RTweek18

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It is becoming an annual tradition for me in the RT Week to write a quick note to express my gratitude to those who have made a difference in my career and professional life over the past year.

Thank you to (in no particular order):

Nancy Garvey and Dilshad Moosa who continue to support my growth with RTSO. Thank you RTSO for allowing me to be part of the family.
Dr. Mika Nonoyama, who gave me a unique opportunity to teach on a topic that I am passionate about.
The CSRT team who continue to motivate and support me in my drive to help the RT community. One of my first supporters and I will be forever grateful!
Eric Cheng, one of the founders RTWB, for introducing me to Annette who shared her amazing perspective on working in Kenya.
Tom Piraino, Tony Kajnar, Carolyn Greer, Shawna MacDonald, and Annette Lievaart for taking the time to answer my questions for my recent blog posts.
Bernie Ho, Tony Kajnar and Dr. Shukla for always being willing to answer my clinical questions.
Christina Sperling, Kathleen Olden-Powell, Kathleen Frame and Carolyn McCoy for being open to hear my thoughts and to guide me with their wisdom.
Novus Medial Inc team for always being open to my technical questions. Also, awesome T-shirts at the Vancouver CSRT2018 conference!
John Meloche and MeloTel for giving me the online space to operate and run my website! One of my first supporters!
Christiane Menard, Noel Pendergast, Rachel Allen, Shawna MacDonald, Mieke Fraser and Katherine Tran for their ongoing support of my online presence.
And of course, the ongoing support of my girlfriend and family.

ASBESTOS

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Canadian government is taking steps to limit the use of Asbestos. While this is not a complete ban, and some exceptions exists, it is still a step toward the right direction.

Occasionally at the PFT lab we have individuals who have been exposed to Asbestos, and we perform the testing to rule out interstitial lung disease.

CBC has a piece on this which you can check out at:https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-asbestos-cancer-regulations-1.4867684

RA

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At the Pulmonary Function Testing lab we assess and monitor patients who have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
“Interstitial lung disease may be a manifestation of RA or may be a complication of RA therapies, such as methotrexate and leflunomide.” -Daniel Aletaha, MD and Josef S. Smolen, MD.
If you want to learn more about RA, check out:
Diagnosis and Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis-A Review. Oct 2 2018
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2705192?guestAccessKey=4054e5dc-45b4-4fd7-bec5-e6a9a4c14a87

Cannabis

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Recreational marijuana use is becoming legal in Canada in just few days. With the political, legal and financial debates aside, there are health concerns that the public, users and healthcare providers need to be aware of. I have attended few talks on this topic and have read few articles that cover this issue in details. While I did not become an expert, I have noticed a common message:

Inhalation of marijuana can lead to temporary and permanent damage of respiratory system.

  • Review and share this collection of Questions and Answers by CBC: ok https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4856021
  • Avoid and limit your inhalation of airway irritants.
  • Please do not drive under the influence!

Lead

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I was checking my Facebook app on my phone where I received a notification from 7 years ago.

Divi standing in front of the board and walking us through the formula. We watched as he went through the steps and the reasoning. I guess I had put down my probably third cup of coffee of the day to capture this image. Watching this process unfold was a smile-worthy experience that I wanted to record and share.

Seven years ago, I was a student at The Michener Institute. A group of us sitting in the library working through math questions as we tried to apply them to respiratory care. There was a lot of information that was covered at a fast pace. Some of us, including myself, had weekend jobs, which meant even less time to get comfortable with the material. I had completed my undergrad just prior to this program, so being a student was not foreign to me, however, I felt the pressure. Luckily, I was not alone. When faced with a common challenge, people get together and unite. With each person having their strengths, we stepped up to help the group at different times and in different ways. I can say with confidence that without my classmates, my time as a student could have been a lot more difficult.

I encourage you to spend the time to identify your strengths and weaknesses. This time, not because a course requires you to complete a questionnaire or because you have to write an assignment about it. Do it for yourself. Be honest with yourself. What are the areas that you could ask others for assistance in? What are your strengths, and how can you utilize them to help others?

So share with us… what are you doing to give back? How has a colleague or a mentor made a difference in your life? What can you do today to make a difference in the lives of others?