happy valentine's day

Hi Everyone

Well yesterday was our first day of work. I just loved it, it was such a joy to be practicing medicine again. Ken, not so much. Ken was, if you can believe it..... grouchy....no say it isn't so.....

The big thing is that they have computerized charts here. Ken has worked with them at the job at the university and at the urgent care clinic. I have NOT worked with them.

I guess the program at the urgent care clinic is a much better program, and for me, I am easy to please because I have never worked with computer programs.

Ken is not grouchy today though, so all is well.

Met many wonderful patients who were all so appreciative that we are in Chase, and right off the bat sending women off for endometrial biopsies. NOT going to let one endometrial cancer get past me..... not on my watch....

The wonderful trumpeter swans posed for me just out our front window, they are amazing creatures. With several of them out there they basically sound like the horn section of an orchestra "warming up".

Not all is perfect though, and I am having more and more pain, which really has me worried. I have pain after I eat almost anything now. I often have nausea. SO OF COURSE I am worried about recurrences, like a broken record, it just comes around every 3-4 months.

Just when all of the stressors of the past several years have disappeared it just seems as though SOMETHING is bound to go wrong now. I guess that is where my twisted mind goes.

I do not think I am alone, I am sure that all cancer patients go through phases like this.

I did just get a call from the cancer agency, saying, not sure if you have been told about your appointment.....

YEA.... NO NOONE told me about an appointment.

So I am seeing the radiation oncologist on March the 4th in Kelowna and I am thrilled. It is a bit scary not having a doctor yet. So I have an "in".

Rex is all better, but Chewy DID figure out a way to get the rice and chicken, he too started with the diarrhea.

We did find out what caused it. Rex's stool cultures came back as "Clostridium Difficile",

better known as "c diff"

This is the bug that shuts down nursing homes etc......

It is an opportunistic bug which means that it is very common, but only infects when given an advantage. We see it most often in patients in the hospital who have been treated with antibiotics. The antibiotics kill off the good bacteria in the bowel, allowing C difficile to take over.

It is also seen in the elderly with decreased immunity.

Presents with diarrhea often bloody.

So today I am off and Ken is working ( I have half time position)

much love

janet

jankenb @ gmail.com