~Q.O. Friday~
A Bi-Weekly Hynes' Sight Newsletter
Volume 1, No. 5 - December 18, 2004
By: Rebekah Rankin RebekahFabulous@yahoo.com Rrankin@Spheris.com and all the members of the
HynesSight yahoo family!
Remember to utilize www.hynessight.com for your One-Stop Internet Spot! If you want to join the
HynesSight Yahoo! Group, you will find a link on this site, or email Connie Vance at:
vanceck@centurytel.net
Featured MT: Daniela Stites, AKA Dani, dstites1984@yahoo.com
Current Account: Scott & White
Favorite Account: Not really. I have been with Scott and White for the past 4 years and transferred
over to Spheris. I used to also type Radiology at Scott and White and probably miss that the most.
Favorite Specialty: Radiology and Family Medicine is my favorite... my strengths are fast dictators and
weaknesses are docs with harsh accents i.e. Indian etc.
What Dani LOVES about Spheris: Even though I type from home and I miss the personal contact I had
with the other MT's on site, I still feel that there is a closed-knit community and everybody has been
forthcoming and helpful. I made a real good friend through Spheris up in Missouri and I talk to her
almost daily!!!
CHANGE anything about Spheris? I would like for the characters needed to make 1 line to be reduced
:)...
MT History: I went from the Veterinarian field to research at Scott and White in 1992. From research to
an office job "secretary for 8 staff physicians and 9 residents!!!! at Scott and White in 1998. I then quit
Scott and White in 1999 and lived in Corpus Christi for a while. I returned back to the Central Texas
area in 2000 and got a job at Providence Hospital typing Radiology. Then to the S & W Gatesville Clinic
in 2001 typing Family Medicine, General Surgery and Radiology and then you guys know the rest :).
Some personal information:
Hobbies: Riding motorcycles (street bikes and dirt bikes), music, traveling, animals (especially wolves
and horses), and friends and family but mostly my husband.
Children: Fallon Rae (13 - going on 20), Robert Mitschell (almost 7), and Dominique Bliss (5).
Family: My whole entire family lives in Germany (yes, I am still 100% German) so my only family here is
my husband and children and the "in-laws!!!"
Social Life: Classified :), I could tell you but then I would have to kill you. Those of you who know get to
know me personally know that I prefer to live an interesting life away from work and I believe to live
life to its fullest potential. I cherish and respect any friend, family member or person that is in my life
and there is nothing I would not do for them - just as long as I am treated the same way. I consider
myself a Christian but do not go to church every Sunday because I believe that my actions and they
way I live life counts for more than sitting in church every Sunday ;) In the end, only God can judge me!
Where I live: In the Central Texas area in a little community called "Gatesville." We have a drive in, a
Super Wal-Mart in the process of being build and the largest prison system (Texas Department of
Criminal Justice) in all of Texas with approximately 7 different prisons, including a maximum security
for men and women!!! I think the prison populatio! n makes up about 6,000 of our city's total population
:). We do have a historical County Courthouse and square and Gatesville is the "Spur capital of Texas."
Dislikes: Gossip, pessimism, back-stabbers and fakes.
Likes: Honesty, openness, trustworthiness, humor, humbleness.
Personal MT Goals: Oh... hope that I don't get burned out too soon and as every day is a learning
experience, that my knowledge will grow and make me a valuable asset to the company I work for. If
not, I guess I can always go back to working with animals - at least they don't complain :).
Dani shares some tips: I keep a radio on with my favorite music in the background which helps me a
lot as I love music. I also keep my cat (Mr. Hyde) on my desk at all times so I can "talk" to him
whenever I am frustrated. He seems to always listen and does not mind when I "vent." I have an office
away from all major rooms in the house which also helps to avoid extra noises from the kids when the
come home from school. I think a candle that gives off a nice soothing scent sometimes also helps me
to stay comfortable. For those of you who have problems with shoulder, back, etc., I went to a health
store and got me one of those rice pillows that you can either heat up in the microwave or put into the
freezer over and over and I use that periodically to keep my muscle! s from getting too tight. Just
when you think you hate this job... go work for a restaurant as a waitress, deal with people all day long
that are rude, do not tip, be on your feet all day and clean up after everybody and you will beg to be
back at your own little desk, trying to read a doctors mind ;).
*To see a picture of Dani - Check out the Hynes' Sight Yahoo group, created by Connie Vance, at http:
//health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HynesSight/. All Spheris employees are welcome and encouraged,
(by me, at least!!) to join this group!
Scott & White Questionnaire:
ANSWERS FROM DANI:
1. Do you feel you can obtain your minimum line count easily? Most of the time it is easy.
2. Is there a high number of ESL's (doctors with English as a Second Language/foreign doctors? Not
currently.
3. Do you have a good help loop which you participate in and which you find to be helpful? Yes -
wonderful.
4. When learning this account, would you say the training period was easy, average, or difficult? Easy,
as I took over the same account I had when I worked for Scott and White.
5. Did you believe the amount of time it took to feel comfortable with this account was short, medium,
or long? Short. Only had to learn the new system.
6. Do you have OT opportunities? Yes.
7. Do you run out of work often? On rare occasions, i.e. holidays, etc.
8. Are the sound files of good quality? Yes.
9. Are the account specs easy or difficult to learn? Alright. I do not like when they change too often :).
10. What do you like best about the account? That I am familiar with the docs, they are good dictators
and I have a lot of help from other MTs on this account.
11. What is most challenging about this account? Residents and Locums. They always come and go.
12. If you could improve one thing on this account, what would it be? I wished my docs had more
"normals"
13. What skills do you feel would be of importance to do well on this account? Versatility.
14. If you had a choice to do it over again, would you still apply for this account? In a heartbeat!
Have fun Hynes' Sight-Seeing!
Featured Specialty
Ophthalmology
TIPS TIPS TIPS:
Surgery Hint:
A cystitome is with an "i" for the eye.
Ophthalmologic medications:
From Donna McGough:
Alphagan
Blephamide
Boric Acid
Ciloxan
Cortisporin
Emadine
Garamycin
Isopto Cetamide
Neosporin
Pilocar
Pilocarpine
Pontocaine (anesthetic)
Sodium Sulamyd
Sulamyd
Tetracaine (anesthetic)
Timolol
Timoptic
TobraDex
Xalatan
Ophthalmologic Terms:
From Jan Lyon:
atropine drops
endolaser
hyaloid
light pipe
SF-6 gas
Vannas scissors
Westcott scissors
Sinskey hook
peritomy
scotoma
Weck-cel sponge
Seidel (negative)
Baerveldt implant
Olk pick
Ophthalmologic Terms/Phrases:
From Rebekah Rankin
OD - right eye
OS - left eye
OU both eyes
afferent pupillary defect
applanation
Amsler grid testing is a test for scotoma in the eye
Beehler pupil stretcher
Bruch's membrane is the middle layer of the lining of your eyeball
capsulorrhexis
Confrontation to visual fields showed.... (part of an eye test)
corneal guttata
cup-to-disc ratio (it has hyphens)
diplopia
drusen
duction and version – eye muscle testing
ECCE (abbreviation for extracapsular cataract extraction)
exophthalmometry
exotropia
fluorescein stain
foveal cyst
Goldman visual field test
gonioscopy (instrument to test for angles in eye, as in glaucoma)
ground glass appearance of anterior lens
Humphrey visual field exam
IOL (abbreviation for intraocular lens)
Ishihara color test is the name of the test for checking color vision.
macular degeneration
meibomian gland dysfunction eyes (dry eye syndrome)
operculated retinal hole
PCL (abbreviation for posterior chamber lens)
RAPD O.U. (relative afferent pupillary defect)
rapid alternating movements
RPE changes (retinal pigment epithelial changes)
Scotoma
Schirmer's Test sometimes called Schirmer's Tear Test (test for dry eye syndrome)
slit lamp examination
subretinal neovascularization
tonometry by applanation showed pressure blah, blah
trypan blue staining
Right eye: sphere, cylinder, axis; Left eye: sphere, cylinder, axis. Sphere will be a #, cylinder will be a
#, and axis will be a #. This can be + (plus) or a – (minus). See example below:
Examination today revealed his vision at a distance, without any correction, to be 20/25 of the right
eye, 20/20+ over the left eye, and 20/15- in both eyes. With a near chart, without any correction, he
could read #7 letter of the right eye, #9 letter of the left eye, and #4 letter with both eyes. With
nonprescription reading glasses that he is using now, he could read the near chart at #1 letter with
the left eye and #1 letter with both eyes. His eyes are refracted. The right eye is -0.25 sphere, 0.50
cylinder, and axis 180 degrees. The left eye did not have a refraction. With this correction for distance
he could read 20/15 with the right eye, 20/20+ with the left eye, and 20/15 with both eyes. Color vision
testing showed absence of any major color vision deficiency in either eye. Amsler grid showed
absence of any distortion or scotoma in central vision! in either eye.
Penlight examination showed pupils to be 3 mm in size bilaterally with brisk reaction to light and
accommodation, and no afferent pupillary defect in either eye. Eyes are orthophoric both at near and
at distance. Extraocular motility was full in both in all directions, both duction and version. Slit lamp
examination showed normal eyelids, lashes, conjunctivae, cornea, anterior chambers, and irises
bilaterally. There was an early nuclear sclerotic cataract in both eyes. Intraocular pressures were 21
mmHg in the right eye and 20 mmHg in the left eye as measured by applanation tonometer at 2:30 p.m.
Nerves of the eye region:
Anterior ethmoid
Ciliary, long, and short
Frontal
Infratrochlear
Lacrimal
Nasociliary
Oculomotor
Ophthalmic
Optic
Posterior ethmoidal
WEBSITES:
From Jan Lyon:
A great website: http://www.stlukeseye.com/Conditions
From Connie Vance:
Books for MT's.com : http://www.booksformts.com/ophthalmology.html
Sample ophthalmology reports, eye resources: http://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/dept/websites/eyeres.
htm
American Society of Cataracts and Refractive surgery: http://www.ascrs.org/
From Rebekah Rankin:
I found this site while looking for another surgical instrument. This site is EXCELLENT... maybe yall
already know about this one?? Anyway, check out all of the ophthalmologic instruments! http://www.
surgicalnet.com/eye_instruments.html
This is a great site about retinopathy of prematurity http://www.netsvic.org.au/nets/handbook/index.
cfm?doc_id=911
Here is the Internet Resources Compiled by Mayo Clinic: This is awesome! http://www.mayoclinic.
org/healthinfo/resources.html
http://www.fpnotebook.com/EYE.htm - Speaks for itself!
I searched this site: http://www.futureoptometrist.com (This site is GREAT and WAY over my head !!
lol) Then, further through, this site: http://www.futureoptometrist.com/course_resource_center.htm
and came up with some cool things, including these charts, below:
Common Prescription Abbreviations
ad lib. - Freely, as needed
a.c. - Before meals
b.i.d. - Twice a day caps - Capsule
gtt. - Drops
h.s. - At bedtime
p.c. - After meals
p.o. - By mouth
p.r.n. - As needed
oint-Ointment
qAM- Every morning
q.4h. - Every four hours
q.d. - Daily
q.h.s-At Bedtime
q.i.d. - Four times a day
q.o.d. - Every other day
sol-Solution
susp- Suspension
t.i.d. - Three times a day
top- topically
ung-Ointment
Ut dict., UD - As directed
and this one:
Retinoscopy Reflexes
Plane Mirror Mode
Concave Mirror Mode
Lens Power
Hyperope,
Emmetrope, or
Small myope
With Motion
Against Motion
Plus
Myope
Against Motion
With Motion
Minus
and this one:
Lamp
Magnification
Light Beam
Illumination Angle
Lids/Lashes
10X
Diffuse
click
Conjunctiva
10X
Diffuse or Wide Parallelepiped
click to 45 degrees
Cornea
16X
Parallelepiped
~45 degrees
Angles
16X
Optic Section
~60 degrees
Ant. Aqueous
25X
Conical Beam
30-45 degrees
Iris
16X
Parallelepiped
~45 degrees
Lens
16X
Optic section or Parallelepiped
30-45 degrees
Definitions:
myopia - nearsightedness
hyperopia - farsightedness
astigmatism - asymmetrical cornea
presbyopia- inability to focus on near objects that develops with age
slit lamp examination - Drops of fluorescein stain into the eye, looking into the eye with a slit lamp.
From My Perspective … Notes from Trish
A couple of funnies for ya! Always remember, I’m sure not making fun of anyone! Just trying to remind
you to 1) think about what you’re typing, 2) always spell check, and 3) always preview! That’s where I
find most of my own mistakes!
T: General: Mentally ill-appearing white male
D: General: Minimally ill-appearing white male
T: Percent and thallium stress test.
D: Persantine thallium stress test.
D: Esophagus was examined and appears normal with no sign of esophagitis.(period) The stomach....
T: Esophagus was examined and appears normal with no sign of esophagitis in the rectum. The
stomach....
Anicteric coated aspirin 325 mg by mouth every day.
Enteric coated aspirin ??????
T: He does run away in pelvic places.
D: He does run away in public places.
(this is another one of those "I’m takin’ the high road" things)
T: Has some gestational dyspnea and wheeze.
D: ** exertional **
A lot of mistakes are made typing generics and brand names drugs. Here are a few generics that are
often capitalized:
amoxicillin
ampicillin
aspirin
benzoin
carbidopa & levodopa
carboplatin
cephalexin
cisplatin
clonazepam
clonidine
cortisone
cyclosporin
dapsone
desipramine
digoxin
diltiazem
epinephrine
estradiol
estrogen (you’d be surprised)
fluoxetine
fluorescein
furosemide
gabapentin
gadolinium
gemfibrozil
glipizide
glyburide
heparin
hydrocodone
indomethacin
isosorbide
ketoprofen
labetalol
lansoprazole
lidocaine
metformin
methadone
metoprolol
nifedipine
nitro paste
oxybutynin
pilocarpine
prednisone
ranitidine
theophyllin
tobramycin
torsemide
*A fantastic website for Brand/generic conversion is: http://www.gcsar.com/medical/index.php
The ups and downs of it … per AAMT
Followup is the preferred noun and adjective form, though follow-up is still acceptable. The verb form
is follow up.
Example: The patient was given followup instructions (adjective). She did not follow up with her
physician (verb). She will need to return for close followup (noun).
Hot Off the Press: What's New?
PreserVision Soft Gels AREDS Formula:
PreserVision eye health nutritional supplement is now available in two easy-to-swallow soft gel
versions. PreserVision Soft Gels AREDS Formula is taken twice a day (vs. the original tablet formula,
taken four times a day) and provides the vitamins and minerals that were used in the supplement in
the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. The study showed that those who were at the highest risk for
developing advanced age-related macular degeneration lowered their risk by 25 percent when taking
the supplement. According to manufacturer Bausch & Lomb, PreserVision AR! EDS Formula is the
number one eye vitamin recommended by vitreoretinal ophthalmologists. PreserVision Soft Gels
Lutein Formula is also taken twice a day and replaces the beta-carotene in the original formula with
lutein for general eye health. Both products are available
SmartPLUG for Dry Eyes
One way of treating dry eyes is by inserting a small punctal plug into the tear duct, to reduce tear
drainage from the eyes. Most plugs are made of rigid silicone, but recently approved by the FDA is a
new type of plug made of acrylic. The SmartPLUG by Medennium is a rigid rod that, once inserted into
the punctum, becomes soft and gel-like due to body heat. The plug molds itself to fit anyone's
punctum, so measurement is unnecessary. Nothing protrudes from the punctum, so you won't see the
plug, rub it out, or experience irritation. Ask your eye doctor if the SmartPLUG is a ! good choice for
your dry eyes.
Multivitamin Designed to Protect the Optic Nerve
Since the optic nerve is vulnerable to several eye diseases, including glaucoma, ScienceBased
Health has designed a nutraceutical to protect it by promoting ocular blood flow and boosting the
eye's defenses. Called Optic Nerve Formula, it contains antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium,
B-vitamins, Ginkgo biloba, and other ingredients that recent research indicates can play a role in
good eye health. It is available through eye care practitioners.
Great News Stories From Connie:
AMD: New treatments for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in
Americans over age 50. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=15484
New Drugs May Prevent Scarring After Glaucoma Surgery: http://www.allaboutvision.
com/conditions/glaucoma_news.htm
MACROS
Macro Tip:
Check out the top 200 drugs, make sure you have all of these drugs macroed !! :) http://www.rxlist.
com/top200.htm
Macro from Jan Lyon:
PPV pars plana vitrectomy
PCIOL posterior chamber intraocular lens
PCIOLI posterior chamber intraocular lens implant
REYE right eye
LEYE left eye
CONJ conjunctiva
CONJL conjunctival
WLS wire lid speculum
BSS balanced salt solution
GFE gas-fluid exchange
GGE gas-gas exchange
SCLIC scleral icterus
Macro tips from Connie Vance:
NLB|Nadbath lid block
RAA|Retrobulbar anesthesia and akinesia
WYD|Wydase
PDUSOM|prepped and draped in the usual sterile ophthalmic manner
lsp|lid speculum
iop|IOP
iopx|intraocular pressure
ston|Schiotz tonometer
wosc|Weck ophthalmic microscope
supre|superior rectus
trsut|traction suture
lipe|limbal peritomy
wsci|Westcott scissors
ebcaut|Eraser bipolar cautery
scinc|scleral incision
supli|superior limbus
bbl|Beaver blade
crn|cornea
acpo|access port
kt|keratome
antch|anterior chamber
cswo|corneoscleral wound
hln|Healon
cyndl|cystitome needle
antcap|anterior capsulotomy
capfrc|capsule forceps
ctcapcap|circular tear capsulorrhexis capy|capsulotomy
bss|BSS
bssx|balanced salt solution
nuc|nucleus
cssci|corneoscleral scissors
lnslo|lens loop
Cfrc|Colibri forceps
ciat|Cavitron irrigation and aspiration tip
crtl|cortical
crtlm|cortical material
pocap|posterior capsule
ipcil|Iolab posterior chamber intraocular lens
dlpx|diopters lens power
amtfrc|angled McPherson tying forceps
lamtfrc|long-angled McPherson tying forceps
pup|pupil
shk|Sinskey hook
Mioc|Miochol
hpcl|haptic of the posterior chamber lens
cjva|conjunctiva
gent|gentamicin
cele| Celestone
infccds|inferior conjunctival cul-de-sac
sts|sub-Tenon space
blspec|Barraquer lid speculum
maxio|Maxitrol ointment
Foxs| shield
Grammar/Punctuation/Style:
Grammar Site:
Grammar Tips You Never Learned in School: http://www.awrittenword.com/grammar.htm
Bi-weekly Dic-Pic:
This site has a Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary, plus a lot more stuff... http://www.intelihealth.
com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9276/9276.html
AAMT Tips (Excerpts taken from The AAMT BOS):
Jaeger eye chart: Pronounced yaeger. A "J" followed by an on-line Arabic number specified the line
with the smallest letters that the patient can read. Do not space between the letter and number.
Example: J5
Some grammar tips from:
Common Errors in English Usage
Colon/Semicolon: Colons have a host of uses, but they mostly have in common that the colon acts to
connect what precedes it with what follows. Think of the two dots of a colon as if they were stretched
out to form an equal sign, so that you get cases like this: "he provided all the ingredients: sugar,
flour, butter, and vanilla." There are a few exceptio! ns to this pattern, however. One unusual use of
colons is in between the chapter and verses of a Biblical citation, for instance, "Matthew 6:5." In
bibliographic citation a colon separates the city from the publisher: "New York: New Directions, 1979."
It also separates minutes from hours in times of day when given in figures: "8:35."
It is incorrect to substitute a semicolon in any of these cases. Think of the semicolon as erecting a
little barrier with that dug-in comma under the dot; semicolons always imply separation rather than
connection. A sentence made up of two distinct parts whose separation needs to be emphasized may
do so with a semicolon: "Mary moved to Seattle; she was sick of getting sunburned in Los Angeles."
When a compound sentence contains commas within one or more of its clauses, you have to escalate
to a semicolon to separate the clauses themselves: "It was a mild, deliciously warm spring day; and
Mary decided to walk to the fair." The other main use of semicolons is to separate one series of items
from another—a series within a series, if you will: "The issues discussed by the board of directors
were many: the loud, acrimonious complaints of the stockholders; the abrupt, devastating departure
of the director; and the startling, humiliating discovery that he had absconded with half the company’s
assets." Any time the phrases which make up a series contain commas, for whatever reason, they
need to be separated by semicolons.
Many people are so terrified of making the wrong choice that they try to avoid colons and semicolons
altogether, but I’m afraid this just can’t be done. Formal writing requires their use, and it’s necessary
to lea! rn the correct patterns.
PRODUCTION TIPS:
There was recently a survey of some top producers among some different accounts. Connie shared
this with me, and I thought I would share a couple of their tips with you! They are very awesome!! (This
is a continuation from last week):
I Use onelook.com as my dictionary because I can put stars anywhere before, after, or within a word or
phrase and it will call up the word possibilities. I can almost always find the word I need quickly that
way, and by selecting the word I can also view the definition. I've learned meanings of words and feel
more comfortable using the words when I know what they mean--and the Stedman books don't give
you the meanings.
Green Hospital is a teaching hospital and the dictators frequently use study drugs and new or seldom-
heard-of instruments which aren't in the Stedman's books. I first check Linda Dittmar's wonderful list,
then go to the web to find a new device (by Acutek, for example) that Dr. so-and-so is using. I haven't
found a really good web site for the latest drugs! , but for just about everything else, I go to the web.
I have high-speed cable and wouldn't trade it for dial-up for any amount of money. That may be one of
the best keys to anyone's production. Waiting for a chance to produce is really frustrating and not
efficient, so the investment in cable--even though it costs more a month--is necessary to my
production. I forget to mention yesterday that another big help to me in my production is length of
fingernails. I used to have very long nails and it didn't seem to bother me typing at all. But for the past
several years I have kept my fingernails filed quite short, and in fact, from one day to the n! ext I can
feel a difference in how my fingers hit the keys, and the minute I find myself thinking about how I am
striking the keyboard, I realize I need to file my nails just a bit, and immediately I'm more comfortable
and my typing speed picks up. I used to think this was psychological, and maybe there is a bit of that,
but I've proved to myself over and over that shorter nails allow me to strike the keys with more
assurance.
Also - coming from a (Former Specials Team member/former trainer): I have a 3-rule for looking things
up unless they especially interest me. I look in 3 places, maybe Stedman's, Merck Manual, then on line
at Google or Atomica.com. Then I give up and use a defy or blank if my account allows. (New MTs
might want to do a more extensive search.)
MT FUN:
Recommended by Connie Vance:
8 Cool Holiday Organizing Tips
by Maria Gracia
www.getorganizednow.com
Now that the holidays are here, make it a goal to avoid holiday stress. Get organized with these simple
tips, and spend your time enjoying the warmth of the season.
USE A NUTCRACKER.
Don't you just hate when you're getting ready to bake and you can't get those small vanilla extract
bottles open? Simply grip the cap with a nutcracker and it will be off in an instant. This is a great time
saver! (Works well with nail polish bottles too!)
MAKE A LIST. CHECK IT TWICE.
Make written (or typed) lists for the holidays and it will be much easier to remember everything.
Excellent lists to have this time of year are gift lists, budget lists, meal planning lists, holiday card
lists, lists to tell you where you stashed your gifts, event lists and activity lists.
AVOID LINES.
Avoid malls on the weekends when they're most crowded. If possible, shop during the weekdays, and
shop early in the day. Avoid the post office on Saturdays, and during lunch hours. Better yet, stay
home and do all of your shopping from the Internet or mail order catalogs. You can get almost
anything you want these days, from the comfort of your own home.
GET YOUR KIDS TO HELP YOU.
Need a little bit of help organizing your house, and keeping it organized this month? Your kids could
help. Tell them that Santa only comes to an organized house. No matter how young or old your kids,
the ultimate message is still clear. If everyone helps out, the season will be merrier.
USE A TABLECLOTH FOR THE BIG STUFF.
Need to wrap a very large gift, and wasting time wondering how you're going to do it? Buy a large,
paper, holiday tablecloth and use it to wrap your super-size gifts.
GO THE SIMPLE ROUTE WITH MEALS.
Rather than making the holidays a big production, if you're trying to save time and reduce stress, go
the simple route. Cook simple dishes, or have meals catered. Meet everyone at a restaurant. Buy your
meals pre-cooked from your supermarket. Ask everyone to bring over their favorite dish. Bake one or
two varieties of cookies, instead of five. Think simple.
BUY SOME EXTRA GIFTS.
Don't you hate it when someone gives you a gift, and you have nothing to give in return? Buy a few
general gifts that could be given to anyone. Videos, restaurant gift certificates, candy or nice
stationery work well. Wrap the gifts, and write a very small code on the bottom of the gift so you'll
remember what's inside. When someone drops by with a gift for you, you'll have an exchange in
seconds!
SAVE MONEY 'AND' TIME WHEN GIFT BUYING.
Here are my top four ideas to do so:
A. Ask everyone to make gift lists for you that include 3 gift choices under $25 (or whatever amount
you choose) and where they can be purchased. Make your own list of 3 items for them. Exchange your
lists, and you're guaranteed to give what people want and to get what you want. This really helps to
avoid clutter caused by gifts received that you and your recipient's don't need! (Thank goodness fish
ties are finally gone . . . or are they???)
B. Rather than exchanging gifts, perhaps you can suggest that everyone agrees to put the money
towards a group dinner or excursion. This works great for the home, or the office!
C. Give gift certificates, and ask for gift certificates. They don't clutter. They don't cost much to ship.
People can buy what they want. It's a win-win-win situation!
D. Instead of buying gifts for everyone, determine if you can get a group of people to have a Secret
Santa gift exchange. Basically, everyone puts their name in a box. The box is then shaken to mix up
the names. Each person chooses one person's name from the box, but doesn't tell anyone which
name was picked. However, he/she is responsible for buying a gift for the person selected.
When the Secret Santa wraps his/her gift, he/she just puts TO: (his/her recipient's name), but doesn't
indicate who the present is from. All gifts go in one general area.
On gift giving day, the recipient's find their gifts and must guess who their Secret Santa is. If they
can't guess, the Secret Santa's confess.
This is a fun way to celebrate, and s! aves tons of time and money!
Midlife Crisis Continues...
by Tammy Blow
I turned 40 in August 2004. For some reason, on my 39th B-day all of a sudden I decided I HAD to have
a tattoo. Got just a small one with half moon and stars just above my right hip so it can be hidden in a
bathing suit, or not. Since my husband has a Harley and I was tired of being the passenger, that fall, I
decided I needed to take a motorcycle riding class at the community college, which was a 3-day
course, got my motorcycle license, and decided that since my hubby and I both were hitting milestone
B-days the summer of 2004, me 40, him 50, that I should get my own Harley and we should go to Sturgis
in August where I would actually celebrate my 40th B-day. I was going to wait until 2004 to buy my bike,
but was window shopping one day in October 2003 and found THE one and bought it that day. We
didn't make it to Sturgis because I was so new at riding and my hus! band didn't want to "throw me to
the wolves" just yet as I didn't have enough experience to be in Sturgis with a million other bikers.
Well, my 40th B-day came and I felt like I needed to do something else (like the tattoo and Harley
weren't enough). In October 2004, I decided I needed breast augmentation since being an almost A
cup for 40 years was really something that I had always wanted to change. I didn't want "the twins" to
be the first thing anyone noticed when they saw me and certainly didn't want them to be bigger than
my brain. I went to a specialty bra shop for a consultation after my consultation with the surgeon, and
was actually "fitted" with different size silicone prostheses that looked just like breasts so I could
determine how many cc's I wanted to go. I chose 375 cc. I went from almost 32-A to 32-D, which sounds
HUGE. For me, a D cup is like a hat! Actually, 32-D is equivalent to 34-C. The smaller the rib cage size,
the bigger the cup size. I haven't told my m! other yet and only one friend knew that I was doing it.
After I had it done and ran into some other friends, I had to actually point it out to them. My shirts still
fit so it's truly not that big of a difference. I had it done on a Friday and went back to work on Monday. I
had absolutely no bruising whatsoever and barely any pain, more like just muscle ache for about one
day. It will take 3 to 6 months for optimal results. I'm truly pleased that I went ahead and did it. When I
go to my mother's for x-mas I'm not mentioning it unless she mentions it first. She had to have a
mastectomy about 7-8 years ago and has always told me she'd never speak to me again it I got a boob
job. She said the same thing about a tattoo and I talk to on the phone 500 miles away about 4 times a
week and visit her as often as I can, and her and my stepdad are retired so they come out here about
every 3 or 4 months. I had "the twins" two weeks after she left here the last time. My husband wasn't
very receptiv! e to the idea at first, said he loved me the way I was, but since it was something that I
wanted so badly for so long he agreed to it. When my husband and I went for my consultation with the
plastic surgeon, there were several different sizes of saline and silicone implants laid out on the
table....need I say more? He "handled" every one of them. The day of my surgery when the doc was
marking me up with the marker, my husband told him he'd like to order an extra one for the steering
wheel!!!! I was absolutely mortified!!! Of course, they both thought it was a hoot. It's not that I had all
that extra cash laying around just waiting for me to get boobs. I took out a home equity loan to get
"the twins." You can actually finance plastic surgery through most any plastic surgeon's office,
however, I found that the interest rate was anywhere from 12 to 24%, and my home equity loan was
only 4.75%.
For my next midlife crisis deal, I think I'll choose something a little less expensive, like maybe
skydiving or bull riding! I'll keep you posted.
GREAT HOLIDAY CARD IDEA:
From Jan Lyon
Send your best friend a Christmas card. Then next year have her send it back to you. Keep doing it
year after year and in 20 years you will have a great keepsake. Get a BIG card so you can write lots of
stuff inside.
What We Want for Christmas: (Forward from Connie Vance)
Dear Santa:
Little Johnnie wants the doctors to pronounce HYPO differently from HYPER
Little Susie wants the doctors to pronounce FIFTEEN differently from FIFTY
Little Tommy wants the doctors to pronounce PET scan different from CAT scan
Little Mary wants the doctors to give FIRST and last names when mentioning other physicians
Little Davey wants the doctors to stay away from ICU equipment, telephones, loudspeakers, laughing
nurses, TVs and radios when dictating
Little Annie wants the doctors to pronounce NOT differently from NOW
Little Stevie wants the doctors NOT to move their mouths really close to and then very far away from
the mouthpiece, again and again
Little Betty wants the doctors to pronounced WHITE differently from BLACK, instead of saying hwbleh
And lastly, Little Eddie wants a magic filter for his earphones to eliminate doctors' sneezing, coughing,
chewing, yawning, and throat-clearing noises.
Love,
All the Medical Transcriptionists in the Whole Wide World
P.S. These are the same things we wish for EVERY year, so maybe you aren't receiving our mail, Santa
???
Poem: By Nancy Huffman
Merry Christmas 2003
‘Twas a few nights before Christmas, and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, except for the mouse,
where at the computer Nancy frantically searched for gifts for each person, deserving or not,
who should certainly be happy with whatever they got.
Bah, humbug, she said, with a frown.
I’d rather be out enjoying the lights throughout town.
Each year is the same, with the same frantic search.
It used to be toy stores, then it was malls, now the computer, but always it calls:
"Nancy, you can do it, you can get it all right! Everyone will be happy; their eyes will alight,
when they see what you’ve bought, or if they’re not happy, they certainly ought."
What’s wrong with this picture, I said to myself.
Why am I stressing more with each passing day,
Why do I care about what they’ll say?
This holiday started with the birth of Jesus, our Lord,
and somehow we’ve made it time to add to our horde
of wonderful items we don’t need very much,
and we seem to so easily slip out of touch
with the reason we celebrate, the reason we care.
Quite a long time ago, in a place far from here,
the God of the Universe decided to appear.
He chose to step into history, become one of us.
Why would He come here and cause such a fuss?
Because He wanted us with Him, in His heavenly abode,
and He was willing to travel a difficult road
to get us to join Him when our lives are through.
I know it is difficult to believe, but it’s true--
the God of the Universe cares for me and for you.
Because He so loves us and it’s His nature to share,
He wants us to love others; He wants us to care.
So our celebration of Christmas, while all too material,
is still about sharing and loving,
giving and receiving, and even in places where His name isn’t stated
the Lord still is present when Christmas is celebrated.
((I just love that !! Thanks, Nancy. ))
Jokes...Ha-Ha-Haaa!!!
From Jan Lyon
There was this famous painter who, in the prime of her career, started losing her eyesight. Fearful
that she might lose her career as a painter, she went to see the best eye surgeon in the world. After
months of surgeries and therapy, her eyesight was restored to normal. The painter was so grateful
that she decided to express her gratitude painting a mural in the doctor's office. The mural took up an
entire wall with the focal point being a gigantic eye in the middle. When she had finished, a press
conference was held at the doctor's office in order to unveil her latest work of art. During the press
conference, one reporter asked the doctor, "What was your first reaction upon seeing the mural
office, especially that huge eye in the middle of the wall?" To this, the eye doctor responded, "I said
to myself 'Thank God I’m not a proctologist.'"
ANNOUNCEMENTS & CELEBRATIONS:
From Angela Hardin: Special news for me is my anniversary is on Dec 31. My husband and I will be
celebrating with the rest of the world to bring in a new year. We have been married 3 years.
BIRTHDAYS:
Cindy Murphy - December 20, 2004
Terri Reed - December 21, 2004
Jesus - December 25, 2004 :)
Laura - December 30, 2004
CONTEST:
Look for further information about the new HynesSight Humanitarian Award!!
SPHERIS ANNIVERSARIES:
Donna McGough: December marks my 2-year anniversary with Spheris (the first year was part-time)
RECIPIES:
FRUIT SALAD RECIPE: From Angela Hardin
A tradition in my family is to make a fruit salad. It is a huge fruit salad that we much on all day until
dinner is ready.
4-5 Apples (any kind work, but I like red delicious)
1 bag of marshmallows
2 cans of fruit cocktail
2 cans of mandarin oranges
3-4 bananas
1 bag of walnuts
3 jars of maraschino cherries (one jar is for you to eat while making the fruit salad) Save the juice from
the cherries for cherry coke at dinner.
Cut the apples and bananas into bit size pieced. Drain the fruit cocktail and mandarin oranges into a
colander. Drain maraschino cherry juice into a glass or jar and save in the refrigerator (optional but
make sure you drain them). Add all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix. Refrigerate and eat
throughout the day. Yummy stuff.
CHORIZO: From Angela Hardin
2 lbs. Ground beef
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup Red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Paprika
2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Cumin (you can add more to spice it up more)
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. If you want this for breakfast in the
morning you will need to make it the night before and let it sit for at least 8 hours.
When you are ready to cook it, just put some in a frying pan and fry it up like you would hamburger.
Add eggs and wrap it in a tortilla.
This is a great thing to make up when going camping. You can make it up before you leave put it in a
large Ziploc bag and put it in the ice chest until morning.
NILLA CRUST PUMPKIN PIE: From Connie Vance
Filling:
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup cold milk
1 pkg (4-serv) vanilla instant pudding/pie filling
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup thawed whip cream
Beat cream cheese in lg bowl with mixer on low until creamy. Gradually add milk. Add dry pudding,
pumpkin, and spice. Beat low for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup whipped cream. Spoon onto crust (recipe
below). Refrigerate 2 hours. Top with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with pumpkin spice.
Refrigerate leftovers.
Nilla crust, unbaked:
35 nilla wafers, finely crushed
1/4 (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
Mix all until blended, press onto bottom and side of 9-inch pie plate, fill with chilled pie filling
Nilla crust baked: Prepare as above, bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool
completely before filling.
FUNKY-MONKEY BREAD: From Rebekah
I make this bread at Thanksgiving and at Christmas. It is a very sweet, buttery, high-calorie bread ~
great for the holidays!! :)
Melt 1-1/2 sticks of butter in bowl
Mix until dissolves.........2 cups warm water
1-1/2 packages of dry yeast
Add:....................................3/4 cups of sugar
6 Tbsp. shortening
6 cups flour
1-1/2 tbsp. salt
Knead dough on floured dough board and work in flour. Make fairly stiff dough. Roll out dough to 1/2-
inch thick. Cut into 2-3 inch triangles with a pizza cutter. Dip triangles in melted butter and layer in a
Bundt pan. Let rise 1-1/2 hours. Bake in preheated over at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or so. When
done, turn pan upside down on a plate and break apart to eat!! ((yummy))
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS:
From Angela Hardin: What Christmas means to me, first and foremost, is that this is the day to
celebrate the birth of the Jesus (if you are a Christian and I am). This is a time when we get together
with family and open presents. When that is done we move on to the kitchen where my mother-in-law
and I work for 2 hours getting everything ready and yell at the guys to quit watching the game and
come help get the extension in the table, set it, get the kids cleaned up, and carve the turke! y. They
gripe because they are missing the game and take turns watching the game and yelling out stuff so
that the other will feel like they really missed a good play. Once everything is ready and we can eat,
we sit down, pray, and eat until our belly's are so full that we can't move. The guys get up from the
table and sit down in the living room to watch the game. Us women get up and say "Hey let's watch
White Christmas" then the guys fall asleep.
If you notice, they never did get up and clean the kitchen. So, that is what we do when we get done
watching our movie.
This is what happens in our house on Christmas day. It is much like Thanksgiving except we open
presents also.
The nice thing about this year is we bought a house and this will be the first Christmas we spend in it.
We have a TV in the kitchen this year, so the guys won't miss much of their football game.
From Rebekah:
We have a very close family... started out big, and now is bigger. I know the time is soon to arrive that
we will not all fit into my gramma's living room. I foresee that the "grandchildren" generation will keep
our families close, at least I HOPE so... I wanted to share our Christmas Eve. This year, there is about
25 of us...
We all gather on Christmas Eve at gramma's and snack on goodies, pies, "trash," cookies, cakes,
sometimes even order pizza! At sunset, we all pile into the living room, waiting on that ONE family
member who is always late (noo.... not me, can yall believe it??). Then, once everyone arrives, we dim
the lights and look at the tree. Then we all start singing Christmas Carols and all of the grandkids get
to pick their favorite one. Once we've all worn our voices, grandpa grabs the Bible, and everyone
quiets down... Then he reads the story of Joseph & Mary's trip to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus.
He talks to everyone about how proud of h! is family he is, and we all share moments of "truth" we've
experienced throughout the year. Once this is done - the lights go up and Grandpa hires two elves
from the kiddos to help pass out gifts. Then all CHAOS begins...paper, lights, screaming, arguing... lol!
Then, once the presents are opened, everyone grabs an empty box and we open stockings!!!! We
draw names. Tony - our fam nut - always plants something alive in the stockings ... this ALWAYS
causes excitement ... one year it was a live lobster ... last year, my mom brought home some hermit
crabs, which she successfully killed (sorry, mom!). Anyway, then, clean up begins and everyone
rushes home to tuck the kiddoes into bed so Santa can come. Sometimes we see Santa flying in the
sky with Rudolph leading the way on the way home, maybe this year...
The End