Thursday, September 1, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Check This Out: Racer AND Volunteer Smiling at Finishing Chute!
Friends,Coincidentally almost exactly one year from previous entry...
The blog muse took a long sabbatical will be coming back to join cyberspace soon. Much ado shortly-- 3 weeks till Triathlon National Championships in VT!!
-Healthy and happy summer to all.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Non-Tri Entry-- Political View Regarding Obstetrics
Sent to MA State Representatives:
I have been practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Massachusetts for over 15 years. I have worked with certified nurse midwives during my residency (training) and I have served as a back up for CNMs as a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist. I have great respect for the philosophy and practice given by CNMs who have completed post-graduate training in a credentialed program. CNMs are extremely capable of handling uncomplicated obstetrical care. I have also seen how despite best intents and efforts of a certified nurse midwife, a mother's health can easily be jeopardized without a physician's extensive knowledge and surgical expertise as back up. Obstetricians are held to a high standard-- after medical school we enter competitive 4- year residency, and we are required to re-certify every 6 years (as compared to 10 years for orthopedists, internists and others, for example). It is a field that, rightly so, requires close oversight as the health of a women is greatly threatened during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. The lack of sufficient training and oversight for "certified professional midwives" and lay midwifery is most concerning for assuring women's health.
I am a mother as well and I am forever grateful for the superb care by an obstetrician when I was pregnant with my first-born son. I had an infection, which endangered my son's health, leading to a premature delivery. Now he is turning ten years old, soon to be entering 4th grade and he is healthy and I am healthy and for that I am beyond grateful.
I am deeply concerned regarding MA Senate Bill 2341
An Act RELATIVE TO CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL MIDWIVES AND ENHANCING THE PRACTICE OF NURSE-MIDWIVES.
As a highly regarded colleague states,
"The most alarming thing about this bill is the following statement in the bill,
'The practice of midwifery shall not constitute the practice of medicine, certified nurse-midwifery, or emergency medical care to the extent that a midwife advises, attends, or assists a woman during pregnancy, labor, natural childbirth, or the postpartum period.'
As obstetrician/ gynecologists we are fully aware that while labor is a physiologic process, there are a myriad of potential complications a woman might endure during her pregnancy or postpartum period. This bill would essentially say women’s health care falls outside the realm of medical care, and the licensed practitioners wouldn’t be subject to the same degree of oversight other providers of women’s health care are."
I would strongly urge you to consider defeating this bill for the safety of women.
Sincerely yours,
Kitsa Catherine Kondylis-deBlois, MD, FACOG
I have been practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Massachusetts for over 15 years. I have worked with certified nurse midwives during my residency (training) and I have served as a back up for CNMs as a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist. I have great respect for the philosophy and practice given by CNMs who have completed post-graduate training in a credentialed program. CNMs are extremely capable of handling uncomplicated obstetrical care. I have also seen how despite best intents and efforts of a certified nurse midwife, a mother's health can easily be jeopardized without a physician's extensive knowledge and surgical expertise as back up. Obstetricians are held to a high standard-- after medical school we enter competitive 4- year residency, and we are required to re-certify every 6 years (as compared to 10 years for orthopedists, internists and others, for example). It is a field that, rightly so, requires close oversight as the health of a women is greatly threatened during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. The lack of sufficient training and oversight for "certified professional midwives" and lay midwifery is most concerning for assuring women's health.
I am a mother as well and I am forever grateful for the superb care by an obstetrician when I was pregnant with my first-born son. I had an infection, which endangered my son's health, leading to a premature delivery. Now he is turning ten years old, soon to be entering 4th grade and he is healthy and I am healthy and for that I am beyond grateful.
I am deeply concerned regarding MA Senate Bill 2341
An Act RELATIVE TO CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL MIDWIVES AND ENHANCING THE PRACTICE OF NURSE-MIDWIVES.
As a highly regarded colleague states,
"The most alarming thing about this bill is the following statement in the bill,
'The practice of midwifery shall not constitute the practice of medicine, certified nurse-midwifery, or emergency medical care to the extent that a midwife advises, attends, or assists a woman during pregnancy, labor, natural childbirth, or the postpartum period.'
As obstetrician/ gynecologists we are fully aware that while labor is a physiologic process, there are a myriad of potential complications a woman might endure during her pregnancy or postpartum period. This bill would essentially say women’s health care falls outside the realm of medical care, and the licensed practitioners wouldn’t be subject to the same degree of oversight other providers of women’s health care are."
I would strongly urge you to consider defeating this bill for the safety of women.
Sincerely yours,
Kitsa Catherine Kondylis-deBlois, MD, FACOG
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Mission Accomplished
Friends,
Please do not associate this quote with the most inane man who ever presided over the United States! My endurance event is indeed over with no residual issues other than a mild but painful sunburn on my back, multiple blisters on my feet and a post-race high. Indeed, I have been waiting for that infamous "delayed-onset muscle soreness" to kick in, but so far, so good and it is now 3 days post-race. My focus on the race was to finish it and so indeed this mission was accomplished. I was able to drive myself home 90 minutes after the race and bask in the endorphins.
It is the logistics that overshadow the training on the days prior to a race such as a half-ironman (in this case, 72.3 miles). A poor plan for hydration, nutrition and pain management can sabotage even the best preparatory (physical) training for a long race, especially for a novice such as myself. I had read in "The Runners Body" that runners do not die of hypernatremia (too much sodium in the blood) but that there were several well-documented cases of runners dying of the opposite, hyponatremia, due to excessive hydration. The night prior to the event, I attended a seminar which emphasized hydration and salt intake. While the presenter advised that nobody should change their plans the night prior to a race, I found the practical advice on salt intake invaluable.
The weather on race day was predicted to be sunny, 90F and humid after noon-- about the time I would start the last leg, a 13.1 mile run, the half-marathon. Up until the seminar, my formal nutrition plan only included adequate sugar replacement for energy (to replete "glycogen stores") on the bike segment and relying on the aid stations to determine what I would take in for hydration and sodium intake. That night, my revised nutrition plan formally included salt and fluid intake. Given the environmental conditions for the race, I also decided to revise my goal time for the run. (Indeed, Ms. Superego was booted out of the race planning that very night. She had entertained a goal pace of 9 minutes/mile.)
The swim was great fun in its entirety and the 58- mile biking segment became a grind only at the very end. As for the dreaded run, the goals were maintained-- to never walk, to keep at a 9:15 pace between aid stations, to stop at every single aid station and to focus on hydration, salt tablets and pretzels. Due to the nutrition plan, potty runs and chatting with the friendliest of volunteers at the aid stations, my ultimate running pace seemed tortoise-like-- 11 min/mile-- but to me, it was the ideal ending for a long run and a long race. I cried running down the finishing chute!
Please do not associate this quote with the most inane man who ever presided over the United States! My endurance event is indeed over with no residual issues other than a mild but painful sunburn on my back, multiple blisters on my feet and a post-race high. Indeed, I have been waiting for that infamous "delayed-onset muscle soreness" to kick in, but so far, so good and it is now 3 days post-race. My focus on the race was to finish it and so indeed this mission was accomplished. I was able to drive myself home 90 minutes after the race and bask in the endorphins.
It is the logistics that overshadow the training on the days prior to a race such as a half-ironman (in this case, 72.3 miles). A poor plan for hydration, nutrition and pain management can sabotage even the best preparatory (physical) training for a long race, especially for a novice such as myself. I had read in "The Runners Body" that runners do not die of hypernatremia (too much sodium in the blood) but that there were several well-documented cases of runners dying of the opposite, hyponatremia, due to excessive hydration. The night prior to the event, I attended a seminar which emphasized hydration and salt intake. While the presenter advised that nobody should change their plans the night prior to a race, I found the practical advice on salt intake invaluable.
The weather on race day was predicted to be sunny, 90F and humid after noon-- about the time I would start the last leg, a 13.1 mile run, the half-marathon. Up until the seminar, my formal nutrition plan only included adequate sugar replacement for energy (to replete "glycogen stores") on the bike segment and relying on the aid stations to determine what I would take in for hydration and sodium intake. That night, my revised nutrition plan formally included salt and fluid intake. Given the environmental conditions for the race, I also decided to revise my goal time for the run. (Indeed, Ms. Superego was booted out of the race planning that very night. She had entertained a goal pace of 9 minutes/mile.)
The swim was great fun in its entirety and the 58- mile biking segment became a grind only at the very end. As for the dreaded run, the goals were maintained-- to never walk, to keep at a 9:15 pace between aid stations, to stop at every single aid station and to focus on hydration, salt tablets and pretzels. Due to the nutrition plan, potty runs and chatting with the friendliest of volunteers at the aid stations, my ultimate running pace seemed tortoise-like-- 11 min/mile-- but to me, it was the ideal ending for a long run and a long race. I cried running down the finishing chute!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Elle est tres jolie, n'est ce pas? La bicyclette, bien sur!
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