Dealing with the Heat (for the umpteenth time)

Between bike rides, hiking, gardening, farming, and football practice, if I'm not at work (or asleep), I'm outside.  Because of that, I sport a pretty good tan year round

And it's not for lack of sunscreen.  Goodness knows, I slather it on heavy and often.

Still, it's never quite enough.

So I visit my dermatologist every year and depend on him to take good care of me. 

With football practice in full swing this week, it's time for me to offer my sort-of annual address on dealing with the heat.  I think this is the umpteenth time I've done so.

Yet, the basic message stays the same. 

Hydrate.  Early and often.  Pre-hydrate even.  If you know you're going to be out in the heat, start drinking fluids.

On the bicycle, you don't feel like you are sweating that much since the constantly moving air keeps most of the sweat evaporated away.  But that just means that your body's cooling system it is doing its job.

Proof of that is found when you get off the bike and find that you are crusty with salt.

Sports drinks are good.  Water is good.  Sodas are bad.  I find most sports drinks a little too sweet so I make my own or dilute it a bit.  Still, the electrolytes in most sports drinks mean that they are absorbed into your system more quickly.

And those electrolytes are essential.  They must be replaced. 

It's always good to check the color of your urine when you are exercising or working in hot weather.  

It should be a pale yellow.  Anything more and you didn't get enough fluids in your system. 

Wear clothing that is both reflective (lighter, brighter colors) and allows air to circulate.  Loose fitting clothing is usually the best but there are some great high tech products out there that fit tight but offer improved evaporation. 

If possible, avoid the hottest part of the day.  Yeah...I know...easy to say-hard to do.  Try your best.

Take breaks.  Wear a hat.  Stay wet. 

If you are exercising in the heat, it's best to have a buddy.  One important sign that you are having problems in dealing with the heat is confusion.  A buddy can see that in you and can intervene.

Heat illness is serious stuff.  It can kill you.

Excess sweating, red face, labored breathing, weakness, nausea--all those are signs that you are having serious problems in dealing with the heat.  Seek shelter, get wet, get cool however you can.  

Immersion in cold weather is your best path.

If you are confused, stop sweating, or have cool, clammy skin, you are in the middle of a medical emergency and need to get an ambulance as soon as possible.

You don't have to stay inside the rest of the summer.  You just need to be smart about it.

Be safe.  Have fun.

Pre-Participation Physicals

This week and next, pre-participation physicals will be provided to the student-athletes at our area high schools.

Under the direction of Maryville Orthopedic Clinic (thank you Drs. Bell, Morgan, Griffith, Thomas, Winn, and Asbury) whose doctors also serve as team physicians for our local schools, these would be impossible without the huge contributions from the physicians at Blount Memorial Hospital and East Tennessee Medical Group, as well as other local doctors, athletic trainers, physical therapists, physician assistants, and nurses.

This annual event is a valuable service to our local schools, giving a baseline of safety to sports participation.  Held en masse until just a few years ago, now each high school is done at their own school and coordinated by their team physician and head athletic trainer (and in case you're wondering, we were doing these in Blount County long before they were even thought about in Knoxville).

But it is not medical care.  It was never meant to be medical care.

It was meant to be a screening process to make sure that it is safe for your child to participate in inter-scholastic sports.

It was meant to identify health issues that need medical follow-up, maybe before they can participate in their sport.

Every (I repeat...EVERY) child of school age needs a pediatrician.  Yes, I know that is terribly self-serving since my daughter is a local pediatrician, but I've been preaching that same sermon since before she was twelve and wanted to be a veterinarian.

Every child needs a medical doctor who knows that child's medical and family history.  Who can call them by name when they walk in the door.

A doctor who can be honest and thorough because they know your child and his or her family.  And who doesn't have to worry that you're going to change doctors just because you disagree with them.

A doctor with whom your child can be honest and open because he or she trusts that doctor.  There are just some things that they might talk to a doctor about when they won't talk to you.

I ask that you help us take the best possible care of your child by establishing this relationship with a pediatrician.

You may think that you can't afford it but I suggest that you can't afford not to do it.  I would remind you that there are all sorts of resources out there to help you afford the care your child should have.

And as the parent of children that benefited from this service, I suggest that you join me in a big round of applause for our own medical community for making this happen.

The Heart of the Beast (Story of a Train Wreck)

I'll get back to sports in a minute (OK...next week) but I'd like to tell you about the train wreck.

Oh, you heard all about the train wreck?  About how our community really pulled together and how everybody is OK and all that?

Great.  There is all that.  But there's more.  There's the insider's perspective that maybe you hadn't heard yet.

Here's the scoop:  My son and his family live about 300 yards from the wreck site.  For whatever reason, they didn't get the evacuation notification. 

When they did find out, they headed for my house.  But that was only after several hours in the "hot zone."

So a bit later, when my 2 year old grandson developed a cough, it was decided that they should all head for the hospital.

For the record, let me state that I work for Blount Memorial Hospital. And I've worked in health care for almost 38 years. So if you sense bias here, so be it.   

Anyway, my wife and grandson were the first to arrive, meeting me at the bay to the Emergency Room, where staff had set up a triage center.  It was about noon and there was a steady stream of arrivals, some by ambulance, some by private vehicle.

They were quickly taken to the decontamination area.  My wife could have opted out but there was no way she was going to send her grandson through that without her.

Their clothes were taken, I sprayed them down with a soap mixture, and they went through a series of four showers.  They were then given scrubs to wear and taken to the Emergency Room.

Along the way, mom, dad, and sister all arrived so we were soon all together.  What followed were blood work (not fun for the little ones), x-rays, medical exams, and constant monitoring.

After four hours of observation and no symptoms, the adults were discharged.  The children, however, were transferred to East Tennessee Children's Hospital where they spent the night and went home the next day.  All OK.

I'm sure that over the next few weeks, we will hear stories of people going out of their way to help each other.  That's the kind of community we live in. 

But from my point of view--from someone who was inside the beast-- here's the bottom line:  Our hospital (my hospital) did awesome.  They were ready.  They were efficient.  They were compassionate. 

There's a nurse named Wayne there that my family will always be beholden to.

Children's Hospital did great too.  Though not at the epicenter of the disaster, they were also prepared and efficient and compassionate.

At the end of the day, we should all be glad to know that our health care system works.

Even in the face of a catastrophic event like this.

And that's a good feeling. 

Camp Blackberry 2015

Camp Blackberry is over. Unless you know my family really well, you probably didn't know.  More than likely, it wasn't on your radar.

Oh, what is Camp Blackberry?  It's a summer camp that my wife and I do for our grandchildren.  The name?  We raise blackberries and our last name is Black so...Camp Blackberry...get it?

Well, not all our grandchildren get to come.  The youngest (age 2) gets to stay home.  We did one with a 2 year old and declared then and there that 3 was the minimum age.  Since this one is the wild child, we may make an exception and change the minimum age to 4.  The jury is still out.

We get them for a week.  24/7.  Good times and bad.  Five of them this year, for the record.  We got the idea from Dr. Bob and Sue Ramger, who did the same for their grandkids.

The week is filled with art and crafts and field trips and lots of pool time.  Just like "real" camp.

We eat together, stay together, and laugh together (and once or twice cried together--well, at least the adults did).  We tried camping once a couple of years ago but it didn't work.

This week, we hiked up the Porter Creek Trail to the old Appalachian Hiking Club cabin.  The kids were particularly impressed with the spring house.  And that real water came out of it.

We visited the Knoxville Zoo and thanks to Phil Colclough, Director of Animal Collections and Conservation (and a Maryville resident), got a personal visit with Al, the giant tortoise.

We visited with Ms. Sherry at Liles Organic Farm where we got up close and personal with her llamas, goats, rabbits, and chickens.  If you don't know about Liles Farm, you've missed a gem that is found just outside the Maryville City limits on Tuckaleechee Pike.

We did the touristy thing in a visit to Dixie Stampede.  It's pretty amazing what those horses can do and the kids love it (even the part about eating everything with their hands).

Along the way, the youngest one went from a wall hugger to jumping into the deep end of the pool and swimming all the way across...by herself!

And I've got a photo of one grandchild standing alone on the top of a rock spire about eight feet off the ground.  I thought mama might be bothered but she was thrilled with the balance and bravery it took.   

So what's the point?  There are several, actually.

First, family is everything.  This time together builds bonds and memories that will last a lifetime.

Second, active children become active adults.  Swimming, hiking, swimming, disc golf, more swimming.  Climbing, running, jumping.  Something every day.

Third, children exposed to art and music do better in school, appreciate diversity, and become more well-rounded.

At the end of the day, there is a huge need to just have fun, sing silly songs, and be yourself with the acceptance that probably can only come from grandparents.

And when Blackberries (what we call the campers) tell their parents that they were sad that it was over, then it was a success.