Science and reason finally win one

Very good story that restores some of my faith in the litigation system:
Court says vaccine not to blame for Autism-MSNBC.com

Some of you don't immunize your children. Thankfully, most of you do. But whether you do or don't, almost all of you are aware of the theory floating around that vaccines cause autism.

At first glance, this does not seem all that unreasonable. After all, kids start showing definite signs of autism around 10-20 months, after getting several shots of who knows what that protect them from who knows what. And what was that? There's MERCURY in some of them?!? Well, heaven knows that's bad for your brain. So, yeah, I can see where the connection can be made. And for anyone who has seen/taken care of/knows someone with a severe case of autism, it is understandable to do everything you can to try to protect your baby from having the same limitations.

The problem is that some people never get past that first glance. Upon closer examination, the whole thing is debunked. So, either trust your doc and get the shots, look at pictures* of kids dying of these diseases and then get the shots, read about how the whole theory got started and then get the shots, or look at the CDC or the Institute of Medicine info and then, you guessed it, get the shots.


*I found more graphic pictures, but I thought this was a nice, informative website with enough pictures to give you the idea

A month in (relative) paradise

Who knew that working a 40 hour week would ever be considered paradise? The fact is, though, that I am absolutely loving weekends off and no overnight calls! It's all relative baby! So, here I sit at midnight, not able to fall asleep simply because I've been "sleeping in" until 7am this week. FREAKING AWESOME

I've been able to spend a lot more time with Stephanie and the kids, which has been great. I feel like I'm finally getting to know Thane, who smiles at me when he sees me now (though the really big smiles are still reserved his mom. who can blame him?) I've also caught up on some serious train and Candy Land time with Caleb. Stephanie and I have even found some time for a little Mario Kart Wii! Life is good in the Kumor house.

By the way...
Was I the only one who didn't know Obama is a smoker? How's that for someone looking to transform our health care system into a more "preventative model." This came up in clinic today and everyone looked at me like I was a moron when I said I had no idea. Kudos to the guy for trying to quit though.

2 months later

Well, it has been around two months since I have taken the time to sit down and write another blog. There are a few reasons for this:
1)It really did freak me out a bit when I learned that at least one of my patient's had read my blog. I mean, can I really talk about the hospital, tell stories, or vent frustrations when people I provide care for are reading what I write? In the end, as long as I am being honest, I think the answer should be yes, but it does make me think twice, or maybe three times, before posting something.

2)I just haven't had the time. It is no joke that since at least the beginning of December, but really since Thane was born, I have been busy every waking moment of every day. If I'm not at work, I'm either playing with Caleb, holding/changing Thane, falling asleep, or finding quality time to spend with Stephanie.

3)It seems like I just don't have much to write about. Now, this is not really true, but who wants to hear about what goes on in the hospital? And if you want to read about my (awesome) kids, there's always Stephanie's blog. She sees them more than I do anyway.

Tonight, though, I have decided to finally get past #1. I am on call here at the hospital and am waiting for a couple of lab results to make some decisions on a sick patient, so no sleep for me, which takes care of #2. As for #3, well, I'm sure I can find something to talk about.

One thing I have been doing quite a bit of thinking on recently has been how much difference a year makes in our lives. December 2007, for example, seems like eons ago. That was before I knew where I would be doing residency (actually that was when I found out I didn't match into a military program--VERY stressful), before Thane was even conceived, and before our life-changing trip to Papua New Guinea. Amazing. I am really greatful that I don't have the ability to plan out my life. Things have not gone exactly how I expected, but I couldn't be more satisfied at this point. I love this residency program, I feel like I'm learning a lot and doing a pretty good job, and it is great to be close to family. I am working side by side with the military guys here, and am realizing the benefits of being on the civilian side for a couple more years. As far as Thane goes, is there anything better than a fresh baby? The biggest x-factor was how Caleb would react, and he has far exceeded my hopes. Caleb is such a loving, protective, and gentle big brother! Now, we'll see how long that lasts, but it sure does work well while Thane is a baby. And PNG.... I miss that place. I really look forward to going back next year (which would not have been possible-at least not for two months-in the military program). I think I will be much more useful then as well, which will be nice.

One year ago I was neurotically working out my anxiety making paper snowflakes, now I'm neurotically working out my anxiety (about a particular patient) by typing a blog.

Maybe there really isn't anything new under the sun. :)

Oh, and it looks like they're going to do just fine. Phew!

NU 45 KU 35

Today I went to my first Husker game in about 4 years. It was a great time with sweet seats! The game was really exciting, and I got to go with my old buddy from high school James Shada, his wife, and his dad who was my boss all those years at the rec dept in Bellevue. I was glad they took me again (see #2 and 3 below), since my previous record of games is really not too impressive.

1. NU wins 56-27. But it was Frank Solich's first as head coach, Bobby Newcombe tore his ACL, and a quarterback/receiver combo Tim Rattay and Troy Edwards from LaTech looked unstoppable. Rattay had almost 600 yards passing, over 400 of those to Edwards.

2. Loss to Texas 16-20 which ended a 47 game home winning streak, though I did get to see Ricky Williams play.

3. NU 21-7 over TCU. Pretty run of the mill game, but this was the 2001 opener, the year of the infamous get blown out by Colorado then somehow inexplicably make the title game and get blown out by Miami.

4. Loss to Colorado 26-20, the last game in Bill Callahan's inaugural season which ended 5-6. This was the game that ended the NCAA record bowl streak and non-losing season streak. I did get to sit in the student section for this game with my brother John, which was a good time and quite the experience.

For those of you who follow college football... check that. For those of you who are Nebraska fans (because we are no longer relevant in the broader college football world), you know what a big game this was for NU. We were sitting at 5-4, coming off a blow out loss to Oklahoma, and desperately needing a win against a quality opponent. It was definitely a big win, and I had a great time with the Shada family. Hopefully my jinx is over!

Quick story about how I got to go. Mr Shada (my boss all those years in the recreation dept) called me during work yesterday to let me know he had extra tickets to today's game. I was quite torn. Weekends (this month) are when I get to spend a lot of time with Stephanie and the boys, and she really looks forward to them as a break for her as well. I came home and had basically decided I would probably just stay home and have some quality time with the newborn, the 3 year old, and the wife. I still wanted Stephanie to know what a big sacrifice I was making (of course), so I told Stephanie that Mr Shada had offered me tickets. She immediately responds "Oh, that's great! You should go!" To which I reply, "You know, I would feel bad leaving you alone with the two boys." She then reminds me that her mom and sister were coming for the weekend. Score one for the in-laws!!! I can honestly say I've never been so excited to see them :)

You gotta love a fresh baby

Even though they come out all bloody/cheesy/swollen/funny looking, there is just something about a newborn that makes me smile everytime. That first little cry is something else, and when it's your own baby, the whole thing sure is pretty special.

Meet Nathaniel "Thane" Bruce Kumor, born on the 24th weighing a whopping 6 lbs 13 oz. A little guy by Kumor standards, but sure a lot chubbier than Caleb was. He and Stephanie are doing great! I'll let Stephanie tell the labor story if she wants to, but suffice it to say that we went in at 7:30am to be induced and he was screaming by noon. It was a great performance by the wifey, but I can't say the same thing for the CRNA-in-training who did, or tried to do, her epidural! It all turned out well in the end, though, which is all we could hope for. Here's Stephanie and her two little boys when Grandma and Grandpa Quimby brought Caleb up for a visit.

Caleb is doing great with Thane and is uber-excited about him being around. The thing he is most excited about, though, is that "Mommy can crawl around on the floor to play and run around with me now!" Well, buddy, maybe in a few days. I know if I passed something the diameter of a human skull from my body, I'd be out of commission for a little while. Caleb does love to give his baby brother kisses and "gentle touches."

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers throughout this whole pregnancy! It has been quite a ride, and it is nice to be safely on the other side. There is not a greater blessing in the world than a fresh baby!

Hello Out There

So, an interesting thing happened to me the other day in my clinic. I walked into the exam room to greet a man I had never met and talk with him about his health. Now, I like to talk with my patients about other things and get to know them a bit. I think that's one of the really enjoyable things about Family Medicine. I have been assuming that they know as little about me as I know about them when we meet, but we all know what assuming can do! You see, the first thing out of his mouth was "So, has your wife had the baby yet?" I'm sure I had a pretty interesting look on my face. At first I was trying to think of any way I might know this man... church, a friend/relative of a friend, saw him before in clinic... nothing. Then I thought about who in the office might have filled him in... receptionist? nurse?... who knows? I'm not sure, but I think I just asked him point blank who told him. His answer?

It's all right here baby. Yep, turns out when he scheduled his appointment, he Googled my name and read my blog! Kudos to you, sir, if you're still reading! (By the way, feel free to comment on just how goofy I looked.) I really hadn't thought about it before, but Google-ing your doc is probably a pretty good move. You never know what you'll find, right? Anyway, he had read all about Caleb, Stephanie, little Thane, and also about our trip to PNG! Let's just say he had a definite leg up in the getting-to-know-you department.

So, I decided to Google myself and see just what I could find. Turns out it's a little suprising what makes its way into cyberspace. I was reminded of some pretty poor wrestling performances at the State Tournament, relived my exploits in Olivet intramurals, and learned that there's a guy with my name who was a helicopter pilot in the Korean War. There were also links to my Facebook and MySpace profiles (which haven't been updated in eons) and, of course, a couple of links to this blog, one via a story in the Olivetian.

Just how many of my patients have read about me? I really have no idea. This gentleman was the only one who has said anything. It really made me stop and think, though, about what I have written. I don't think I've posted anything I shouldn't have or don't mean, but I wonder what impression of me this blog gives people. Well, he didn't cancell his appointment, so I guess the picture of me and Caleb with pull-ups on our heads isn't too alarming!


In other news, Stephanie is still pregnant. She's a whopping 38 weeks and 4 days! Neither of us even dreamed she'd make it this far. I think for Stephanie, though, it's turned into more of a nightmare! The poor thing has been banging out contractions like nobody's business for a solid 2 weeks. Now, I've seen a few ladies in labor, and there were a couple of times, including Friday, when I thought we were in business. But in the end, it was 'Sorry folks, show's over.' All she had to show for it was some lost sleep and an appreciation for the epidural she's going to get. The good news is that she'll be induced at the end of this week if she hasn't popped by then (39 weeks!). There is an end in site! Who woulda thought we'd be saying that... We are pretty darn blessed.

Not a whole lot going on

The title pretty much sums it up. Sure, life is busy with residency and family stuff, but it sure seems like not a lot of life changing stuff is happening. My grandpa died a couple weeks ago, which I guess is a pretty big deal. My brother wrote a nice post about it. Funerals like his were, I think, about how things are supposed to go. Everybody gets together and has a good time, remembers an elderly guy who had lived a long, full life, and enjoys a nice lunch together. I hope that doesn't sound too cold. I feel badly for my dad and especially for my grandma, but I really think that in the grand scheme of things, this pretty much fits the ideal plan. Maybe I've just seen too much death in general and premature death in particular to look at it like a normal person. Maybe being in medicine does that to people, I don't know. Anyway, I really had a good time hanging out with my siblings and my grandma. I was also very proud of Caleb, who spent a good deal of time playing with his cousins without me anywhere near him. He's a pretty timid/paranoid/social-skills-lacking kind of a guy usually, but hopefully he's starting to come out of it. He is also pretty darn funny, saying lots of the kind of things that I guess kids say. Stephanie has written a couple of blogs about that, I think.

As far as residency goes, I'm now in my fourth month, and if nothing else I've gotten more used to people referring to me as "Dr Kumor." Still a bit weird though. After my orientation month (July), I spent a month catching babies on the OB service, then had a month of clinic and dermatology, which was a pretty good time. Now, I'm on a general surgery service at Methodist, and it's going really well.

I guess the big news is that I've got the clearance from my program director and the guys at Kudjip to spend another two months there in Papua New Guinea! We are still working out the details, but it looks like spring/summer of 2010. I'm really looking forward to it.

Sorry about the lame-o post. Read Stephanie's. Much funnier. She, by the way, is full term!!! Who woulda thunk it? She made 37 weeks last Thursday! So, everybody can quit praying... we're ready for him to come now!

At least I'll leave you with a picture. It's similar to the one Joe mentioned of all the Frank's, except this one has two Frank's, a Ben, and a Caleb. We'll miss you grandpa!