Winter begins...

Since my last blog I have been incredibly busy however now that the south pole station has closed it has slowed down considerably and I can catch up.
After the holidays the station was very busy. Everyone was starting to get excited about going home within the next month. Those of us that received and accepted a contract to winter over looked forward to some R & R. Most chose to spend it in New Zealand or Australia. However I was fortunate enough to get to return to the states. Actually Reinhart and I were on the same flights out. When I arrived to New Zealand about 0300 it was quiet, dark and the moon was out. It had been the first time I had seen the night sky since October. Walking from the NZ airport over to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) the smells were amazing-fresh greenery and flowers. I didn't need my ECW gear, only a light jacket. Keep in mind it was NZ's summer. I managed to get a couple hours sleep at the Windsor B & B before back to the airport for continued flights. However Reinhart didn't bother to sleep but went out with some others from the ice. (pic)After 6 flights to get back to NC from the South Pole I had lost track of the time zones I crossed, dates/hours that I traveled. I arrived on Saturday evening @0000. Back at the South Pole it was Sunday @ 1800 and I would be eating dinner. Never the less I was wide awake and I somewhat unpacked and eventually forced myself to go to bed. It was so nice to be in my own comfortable bed. I had 24 hours in NC and spent it visiting friends before flying to Philadelphia to visit family for several days . You know the whole time I was in the states it was raining-the first rain I had seen since October. It was great seeing family and friends and eating all my favorite foods, driving, and sleeping in my own bed. I did get to go to the movies once, but still didn't really watch and tv. After spending several days with my family in Delaware is was back to NC to tidy things up as that I would be away for the next 10-11 months. (taxes, bills, shopping-I had to buy some new clothes as that I have lost over 20 lbs). On returning to the South Pole it was a long journey...lost a day, luggage left in Australia, plane delays in New Zealand and also in McMurdo... I finally got back to the SP late Friday evening, the 29th and after a week got to see my luggage on Saturday morning. A shower and complete change of clothes never felt so good. Despite the delays I still have not gotten to spend any quality time in NZ or Australia, hopefully when I get off the ice I will be spending several weeks traveling. Let me know if you want to join me!!
Coming back to the SP was alittle weird. Everyone was moody and on edge with short tempers. Probably in anticipation of the incredible amount of work that still had to be done for station closing and getting to go home. The tension settled down after a few days and it didn't take me long to settle back in. The doc had picked up my boxes that my mom and Tom sent, full of stuff that I would need in anticipation of wintering over. The station got really busy at this point with plans for the station to close on 2/15. After this date there would not be any flights in/out of the South Pole, meaning no mail, fresh food... until some time in October. Ella, the winterover doc arrived, and spent a couple of days with us checking over the clinic with us. Larry, the summer doc, left to meet his wife and travel for several months. He was really anxious to leave. The new doc from McMurdo came up for a day-thought he could come here and do anything because he is in shape and lives at altitude. After my guided tours and hikes he was in the clinic sleeping with oxygen. (pic)
So now I am settling in with a new doc, a new schedule, and I have finally moved into my new bigger room. I have managed to snag a 18" tv and DVD/gameboy for my room. With that, more room and my iPod stereo system I am all set. (Maybe a rerigerator would be nice) The rooms even though they are slightly bigger are still like dorm rooms. Elevated bed, dressers, and a desk. However you can tell I have made it my own. (pic)
On Thursday the 11th we were informed that the station was going to close early, on Saturday the 13th instead of the 15th. OMG everyone was in a state because work wasn't completed, people weren't packed... I managed to see several friends/planes off over the next couple of days. It was very sad to see them leave and maybe it was a good thing that we didn't have more time. Saturday night Ella woke me up around 0145 for the last plane. The last 10 summer people left the station, we were now numbering 47 for the nest 10 plus months and on our own. (pics)The last several C-130's did some great really low fly bys... After the last plane left about a quarter of the station ended up in the galley with the music cranked and champange flowing. Over the next several days everyone appeared to be exhausted. Since the last plane left we have gradually settled into new routines and have begun making new friends.

The clinic is much much slower than the summer. I have created some winter projects for myself in the clinic once things have completely settled down. Right now to keep myself busy I have volunteered for many other jobs... The first is running the store with Ralf on Friday nights. He is a lot of fun and is willing to go along with my crazy ideas. I am carding the people who try to buy alcohol, listening to the people's lungs if they want cigerettes (also giving them a hard time), and will have theme nights in the store. The first night was too busy learning the system to plan a theme however this Friday our theme is "Animal House". The movie will be playing in the background and Ralf and I will be wearing togas. Ralf being from Germany, one of two of the Ice Cube people left on station, has not seen Animal House or knew what a toga was. Greenhouse Joe and I are trying to clone and cultivate mushrooms so hopefully we will have them throughout the winter. (pics) I have also started assisting in the greenhouse harvesting and planting new stock. Believe it or not I have started eating salads. Part of the job of the winter crew is to clean the station. During the summmer about 150 people reside in the Jamesways-tent like structures outside. Apparently they don't clean them when they leave and we have to. Pretty discusting. We start that next week. We also have to do their wash all the bed linen from the Jamesways. Ella and I have been doing that. Imagine in three days washing the linen from 150 beds and repacking it for redistribution next summer. Not fun but have found some intesting sheets from "hello kitty and batman" to some awful looking plaids... The dishpit is somewhat boring but the music that you can crank up makes it go by easier. I have learned when chefs do not have to do their own dishes they dirty a lot more than necessary. Other things I hope to do over winter include exercise./volleyball, plan my travels for post ice, study for boards, read, movies, sleep, learn southern hemisphere astronomy, spanish and photography.... and hopefully keep this up to date based on satellite availabilty. I am sure with my imagination I will find lots of other things to keep me occupied through the winter as well.
Around March 21st, the sun will begin to set and we will have several days of twilight and then eventually darkness. I anticipate amazing aurora's and stars... In fact the IT guys program our radios with an "aurora" channel so that when one is visible it is announced to everyone. I guess one of the reasons they do this is that all the windows are blocked to prevent station light from going outside and interfering with the various experiments.  By the way since returning to the ice the temperatures have been steadily dropping. When I returned it was around - 30F. Today it is -51.2 F with a wind chill of -81F. The wind is at 11. knots and the barameter is 683 mb making our altitude 10504 ft. For some reason I am having a problems with pictures-I will have to figure this out.

The New Year....

Well, since 12/20/09 it has been incredibly busy. Not necessarily medical. The day after my incredible long walk we had a "mass casualty incident"-not a real one but another drill. I got to help with some of the makeup. (pics)The setting was Laura who was operating a snowmobile passed out crashing into scaffolding, knocking it down with 2 people on it, and setting fire to the recyclables. A firefighter in his rush to "help" also fell down the outside stairs. Our trauma team assembled as usual at the clinic and then proceeded outside to the incident where after assigning members of the team to various patients I got to "tag" patients. Green, yellow, red, or black. Green indicates someone that is fairly stable and can wait for treatment. Yellow and red are patients that need treatment soon and now, respectively. Black is fairly obvious... We made Laura a red even though with greater than 60% burns to her face, chest, back and arms the likelihood of survival was not very high. The drill took up pretty much the whole morning but was fun. I would like to be the one writing up the scenarios.
Over the next two days Danielle and I held 2 CPR/AED classes resulting in 19 certifications. The resci Annie arms kept falling off so we left them off. Later for the race around the world doc simulated a buried body in the snow on the race course with the Annie arms partially uncovered. He has such a great sense of humor. Everyone had 12/25/09, christmas day, off. It was a lazy day with an exceptional dinner of lobster and beef wellington, real potatoes, and I am not sure what other vegetables. Most people were somewhat dressed up-my favorite was Storm in a baby blue ruffled shirt with a matching polyester suit-reminesenst of the prom. However he kept spilling beer down the front of him every time he tried to take a picture. Spiderman (doc) made his usual appearance. (pics)Very relaxing evening with Saturday off as well. The race Around the World was held Saturday morning, the 26th and it was a beautiful day. The motor vehicles were adorned it all kinds of stuff: gladiator chariot, weather balloon, "belly up to the bar"....one vehicle was towing a platform with a stationary bike and rider behind it. (pics)I got to see some of the vehicles used in the traverse-HUGE and can haul butt. There were multiple cross country skiers, runners, and walkers (me). The winner of the race gets a "boondoggle" to McMurdo to participate in the marathon toward the end of January. Curtis won with a time of 17:17:43 on a 2.4 mile course.
Because of the christmas holidays and upcoming New Year we worked on Sunday. We scheduled blood draws and XR's to assist with testing to physically qualify people to stay the winter. I haven't taken my own XR or drawn blood in 20 years. Well that day I regained all my previous expertise. In the previous weeks our clinic had received new XR equipment with which we experimented with a cornish game hen from the kitchen. "Peter Penguin" films were sent to denver for interpretation to the amusement of the radiologists. (pic)Even though our New Year's day was on Friday we worked in anticipation of having Sat and Sun off with a "Near Years" party Sat night, the 2cd. The gym was fantastically decorated. The first band had at least a dozen members with a wide range of instruments. They played mostly folk tunes. The Violent Phlegms were next with their version of, yes you guessed it the Violent Fems. Eli (who runs the greenhouse) started out in a very nice suit but for some reason ended up stripping down to various other clothes on stage including a dress and ended up in shorts. I think I am missing something here. Between sets there was a fashion show of "wearable art". (pics) My favorite was the rope dress. Pretty cool that all the clothes were made out of stuff lying around. The third bad "Security in Noise" was the best with rock. Nevertheless, as usual I was in bed pretty early for our New Year's.
Tourists continue to visit the station. We had a group of 7 women ski from the coast arrive on the 31st. Their sponsors showed up yesterday. However so much for a relaxing weekend. One of the sponsors did not declare a prior cardiac condition. So yesterday around 1400 as he arrived in the station for his tour he became very SOB (short of breath) and dizzy. His pulse ox was about 80 (normal at sea level is @ 98-100%, new arrivals to the pole 85-90%). On exam his heart-rate was @165. EKG revealed atrial fibrillation. I was so excited. My territory!!!!! After treatment his HR slowed however his BP also dropped significantly.... requiring attempted cardioversion (shocked his heart)... A very eventful day and night. He was finally medavaced to New Zealand on the afternoon of the 2cd (just in time for our party).
With everything that happened over those few days I missed the annual event of moving the geographical South Pole. Every year on 1/1 the geographical pole is moved and replaced with a new emblem designed by the previous year's winter-over personnel. Hopefully I will get some more info and pictures of this from someone in the next couple of days. January seems to starting off with a bang. (pics)