I may have had my head under a vent for the last month but c'mon...

In news that can only go under the category of why do we care , I give you this link from the BBC. No wonder we are so despised around the world.

In other news for those with more on their minds than the fate of over-privileged heiresses who are going to jail for crimes they obviously committed, here is a story worth reading. Contrary to all the anticipatory guidance that pediatricians have been giving parents for years about juice, the abstract, which analyzed data from the NHANES study, basically says that 100% fruit juice won't make kids obese. This is only an abstract, the article points out, and needs to be further scrutinized in a peer-reviewed journal. However, the message is truly revolutionary.

Think I'll go have an Odwalla Superfood to celebrate the occasion.

MIA

So things got a little busy, as evidenced by my lack of posts. April was consumed in a whirlwind of micro-preemies on oscillating ventilators, many sleepless nights filled with record-breaking numbers of blood gases and an overall feeling of exhaustion. I started the month with 3 really sick babies, two of whom were on an oscillator and had profound nosocomial sepsis. By the end of the month, all 3 are off the vent and have "graduated" to the less-acute side of the nursery where they enjoy kangaroo care, isolettes instead of open-bed warmers and are working on their feeds. Now that is what I call a satisfying month.
After a week on community practice, the exhaustion is fading, although I am now plagued with a viral illness that decided now was the opportune time to strike. I guess I have to agree with the timing, as it really wasn't an option to get sick in the NICU.
It's spring here, finally. Trees are blooming. Daffodils are coming up. I no longer cough when I run outside. Life is good, or at least better.

you know you work too much when...

...you and 2 other peds residents can think of nothing more scintillating on a Friday night than wandering through the aisles of CVS comparing ingredients in children's cold and flu remedies.