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Alaska Chat for September - Page 6

post #101 of 237
9/12/09 at 2:01pm
Anaktuvak Pass school closed due to swine flu.
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post #102 of 237
9/12/09 at 3:19pm
The Alaska Birth Network is having another meeting this Sunday!

Quote:
Dear Birth Networkers! I'm writing to remind you of our meeting on Sunday, September 13th. We will be meeting at the One Family Birth Center at 3 pm in Anchorage. Kids are welcome if you don't have a sitter. We will be setting our public informational meeting topics and dates, and also reviewing all of the great work Stormy has done towards our grant applications. We will also be deciding which events to attended this year and which projects to pursue. Hope to see you there!
After this meeting they will start having monthly "Informational" Meetings open to the public.
Anyone interested in joining Birth Network as a professional or a consumer is welcome to attend this Sunday's meeting. For more information about the Alaska Birth Network, here is a link to their website. http://alaskabirthnetwork.org/
post #103 of 237
9/12/09 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamatoni View Post
I teach at a high school here in fairbanks, we have had A LOT of swine flu, I'd say at least a few kids in every class have had it (I have 4 classes of 25), most seem to be out a few days feeling miserable, then right back. It does seem REALLY contagious but beyond that, not so bad for the average person without other medical conditions...

I have been trying to boost my own immune system by sleeping I never get enough sleep, so have been trying to average 8 hours a night, even if it doesn't work, at least I am well rested
:
Same here except for the high school bit. Started w/2 kids out yesterday...4 more sent home during the day.

post #104 of 237
9/13/09 at 4:04am
Thread Starter 
Paula, super sticky vibes for you!

I hate this time of year. So much sickness! I thought we were going to get through it, but no dice. I was knocked on my butt yesterday and slept most of the day and thankfully today I feel a million times better. My kiddos nose is running like a faucet, but other than that, she's completely fine. Everyone I know is SICK... so I'm trying to avoid everyone LOL.

Hockey season is officially upon me again. I spent a total of 9 hours in two different hockey rinks today. Lord help me. It gets to a point that watching paint dry is far more exciting.
post #105 of 237
9/13/09 at 4:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadfamily6now View Post
oh another topic that comes with this is Medical.
Anyone living in the Bush and / or Off Grid with medical issues and how do you address that?
I'm a lurker here but thought I'd unlurk to talk about this question...

First, "off the grid" I think may be different from just Bush Alaska living, especially if you think of a Bush town like Bethel, Nome, Kotz, etc. We have electricity, and so do the smaller surrounding villages.

Medical care - in Bethel, we have a hospital. It's basic but has gotten the job done, mostly, for us. We are careful in who we go to see. We have also opted to go to Anchorage when things weren't getting addressed quickly enough for our tastes (had a child with hearing loss, there was a 6 month backlog for children needing ear tubes - but ANC got it done in 2 weeks). We've had semi-emergencies and urgent needs to get to Anchorage but always ended up taking commercial flight that day. I've had 2 babies here, but a high risk pregnancy would get shipped out for delivery. The reality is that if something awful happened and required major medical intervention quickly, we are at a big disadvantage. Medivacs happen, they do the best they can, but it isn't guaranteed. A friend had her girl's appendix rupture here a few years back and she was in teh ANC hospital for a couple of weeks dealing with the complications.

Our insurance does NOT pay for travel - even emergency, medically necessary travel, much less just paying for trips. However, my parents who live in Ketchikan, they purchased "medivac insurance" that'd pay the cost of that if they ever needed it. Our insurance would pay for a full on medivac, but commercial travel (even certified "medically necessary" travel)- no.

As for what people do here - lots of government (state, law enforcement), teachers, health care (nurses, doctors, etc) and people to make the town go (store clerks, service industry and restaurants). I would imagine it's the same on a bigger or smaller scale in many bush communities.

HTH.
post #106 of 237
9/13/09 at 4:52am
Does anyone know about any fall fest types of things going on this month or next? In the valley or anchorage or somewhere in between. I heard that Pyrahs Pioneer Peak farm is having something next weekend... pumpkin picking, hayrides, etc. Is there anything else similar going on though or any other fun fall time activities going on in the area?
post #107 of 237
9/13/09 at 4:53am
Anyone know if there are any midwives that will deliver at the hospital in palmer?
post #108 of 237
9/13/09 at 1:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadfamily6now View Post
The Alaska Birth Network is having another meeting this Sunday!
Quote:
Dear Birth Networkers! I'm writing to remind you of our meeting on Sunday, September 13th. We will be meeting at the One Family Birth Center at 3 pm in Anchorage. Kids are welcome if you don't have a sitter. We will be setting our public informational meeting topics and dates, and also reviewing all of the great work Stormy has done towards our grant applications. We will also be deciding which events to attended this year and which projects to pursue. Hope to see you there!
After this meeting they will start having monthly "Informational" Meetings open to the public.
Anyone interested in joining Birth Network as a professional or a consumer is welcome to attend this Sunday's meeting. For more information about the Alaska Birth Network, here is a link to their website. http://alaskabirthnetwork.org/
This is today!! I hope some of you all can make it!
post #109 of 237
9/13/09 at 1:57pm
Happy!

thanks! That helps tremendously!

Your comment about the medivac insurance, I think it saw on TV where you can pay $100 per year and have your family covered for ambulance rides and or medivac flights. I'll have to look into that more.

I'm not sure how "bushy" we are going yet or even if it would be in Alaska. We have lived off the grid and provided our own power and water. Stuff like that. Would we incorporate that into town living or just live in the middle of nowhere not in a town?? that is the big question for us.

My husband is a Type 1 Diabetic and even though he would love to just live in the middle of nowhere, medically, it might not be do able.

I appreciate your reply very much!
post #110 of 237
9/13/09 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by heartmommyak View Post
Anyone know if there are any midwives that will deliver at the hospital in palmer?
I know of a midwife in the valley but she does not deliver at the hospital.
post #111 of 237
9/13/09 at 2:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by heartmommyak View Post
Does anyone know about any fall fest types of things going on this month or next? In the valley or anchorage or somewhere in between. I heard that Pyrahs Pioneer Peak farm is having something next weekend... pumpkin picking, hayrides, etc. Is there anything else similar going on though or any other fun fall time activities going on in the area?
Pyrah's is 1-7pm next Sat.

We also love the Tuesday Night Race series. Huge community event--kids have a ball.
post #112 of 237
9/13/09 at 3:04pm
Am I always the last to know???

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=11120882


Children under 8, under 65 pounds or under 4foot8inches MUST be in a car seat. $50 fine. Goes into effect tuesday.
post #113 of 237
9/13/09 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadfamily6now View Post
Am I always the last to know???

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=11120882


Children under 8, under 65 pounds or under 4foot8inches MUST be in a car seat. $50 fine. Goes into effect tuesday.
I would never have known!
Two days notice is very sneaky in my opinion.

My neice and her brothers are all little Italians, and that is really going to suck for them.

Although, are the cops going to have scales in their cars, so they can weigh the children
post #114 of 237
9/13/09 at 4:12pm
4 weeks today (past lmp) and I am actually feeling yuckier then ever:
Dizzy, nauseous, urpy, etc.
Today is always the day that I start bleeding, but its always preceeded by 2-3 days of symptom loss.

And, I think I need 2 large caution signs, one for each side of my chest.
You touch, you die!!!!!!

I have always dreamed of having 6 children. I was telling dh this morning that its rather ironic. 5 losses so far. Wondering if this one will make it all the way...

I stayed home from church today, cause I am just too out of whack to think about being in public.
post #115 of 237
9/13/09 at 6:13pm
Thinking of you PaulaJoAnne!

I wouldn't have known about the seat issue, either.. my neighbor and I carpool our 1st graders.. this is seriously requiring us to rethink some logistics..
post #116 of 237
9/13/09 at 7:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinoikoi View Post
Thinking of you PaulaJoAnne!

I wouldn't have known about the seat issue, either.. my neighbor and I carpool our 1st graders.. this is seriously requiring us to rethink some logistics..
:Sticky vibes to you, PaulaJoAnne! I hope you keep feeling awful.

The carseat issue has me very confused. We barely all fit in my van as it is (with a good high-backed booster for both Iris and Magnus). Iris wears hers with the actual buckles, Magnus uses the seatbelt over his booster.

One more booster is going to make it impossible to fit. Two teenage girls in the way back seat, plus a booster...and two boosters in the middle bench seat, and then B and myself in the front.

I am not saying I don't want to be as safe as possible...but *sigh.*

Elliot is 8 and something like 55 lbs, he's a stringbean. He could easily be 10 or 11 before he hits that whole list of things! (Height, weight, etc).
post #117 of 237
9/13/09 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spruce View Post

Elliot is 8 and something like 55 lbs, he's a stringbean. He could easily be 10 or 11 before he hits that whole list of things! (Height, weight, etc).
Are you sure he needs one then? I thought it was 8 OR height OR weight.. it isn't? Doesn't matter to me yet, it still messes me up anyway...

Quote:
On Tuesday the new law goes into effect. If your child is younger than eight, less than 65 pounds, or under 4 feet, 9 inches in height, the child must be in a child safety seat to ride in your car.


We have 7 seats, but my oldest is 11, so he isn't supposed to sit in the front row. The back row has two car seats.. The second row will now have two boosters (for one of our sons and the neighbor girl) which relegates 11 yo to the uncomfortable position between the two car seats.. doesn't sound tempting to me either..
post #118 of 237
9/13/09 at 7:37pm
Penelope, since E is 8yo he's fine from the way I read it. It says x, y OR z and E meets the first criteria of being 8yo.

Also, is this statewide or just Anch.? There's been nothing about it up here.

Jenn
post #119 of 237
9/13/09 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rabrog View Post
Also, is this statewide or just Anch.? There's been nothing about it up here.
Quote:
"It took us six years and we were the 48th state to actually pass this law," said Hayashi.
Sounds like it is statewide.
post #120 of 237
9/13/09 at 7:57pm
Okay, thanks. I just skimmed the article, didn't really read it.

Jenn