Myrl Jeffcoat wisgroup_leader@yahoo.com

All -

About a week ago, I sent out the query about Severe Edema and Lymphoedema, from one of our readers. Here are your responses.

I also want to mention that some of you contact me wanting to know the link, once again, for the Women's Information & Support webpage (http://www.webstarmagic.com/wisletter.htm)

The easiest way to remember if you don't have it listed in your favorites, is to simply go to: http://www.myrljeffcoat.com and click on the "Special Links" button. The Women's Information & Support webpage has a link there.

Myrl

http://www.webstarmagic.com/wisletter.htm

http://www.myrljeffcoat.com

Hi Myrl,

I bruise easily but don't often have swelling..........when I finally got all the silicone/polyurethane removed that the surgeon could retrieve, most of my lynph nodes were removed on my upper torso because they were full of silicone and polyurethane. This was assertained by tissue removed and sent to the University of Florida Pathology Research Department, and by Dr. Lykissa in Texas. Just thought I'd let you and others' know.

Susan

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HI Myrl,

I have diagnosed silicone lymphadnapathy (by Dr. Feng) and I can tell that the circulation in my legs has been affected by it.

Here is an interesting read:

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/10/no_plan_for_all_seasons_flu.php

Take care,

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Hi Myrl I have a bad problem with lymphodema especially on the side they removed the lymphnodes from it has resulted in my getting frozen shoulder also so I have to go to physio and they said to do a light arobics in the water nothing heavy. They also had me wear a sleeve on the arm when it swelled down my arm as well it seemed to help me.

Sandra

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Category: Bird flu • Infectious disease • Pandemic preparedness • Public health preparedness
Posted on: October 18, 2007 7:00 AM, by Erreur! Référence de lien hypertexte non valide.

Almost everyone now seems to think the Iraq debacle was, well, a debacle. Many of us thought invading Iraq was a terrible idea to begin with. Others are silent on that issue (or approved) but think it was carried out poorly. No planning. Failure to plan, however, is a hallmark of the Bush administration. Their intentions are pre-programmed but they never seem to plan for the consequences of those actions. It's not just Iraq. Or Katrina, for that matter. It's also pandemic flu:

When you ask federal officials around the country if they are prepared for a pandemic flu, the answers are unsettling.

"It is kind of a train wreck if we get into a pandemic because if it hits the entire country at once, if it spreads at lightning speed, it has the potential to overwhelm us," said Ray Morris, executive director of the Minnesota Federal Executive Board. "I would agree that even though a lot has been done, a lot more needs to be done." (Amy Doolittle, Federal Times)

It's not that there is no disaster planning. It's that there is no effective planning for the kind of disaster a pandemic would be, widespread absenteeism, not localized, prolonged, a stressor that will break the brittle medical care system and other social services. Coping with this takes forethought. And planning. But:

The government's current national response plan for a pandemic flu does not identify which organizations are responsible for coordinating and practicing agencies' responses.

But unofficially, that responsibility has fallen upon the Federal Executive Boards (FEBs), which are regional associations of top federal career executives.

"We would like to see [FEB] executive directors devote at least 50 percent of their time toward pandemic and other emergency preparedness efforts," said Kevin Mahoney, associate director of OPM's human capital leadership and merit system accountability division, at a recent Senate hearing.

But neither OPM nor the Federal Emergency Management Agency has yet provided the 28 FEBs across the country with guidance and standards on how to help feds prepare for a pandemic.

As a result, FEBs lack clear direction on how to practice and coordinate preparedness among federal agencies in their regions. And they lack the authority to force state and local governments to work with them, officials say.

One obvious way to keep an agency or business or school functioning, at least minimally, is to consider telework, work from a remote location like your home. Not everything can get done that way, but a lot can -- if you think ahead. But many federal agencies have no such plan. Which ones? Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation, Treasury and Veterans Affairs (Federal Times story linked above). Oh. Those.

At least the FEBs -- some of them, anyway -- are on the case, even if the agencies aren't. Some FEBs are even working on table top exercises, an excellent way to reveal gaps in the system. Unfortunately, many people have household budgets bigger than the budget of an FEB. The budget of the Los Angeles FEB is $10,000 and its director had to send out an email to members asking for donations to pay for the $7000 exercise. In Boston, the office is one person.

Iraq? Katrina? Veteran's care? Pandemic flu?

Same old, same old.

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