Dana Lewis

For those of you who don't know, today is the official two year anniversary of the Swedish blog - this means Swedish has been blogging several times a week for two full years!

What have we been blogging about this year?

• Allergy prevention and management

• 10 things doctors and health care providers admire about patients

• The role of cancer rehabilitation

• For parents: dealing with picky eaters and healthy travel food tips, plus how to introduce solids to your infant (and other parenting topics)

• Marijuana smoking and the risk for lung cancer

• Recommended activity levels after different types of surgery

• The story behind 1-855-XCANCER and resources at the Swedish Cancer Institute

• Tips for those dealing with eczema and acne

• Deciding on surgical treatment for breast cancer and tips for accessing online information about breast cancer

• For moms and moms to be: nutrition in pregnancy and announcing the Lytle Center for Pregnancy and Newborns 

• Flu information

• Resources for those with hearing loss interested in cochlear implants from our live-tweeted and Instagrammed cochlear implant surgery

• Why you still need sunscreen in Seattle

• ...and many other topics

Who's been blogging?

We've had people from across Swedish blogging (more than 100 the last time we checked), including:

• Surgeons

• Nurses

• Family Medicine and Primary Care Physicians

• Dietitians

• Educators

• (And many others!)

Why are we blogging?

We started the blog as a way to connect with you (our community), whether you're a current patient, a past patient, a future patient…or just someone who stumbled across our site looking for health information. We believe our role is to be a resource of information, both online and off. Blogging gives us an easy way to keep you up to date, informed, and engaged on a number of health topics…

You may have heard that March is National Colorectal (or Colon) Cancer Awareness Month, and wonder what that means. You can find out more about colorectal cancer here, or from some of the resources below:

• Blog: Why you should worry about colorectal cancer, who should be screened, and how you can get screened

• Blog: How to prepare for a colonoscopy & what it's like, including frequently asked questions about colonoscopies

Also, we hope you will come walk or run at the Mercer Island Half and support Colon Cancer Research!

The Swedish Cancer Institute is the title sponsor of the Mercer Island Half on Sunday, March 24. The event offers a Half Marathon Run/Walk, a 10K Run, a 5K Run/Walk and a Kids’ Dash. There is ....

I first had the opportunity to speak with Sue Averill, one of Swedish's many incredible nurses, last year. As you may have read in her prior post, she's doing incredible work to serve in communities around the world, and shared a story from her recent work in Haiti that illustrates the art of nursing:

Last month I traveled with other nurses and doctors to Port Au Prince, Haiti, with Project Medishare, working at Bernard Mevs, the only neuro-surgical and trauma facility in the region. Project Medishare’s goal is to train Haitian doctors and nurses and to establish sustainable programs so the facility can function independently beyond the departure of expats. Among my role as ER and Triage nurse, I was anointed “The Hysteric Whisperer."

Many teenage girls and young women came to the hospital via ambulance or private vehicle presenting in catatonic states, hyperventilating or as “post-ictal seizure” patients. We soon learned that these were anxiety/panic attacks. One teenage girl was brought with ambulance lights blazing and sirens blaring for "seizures" – but made eye contact and was purposefully moving around in the gurney - not in a post-ictal state. The doctor approached the patient and shouted, "Prepare to intubate!"

Intubation was certainly not necessary. Three minutes later, I held the girl’s hands and helped her off the gurney and onto a chair.

With an astounded look on his face, the doctor asked “How did you do that? That was magic!” I ...

As you hear more about flu impacting our community, you may wonder what you can do. Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the flu from King County Public Health.

Also, during the month of January, Public Health – Seattle & King County is offering free flu vaccinations for people without insurance or who cannot afford to pay. For dates, times, locations and more information, click here.

Flu prevention

• Flu vaccination is the single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from flu. Health experts recommend flu vaccine for all people 6 months and older, especially for pregnant women and other high-risk persons.  Make sure everyone who lives with or cares for an infant younger than 6 months and with pregnant women gets vaccinated to protect the infant from getting flu.
• You can also take these everyday steps to protect yourself against the flu:
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching these areas spreads germs.
  • Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Help stop the spread of flu:
  • Cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve or a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
  • Stay home from work and school if you are sick until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, and avoid close contact with others.

How to get flu vaccine

• Flu vaccine (shots and nasal spray) is available at many healthcare provider offices and pharmacies. You can use http://flushot.healthmap.org to help locate it near you.
   

• To find free or low-cost flu vaccine in King County call the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 or visit www.parenthelp123.org.

Flu illness and symptoms

• For the majority ...

Read the “Weekly Project Update” to find out what to expect each week during construction.
Visit Seattle's First Hill Streetcar page for more information about the First Hill Streetcar project.

The City of Seattle is constructing the new First Hill Streetcar Line. This line will cover 2.5 miles and serve Capitol Hill, First Hill, Yesler Terrace, Central Area, International District and Pioneer Square; improving connections and access to businesses, medical centers and schools. The First Hill Line will have 10 stations, 6 streetcars, and connect with bus lines, Link light rail, commuter rail, ferry and water taxi, and the local bike network.

The First Hill Line is the next step in the Seattle Streetcar project after the successful opening of the South Lake Union Line in 2007. Our goal is to keep you informed on how the construction may impact your travel to and from the First Hill and Cherry Hill campuses. We will keep this blog post updated throughout the project and let you know of any planned traffic detours or lane closures, until the opening of the line in spring 2014.

Here are some useful links to learn more about the First Hill Streetcar Project:

• Background information on the Seattle Streetcar: www.seattlestreetcar.org

• First Hill Streetcar Route on Capitol Hill and First Hill

• Before and After Photos and Renderings

• Follow the Seattle Streetcar on Twitter or on Facebook

Stay tuned for updates posted here as we keep our patients, visitors and staff informed on the construction progress of the First Hill Streetcar Line. We'll also post relevant updates about impacts to our campuses on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy (healthy) holidays! Here's a roundup of great tips, recipes, and videos to help you make decisions about what to eat or what to make & bring to holiday gatherings:

• Love pinning and finding recipes on Pinterest? Click to view and pin from our board of more than 100 dietitian-approved heart-healthy recipes.

• Tarynne Mingione, RD, gives some great tips for thinking about portion sizes at holiday gatherings and also how to incorporate more vegetables into your favorite festive foods - click here to read, and also find links to some of her favorite recipes!

• Do you know what is in your holiday cocktail? Dr. Lindquist has some tips for eating and drinking at holiday gatherings. Click here to watch his video with healthy holiday eating tips, and also watch this video with tips on preventing holiday weight gain.

• Chef Eric has ..

Many people joined us last week to see Mrs. Day's cochlear implant surgery live-tweeted and Instagrammed. (You can click here to view a recap and see the pictures from Instagram.)

One of my favorite parts of the event was seeing the many thoughtful tweets & notes were sent in support of Mr. & Mrs. Day:

@swedish good luck, Mrs. Day! An ear surgery (patient) veteran in Virginia is cheering you on!

— Amanda Jenkins (@refinedladybug) October 2, 2012

@swedish I am so proud that you are doing this on SoMe. Thank your patient and the treating team for your willingness to involve the world.

— Pseudo ENT Surgeon (@otorhinolarydoc) October 2, 2012

@swedish Thanks to Mr & Mrs Day for participating & you for sharing - it's been an amazing priviledge to be part of it! #SwedishHear

— Vicki Kirwin (@KidsAudiologist) October 2, 2012

@swedish Good luck Mrs. Day on this new exciting journey in life!! Thanks for sharing!! #swedishhear

— Alaina Leighton (@AlainaLH) October 2, 2012

All the very best Mrs Day! May your surgery be more than a success and beyond! Thank you for sharing your journey! #Swedishhear @swedish

— Doose Ugo (@Deesse26) October 2, 2012

Some of the most frequently asked questions we received during the event were:

1. Why are you doing this? (Answer - read this blog post, and watch this video to learn more about the inspiration behind the #SwedishHear web series.)

2. Are you livestreaming Mrs. Day's cochlear implant activation?

We weren't originally planning to livestream the activation like we've done livestreams before - instead, we planned to host two, text-based live chats so people could type and read questions and engage directly with Dr. Backous, Stacey Watson (Mrs. Day's audiologist), and Karen Utter (President, Hearing Loss Association of Washington State).

Now we're doing both!

If you tune in....