Home from Camp

Sondros and I got home from camp Friday evening. We both had a good time. Sondros learned to canoe and was able to canoe out to the island in Lake Independence. He successfully completed Polar Bears, which requires an early morning jump in the lake. He also participated in archery and made the target every shot.

I was the nurse for the 8 y.o. boys. We had 9 boys in the cabin, which is 2 to 3 too many. We were scheduled for 10 but one did not show up. An important part of asthma camp is doing education. It is a challenge at this age. One of my boys ended up being sent home for bad behavior. Another ended up going home early. His father was murdered 2 weeks before camp and he just needed to be with his Mom. He was a very sweet boy, I felt so bad for him.

I found several 4 leaf clovers. I have always had an eye for seeing 4 leaf clovers. The most I ever found in one day was 20, back in Cassadaga.

I developed an ear infection at camp. I have not had an ear infection since I was 25 y.o. and in the Navy. It really was uncomfortable.

We had only one storm at camp, during lunch on Thursday. We all had to go in the storm shelter. It was rather crowded, to say the least. The next day it was very hot and humid. My campers were all picked up on time, whew!

Now that we are home Sondros and I spend our afternoons in the pool. Sondros swam for 4 hours yesterday! I did laps for 2 1/2 hours. Tomorrow I am taking him and his friend Mitch to see Kung Fu Panda.

Off to Camp Superkids

I'm getting ready to leave for Camp Superkids. It is the oldest and largest camp in the U.S. for kids with asthma. It is run by the American Lung Association of Minnesota and held at a YMCA camp near Loretto, MN. I will again have the 8 y.o. boys, who are all 1st time campers. Each cabin has a R.N. There is a M.D. present 24 hours/day at camp. We do a lot of education on recognizing triggers and early warning signs, proper inhaler technique, and learning that kids with asthma can do anything other kids can do. So many kids, along with their parents, mistakenly believe the kids cannot participate in running and other sports. For the last several years it has been documented that our campers have fewer ER visits and hospitalizations after completing camp. For that reason many health plans pay for camp.

I picked up my grandson's Advair yesterday and the co-pay was $50!!! It was a $42 co-pay for an albuterol inhaler. One of the biggest problems in asthma management is medication compliance, along with improper inhaler technique. Well, with co-pays of $50 it is understandable how families cannot afford an Advair diskus every month. We are so in need of health care reform in this country.

Yesterday I saw a Tylenol display in a store. The sign said "skipping meals can cause you to have a headache" so stock up on Tylenol. Hello, wouldn't it be better to eat than to take a drug known to cause liver toxicity? A Tylenol now and then, OK but regular ingestion can ruin your liver just as badly as alcohol. The bottle size was 500 extra strength caplets. That should be a life time supply!!

I will be off line until Saturday 7/12.