Summer ICD-10 adventure

Aug. 8, 2018 / By Kelly Long, BS, CPC, CPCO, CAPM

Summer is in full swing and with that comes warm temperatures and vacations! I thought it would be fun to share how my family went to Missouri this summer to explore the caverns and go tubing down the river.

After numerous bellows of “Are we there yet?” from the back seat which led to my (Irritability and anger. R45.4), we finally arrived at our destination. At the cabin we rented, we were greeted by a nest of seed ticks lurking in the grass. These little lovelies are babies who will bite but not burrow into you; isn’t that so sweet of them? (Insect bite (nonvenomous), unspecified lower leg, initial encounter. S80.869A). Once we removed these pests from our legs we continued to unload our luggage. But of course, my youngsters felt everything was “too heavy,” so Mom and Dad to the rescue resulting in (Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of lower back, initial encounter. S39.012A.)

Once we were all settled, I had this great idea to walk to the pond, encountering two very large deer who startled me. (Other contact with other mammals W55.89XA). I was rather embarrassed to learn these deer were actually garden statues but, in my defense, they looked rather lifelike. Much to my dismay, the pond turned out to be a breeding ground for mosquitos and they welcomed me to Missouri with multiple bites. So I hustled back to the cabin (running Y93.02) flapping my arms and telling the mosquitos exactly what I thought of them. Thank goodness for Calamine lotion!

The next morning we awoke early to get our cavern tours underway. Meramec and Onondaga Caverns are simply breathtaking and we were all in awe of their sheer size and beauty. One nice thing about the caves is that they stay at a constant cool temperature of 58 degrees, so we had goosebumps galore (R20.9 Unspecified disturbances of skin sensation). This was a welcome temperature drop after dealing with 100+ degree summer temperatures (X30.XXXA Exposure to excessive natural heat, initial encounter). The tour consisted of up to two miles of walking and we sure did get our workout in with the steep cave floor inclines (Activity, walking, marching and hiking Y93.01). In one portion of the cave, the tour guide shut off all lighting so you could experience the sheer blackness that surrounded you. It was a little unnerving not being able to see anything (Other visual disturbances H53.8), but it is amazing how you could hear the tiniest sounds of water droplets and air currents (R44.8 other symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions). What a thrilling destination the caves were; we cannot wait to visit them again.

Another adventure we undertook was tubing down the Meramec River. The water was clear with a steady moving current and the wildlife and greenery along the bluffs was plentiful. This should have been very relaxing, but my son had a moment of panic (Panic disorder F41.0) when he felt he was slipping down into the water (yes, he had a life jacket on). In order to get him into his inner tube more securely we had to paddle/kick our way to the shore line. I became separated from the family and made my way to the shore where there were some fallen, partially submerged trees. Not many people can say they have been ganged up on by painted turtles, but I have. Apparently they do not like to be disturbed when sunning themselves and their “turtle leader” proceeded to drop into the water and bite my leg two times (Bitten by turtle W59.21). I no longer care for turtles as much as I used to, but once our son was comfortable in his tube we spent hours going down the river. The sun was unforgiving even with copious amounts of sunscreen and we all ended up looking like lobsters. (Sunburn, unspecified L55.9)

Overall, our summer vacation was fabulous, filled with laughter and many new stories to share. Time with my family was worth the sunburn, insect bites and angry turtles. I hope you are all having an enjoyable summer as well, filled with many adventures and time with family.

Kelly Long is a clinical development analyst with 3M Health Information Systems.