Glimpses of the Past

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST - FULTON

1963: Campaig n beg ins to suppor t Mercy Hospital building f und

60 Years Jan. 2, 1963

W i l l i a m C o n s i d i n e h a s b e e n appointed chairman of the campaign among Fulton businesses for the Mercy Hospital building fund. A campaign to raise a minimum of $850,000 by public subscr iption to ward an estim ated $2,500,000 new Mercy Hospital was launched last month.

Bob Stone was the featured basketball player of the week in the Fulton Journal this week. He is playing his second year with the varsity basketball squad. Bob is a dependable reserve for the Fulton Steamers. He is an aggressive and spirited competitor and helps maintain a high morale for the Steamers squad.

50 Years Jan. 3, 1973

Several neighbors and friends gathered at the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Johnson of Route 1 the day after Christmas to help with the corn harvest. Mr. Johnson received a leg injury earlier in the season along with complications and was unable to complete the harvest of his crop. There were three picker-sheller outfits and two pickers for ear corn to harvest 52 acres of corn.

The Fulton City Council will open bids at a meeting on secondary sewage treatment facilities for Fulton, which may cost as much as $600,000. How soon action may be taken on the bids is indefinite since the city is planning to finance about 75% of the cost of the project by means of federal and state grants. No bid may be accepted until it is approved by both state and federal agencies.

40 Years Jan. 5, 1983

The Dike Beautification Committee was given the “green light” by a unanimous vote of the Fulton City Council to proceed with its plans and also to solicit additional funds through contributions. The motion to transform the committee into a “working committee” rather than an “adviser committee” was made by Alderman Kenneth Ven Huizen and approved without opposition.

The first baby of 1983 is a boy named Thomas James Green, born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Green. He was born Jan. 3 at University Hospital in Iowa City. He weighed nine pounds and measured 20 1/2 inches long. He is welcomed home by sisters Melissa Barrette and Amanda Green.

30 Years Dec. 30, 1992

About 300 people attended the ninth annual Christmas Dinner at the Fulton Legion on Christmas Day. The dinner is served by a group of people who feel no one should be alone at Christmas.

J o a n M a tt he w , w ho b e g a n h e r career at Agri-King in January 1974, has retired from the order and billing department. Ruth Lueders, a 20-year veteran of Agri-King who started her career in accounts receivable, also has retired.

20 Years Jan. 1, 2003

Vernon Schipper, an incumbent from the Second Ward, took out papers for alderman for the municipal election on April 1, 2003, bringing the total to four who have taken out the necessary papers. Others include Gus Sims, an incumbent from the Third Ward, Harvey Wiebenga, a newcomer in the Second Ward, and Ron Roels, a newcomer from the Fourth Ward.

Businesses giving gifts to the first baby of the New Year that reside in the River Bend District include Merema Brothers, First Trust and Savings Bank, Sunrise Family Restaurant, Central Bank, Joan’s Beginning, Country Orchids, Schuler Motors Inc., Lockhart & L a w , A g r i - K i n g , F u l t o n P o l i c e Department, Community State Bank, Brinkman Building Center, Berg Pharmacy, Fulton Press Inc., Wendel Repair Service, Ammon’s Landing, Maloney Equipment Inc., Eagle River Liquor, Susan’s Calico Creations and Words of Wisdom.

10 Years Jan. 2, 2013

The Community Christmas Dinner was a big success. The weather was nice, the day sunny, and people came out in numbers to enjoy visiting with others. They served about 235 people at the fire station and delivered 165 meals to people in Fulton, Albany, Clinton and one very special delivery to Rich Timmer in Camanche. Rich worked with the committee for more than 20 years until his health prevented him from doing so.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi River Project, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Clinton Community College and the Stewards of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge will be hosting the 29th annual Bald Eagle Watch.

YOUR HEALTH

Diagnosing and treating circulation conditions is discussed

By STEPHEN D. HARRISON, M.D.

Circulation conditions are something that people refer to when they assume they have discomfort in their extremities or feel a little pull. There are some potentially significant conditions of circulation that can be life or limb threatening.

Claudication is the name of a pain that occurs in the calf or thigh when walking. Typically the discomfort, unlike sciatica, does not occur when one is at rest. It occurs within a block or two of walking. When one stops, the discomfort comes back. Typically, it takes about the same amount of time or distance for the pain to come. Furthermore, the time that the pain takes to go away is a constant as well. The discomfort comes because not enough blood is flowing into the vessels to the muscles. As the vessel or artery gets narrow, the needs of the muscle cannot be met while exercising, though there may be enough flow while at rest. The basic process is atherosclerosis or buildup of fatty material. It is the s a m e t y p e o f p r o c e s s t h a t o c c u rs t h r o u g h o u t t h e b o d y an d m a y be responsible for strokes with circulation to the brain and heart attacks with circulation to the heart. In fact, one could think of claudication, also referred to sometimes as peripheral vascular disease, as angina of the extremities or the periphery.

Like heart conditions, the same risk factors may apply – high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, etc. Cigarette smoking is felt to be one of the aggravating factors to the condition for people with atherosclerosis and other vessels in the body having increased risk for this condition.

The key to making the diagnosis of this condition begins with history. Next, your doctor may detect pulses in the vessels of the extremities, particularly of the feet. A test may be ordered to check the blood flow. The test is called doppler studies. Comparison may be made between the vessels of the arms and vessels of the legs simultaneously. A drop in the pressure in your leg may mean a narrowing of an a r t e r y . I f t h e c o n d i t i o n i s s e v e r e enough to warrant possible surgery, your doctor may order an angiogram of the legs, which will show the surgeon where the exact narrowing is and how much. Sometimes angioplasty, just like with the heart, is performed. Like most conditions, there are measures that can be done before surgery. They include a change in lifestyle to reduce the risk factors noted. Thus, if you smoke, you must stop. It is also important to lower your cholesterol if it is elevated, and to control your blood sugar if you have diabetes. One of the most important measures that you can do is to begin an exercise p r o g r a m . T h i s o f t e n c a n l e a d t o improvement within two months. The eventual goal is 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day. Unlike heart disease, one would generally exercise to the point of pain and then stop and rest until the discomfort is gone and then resume the activity, which is felt by experts to be safe, but again the goal is gradual buildup.

Finally, medicines are sometimes employed to help with symptoms of the condition. Trental and Pletal are two medicines employed for improving circulation symptoms. Plavix is a medicine that may have some direct benefits. These medicines are generally well tolerated, though they do not cure the condition. A two- to threemonth trial may be necessary. Xarelto is now approved for this with evidence of lowering significant events including heart attack.