The scariest night of all is here!

     Halloween is just around the corner, which means Trick-or-Treat is coming up, too!

     If you’re anything like me, you haven’t quite gotten around to buying stuff to hand out yet (no big deal, the kids at my apartment complex are trick-or-treating tonight, I have plenty of time, right?!).

     Before you buy bags of candy, stop and think for a minute- Do you really want five bags of chocolate in your house? There’s always leftovers that end up getting eaten by the family, plus the candy that the kids come home with, which ends up being way more candy and chocolate than would be in your house any other time of the year.

A Happy Ending, Presented by Hyperbaric Chambers

     Seven months ago, an adorable six-year-old, Brooke, was brought in to Meritus Medical Center’s Trauma and Emergency Services department after a neighbor’s dog bit off part of her nose. She lost the full right nostril flap and suffered other facial lacerations. The part of her nose that had been bitten off was recovered by the Fairfield, Pennsylvania police and brought to Meritus Medical Center by their chief.

Want to avoid getting the flu?

     Raise your hand if you’ve had your flu vaccine! There are quite a few hands I don’t see going up.  Luckily, we’re having a flu clinic!  (Details below!)

So, what exactly is the flu? How does it spread?

Giving Back

Mr. Burkhart

     Over the past few days, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with a lot of volunteers to record their stories about why they volunteer and their favorite memories.  I have to say, that’s my next tip for healthier living.  Try to find the time to get out there and volunteer in your community.  It makes you feel better, you get the opportunity to meet people that you never would have met before, and you’re giving back to the community.

     I’ve heard a lot of great stories, but one that really touched my heart was about Wayne Burkhart, a veteran of the United States Air Force.  Mr. Burkhart has been volunteering at Meritus Medical Center for over five years.  He works out of the imaging department, because, as he says, “that’s where most of the work is.  I work Monday and Friday because it’s the busiest two days. I want to keep busy. I didn’t sign up to sit.”

     Mr. Burkhart is also a skilled scroll saw craftsman, and this is the part that was truly touching.  Not only does he volunteer at the hospital, but he spends time at home creating decorations that he is giving to veterans who work for Meritus Health.  He’s given out between 50 and 60 personally created scroll saw pieces, and once he’s given as many away to employees here as he possibly can, he’s going to make more for members of the American Legion post he belongs to. 

Here's a photo of the piece he's making for our veterans: 

I'm in awe- this is so intricate, yet it fits in the palm of my hand.

     When I asked Mr. Burkhart why he wanted to do this, he said, “I know as a serviceman myself, I appreciate people that appreciate us. I felt like everyone should be recognized.”

     Mr. Burkhart, I feel like you should be recognized. You are an inspiration.  Thank you.

By Kayla Murphy

The Runny Nose: A guide for the upcoming winter months

     Today's post is written by Dr. Kirby Scott, an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon with Central ENT Consultants, located at the Susquehanna Bank Building at 1800 Dual Highway, Hagerstown. As an allergy sufferer myself, I really appreciate these tips! -Kayla

     Each fall, it almost seems as if our noses are working harder. The children are back in school, the first round of the “crud” has made it through the household, and many are left with the annoying “runny nose” that just won’t go away, despite tested “home remedies,” over-the-counter products, prescription pharmaceuticals, and “tincture of time.”

Get low, low, low, low!

     Well, ladies and gents, I have an update about my cholesterol! For the new readers, on August 25^th, I posted this blog, and talked about how I had just discovered that I had very high cholesterol for someone my age.  Then, I posted this blog, exploring what all of the numbers meant.

     On September 30^th, I had to get bloodwork drawn again for a program for my health insurance.  They were going to test my cholesterol and sugars, and I was a little nervous about the cholesterol test.  I didn’t know if there would have been any change yet. My mom warned me to not expect much of a change because it had only been about a month, and she knew that if there wasn’t a change, I would be disappointed and discouraged.  I was kind of in a “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” mindset. 

Do you take more than one kind of medicine?

     Did you know that October is National Pharmacy Month??  It’s true.  Here are some other facts you may not know about pharmacists:

• Becoming a pharmacist requires 5 or 6 years of higher education, depending on the program.
• Pharmacists pass both state and federal boards
• There are only 173,000 licensed pharmacists in the US, compared to 661,000 physicians and surgeons and 2.6 million RNs. 

     I asked one of our pharmacists, Joe Scalese, RPh, to describe what it means to be a pharmacist today.  He wrote:

Breast cancer can be scary, especially if you’re uninsured.

     Which is why we want to spread the word about the Make a Difference Breast Cancer Screening Program. I sat down with Carrie Starkey, program coordinator, at their free screening last Saturday to find out more about the program.