Requested Relationship Advice...

Good Evening My Friends,
Well tonight will be a more unusual blog as I will address a readers question that was asked of me earlier in the week. But before I do that I would like to talk about another topic of discussion that will surely be the talk of the upcoming news cycle.

Today, Wichita, Kansas physician George Tiller was shot to death as he entered his church this morning. Dr. Tiller has been known over the years as one of the few physicians who still performed late-term abortions. His clinic has been the site of many protests over the years. Well, today someone took it upon himself to end this man’s life. My input on this issue is this. I hate abortion. I don’t hate much in this world but abortion is an absolute abhorrent act. I wish nothing more than to see this practice stopped. However, what is equally appalling is for an individual to take another person’s life, period. As Christian’s we have very deeply held beliefs and we honor these beliefs by submitting ourselves to Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
At no time, does the Holy Spirit guide us to murder. We must face the increasing degradation of our society with prayer and submission to Christ, not with violence and hatred. We have tried that in some of our more shameful past acts and it simply doesn’t work and it is not the direction in which the Lord has led us. I pray for this physician’s soul as he had obviously not repented for his sinful behavior. I also pray for the misguided soul who took this man’s life. We are better than this non-sense and I pray for Godly intervention to the entire abortion issue.

Now, on to other things. I have been incredibly blessed with this blog. I have a fairly large number of faithful readers and I receive dozens of emails every week from readers that I have never met. I love the feedback. I have determined that some of you are insane and are incredibly well humored. I have received letters from school teachers and factory workers. I have had letters from college students and elementary school children. I had one 5th grade young lady who asked me ‘how many grandchildren I had.’ I have written to her parents and asked for her to be grounded. :0). I have had people ask me if Brandon Buchmeier is actually Brandon the ‘Physical Fascination’ Bishop the professional wrestler. Well, yes he is and no, I will not give out his email address. I have had three marriage proposals but they were from Travis’ 81 y.o. aunt. Travis, please tell her that she is beautiful, but I am married.

But this week, I had an interesting letter from a young lady named Claire who wrote to me and asked me for advice on a situation. She said it was o.k. to answer on my blog as she thought that her problem is not uncommon. I told her that I would honor her wish, but made it very clear to her that I am not an expert in the subject she wanted me to address. Here is her question:

‘Jeff,
Good Morning,
I have a problem that I would like your advice on. My fiancé and I have been engaged for almost two years. We were engaged a few months before he deployed to Iraq, with his National Guard Unit. He returned about five months ago, and he has been completely detached from me. I have done my best to understand the adjustment difficulties that soldiers have when they come home, but he has been having a real difficult time with any conversation that pertains to getting married. He has always been a little stand offish when we talked about getting married, but since he has returned, he is absolutely uncomfortable talking about our marriage. He says that he wants to marry me but his actions make me doubt his resolve. What should I do about this? I was hoping that you could shed some light on this problem as you are a deployed soldier and I know that you are a medical officer and have probably dealt with this issue before. Could you give any advice? I love him very much but I want to make sure the man I want to marry loves me and is marrying me for life. Thank you for your blog, we both read it at every posting and love your insight and humor.’
Thank you, Claire.

Wow!! I have to say Claire that I am completely honored that you would come to me about this issue. I must put in a disclaimer though. I am not a relationship expert. If you ask my wife she would tell you that my idea of a romantic date is dinner at Montana Mikes followed by carefully guided tours of Menard's and Best Buy. ;o).

But in all seriousness, your problem is not unique. Soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan face a difficult transition back home. We create bonds with other soldiers that are so deep and intimate that it is difficult to describe. When a soldier returns home they have to rediscover their purpose in their civilian life. I do not know what experiences that your fiancé had in Iraq, but I would venture to say that he would do well to get involved in some counseling to help him deal with unaddressed issues relating to his deployment.

I would like to ask, ‘does your fiancé love you?’ Have you addressed your concerns with him? Or do you walk on eggshells when the topic of marriage comes up?

As you know, if you have been following my blog, my initial response to any problem is to recommend that you submit your concerns to the Lord. I believe that God understands our relationship problems and he is truly the place to start when seeking guidance. God has a plan for your life and I believe that he puts people in your life for a reason. Be honest with Him about your feelings and seek His guidance.

As far as the relationship aspect goes let me give you my limited opinion on the matter. Men and woman approach relationships in a completely different manner. Men tend to be impulsive and appear to be less emotionally involved with the relationship in general. We really like the comfort of having a woman care for us and love us, but we are really bad, often times, at verbalizing and expressing our love in return. It doesn’t mean that we don’t love you but we tend to express our love differently. Some men show their love by providing for the family and doing things for their wife like keeping the car maintained and mowing the lawn. It is a fairly primitive way to express love, but men really have a desire to show a woman that they are of value and that they can take care of their family. I admit that this approach marginalizes the emotional aspect of a relationship, but their heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, this type of expression rarely fulfills the emotional needs of a woman.

Now, women, approach relationships with their heart and whereas, you desire a man who will provide family stability financially, you also desire a husband who will show his love in a more intimate and physical manner. A woman wants to hear that her husband loves her and values her as a partner in their relationship. A woman wants to know that she can trust her husband and that his heart aches to be with you. Women want to know that their man is completely devoted to them and they need to be comforted that their husband will hold them in a place of honor. These are entirely appropriate expectations. Unfortunately, men, many times, simply don’t get it.

I would advise you to address your concerns with him in a loving and honest manner. I would suggest that you try to get him to go to counseling with you before you get married and try to identify coping mechanisms as they relate to marriage and try to find out what concerns or apprehensions that he may have as it relates to marriage.

I have to be honest with you. I said earlier that men appear to approach a relationship with less emotion. Please note that I said, ‘appear’ In a man’s mind and in his heart he may very well be madly and passionately in love with you. It is just that his is not speaking your love language. Often times men are unaware that they are not meeting your emotional needs and if confronted some men will do their best to change their behavior. I have been in relationships where I was clearly aloof to the feelings of my girlfriend and had I been aware that I was not on the same path with her emotions, I would have done anything to change my behavior and make it work. I believe that any loving relationship where much has been invested and deep emotions have been shared, should be given a chance to work out the problems. But those problems need to be addressed and if your fiancé is unaware of your feelings then he may not know that he is being emotionally apathetic.

I am married to an incredibly loving woman who has devoted her life to me and our family. I admit that I have not always appreciated her love and devotion. I tend to involve myself in so many projects that I barely have time to get any one project completed. I really show my love by doing things for the family, when in reality all my wife is wanting is conversation and time devoted to her. We don’t always speak the same language of love. I am still a work in progress.

I believe that men, need to approach their relationship with their girlfriends or wives by seeking Godly, wisdom. I believe that the Lord molds men to understand that their wife is a treasured gift. A Godly man does not hesitate to verbally express his love. A Godly man understands the incredible gift that the Lord has given him in his wife and he is quick to let his wife know how important she is to him. Often times, Claire, men need rethink their approach to their relationship with their wife or girlfriend. Unfortunately, men, often times don’t get the importance of expressing their love until it is too late. Women will tolerate an unemotional and an ungodly man for so long and then they cut their losses. I have learned that when a woman has given up on a relationship she turns her heart off and tries to emotionally sever ties with the very man that she once loved. When a man, finally sees the error of his ways, it is often too late and the resulting destruction of the relationship is devastating to him. It is not that he doesn’t love you; he just needs to learn how to speak your love language.

You both need to identify those things that make each other feel loved. For you, your may feel loved if your husband would verbally affirm his love for you. For him, he may feel loved by you verbalizing, acknowledging, and appreciating the hard work that he does for the family. It is simply a matter of adjusting the manner in which we show our love.

There is a book called ‘The Five Languages of Love’ written by Gary Chapman. In his book, he attempts to help couples identify those things that your spouse or loved one can do to make each other feel loved. I would recommend that you buy a copy for yourself and one for your husband. Dr. Chapman does a great job in communicating to men those things that women truly desire in order to feel loved an appreciated. He also provides women guidance on how men think and what makes them feel loved.

In conclusion, Claire, I would say that your fiancé has to address any baggage that he may have as a result of his military deployment. He also needs to hear from you that you love him and that you want to work on your relationship. He needs to know how you are feeling and what your desire in your relationship. Whereas, you may spend a great deal of time on the emotional aspect of your relationship, he may not think about it at all. In his mind, he may feel that the relationship is fine and he may not understand your concerns. But be honest and sit him down and share your feelings. If he loves you and wants to make the relationship work he will do as you ask. Please avoid approaching this problem with ultimatums. Try not to tell him that if he doesn’t change then you will end your relationship. This type of approach is hurtful and does little to improve a relationship. Additionally, if your relationship doesn’t improve and ultimately fails, please allow it to end on its own merits. Often times a woman will stay in a relationship up to a point but she will end it if she finds someone else. If you are pushed to the point where you desire a relationship with someone else who is willing to meet your needs; please have the courtesy and integrity to end your relationship first. No one wants to be left with the impression that their loved one left them for someone else. It leaves the person humiliated and hurt and it is shows contempt for the man's emotional feelings. These are wounds that could last a lifetime. I would advise men to do the same.

I have faith that you are wanting to make this relationship work and I believe that your fiancé loves you. He has some external stressors that are making him anxious and as a result he tends to pull back from any discussion about getting married. Help him to identify his concerns and reassure him that you are willing to work with him to make your relationship work.I pray that you find a solution to this problem.

I am honored that you asked me for advice, but, again, please understand that I am not an expert in relationships or in conflict resolution. I do pray that you find my response helpful to you. Please take some time to talk to your pastor about your concerns and be sure to talk to your fiancé. My guess is that he wants to marry you as much as you desire to marry him. I am confident that you will have a joyfully, fulfilling, marriage that will last a lifetime.

God Bless you, young lady and please keep me up to date on your progress.I will keep you in my prayers and I ask our readers to pray for you as well. There is tremendous power in prayer and I just know that the Lord will provide you guidance.

Have a great evening.
Jeff

Honoring the Fallen...

"I cherish the conversation that I had with my grandson, when he said, 'Grandpa are you a hero?' I said, 'No, but I served in the company of heroes.'

Major Richard Winters

Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

What can be said today that has not already been said about those who have given their lives in the course of their duty? I have spent much of my life in the Army and have always been in awe of those veteran's who came before me. I am profoundly grateful for men and women who say by their actions that 'my life is not as important as the life of my brother or sister'. Time and again in our country's honored past, soldiers, sailors, and airmen, have gone forth and did what many would not and could not do and that is to devote their life to a cause bigger than themselves.

I remember when I was stationed at Walter Reed in Washington D.C., I used to take the metro down to Arlington Cemetery and I would stroll through the seemingly endless rows of white. I would often times stop in front of one of the headstones and read the displayed name. Each headstone represented a person. That amazed me. It is so easy to look at the beauty of Arlington Cemetery and forget that each white stone is a shadow of a life that was given for me and for my family.

I have long appreciated these fallen soldiers and even more the loved ones who suffered the loss of their son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother. While the rest of us are safe and enjoying the company of our family and friends, the families of the fallen have nothing but memories. It is a sad reality of war and conflict that those who go forth don't always come home.

In this conflict, we in the military have lost friends and we have had to observe and endure the horrors that come with war. It is often said and it is so very true, that 'no one prays for peace more than a soldier, because the soldier has to bear the darkest wounds of war.'


Well, today, I would like to say that I am so thankful for those who have come before us and who have given selfishly. I thank the family and friends of those who have lost loved ones and we want you to know that we suffer with your pain and we honor your spirit.


For families who have loved ones still in harms way, we understand your heart and we pray for peace. We are all working as a family here to bring everyone home safely. I would like to believe that we, as members in the military, are in the business of building peace. We labor for peace, we fight for peace, and we pray for peace. Please, let it be that not one more person should fall.


I want to thank you all for your support of us through out these last few years. We have had such a long and difficult path to tread since 9-11 and we are tired and we want to come home. Please pray that the Lord honors our desire for peace and when you go to bed tonight please take a moment to remember those who have gone on before us.

God Bless,

Jeff

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

A Quick Update...

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Well we are 76 days away from coming home. We are all getting very excited. The mood around here is festive and we are all getting our gear ready for shipment home. Our medics are busy finishing up their college classes. It is amazing that we can actually have college classes on base where we are. The University of Maryland has a branch here and they offer classes. Their educational director came by earlier in the year and asked if Mike, Myself, Bryan, or Travis could teach the Anatomy and Physiology with Lab. But our schedule is so varied that we couldn't commit. So they flew in a lady from the states and she has done a great job in teaching our soldiers. I would like to go into teaching in the future. I had an offer a few years ago to teach at our local college in Danville, but my job and the Guard schedule wouldn't allow for it. I think I am going to work on my PhD soon. Mike is finishing his up while he has been here and the more I think about it, I think that I would enjoy the challenge.
We have recently been tasked to start a new clinic in Baghdad, so we may be losing a few soldiers for a couple of months.I would like to update you on the situation that happened in Baghdad a week ago or so. As you know we had two car bombs in Baghdad that killed a few of our troops and then one of our own soldiers went into the mental health clinic and killed four soldiers. The impact has been immediate. We have picked up their patient load as they are closed pending investigation.
I have really been troubled by some of the things that I have seen here. The pressure and stress here is at times are overwhelming and our situation is so unique that our civilian lives has nothing to compare it to.My concern is that these multiple deployments are taking its toll on our troops. The military really needs to take a look at how much a soldier can take. We have soldiers who are on their 4th and 5th deployments. All of us have paid a huge price since 9-11. I personally have not had a complete year home yet since 9-11. It is a very difficult situation and we are pushing soldiers to the breaking point. I am not sure what the solution is but perhaps we should consider activating the Selective Service program. We are so short of troops and the ones that we do have have been deployed multiple times. The Selective Service Program is there for a reason. It it is not there for war time needs then why have it?

Anyway, we pray for the families who lost their loved ones here. The unit manning that Mental Health Clinic is from Indiana although the Psychologist was from the active duty navy medicl corps.

I pray for this soldier who committed this awful crime. Everyone needs prayer even the most abhorrent among us. I truly believe that anyone and everyone can be redeemed. Praise the Lord that he has redeemed me. I don't know where I would be had he not guided my steps. I look back in awe at the chain of events, the people in my life, and situations that influenced my life. I am in medicine because of an amazing series of situations and whereas at the time I didn't understand, I have been able to step back and look at God's plan. God is so awesome.

I would like to send out a big thank you to our friend Dr. Perez. He is back home in Guam and yesterday we received a package that had some cool goodies for us. He sent the providers some beautiful Pacific Islander type shirts. We are going to get everyone together Sunday and get some pictures of us wearing them. We will send him a copy and I will post them on this blog. He also sent along some guitar strings for a couple of guys who play guitar. Dr. Perez is fine guitar player and I use to love hearing him playing and singing at night in our clinic when everything was quiet at the end of a busy day. He also forwarded some other much needed things. I know that he probably wouldn't want me to highlight his gifts as he is humble and gives much privately, but we have been so grateful for him that I want everyone to know the quality of this man. God Bless you, my friend.

I found out a few days ago that Karis was selected to attend our MATS program. The MATS program is for the district's gifted children. Currently there are only 5 girls and I believe two boys that have been selected in her grade and that is district wide. So, we are so proud of her. I credit my wife for Karis success as she is the one who ensures that Karis stays on top of her homework and she provides Karis with structure needed for success.

The students in MATS will be together through their entire school years up to graduation from high school. This program is designed as a college prep program and gives children an optimal environment to reach their educational goals.
It is amazing how much our children makes us proud. I have a love for my daughter that transcends all understanding. I absolutely am honored to be my girls father and I relish the role. She is such an honest and tender-hearted, young lady. She loves the Lord and she really is a wonderful Witness.

Well, I have droned on long enough. Things are going well here and we are all staying healthy. We have all become fitness freaks and I am so proud of our soldiers for physically taking care of themselves.God Bless you all and have a great week and thank you for checking in.
Jeff

Rising Star...

Good Evening,

We said goodbye to Mike Jones tonight. He flew out of here about a half of an hour ago. We will see him when we get home in 90 days or so. I can't wait. I have so many things to do when I get home. One of the things that I need to do is to visit friends and family. I would like to reconnect and thank those for supporting us while we were here.

Well, tonight I get to do some bragging. As many of you know, my daughter Karis is into the Arts. She plays violin and piano, she sings and figure skates and she is into theater in a big way. Well, yesterday she had an opening night of her current play. She has done so many plays that I have lost track but I received a newspaper clipping of the rehearsals. I would like to share them with you.

Above: Karis is on the left.

Above: Karis is in the middle.

As you can see, Karis is looking great, which is no real suprise as her dad is extremely handsome and he is a great singer (when I am in the shower.) ;0)

I am so proud of her. She has really found an interest in theater and the Arts. She is also quite athletic and plays tennis and softball as well as tumbling and ice skating.

I am so eager to get home and go see her perform again. As a father, my joy is made complete to see my child doing something she really enjoys.

Anyway, just a quick note to be a proud father. I pray that you are all well.

God Bless you all.

Jeff

Where the Heart Is...

Haitian Country Side

Good Evening All,
Tonight we had a nice cookout to say goodbye to Mike Jones. He is one of our 90 day docs and a great guy. Mike and I have known each other for over ten years and having him here was like a little bit of home for us.

We have been busy. In addition to our normal patient load, Travis and I have had to deal with the inevitable up coming swine flu epidemic. I say that with a little sarcasm mixed with a little fear as I pray that the threat will fizzle out. We have put together a tent city that is isolated so that we can quarantine any infected soldier. If a patient has a positive nasal swab for influenza, even if it is Type A influenza, we isolate the patient. The reason for this is that we can only get a rapid influenza on these patients. The confirmatory nasal wash has to be sent back to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and that can take weeks. The process to put together this emergency protocol takes up a great deal of our time. Three meetings a week at the hospital just to deal with this topic.

Thankfully, Travis and I tag team it. Travis is much better at these administrative issues than I am and he has a photographic memory which is scary. All in all though, I think that we should handle any influenza case without too much trouble.

I have been troubled by a couple of things this week and I would like to share them with you and ask for your prayers. Within the last week we had a soldier who found out that his wife wanted a divorce. Unfortunately, this type of situation occurs all too frequently. This soldier is one of our finest. I had the honor of pinning on his stripes when he made sergeant. The news came as a complete shock to him and he was devastated. Our command decided that he needed to go home and try to salvage his marriage.

What I always think about when this happens is the pain that comes when one person falls out of love and the other is still holding on. The pain is real. Every part of your body aches and often times you plunge into a state of emotional depression. When I heard about this soldier’s situation, my heart immediately went out to him. I have been in relationships that did not end under the best of circumstances and I found myself swimming in a sea of anger, confusion, and despair. I was unprepared for the pain that followed and I literally went through the five stages of grieving which are: 1. Denial and Isolation 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression and finally 5. Acceptance. I think in every relationship that goes sour, some, if not all of these stages are experienced. At the end of the day the last stage is often times, never really achieved. I often think that there should be a sixth stage of grieving and that is the stage of feeling foolish. Foolish for allowing such a situation to occur and foolish for allowing vulnerability to pierce our armor, foolish for trusting so much.

It is really tough to give your heart away and then have your gift rejected. The pain of a broken relationship clouds the mind and can cause us to do things that a rational person would never do. This scenario is happening much too often in our soldiers who are deployed. The pain is compounded by the fact that we are all so far from home and feel helpless to try and resolve the relationship.
I pray for this young man as I know the pain that he is experiencing and I pray that his marriage can be salvaged. When two people have invested so much into each other, I think it is important to make what ever changes that needs to be made and try to reestablish that love that once bound so tightly.

The other thing that has been bothering me is a recurrent dream. Ten years ago or so, I went to Haiti on a short term mission. I went with my brother-in-law and two other guys. We went down there as a Christian mission and I ended up spending time working in one of the medical clinics. Well, one day we went to the market in Jacmel and it was one of those typical third world places, you know a place where the meat is hung on a hook with flies buzzing around. Grain poured out on the ground for purchase and merchants all pleading for business.

As I walked around the market, I felt someone tug my shirt. I looked around and saw a pretty little girl of about 4 years of age. She was dressed in a floral dress which was stained from prolonged wear without washing and her olive skin colored face was streaked with dirt. She looked up to me and said something in Creole which is the primary language in Haiti. I did not understand her language but what she wanted was perfectly clear. She wanted some money so that she could buy food. I looked around and did not see her parents or anyone who was responsible for this child. Unfortunately, this is all too common in Haiti. The average life span is only 44 years. So, children end up raising their siblings if they even have siblings. Otherwise they are on their own.

Anyway, we had been told not to give anything to beggars as it would only encourage others to come running over and it wouldn’t take long to be overwhelmed. I kneeled down to look at this child so that we could see eye to eye. I smiled and told her how pretty she was. I am sure that she did not understand me, but she smiled right back and immediately we had a connection. I reached into my pocket and gave her some change which in conversion probably amounted to less than a dollar. I said goodbye to her and continued on my way. As I walked around looking at market items this little girl followed me. She was no longer asking me for money but just quietly following along behind me. I finished my shopping and we left.

Over the years, I have thought about this girl. I wondered why she was following me. I thought that perhaps she expected something tangible from me but the more I think about it, I have come to the conclusion that she just wanted someone to spend time with her. She had been so isolated in the crowd and she was hungry and she was alone. I have recently been dreaming about this young lady. Her face has haunted my dreams. I regret that I did not turn back around and spend time with her. I regret that I didn’t give her more than I did. I regret that I allowed my heart to harden enough to be able to walk away.

I have spent much of my adult years travelling to places all over the world and the one constant that I find is that, we in America are so blessed. Our streets are not littered with the bloated bellies of the hungry. Common diseases are not epidemic and our basic needs of food, water, and shelter are denied no individual. We are so blessed.I am not sure why I have been dreaming about this little angel. Perhaps the Lord is reminding me of the responsibility that we have to use our blessings to help others. I am so in awe of those who go to the mission field and devote their lives to caring for other. I pray that my life is worthy of the hope that this little girl had in me. I am afraid I failed her, but that will not happen again.

I pray that the Lord softens your heart to the needs of others. Different faces, different skin color, different languages, does not separate the bonds that hold us together. We are siblings, children of God and we have a responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Take time if you would, to thank the Lord for the gifts that he has given you. And remember, with blessings comes responsibilities. I pray that the Lord touches your heart today and that He puts people and situations in your life that will allow you to use your blessings for the building of His Kingdom.

I want to thank you for reading this blog tonight. I know it was longer than usual but I have had a heavy heart about these matters and it does me good to share these concerns with you. Thanks for lending me your ear.

Take care and be safe.

Jeff

Mother's Day...

Good Evening Everyone,

Well another year has passed and we find ourselves ready to celebrate perhaps the most deserving holiday of the year. Mother's day is this Sunday and I think it is important for us to recognize and appreciate the work and dedication that our mother's and our wives have delivered to us and our children. I have to say that being deployed and away from home we soldiers truly are thankful for our wives and mothers who are back home taking care of things. They are doing the job of two parents, they are devoting themselves to our families so that we can come over here and do the things that need to be done. They worry about us, support us, and most importantly, pray for us.

So, tonight I would like to dedicate this blog to our mother's and our children's mother. As a man, I sometimes don't realize all of the things that our wives and mothers have done to care for us and our families. Many women are working full time jobs and then coming home and working full time in our homes. A mother's role is so multifaceted. Sometimes they are teachers, sometimes they are nurses, sometimes they are accountants, and sometimes they are laborers. They are always a comforter and a counsellor and without them we husbands and sons would be lost.

So, thank you, mother's for taking care of our families. Thank you for the support you have given us and God Bless you for the internal instinct to put your family above yourselves. One day to celebrate your hard work is hardly enough but please know that we are appreciative and thankful for you being in our lives.

Before I go, I would like to mention that last week was the 'Week of the Military Child' We in the military understand that our children pay a heavy price when their mother or father is deployed. They do not ask to have their parent in the military and all too often they have little say in where they live, what schools they go to, or when their parent comes and goes. So, God bless our children. You are the joy of our hearts and our love for you is without measure. Thank you so much for being strong and for understanding that your mom or dad is sharing their life to help others. You guys are so awesome.

God Bless You All,

Jeff

Swine Flu, a Horse That Flew, and the Passing of a Senator...

Good Evening Everyone,
By now, I am sure that you have heard about the recent 'swine flu' out break that the news media is hyping to induce hysteria. I want to take a few moments to provide information about this virus.

This particular virus is H1N1 viral strain that actually appears to be more of an Avian Bird Flu strain that has mutated and has infected swine as well as people. Swine flu is a virus so it is spread from person to person via hand to hand contact, hand to inanimate objects, and through droplets that are expectorated during a cough or sneezing. It appears that this strain is affecting the young. There is some indication that this virus may have the same make up of the Swine Flu in 1976 so consequently those who were exposed in 1976 may have some immunity to this particular strain.It is important not to panic. As of today appx. 250 to 300 people have been affected and one death has been attributed to this virus. In comparison, last year alone over 13,000 people died from the influenza virus.

Precautions should be taken to prevent the spread of this virus. Standard universal procedures like hand washing, cleaning inanimate objects like phones, keyboards, and door knobs, covering mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing and be sure to wash toys that more than one child has access to.

The H1N1 virus is a tough little guy. It can live up to 3 days on a hard surface and replicates quickly once it finds a host.

Treatment of course starts with preventative measures as listed above. Annual flu vaccinations are important but unfortunately it appears that this years vaccination does not cover this virus.If a person is infected with this virus, standard influenza treatment is appropriate and includes administering anti-viral medications like Tamiflu, hydration therapy, and symptomatic management. Tamiflu should be administered within 48 hours of infectivity.

The H1N1 virus is communicable from the day before symptoms are recognized to 7 days after symptoms begin.

Diagnosis of this virus is through nasal swabs to obtain a rapid in office diagnosis, however, there is an appx. 30% false negative rate on this study and so a nasal wash needs to be administered for a definitive diagnoses.

Pt. at risk for complications are the very young, the very old, and immunocompromised pt. who may have co-morbidities.

It is important to stay calm and practice good hygeine and utilize preventative measures.We have had great improvement in our ability to manage these potential pandemic illnesses.
-In the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic over 50 million people died.
-In the 1957 Asian Flu outbreak appx. 69 thousand people perished
-In the 1968 Hong Kong Flu epidemic appx. 33 thousand lost their lives
-and during the 1976 Swine flu, the 1977 Russian flu, and the 1997 Avian flu outbreak less than a hundred people died in each.

So, public information, good hygiene, and adherence to preventative measures have really improved our ability to weather the storms of these outbreaks.

Remember, stay vigilant, stay calm, and seek medical care if symptoms of high fever, respiratory symptoms, body aches, chills, nausea, or diarrhea occur. I believe that we can make it through this round of influenza with minimal complications if we follow the appropriate measures.

Now, on to another topic. Every year, like most people, I watch the Kentucky Derby. Well, this year a horse named 'Mine That Bird' ridden by Calvin Bore, came from the last place position going into the final turn and pushed passed the field on the rail and won by 12 lengths. This horse was a 50-1 shot and has become a true Cinderella story. It was perhaps one of the most amazing races in Kentucky Derby history.

And finally, we mourn the loss of Senator Jack Kemp. Senator Kemp was the vice presidential canditate on the ticket with Senator Bob Dole in the election of 1996. Senator Kemp was a Godly man and a true conservative. He held firm to conservative values and led by example. It would do the Republicans well to learn from Senator Kemps life.

As far as things around here, we are all doing well. Travis and I have had to sit through meetings with our chief medical staff to develop our 'Swine Flu' protocols. Hopefully, we will never have to get past the planning phase.

Bryan is still home on leave and we miss him. It is time he gets back to work. He has had his fun and all but we are ready to send out a couple of thugs and drag him back. You can't hide from us Cpt. McFarland.

I pray that you all have a great week and God Bless,

Jeff