Where's the beef

Who knew that spinach could be related to beef? Friday, a company in Iowa voluntarily recalled 5200 pounds of ground beef products from seven states because they could have been contaminated by the same E.Coli strain that tainted spinach - according to an article from the Houston Chronicle.

E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and typically is linked to contamination by fecal material. It's believed responsible for about 60 deaths and 73,000 infections a year in the United States. The potentially deadly strain can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

The Iowa recall is the first significant one involving ground beef since a Tennessee company recalled some 4,300 pounds in early August, also because of possible E. coli contamination.

This case is getting more and more interesting. Since there is a criminal investigation now taking place with the spinach California company, I wonder if that triggered this voluntary beef recall. I also wonder if other voluntary recalls will take place. Hmmmmm...

Can you hear me now

The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded this week to astrophysicist George Smoot of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and his NASA colleague John Mather. When Mr. Smoot got the call notifing him of the award, he thought it was a joke, according to this article from MercuryNews.Com.

Smoot, 61, who has an unlisted cell phone number, suspected a hoax when a caller with a Swedish accent told him about 3 a.m. that he had won the most coveted award in science.

``I just said, `How did you get my phone number?' '' the physicist recounted giddily for colleagues Tuesday morning at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. ``But the guy sounded really serious, so I thought I'd better take him seriously.''

Just to be certain, he checked the Nobel Prize Web site. And there it was: Smoot and Mather were being honored ``for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.''

Uh, yeah. I know someone with a blackberry and a microwave, does that count? What's the lesson here? If you get a call at 3AM from someone with a Swedish accent, it may not be that annoying telemarketer. It may be the Nobel Foundation!

Exercise

I admit that I haven't worked out in months, even though I tell my patients to workout all the time - you know, for your health. So, I woke up this morning and told myself that I'm going to get my butt out of bed and head over to the local gym (which I think I pay $10/month for) and burn some calories.

I have no excuses why I don't follow my own health advice. I guess I rationalize things by saying what everybody else says: "Uh, I don't have the time to exercise," "I'm so tired when I get home from work," "I can't get up early in the morning," etc.

But, this morning, I've decided I'm going to do this. Go me! Where are my tennis shoes?

BA in South Florida: Don't forget to stop by Ms Bee's place sometime today or tonight for the Blogaholics Anonymous meeting. I'll be bringing the flu shots and the Diet Coke. However, the ladies, including you FD, are not allowed near the Diet Coke. Why? Because, I don't want to be blamed for your osteoporosis down the road. Read here. HA!

Anyway, Ms Bee was happy to get 53 visitors from six countries yesterday. We can do better than that! Click on over there right now and say hello. Let's break her bean counter today with our visits. See you there!

Perseveration

Ever get to a place where you just can't stop thinking about something? That is happening to me right now. I was expecting to hear some news today, which never came. It is something that has been lingering on my mind all day and all night. It's bothering me so much, I cannot sleep.

Anytime you apply for something, you put yourself out there - out there to be judged - out there to be accepted or rejected by someone else. I tell people all the time that trying to seek approval from others is probably not the best idea. As I put the mirror up to my face, I see the hippocrite staring at me. Self acceptance and self confidence go so much further than seeking approval from others, right? At least that's what I tell people.

I have worked hard to get where I am at right now in my career. I have worked hard during the application process. Now, I don't want to sound like I have sense of entitlement - because I hate that. Just because you work at a job for a certain number of years, or just because you worked hard during the process - this doesn't entitle you to be selected. Sure, there are selection criteria, but in the back of your mind, I ask myself, "What are the other criteria that I don't know about?"

Did the selection committee judge by merit, or was there some other factor in play? People always say, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." I never really believed that, that is, until today. Of course, the first reaction is to blame the process. Yeah, that's right. The judges were out to get me. I never really had a chance in the first place. Why did I put myself in a situation where I could be rejected?

Am I a sore loser? Maybe. Is this sour grapes? Maybe. Am I whining? Absolutely. But, it's my blog, right? I just had to blog about this emotion that I'm feeling. Yes, it's irrational. Yes, it's illogical. But, that's the core of emotion. And, that's where I'm at right now. Whew! I feel a little better blogging about it.

I think I just need to try to get some rest and move forward from this small bump in the road. Then, I can let this go. Tomorrow is a new day - a new day with new opportunities.

As I drift off to sleep, as all the consipracy theories are flying through my head, I cannot help but wonder if I am an innocent victim of a lie told in silence....

Thanks Cathy, for the opportunity to share my story.
Here are the other authors:
Mary Anne from "Life in Qualicum Beach"
Dr. Jordan from In My Humble Opinion
Wolfbaby from "Dreaming and Believing"
Moof from "A Moof's Tale"
Kim from "Emergiblog"
KT from "Kt Living"
Difficult Patient from "Ripple of Hope "
Jasmin from Shadow Writer
Empress Bee (Of the High sea)
PK from Pearls and Dreams
The Laundress from Dirty Laundry
The Wandering Author of The Unending Journey Of The Wandering Author
Amin from Write-Now
Who Wouda Thunk It From Another Day In Paradise
Brian from Truth is Freedon
At Your Cervix (R.N.) from At Your Cervix
Ipanema from Irish Cornwall
May From About A Nurse

Follow-up

Flu Shot Fiasco: Let the games begin! The CDC had their news conference Wednesday. And they state that there will be enough vaccine for everyone, according to this article from NPR.com. The phone calls to our office started Thursday morning. Of course, like many other doctors offices, we have not received our shipment yet, and we told our patients that. "But why are pharmacy x and pharmacy y having flu shot clinics next week?" Ahhhhh! (BTW, thanks Mary for the link.)

Blogaholics Anonymous meeting: Empress Bee (of the High Sea) has graciously volunteered to host the next BA meeting on Saturday. Thanks so much! You have to come, because Charlie has already cleaned up the place for us slobs to come over. We may have to keep it down a little bit, because we don't want to have them kicked out of their apartment. As always, it's BYOB - Bring Your Own Blog. See you Saturday!

An innocent victim of a lie told in silence: If you don't know what this is, click on over to Cathy's place and check this out right now. It's a fascinating concept. Instead of the typical song meme, or movie meme, or question meme, it's kind of a story meme. What will link them all together is that the last line of the story has to be "an innocent victim of a lie told in silence." I'll be posting mine in a few hours and about 20 people are going to be joining in on this. May's post is up already. Stay tuned for mine!

Halloween meme theme

I was tagged my Morgan (gee, thanks) who started his own meme. What is it that I'm always the first person picked when a meme gets started? (Was that whiney enough for you?) Anyway, this is a 13 question theme that goes like this...

1. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
Howard the Duck. Just kidding. Ever see this movie? Nope, not many people did -- I think in grade school, they showed a dracula movie around this time of year. I couldn't sleep for days. I think it scarred me for life - really. *smile*

2. What was your favorite Halloween Costume from childhood?
I was a superhero guy. My fave was Superman. Had the cape, had the big "S" on my chest, had the tights. I was 18 years old - just kidding. But, my mom has pictures somewhere of me. Don't worry she has them carefully hidden and will only reveal them at the worst possible time for me, like when I make my long awaited guest appearance on Gray's Anatomy (playing myself of course).

3. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your Fantasy Costume be for this Halloween?
Without a doubt, I would be giving some love to Pluto. I mean the planet, and not the dog. It'll be part of my "Save Pluto" campaign.

4. When was the last time you went Trick Or Treating?
Last year, did you know, I went to a neighborhood and they were giving out iPods? Yeah right. The last time I remember was probably junior high. I remember because my friend went as Michael Jackson. That explains a lot about where he's at now in life.

5. What's your favorite Halloween Candy?
Any time of year, my fave candy is M&Ms. This time of year, of course, the Halloween colors. And, for giving out candy, the M&M minis. Is that too much information?

6. Tell us about a scary nightmare you had.
I was out of town without internet access. Oh yeah, that really happened. Read here.

7. What is your Supernatural Fear?
That slimy ghost from the Ghostbusters movies is going to get me some day. Who you gonna call?

8. What is your Creepy-Crawlie Fear?
Everyone who comes to my office stating they have a spider bite is always fearful of the brown recluse spider. Why? Because the bite injects a venom that literally eats away at your skin and has the potential (although rare) of causing a fatality. Scared yet?

9. Tell us about a time when you saw a ghost, or heard something go Bump in the night.
The first house I lived in following residency was in the woods. Beautiful landscape, although it was hard to maintain. Anyway, one night, I think it was in October I heard something on the roof. I was definitely freaked out. The wind was swirling and you could hear the leaves outside the window. What happened? Just some squirrels on the roof. Funny now, but not that night.

10. Would you ever stay in a real Haunted House overnight?
No. Let me think about that - No. Wait a sec --> Still no!

11. Are you a traditionalist (just a face) Jack O'Lantern Carver, or do you get really creative with your pumpkins?
Just a face. I'm not much more creative than that.

12. How much do you decorate your home for Halloween?
Decorate? What's that? I'm lucky to "celebrate the season" by wearing a Halloween tie to work. I'm kind of a minimalist that way.

13. What do you want on your Tombstone?
That's easy: I'm Dr. A, and I'm a blogaholic...

Tag time: Let's see. How about Ladybug, Lea, M, TundraPA, and The Curmudgeon. Join in if you like!

Ten million dollars

Did that get your attention? No, this is not the cost of my prescription drugs last month. And, this is considerably less than the $200 million powerball winning jackpot won by an Iowa couple. But, this is not about the money, it's about medical history!

What am I talking about? The X Prize Foundation, the people that brought you SpaceShipOne, is at it again. This time, the challenge is pretty simple. If you can map 100 different human genomes in 10 days, then $10 million is all yours. Here's a quote from msnbc.com.

“It’s like geeks are taking over the world,” [Craig] Venter [founder of Celera Genomics] said in an interview. “Who thought a scientists could get $10 million for coming up with a breakthrough technology?”

So, who's with me on this? I've got a computer and an old microscope (although it may need a new lightbulb). Of course, I don't know 100 people. So, we'd have to recruit them. Maybe I can get the Nobel Prize guys to help me. This is ten million dollars and medical history! What you do think? Deal or no deal?

Canadian drugs

Almost every day, I have a patient ask me what I think about getting prescription drugs from Canada. I have to admit that I'm really torn on this. I understand that the cost of prescription drugs is a major problem -- especially for my older patients (I don't want to get into why drugs are so expensive. That's an entirely different post.)

Formerly, the federal government, through the Department of Homeland Security, halted shipments of imported (Canadian) prescription drugs. According to an article in today's Los Angeles Times, this practice will be abolished and instead random searches will occur.

Popular medications such as Lipitor and Fosamax can be 30% to 80% cheaper from Canada and other countries, surveys have shown. But the U.S. government was confiscating as much as 20% of the shipments this year.

But, sometimes the integrity of these imported drugs needs to be questioned. This topic was covered on a recent episode of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

“It sounds so good, cheap prescription drugs just a click away on the Internet,” said anchor Katie Couric as she introduced the September 20 “Eye on Medicine” report, but, “it could be really dangerous because you may not be getting what you think you are.”

Correspondent Jim Stewart told viewers of a federal bust of “11 people and an Atlanta-based company with a scheme to sell the fake drugs over the Internet.” Stewart noted that the phony drugs were manufactured in “a rented house in Belize” and the Web site peddling them told customers it was a Canadian pharmacy selling re-imported drugs.

I realize I may start a firestorm here with people pointing fingers at other people and groups. But, what's the answer here? I don't know. I do worry about the authenticity of imported drugs. I also worry that prescription drugs are expensive and my patients are doing what they can to stay as healthy as they can, even if they have to get their drugs from Canada.

Botulism

Now that you're able to have some spinach again, you thought that it was safe to head back to the store. Forget that, dude. Now, my carrot juice obsession is going to take a significant hit because the US Food and Drug Administraton (FDA) has warned consumers to avoid carrot juice products from a certain California company due to a fourth case of botulism linked to this company.

Most people have heard of the word botulism, but really cannot describe what it is or what the symptoms are. I had to review this myself, because the only place I've seen this disease is in a textbook. As a public service announcement to you, the Doctor Anonymous reader, here are the symptoms of botulism along with a great link to the CDC with more information. Look out for those carrot juice drinkers!

The classic symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak cry and poor muscle tone. These are all symptoms of the muscle paralysis caused by the bacterial toxin. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles. In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days.

Tagged

My good friend Sam at Blog, MD *cough* tagged me this afternoon. He started a blog meme of his own. How can you start a meme? I thought memes were one of those mysterious things that traveled around the world and around the blogosphere until you get the dreaded message that "you've been tagged." Oh well...

With Halloween coming at the end of the month, he calls his meme "dark and creepy." The idea is to pick five songs that you'd like played at your funeral. Quite odd, I thought, because I haven't really thought about that yet. But, hey, I'm game. Here are Blog, MD's top five.

The Top 5 Songs I Want Played (Over My Dead Body):
1. “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin: Because “Stairway to Heaven” is so obvious.
2. “Dies irae” from Mozart’s Requiem: This piece speaks for itself. I’ve loved it for years.
3. “A Love Supreme” by John Coltrane: I consider this to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. Coltrane’s “humble offering to God” in the “Acknowledgement” converted this tired agnostic.
4. “Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson: A fitting way to say adeiu.
5. “Non, je ne regrette rien” by Edith Piaf: No regrets. None.

Here are my Top 5 Songs I Want Played, well, you know...
1. Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel: In my past life as a med student, I played piano accompanyment along with two violinists during a memorial service. Very moving experience, have to blog about that sometime. (Only serious choice in this group)
2. Roxanne by The Police: My one and only karyoke song. That would get people talking!
3. Hit The Road Jack by Ray Charles
4. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day
5. 100 Years by Five For Fighting

In true meme fashion, here's who I'm tagging. Join in if you'd like:
1. The Thinker: Check out her blog. She's already in the Halloween spirit!
2. Morgan: Another blog with Halloween-y colors. HA!
3. Julie: It is meme Tuesday, isn't it?
4. Empress Bee: Wouldn't this be your first meme?
5. Little Student: This is not a boring meme.