eChapter May meeting

For those of you who are members of the eChapter of NAPNAP you may be interested in our monthly teleconference meeting this Thursday, May 26th at 10:30 am EST. We meet for an hour by phone and go over agenda items.

Of interest this month is getting a draft budget ready to approve next month, discussion about a speaker we are sponsoring at the NAPNAP 2012 annual conference in San Antonio (see 33charts.org) and setting goals for our 2011-2012 year.

This is our 3rd year of operation as a chapter! It is an exciting time to be looking at how electronic communication can connect a widely distanced group into a small power house of action. We have a lot to look forward to.

If you are interested in joining us please send me an email and I will forward you the connecting telephone number and code - nc_sitka@yahoo.com.

Summer is coming - lots of May flowers in the landscape and more sunshine in the skies.

Transitions

Spring time seems to be a transition time for many. Here in Sitka, Coast Guard families get ready for their new assignment every June. School is ending. Retirement looms for many of us "boomers."

So it is, I find myself saying goodbye to a job I love and moving from beautiful Sitka by the Sea, It feels very strange to not be employed. I do not like that. I am plenty busy! There is more than enough cleaning, organizing and packing to do! I am not bored. I just am not ready to stop working completely.

The reason for the move is complex, but is most influenced by my ever growing need to be physically closer to my three little granddaughters. They live in California, and that is just too far. It is also expensive to travel. While my son and daughter in law are very gracious and generous to let us stay with them, I know that being too close for too long is not good for sustaining a healthy happy relationship. A little distance is good for everyone.

Excitement and sadness are all intertwined. It is a strange season of our lives. So many options, choices are unlimited and overwhelming. As a couple that still enjoys a strong friendship, we struggle with vastly different views of what retirement means and where it should occur. Our solution is to take baby steps into this unknown territory.

We will move to the LA area sometime this summer. and plan to stay in or around southern California for the next 2-3 years. Then we will return to our Alaska home, which we are renting to a Coast Guard family of 5, and decide what the next decision point will be. It is a work in progress.

Casey, Mackenzie and Meghan - Easter fun!

While in LA I will likely volunteer or perhaps be lucky enough to find part time work - something flexible, but allows me to keep my skills current. My husband and I are both in the medical field so perhaps a locums or medical travel opportunity will come our way! However, what I am most looking forward to is talking and playing with my three grand daughters whenever I want!

Cold Virus or Flu

I have been out of commission for several days, low grade fever, chills, very fatigued, cough, sneezing, heaviness in chest, swollen glands, ears plugged and general malaise. Started out like a cold, but really felt more like the flu when the body aches developed. All I wanted to do was sleep - and sleep I did!

Is It a Cold or the Flu?

The cold and flu are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different types of viruses with different symptoms. Use this chart to learn the difference between the two.

Signs and Symptoms	Influenza	Cold
Fever	Usually present	Rare
Aches	Usual, often severe	Slight
Chills	Fairly common	Uncommon
Tiredness	Moderate to severe	Mild
Symptom onset	Symptoms can appear within 3 to 6 hours	Symptoms appear gradually
Coughing	Dry, unproductive cough	Hacking, productive cough
Sneezing	Uncommon	Common
Stuffy nose	Uncommon	Common
Sore throat	Uncommon	Common
Chest discomfort	Often severe	Mild to moderate
Headache	Common	Uncommon

http://www.flufacts.com/know/what-is.jsp -               Compliments of Genetech website! 

So I am going with the flu. It started around Wednesday last week with sneezing and coughing, but I felt fine... until Friday when the body ache and fatigue set in. The weekend was a total loss - I slept 18 hours at least both Saturday and Sunday. I am still achey today, but the cough is a lot less and my glands are no longer swollen. I think it is going away. The symptoms really came in waves - 3 - 4 hours of feeling awful followed by an hour of two of recovery.

Viruses are strange - I felt it migrating to different body sections from the top of my head gradually moving into my chest. Part of the day feeling complete fatigue and part of the day hoping that I was in recovery.

We all know there are no real treatments for a virus, it just runs its course. But to make myself more comfortable, I gave into sleep, drank lots - tea, water, juice, cocoa, anything cold or hot tasted great. My son attended a holistic chef school not long ago and this experience really gave him some valuable skills in cooking nutritious meals. He made some very therapeutic herbal teas that really helped. Vicks on the chest and a spoonful of honey for the cough. That's about it. 

Sadly I missed some work, but none of us are indispensable! They carried on bravely without me!

I am hoping that tomorrow will be a "normal" day. We shall see!