After Ken's show, Vicki played a couple commercials, the station identification sounder and joined the network news at 12 noon.
Emjay slid in the chair, made some adjustments to the board and counter, and learned from Vicki how things were going with the transmitter. As Vicki headed out the studio door, Emjay wished her a nice weekend.
Vicki's eyes adjusted to the darker hallway when she saw Dr. Straw waiting for her in the doorway to the station's break room.
"So, can you tell me when you first noticed the scars on your leg?" asked Dr. Max. He was a bit surprised to see a potential case right here in the station, but realized this was a different allergy than what he usually saw in Wisconsin. He made a mental note to call his colleagues in Iowa and Texas when he returned to the office.
"It was this morning, it surprised me to see the marks like that. I've tried not to scratch and poured on a bunch of calamine lotion before coming to work. What happened?" Vicki didn't think it was anything serious, but she never experienced anything like this before.
"I'm not sure, Vicki. Tell you what, I'll call the Urgent Care Clinic and follow you over there. When we get there, I'll get you right in so we can take samples and see if we can get you something that provides relief. In the meantime, I recommend you don't eat any red meat. Fish and poultry are OK, but for now stay away from steaks and burgers."
Pete Moss talked to the doctor after the show and headed to the clinic. He turned on his recorder when Dr. Straw appeared in the clinic cafe around 1 p.m.
"Dr. Staw," Pete started, "can you tell us about Red Meat Allergy - how it's contracted, how it's treated, and symptoms?"
"Sure, Pete. When a Lone Star Tick bites someone, it transfers a sugar which we don't carry naturally. It's the same kind of sugar found in meat, so when the two interact there is a reaction - itching, burning, hives, and sometimes trouble swallowing. Usually antihistamines do the trick, but in tougher cases epinephrine is required. In those cases, we recommend epi-pens for patients.
"We don't know how long the trouble with red meat continues. Right now, I'd suggest people who are diagnosed with red meat allergy stay away from red meat. It's inconvenient, but won't hurt anyone."
"Doc, when you got involved with this at the State level, Ken Records was the first Wisconsin patient. Are there any changes?"
"As a matter of fact, as of today there are two more right here in Roseville. I also heard from the records office in Madison we have more potential cases in cities along the Mississippi River."
"Do you have a plan of attack?"
"That's still being formed. An early assumption is the ticks are carried into Wisconsin on birds or small game shot by hunters. I'm hoping the more we learn from patients the more likely we can find a source. A problem with that is we don't know how long it takes from the time of the tick bite to the allergic reaction."
"Thank you, Doctor. Is it OK if I give you a call at the end of the week for an update?"
"Sure, Pete, that's fine. And let Ken know if he wants me I'll try to make myself available."
"I'll be glad to do that, Doc. Thank you." Pete was putting the recorder away and already working in his head on how he might structure the story. Pete didn't want anyone else to get sick, but it's exciting to be sitting on a story of potential statewide impact.
Back at the station, Emjay was enjoying her on-air shift and managing the music and commercials on WMJM. She didn't think it was a real smooth show, but she was very distracted by the impending trip to the dress shop afterwards. She and her mom were meeting there to get the wedding dress altered. Her wedding to Jake is only two weeks away.
Emjay's mom, Jean, wanted to check out her mother of the bride gown and promised the bridesmaids to make sure their dresses were not embarrassing. Jean was excited to have her first daughter walk down the aisle, but she wasn't so sure about her own dress.
Jake, the fiance, was busy with wedding planning too. He was practicing the steps he learned the week before in dance class. He and Emjay had their last class tonight and to mark the occasion the instructor was taking the two out dancing.
Steve and Kathy are using Saturday afternoon to meet with Gus and Tom. They wanted to check out the studio space under construction and talk about the timeline for the Friday night show.
Gus and Tom wanted the studio space to easily convert back into serving tables the rest of the week. They figured the table would be in high demand by their regulars. Their plan was to have the in-restaurant guests sign and date the table. It would be a great conversation piece and attraction for more guests.
Kathy went through the line up of guests for the first couple of weeks, "Suter, Sawyer, DuFraine, Hidorn, and Mac. Those five will work with me in weeks one and two - Coach Suter will be here both weeks since he knows the others. I think it's going to be a real comfortable show and set the right tone."
Steve chimed in, "We will have games of the week and the various athletic directors have lined up an on the spot reporter who will send us score updates via social media that will go directly to the station website. They will also be available at half-time and after the games for us on air or they can track down the star of the game or coach. Arnie has sold all these updates and the roundup reporters to the local cell phone providers.
"Arnie also tells us, Gus, that you and Tom are going to become the prime sponsor of 'Gus and Tom's Sports Tonight.' We'll introduce it that way every time there is a mention on air. And, in a little trade-out; food. soft drinks or coffee are included for the hosts and guests every week. That's a heck of a deal, gentlemen, thank you."
The four stood up to shake hands, Tom said, "We're glad to work with you and be part of this. I hope you're ready, the games start next week."
The story continues tomorrow at 9.
Comments
Post a Comment