Syndrome

2008-02-22T00:02:00.001-06:00

I'm watching a lady on OB that has true HELLP syndrome right now. Peripheral smear shows schistocytes. AST/ALT/Alk Phos are all significantly elevated. Platelets were at 28,000. They have improved to over 50,000, so, she will deliver soon (38.2 G3P2). It was a good learning experience. The next one should be an experience, too...a lady that failed methadone treatment and says she just took 1500 mg of morphine in the last day! This poor baby is going to come out sick.

two-fer-one

2008-02-12T20:45:00.001-06:00

I got two see two unique situations in one case today. First, I assisted on a lady's six c-section (that is right, 6). She ended up getting a tubal, so no lucky number seven.

In the same breath, I saw a true double knot in a cord. The mother needs to be saying her prayers, because it is a miracle that the boy made it to term.

Erik

---sent from my treo 700p not so smartphone...pardon my spelling---

Autism and ABC...shame on you!

2008-01-31T23:07:00.001-06:00

I, too, feel that ABC has done a great disservice to American people with the showing of this episode. The science doesn't exist to link autism to vaccinations. What this show does do, however, is show how trials can result in outcomes that are ludicrous and have no basis in science. Read the AAP's statement here.

erik

40 intubations in 2 weeks?

2008-01-29T09:41:00.001-06:00

a question about how I got 40 tubes in my two week rotation (abot 20 missed). To set the record straight, I did a 4 week anesthesia rotation. I did 4 weeks of anesthesia in the morning and 4 weeks of radiology in the afternoon. This awesome, since cases are in the morning, and reads happen all day long. It was about the second week when I started to get comfortable with intubation. That is the point when everybody finishes, but I had another two weeks to perfect my skills. In fact, 30 of the 40 were in the final two weeks.

So, if you have anesthesia and radiology in the same institution, I recommend trying this. You will love it.

Erik

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Pronouncing patients dead

2008-01-27T21:49:00.001-06:00

President Gordon Hinckley, prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) died tonight @ 7 P.M. This got me thinking of the times that I pronounced a patient dead. Quite frankly, it was the most akward thing I have ever done. I walked into the room, and didn't really know what to say. I wallked out of the room with the resident and still didn't know what to say to the family, who was waiting outside the room. All I could think to do was to shake their hand and say, "I'm sorry for your loss" (they already knew the patient was dead, thus, no "I'm sorry, but your loved one has died".). I felt so dumb.

I know that KCOM has a difficult topics lecture and lab, but we don't have a lecture on pronouncing patients and how to handle the family. We were told to find a good time to break the news...uhhh, there really is no good time. Walking to another location would be weird, since the family already knows what has happened. I would like to know how best to handle a pronouncement that takes place in the unit with family already there. Curriculum committee, are you listening?

Erik

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email on a cell phone

2008-01-27T17:40:00.001-06:00

I just read an article on dslreports about a new web service that will allow users to access their email on their phones via POP3. They said that it was going to put blackberries out of business. I am just puzzled...

My non-blackberry phone is synced via IMAP to my google email, meaning any changes I make on my phone (deleted email) shows up on my computer and gmail. That blows blackberry out of the water. Also, my email is constantly connected via the IDLE command, which means I get email instantaneosly without my battery being drained. In fact, I check the email on my phone about 98 percent of the time (since my email is all taken care of by the time I get to a computer). This makes for a better family life.

Finally, I can blog from my very own treo (as seen by this post), which just makes me smile.

In short, I'm not giving up my treo with chattermail.

Erik

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last day of radiology

2008-01-25T15:21:00.001-06:00

it has been fun. I have fallen asleep every day now, and today is no better. I just caught myself losing it again.

I scrubbed in on a inguinal hernia repair of a three month old. I feel like a baked potato as I was standing right under the heating lights for the baby.

Next month is OB/GYN. Time to catch some babies!

Erik

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17 year-old HIV+

2008-01-24T14:04:00.000-06:00

I was on the anesthesia-side of an HIV+ c-section of a 17 year-old girl. From what I was told, the poor girl didn't know that her partner was full-blown AIDS. I was sick to my stomach and just felt terrible. We need to make stricter laws to protect these people.

Erik

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