kbordson

Nice! I have always liked http://www.navan.org/ Good music is quite important!

It's scary... but I'm telling you, I personally saw it TWICE last night!! Amazing how those lil buggers get up there. (I've heard it's because of something she did months before that might have attracted the problem!!! Who'da thought?!)

It happens. But luckily, there are professionals willing to deal with such odd situations in nature.

When I had time for cards... I liked cribbage and euchre. Depends on if you want to do teams or just compete

meningitis (generally a mild course with full neurologic recovery and no permanent deficits), encephalitis (symptoms - fever, altered level of consciousness, seizures, paresis and/or paralysis), and orchitis(Symptoms - fever and severe testicular pain, accompanied by swelling and erythema of the scrotum, may lead to infertility), deafness (In the pre-vaccine era, mumps infection was a prominent cause of sensorineural hearing loss in children) (I love google) Karen

Now ... don't make Skymama move this to SC. I was just shocked, wanting to say "DAMN!" and letting all ya'll know.

This article amazed me cuz I was hoping that those shots that I got (and the boosters!) would protect me. Never a guarantee in life (except death and taxes) I would still recommend vaccines BUT the medical community don't know everything. What you need to know about mumps April 7, 2006 In the past week, the Missouri Department Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has received information about a number of reports of cases of mumps in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. In particular, Iowa is currently experiencing a large outbreak of mumps, with 364 probable, confirmed, and suspect cases reported from Jan. 1 to April 5, 2006. While most of these reports are from eastern Iowa, cases are now appearing in the western part of that state. Most of the affected patients are college-aged, and approximately 60 percent have had 2 (two) doses of measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine. No confirmed cases of mumps have been reported in Missouri to date this year. Because of the mumps activity in the states around Missouri, there is now an increased risk for the disease in the state. There are currently two suspect cases in northeast Missouri, for which the laboratory results are not yet available. In addition, a person from Iowa who was recently diagnosed with mumps was a passenger on an airplane flight that stopped in St. Louis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DHSS are investigating contacts. This Health Alert will provide information on mumps diagnosis and testing, reporting of suspected or confirmed cases, and vaccination recommendations. It will also provide special recommendations to protect health-care workers from infection in the current situation of increased risk, and it will outline mumps infection control measures. Mumps Diagnosis and Testing Patients presenting with glandular swelling without other apparent cause should be tested for mumps if the disease is suspected. Contact the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory at (573) 751-0633 to obtain guidance on testing, and on specimen collection and submission. Mumps should not be ruled out in someone who is vaccinated if they have symptoms clinically compatible with mumps. Mumps is a viral illness with an incubation period that ranges from 12-25 days, and is usually 16-18 days. The classic symptom is parotitis, most commonly bilateral. Nonspecific symptoms associated with mumps include myalgia, anorexia, malaise, headache, and a low-grade fever, which may precede parotitis by several days. Orchitis and aseptic meningitis may occur. Fever may persist for 3-4 days and parotitis, when present, usually lasts 7-10 days. Persons with mumps are usually considered infectious from 3 days before until 4 days after onset of parotitis. As many as 20 percent of cases are asymptomatic and 40-50 percent may have only nonspecific or primarily respiratory symptoms. Because mumps outbreaks have occurred in highly vaccinated populations, the diagnosis should not be discounted in persons who have received the vaccine. Possible explanations of mumps disease in immunized persons include: Primary vaccine failure: Not everyone seroconverts and develops immunity following vaccination. Vaccine mishandling: There may be primary vaccine failure due to deteriorated vaccine if it has not been stored properly with cold chain maintenance. Waning of immunity, which seems less likely in persons who have been vaccinated in the recent past. Reporting of Suspected or Confirmed Cases of Mumps Mumps is reportable to public health officials within 3 days of detection or diagnosis according to the Missouri Code of State Regulations, 19 CSR 20-20.020. Health care providers, including physicians, hospitals and laboratories, should report persons with suspected or confirmed mumps to the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department (816-513-6152) or the health department in your local jurisdiction. Mumps Vaccination Two doses of mumps vaccine, given as combination MMR vaccine and separated by at least four weeks, are routinely recommended for all children. The first dose should be given on or after the first birthday; the second is routinely given at 4-6 years of age. Mumps–containing vaccine given before 12 months of age should not be counted as part of the series. Those vaccinated with mumps-containing vaccine before 12 months of age should be revaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine, the first of which should be administered when the child is at least 12 months of age. At this time, CDC, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and DHSS are not recommending giving the first dose of MMR vaccine to children under 12 months of age. Nor do they recommend giving the second dose early. MMR is a live, attenuated vaccine. Pregnant women and persons with immunodeficiency or immunosuppression should not receive live attenuated vaccines. Pregnancy should be avoided for four weeks following MMR vaccine. Close contact with a pregnant woman is NOT a contraindication to MMR vaccination of the contact. Breastfeeding is NOT a contraindication to vaccination of either the woman or the breastfeeding child. Because MMR is a live vaccine, proper handling is important to maintain its efficacy. Information on vaccine handling and storage is available at: CDC.gov. An excellent discussion of mumps and mumps vaccine is available at: WHO.int. Special Recommendations to Protect Health Care Workers from Mumps Persons with mumps are likely to seek treatment at health care facilities, and such facilities can be high-risk settings for transmission of mumps virus to health care workers and to vulnerable patients. To protect health care workers and to avoid significant disruption in health care delivery from potential infections, DHSS is recommending that all health care institutions (e.g. inpatient, outpatient, public and private) ensure that those who work within their facilities are immune. Specifically, it is recommended that: – Health-care workers under 65 years of age should have proof of immunity through documentation of having received two doses of a vaccine (such as MMR) containing mumps antigen, with the first dose given on or after the first birthday, and the second dose given at least 28 days after the first, or 2) laboratory evidence of immunity. – If neither of these criteria is met, the health-care worker should receive one or two doses of MMR vaccine, as appropriate. If two doses are required, the second dose may be administered as soon as 4 weeks (i.e., 28 days) after the first dose. Even though MMR is a live-attenuated vaccine, health care workers can receive the vaccine and still work with patients. Note that these recommendations are made in the context of the outbreak of mumps being seen in states adjoining Missouri. Normally, persons born before 1957 are considered immune to mumps because of natural infection. However, this 1957 cut-off date is arbitrary, and given the increased risk of exposure to mumps that Missouri health-care workers may be experiencing, it is believed that this more conservative approach is prudent, and will provide the best possible protection for both health-care workers and their patients. While DHSS does not have specific regulatory requirements for the vaccination of health-care workers, the department strongly recommends use of vaccine, as described here, in health-care workers who lack documented immunity to mumps. Finally, these recommendations, which are generally similar to those issued in Iowa and Nebraska, have been reviewed with experts at CDC, and they are in agreement with this approach. – Health-care workers 65 years of age and older most likely have natural immunity to mumps due to past disease. They do not need specific proof of immunity and are it is not recommended they receive vaccine. Mumps Infection Control Considerations Mumps virus replicates in the nasopharynx and lymph nodes of the infected person. Transmission is airborne or through direct contact with infected droplets or saliva. The incubation period varies from 12-25 days and is usually 16-18 days. The virus may be present in saliva for 6-7 days before signs/symptoms of parotitis appear, and may persist for as long as 9 days after onset of disease. Transmission has not been documented from an infected person beyond 4 days following onset of symptoms. Infected persons may be infectious for 12-25 days after their exposure, and many infected persons remain asymptomatic. Specific infection control recommendations are the following: – Droplet precautions are recommended for patients with mumps. Such precautions should be continued for nine days after the onset of parotitis. (no name to referece this article, but you can go to the original at http://www.kshb.com/kshb/nw_local_news/article/0,1925,KSHB_9424_4604002,00.html)

I agree that too much vainty is distasteful and that the line between confidence and arrogance can be a thin one ... but "Beautiful women" might be attractive for far more than looks alone. In fact, if you as a male, is only looking at her hair, face and boobies (this is a skydiving forum) then you're part of the problem and are likely missing the forest for the trees. Women, Men, People in general need to be seen as whole picture/character/spirit/beings to appreciate who they truly are. Then you can better see whether they are "unattractive" or not. Just my thoughts. Karen

OK... This post made me think and do a little research (yes, just on the internet... but nonetheless) Learned some concerning things: The world population has grown from an estimated number of 200million in 1AD (range 170m-400m) to 6.5 billion for this year. The average life expectancy in the US (all races, both sexes) has changed from 63 in 1940 to 77 in 2001 (reference National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 52, No. 3, September 18, 2003). And I know with advances being made in cancer research and cardiovascular disease (the two leading causes of death overall) that the top end will climb even higher. I found this site very interesting on understanding (with visual representation) the popultion prymadis (sex and age breakdown) in the US through the years 1955-2050 (projected of course) Displays the baby boom and what that means as that generation grows and then shows how future generations continue to have that expanded birth rate and longevity. http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbpyrs.pl?cty=US&out=d&ymax=250 And this was a very interesting 10page document from the U.N. on The World at Six Billion http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/sixbillion/sixbilpart1.pdf Overall... we are growing, as a species, at an incredible rate. Something needs to be done to either control the growth or find other methods of dealing with these numbers. I personally would like to see advances in science to allow growth in other nontraditional habitats. (underwater, space, ect) But can see how others might come to the belief of reducing numbers (I don't think it's reasonable or practical though to discuss culling or forced infertility) Whether Pianka ends up being right or wrong about world disasters remains to be seen. Karen

Max, I've never met you, but I am inspired by your drive and enthusiasm! You seem to take life as a full challenge and meet it head on! Not accepting to lose any chance or opportunity. The negative times might get your attention briefly, but then you're back in the fight without a hesitation. You are amazing!! And I truly belive that live will reward you for this motivation! May you have all the love and support necessary to make it through this recovery time! And may the future bring you pride and honor with your journey. Karen

And I was told that red wine helps with the anemia.... so I'm sure my BAL is a bit skewed at this point. Karen

I think I'm gonna go and donate blood (its been about 9 weeks now, so .... I suppose. Besides, FREE COOKIES!!!!!)

LOL!!!! Why is that funny? It's just a good day? The addictive laughter from the quads? Dain Bramage?

LOL!!!!

That was so wonderful!!!!! Thank you for making me smile!

Sweet. ... And I would love to be guilible and niave enough to believe that to be true. But thinking about men and since we can assume that she probably wont be reading this, I guessing you're betting the odds and just saying that to try to score points on a more likely possibility.... (but... I'm not so insecure that I wouldn't say that she is a lot hotter than I am. But I would not give up one day of my 34 years to be "young" again, nor would I give up any of my passions (skydiving, medicine, food) in exchange for looking that thin. I'm happy with me and my image.)

Don't be in a bad mood. There's a lot to be happy about!! Even if it's something as simple as breathing. Just enjoy the moment.... remember that it's all gonna end too short, so smile and make someone else smile at least once a day!

DAMN... that means I missed the volleyball scene!!!!! And the singing!

I'm just disappointed that no one has said "HELLO, NURSE!" yet. But... back on topic, Medical missions and remote medicine is wonderful!! I can tell you about medical missions in general (have been to Peru and Guatemala), but not with Doctors without borders. PM me and I'll see if I can help.

Sorry to hear all that. I'm sure it's been a VERY difficult time... now made a little worse by having to sell what you cherish. But, the Polar Bear was beautiful, and you have wonderful stories to tell of him, and hoopefully he went to someone that will be able to treat him as he needs. As far as your personal situations... again, I'm sorry to hear that life is being so difficult for you. My hope and wishes for your happiness. Take care. Karen

I'm working tonight.... but tomorrow! Definately!

May she live life FULLY and have all the love, friendship and challenges necessary to make this journey meaningful!!!! Happy Birthday Jamie!! Karen

Trolls can be good. They live in Middleton, WI. I like trolls.

Well that's no fun I think that depends on what he's told to do.

I actually often get chastized for not only picking up the pennies... but for my attempts to keep them safe. Meaning that if I'm in scrubs, things fall out of scrub pockets ALL the time, so if I put the penny in my pocket, then soon, I will be dropping it - which is bad luck. So I tuck it ... ummmm... under my shirt and make sure that it won't fall when I move about. But then I get little green dots in unique places. Karen