Time Flies

I have already labeled myself the worse blogger ever, so is it really any surprise that I haven't posted anything in several months.? We are so busy, and I feel guilty sitting at the computer updating things when I should be doing something that is actually useful. So, I am shooting for once montly updates.

Andy has had one more episode of epiglottitis requiring a late night trip to the ER. He didn't respond as quickly as we hoped to the epinephrine, so we spent the night in observation. This one was precipitated by strep pharyngitis. It has been about 5 weeks since that last visit, and it appears that we are slowly spreading them out. Instead of once or twice every month, we have gone up to 6 weeks! We saw another specialist, this time a pulmonologist, who basically said the same thing as the otorhinolaryngologist: Andy will grow out of the subglottic stenosis when he is between 2-5 years old. We are hoping for the 2 year old mark.

At Andy's most recent doctor visit, he weighed 27lbs and was 33.5inches tall. He has grown 6 inches since his one year visit! Does it hurt to grow that fast? His feet are ridiculuous; we are on the fourth size since he came home in October. And they are like blocks, very thick. Not all shoes will fit his "tall" feet.

We finalized Andy's adoption on June 1st. Fabulous day.

Coby and I do other things besides gaze in wonder at Andy. Coby was involved in live burn training in late May, where fire departments from all over the country come to train with OKC Fire. It's probably not something you know, but OKC has a reputation for safety and has one of the busiest firehouses in the country (located at SW 59th and May). So other cities send their firefighters here for training. OKC is unique in that they have a wide variety of fires that they regularly fight, from grass fires to small house fires to large building fires. Additionally, they have several oil/gas type of fires every year. And with all the rain recently, his recent dive training was also put to use. I'm a little proud of Coby, but just a little.

I'm busy, busy, busy at work. People often ask me what I think about the changes in health care. The short version: it has the potential to be disasterous, forcing many primary care physicians to quit taking medicare or just quit completely. We have already felt the crunch of the temporary 21% paycut in medicare reimbursement (think of your salary cut by 1/4). Thankfully, Congress repealed the paycut, but only for 6 months. The amount of paperwork required by insurance companies is overwhelming, and I am tired of them telling me how to treat my patients. I have often wondered if I should have gone into another specialty, such as dermatology or radiology. But I would have been BORED. I love the essence of my job; I love that I take care of newborns, their parents and grandparents, too. I am beginning to loathe the red tape. Oh, and there is that pesky threat of litigation always in the back of my head...