Today I received the e-mail that I have been waiting for. It read as follows:"Dear Participant: This e-mail is to inform you that you are physically qualified (PQ) for your summer deployment. Your PQ status is good through 03/01/09. In order to winter or extend your PQ, you will need to contact the Medical Department. Congratulations and have a good trip!"
I received this e-mail from a Jeremiah, a medical records technician at Raytheon Polar Services Company. This is the organization that provides support to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs. Raytheon Polar Services Company's main function is to support the United States Antarctic Office of Polar Programs. It handles all of the necessary paperwork, provides supplies, and coordinates arrangements for individuals deploying to Antarctica. Without Raytheon Polar Services Company I wouldn't be able to go to Antarctica. Thank you to Raytheon Polar Services Company and all of the wonderful people that I have dealt with so far, including Becky, Kathlyn, Jeremiah, and the doctor who reviewed my records.
It is a requirement of all individuals going to Antarctica that they be PQed or physically qualified. This may sound easy but I assure that it can be quite a bit of work. There are different requirements depending on when you plan to visit Antarctica. One thing that you must realize is that it is winter in Antarctica when it is summer here and vice versa. The requirements are the most stringent for people that are going to Antarctica during the winter season. I will be visiting Antarctica from November to December which is the summer season.
My first e-mail from Raytheon Polar Services Company was over twenty pages of forms and requirements to complete. The first thing I did was fill out a medical history form that was eight pages long and extremely detailed.
The next thing I did was schedule an appointment with my dentist. I have two wonderful dentists by the names of Dr. Rita Frazier and Dr. Jana Boyd (girl power). I explained to them that I was going to Antarctica and that I would need to have a thorough examination. They looked at all my teeth and then took a complete set of x-rays. My dentists decided that they should fix any little thing that was wrong to be on the safe side. There is a dentist at McMurdo Station but I might have a problem if something serious developed involving my teeth. Unfortunately, they found several things to fix. After everything was fixed and my teeth were pretty and healthy, the dentists gave me a completed form detailing the work that had been done and a copy of my dental x-rays to forward to Raytheon Polar Services Company. Here is a copy of that x-ray. I think my teeth look good, don't you?
Today most dentists take digital x-rays that show all of your teeth and everything that has been done to them.
The next step was to make an appointment to get some blood work done. It was necessary to get a lot of blood drawn to be able to complete all of the tests required. The tests included blood type, iron content, glucose level, presence of Hepatitis, cholesterol level, and several other tests. I also had my blood tested for HIV. The lab technician, Grace, had a little trouble getting blood and had to try four times to get enough blood. Here she is proudly holding the fruits of her labors.
It was necessary for Grace to try four times to get enough blood. I had bruises on both arms but it was worth it.
Next, I went to see my family doctor. I really like Dr. Craig Froede because he is knowledgeable and very easy to talk to. He gave me a complete physical which included having me touch my toes (I can put my hands flat on the floor without bending my knees - can you?). I also had a vision test, a hearing test, and he checked me out from top to bottom. Dr. Froede gave me a tetanus shot which will last me ten years and he did a tuberculin skin test. I also had an EKG which is short for electrocardiogram (EKG is abbreviated from the German Elektrokardiogramm). It is a test that examines your heart. Here is what my test results looked like.
An EKG test translates the heart's electrical activity into line tracings on paper. My test results show a healthy heart.
I also was required to have a mammogram. This is something that all women should have once they turn thirty five years of age whether they are going to Antarctica or not. I was delighted to get the report that my mammogram showed no problems.
I faxed everything to Raytheon Polar Services Company and waited for their doctor to examine my records and give me his decision. I received a call from Becky, a medical records technician, informing me that I had forgotten to sign one of the forms. I was so excited to have completed everything that I forgot to sign the most important form. I went right out and put it in the mail.
A few days later I received an e-mail from Kathlyn stating that I would need to have a stress test to analyze my heart. My cardiac risk factors include that I am going on fifty years of age, my cholesterol is a bit high, and my weight is not what it should be. She told me that I needed to have the Bruce Protocol which is a test that monitors your heart rate while you use a treadmill. If you would like to read a good description of the Bruce Protocol go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Protocol. Kathlyn stated that I needed to complete stage 3 of the test and reach at least an 85% target heart rate. Target heart rates let you measure your initial fitness level. My 85% target heart rate based on my sex and age would be around 150 beats per minute.
I immediately arranged to take the Bruce Protocol at a local hospital. I was connected to an EKG machine and started walking on the treadmill. I watched the machine and saw my heart rate go up and up. When it reached 150 beats per minute I kept increasing my pace. After all, I am a teacher and an 85 is a "C" and I wanted to get an "A" (I know that this is being silly but that's what I was thinking). I completed stage 3 and my target heart rate reached 163 beats per minute which is 95% (an "A").
I was able to pick up the results of my test a few days later and I faxed them to Kathlyn at the Raytheon Polar Services Company. Several days later I received the e-mail from Jeremiah that I had been hoping for. It felt like I had won a huge prize and I guess I did. I now get to go to Antarctica and have the adventure of a lifetime. I'd call that a pretty incredible prize...wouldn't you?