32 replies to this topic

[wreathlady]

http://www.sacbee.co...ry/2071046.html
this is just an update and a reminder school will be in soon. This still very rampant here in California. there have been 81 plus deaths. We are the highest I believe now.
My father was just in Mercy Folsom and I will tell you they were severely busy. Many droplet precautions on the doors. Majority of nurses did not use hand sanitizer, floors were not cleaned, one aide was coughing into her hand and never sanitized and then took my fathers vitals. I called yesterday after I saw this article and complained. I can only say this, every hospital has there problems, but Mercy Folsom, has their nurses overworked, doing doubles, per the nurses I talked too. Administration denied it and there are very few aides. All I can say is if you have to go sanitize your hands use the back of hand to hit elevator buttons and be safe.

[asbestoshills]

I totally agree that ALL of the hospitals are not using proper sanitizing techniques that they say are....Also, many of the cleaning services are contracted out and if you have ever looked around, hospitals level of cleanliness has dropped signigicantly....They are run like fast food joints...The corporate office may be nice, but the units are there to generate dollars with little regard to quality....Most hospitals are digustingly more dirty now than 20 years ago... I think HMOs have something to do with it...It makes me sick to even think about having to go to a hospital with overworked semi-competent nurses and doctors who you may be under their care for 24 hours until the next doctor takes the shift...NO CONTINUITY in CARE.....I think this is how some of the people died of the swine flu....They went to the first doctor who told them they had a cold, then the second doctor who gave them an antibiotic and by the third they couldn't breathe and died b/c of delayed treatment...See it everyday......

[bordercolliefan]

It is scary. The local nurse who died was middle-aged and extremely healthy -- she was a triathlete.

The doctor quoted in the article says that in some patients, swine flu acts very different from normal flu: they go from fine to "total respiratory failure" in 24 hours.

Not much we can do to prevent ourseles from getting it (especially if, like me, you have elementary-age kids who are exposed to literally thousands of kids a week at school, gymnastics, Scouts, etc.) --Just have to hope your body is strong enough to withstand it.

I'm sure this nurse's death will be a huge wake-up call to medical staff. I believe they're talking about having nurses routinely wear masks/gloves... at least until a vaccine is available.

[wreathlady]

[quote name='bordercolliefan' date='Aug 1 2009, 08:52 AM' post='341352']
It is scary. The local nurse who died was middle-aged and extremely healthy -- she was a triathlete.

The doctor quoted in the article says that in some patients, swine flu acts very different from normal flu: they go from fine to "total respiratory failure" in 24 hours.

Not much we can do to prevent ourseles from getting it (especially if, like me, you have elementary-age kids who are exposed to literally thousands of kids a week at school, gymnastics, Scouts, etc.) --Just have to hope your body is strong enough to withstand it.

I'm sure this nurse's death will be a huge wake-up call to medical staff. I believe they're talking about having nurses routinely wear masks/gloves... at least until a vaccine is available.
I hope they do something, due to this unfortunate death. One thing was she did have MRSA and it can be in the blood not just on the skin, so it may have been a contributing factor. Who knows.

[wreathlady]

I totally agree that ALL of the hospitals are not using proper sanitizing techniques that they say are....Also, many of the cleaning services are contracted out and if you have ever looked around, hospitals level of cleanliness has dropped signigicantly....They are run like fast food joints...The corporate office may be nice, but the units are there to generate dollars with little regard to quality....Most hospitals are digustingly more dirty now than 20 years ago... I think HMOs have something to do with it...It makes me sick to even think about having to go to a hospital with overworked semi-competent nurses and doctors who you may be under their care for 24 hours until the next doctor takes the shift...NO CONTINUITY in CARE.....I think this is how some of the people died of the swine flu....They went to the first doctor who told them they had a cold, then the second doctor who gave them an antibiotic and by the third they couldn't breathe and died b/c of delayed treatment...See it everyday......

All your comments are right on. MD's here are too complacent too, maybe they will wake up now. My daughter went to urgent care because she had a sore throat, cold, etc and asked if she had the swine flu. He told her no, he did have about 7 people and they were all fine. He told her how freaked I was and his reply was until you see 33,000 deaths then start worrying.
Whatever

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

All your comments are right on. MD's here are too complacent too, maybe they will wake up now. My daughter went to urgent care because she had a sore throat, cold, etc and asked if she had the swine flu. He told her no, he did have about 7 people and they were all fine. He told her how freaked I was and his reply was until you see 33,000 deaths then start worrying.
Whatever

Doctors cannot tell from looking at patients whether or not they have swine flu. There are rapid tests that test for flu, but those rapid tests cannot differentiate between swine flu and other flus. Doctors have to send lab work out for further testing to determine whether or not it's swine flu. Because so many doctors seem to be complacent, the numbers of people who have swine flu are most likely much higher than reported.

From the Mayo Clinic:

http://mayoclinic.co...ine-flu/DS01144

The section on prevention:

These measures may help prevent flu:

* Stay home if you're sick. If you do have swine flu, you can give it to others starting about 24 hours before you develop symptoms and ending about seven days later.

* Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Use soap and water, or if they're
unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Flu viruses can survive for two hours or longer on surfaces, such as doorknobs and countertops.

* Avoid contact. Stay away from crowds if possible.

* Reduce exposure within your household. If a member of your household has swine flu, designate one other household member to be responsible for the ill person's close personal care.

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

By the way.... I've always refused flu shots because they contain Thimerosal. I know from former experience with Thimerosal and contact lens solution that I am extremely sensitive to it and have been worried about taking it systemically; immunization consent forms didn't address the issue and previous doctors and nurses could never answer my questions, so I just passed.

This time I really want to take the shot, so I contacted the CDC with my question. I received an email response within two days. They say, in part:

Many individuals have contact-type allergies to Thimerosal that manifest themselves as eye irritation from some contact lens solutions. This reaction is NOT a contraindication to vaccines that contain Thimerosal because this is not an anaphylactic-type reaction.

Most people who have a response to Thimerosal have redness and/or swelling where the injection (shot) was given. Such reactions are mostly mild and last only a few days. It is unclear whether this type of response is to the mercury or the other compounds in the vaccine.

So I guess I'm good to go. I thought I'd post the info in case there are others here with sensitivity to Thimerosal who have shared my concern.

[wreathlady]

By the way.... I've always refused flu shots because they contain Thimerosal. I know from former experience with Thimerosal and contact lens solution that I am extremely sensitive to it and have been worried about taking it systemically; immunization consent forms didn't address the issue and previous doctors and nurses could never answer my questions, so I just passed.

This time I really want to take the shot, so I contacted the CDC with my question. I received an email response within two days. They say, in part:

Many individuals have contact-type allergies to Thimerosal that manifest themselves as eye irritation from some contact lens solutions. This reaction is NOT a contraindication to vaccines that contain Thimerosal because this is not an anaphylactic-type reaction.

Most people who have a response to Thimerosal have redness and/or swelling where the injection (shot) was given. Such reactions are mostly mild and last only a few days. It is unclear whether this type of response is to the mercury or the other compounds in the vaccine.

So I guess I'm good to go. I thought I'd post the info in case there are others here with sensitivity to Thimerosal who have shared my concern.

I hope you will wait until lots of people get this immunization. They are fast tracking this, so you wont know for a while. But, this is your decision, and it is a personal one. My husband feels the same as you. I do not get flu shots, seem to get sicker when I get them.

[folsombound]

I guess there are individual differences in reactions to flu shots. I have gotten shots for the last 12 years have had no bad reactions and haven't had the flu in that time. I will get regular flu shots this year and the H1N1 when it is available. For me it is a good defense.

[mac_convert]

I wonder if teachers of small kids will be included in the "small kids" group. It seems like the teacher would be at the same risk as the kids.

[wreathlady]

Everyone has to make their own choice about the Swine flu shot, but as I hear it, they will have a limited amount of vaccines and will give them to the young, the health care workers, the police and the firemen first, then everybody else last. So as someone might want it, they will have to wait in line.

Further, this new Swine Fly vaccine will have higher risks of making people ill because they are unsure how to mix the right amount of viruses to get an effective and safe dosage. It's not like making the regular flu vaccines. They are going into new territory trying to make vaccines for the Swine flu.

I don't get flu shots and although I've had the flu in the past, I feel it's safer to just get it, than have the shots....just my opinion. The best thing to do is try to stay healthy, get enough sleep and eat right. Then if you DO get the flu, your body has a better chance to fight it off without complications. Too many push their bodies too hard and are more prone to get sicker than others, when they contract the flu or any other disease.

I feel that Swine flu could have been somewhat contained, and they started out trying to, but when they saw that is was effecting the economy, so they lifted all the protective measures. We can't hurt the economy or the stock market, you know....(sic)

If I had school aged children, I'd take them out of school and have them home tutored. To put the whole family at risk for the sake of public schooling is silly. Schools are just ripe with all kinds of germs. When my kids were in school, I was sick all the time. They brought home everything and of course, I caught it.

As for people having the flu now, I was told by one nurse that if you have the flu this time of year, it is probably the Swine Flu. The regular strains of flu are not active this time of year.

And, I have vowed never to go to Mercy Folsom again. It's terrible that our community has no better hospital than that filthy place. The next time I go to any doctor, if he doesn't have gloves on, I'm going to ask that he put some on. In too many cases, I have seen no gloves on the doctor I visit.

I think I'll sew some designer masks for this fall....

I agree with all and especially with the kids in school. I, too, was always ill. They bring home everything. I am also on track with the flu shot. I already had pneumonia at the end of April and never have had it before. It was viral too. Funny thing,I was hospitalized at Mercy Folsom. have to say that time I had great nursing care, but it was still filthy. No Rn ever wore a mask, not even the RT. No one knew what I had. Looking back now, I am almost sure I had swine, but they would not test me. Also, most in that hospital do not sanitize either. It was a scary road, but I made it , for now. Was not my time, I guess.

[wreathlady]

I wonder if teachers of small kids will be included in the "small kids" group. It seems like the teacher would be at the same risk as the kids.

I feel so bad for teachers, not only, are they getting screwed by the state, but now we have a pandemic. I hope Arnold is happy for the lack of cutbacks to everyone here in CA. We need everyone now. I bet most schools do not have nurses either. Most Eastern cities are ready with nurses and triages for schools. I wonder if we are ready. I doubt it.

[pet lover]

Teachers are giving some, but I think it is necessary at this time in our economic mess. State workers are taking the brunt of the hits. . . they are the ones I feel sorry for the most! I'd just like access to the vaccine too if children are major carriers.

I feel so bad for teachers, not only, are they getting screwed by the state, but now we have a pandemic. I hope Arnold is happy for the lack of cutbacks to everyone here in CA. We need everyone now. I bet most schools do not have nurses either. Most Eastern cities are ready with nurses and triages for schools. I wonder if we are ready. I doubt it.

[asbestoshills]

While I agree that CA isn't ready for a pandemic..You have to also remember that only a small percentage of people will die....It's very small....Trust me, with the over use of anti biotics and the chorine resistance of disenfection, there will be worse bacterias that can't be treated.....It's too bad our country is that of a third world now...
C'mon, if you have sell everything the State owns, you are freakin' broke...The rich can leave any time they want....Most rich people have second and third homes outside of the States...Hell, I even have friends who are middle-upper middle class who have a plan if America becomes more of a cesspool than it is now....Economic chaos is just the beginning to social chaos....Did you see on the news where the Winco Foods had some job openings? People who were cut from welfare had fist fights over who was in line first...Scary.....SERIOUSLY, you either have to quit worrying and go about your biz or possibly relocate....Sacramento is always one of those places that gets hard on weird diseases...Remember the thread disease that was only found here? Also, Sacrmaento has some of the most failing grades in healtcare b/c this is where HMOs started...In some counties where there are heavy immigrant Mexican populations there is little swine flu...Anyone want to explain that one? It's highly unlikely that it spread from the one pig farm in Mexico...That's all I'm saying....