I've been exposed to tuberculosis

[Gibsie]

Logic Attack!

Originally posted by Straybow
AIDS isn't a virus

That's like saying "Guns don't kill people, holes kill people." Whose sig did I steal that from again? I'd credit them if I remembered.

Ha, worst analogy ever. AIDS is to virus like hole is to gun. So if you think AIDS can be considered a virus, you must also think that a hole can be considered a gun.

Sorry, you lose, and I was only being flippant in the first place

[Tuberski]

Re: Logic Attack!

Originally posted by Gibsie


Ha, worst analogy ever. AIDS is to virus like hole is to gun. So if you think AIDS can be considered a virus, you must also think that a hole can be considered a gun.

Sorry, you lose, and I was only being flippant in the first place

But how do you get AIDS? There is only one way to get AIDS, through the HIV Virus.

You can get holes by things other than guns.

ACK!

[Gibsie]

Okay, replace hole with "bullethole". You can't consider a bullethole to be the same thing as a gun. I CLAIM SEMANTIC VICTORY!!

[Tiamat]

Just got off work at the facility where both patients are. Dr. Strange I can't answer your question clearly because I got no clear answer. When I asked two different nurses if the patients (both) had TB. She says I don't know. The intital one who started it has had one negative and one positive test so I assume that one more is in order, I think I remember something about 3 times from somewhere.

And the difference in my patient from last week to this, well to say the least you don't have to be a genius to see the decline. He went from being able to stand and pivot and help a small bit with his care and shower to being in bed, taking a bed bath with a full oxygen mask not just the canula. He already has to have oxygen all the time and his nose turns blue without it, poor thing. He's really quite kind and waves at everyone as he passes. He was probably a really neat grandfather, seems the type.

As I'm putting on my gown and gloves the nurse tells me " you don't need all that just the mask." I told her this is what my office required of me, which it was but my partner is a bit freeked out more then me by this so she wore shoe covers as well. I've had time to mull some of this over and get used to it, it's still new for her so she's still in freek out mode.

So don't you think wearing my gloves and adding a mask and gown is a smart thing to do while being in a room with someone who is 90% sure of having an air borne virus?

[Dr Strangelove]

Old and frail people with tuberculosis may have an initial negative PPD response because their immune systems are deficient. Many authorities recommend a second test in order to improve the sensitivity. A positive PPD doesn't necessarily indicate active TB, he could be just an elderly person with COPD. It's not unusual for an old person's condition to deteriorate after being placed in a nursing home. Nursing homes do that to people. Of course the medical conditions that warrant nursing home placement also can do that. If he has had a positive PPD then the next step would be a chest Xray and sputum cultures. Sputum cultures may take 6 weeks, so if he truly has a strong possibility of having TB he should be placed in standard TB precautions. His doctor should determine this. I can't do so from where I'm sitting.

Younger people with positive PPD tests are generally treated with an anti-Tb regimen, but elderly people with a positive test but no indicators of active disease generally aren'y because of the potential toxicity of the treatmnent in an elderly peson.

[Tiamat]

They had finally taken universal precautions. They had a bin outside the room with gloves, mask and the bio-hazard bags just in case. In the room they had the three tubs for trash, clothes, linens. When we left we took everything off and baged it up immediately and threw it away. They also have a posting to see the nurse and get a mask before entering that room. But they moved him last week to this new room which means they suspected it so why didn't they let us know then to be careful. Freeks!

But yeah, their doing something about it now finally.

[Dr Strangelove]

There are a couple of little things like accreditation and the State Boards of Health Professions that help folks who own nursing homes see the light. My guess is that they finally saw the light.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Tia in your career that you have choosen i hope to see you instill the use of universal precautions in handlign all of your patients. The simple solution and the basis of universal precautions means you should treat everyone as if they are infected, do not wait till you know if they are or are not. Example i worked with another nurse that i can say is one complete betch, she will not inform other healthcare workers if a patient has any diseases. she claims you dont need to know that information, and it violates patient confidentality. Being the nice person i am i told her to bite me and refuse to work with her. I told her when i first had to work that if i am sticking my hands in this mans body and handling sharps then i think it is my business. Well long story short when you have to work with asses like this you must treat every patient as if they were infected. caring for patients is never risk free, you are at the mercy of the what the patients are telling you is the truth, and by reading the patients chart. If you are caring for this patient you should be able to read the chart and see the patients medical history.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Originally posted by Gibsie


AIDS isn't a virus itself either..!

Given maybe 10% of people with the bacterium go on to develop the disease, I wouldn't call it as bad as things like HIV, really (Plus if it does develop, it won't necessarily kill you).

Ok now that we are nitpicking let me rephrase what i am trying to say, life changing illness whether it be a virius or a bacteria is subject to personal interpratation. The common cold can be caused by a virius but you dont go around saying i got a virus, you say i got a cold.
My point was once you have something like that you never get rid of it (HIV, Aids, TB, hepatitis, etc.) . You will carry it in your body the rest of your life, regardless if it kills you are not, or if it is a virius or bacteria. Herpes is a virus and i havent heard of any deaths by herpes but i wouldnt want to have it, so in that being said not all can kill and that wasnt my point, my point was i wouldnt want to have them and neither would most people.

[Dr Strangelove]

AIDS is a disease that results from infection with the HIV virus. While there may be a long latency between infection and development of the full blown syndrome to my knowledge virtually everybody infected with the virus gets the syndrome, the exception being that if chemotherapy can be iniitated within a few days of infection the virus can be killed and therefore the person does not develop the syndrome. By and large to say that AIDS is a virus is no more wrong than to say that chicken pox or measles is a virus. If you want to be a technical ****er yes, measles, chicken pox and AIDS are diseases which result from viral infection.

There are 3 different types of viral hepatitis not to mention other forms of hepatitis such as alcoholic hepatitis. The hepatitis A virus results in a generally short lived infection. Most healthy people will survive the virus and get rid of it. Hepatitis B infection results in a more severe infection. Up to 10% infected by hepatitis B may die, but most of those who survive get rid of the virus and do not develop chronic infection. Hepatitis C infection rarely results in an acute hepatitis, but the majority of people infected by hepatitis C develop chronic infection. Chronic Hepatitis C varies in pathogenicity from a mere minor abnormality of liver serology tests to a progressive form that eventually leads to liver failure and death.

People who are immune compromised can develop disseminated herpes infection which can be fatal. It is possible to develop a herpetic encephalitis.

[Gibsie]

Originally posted by Mrs. Tuberski

wordswordswords

The whole point of semantics is that we get your point, see what you mean and don't disagree. You don't need to rephrase your wording or get defensive like this, even if I am making silly semantic replies to minor technicalities

[Nikolai]

Poor you Tia, you seem to get all the bad things lately...

[Tiamat]

Life throws your curves you just have to bend with them. I have alot to be greatful for. I'm breathing, always a plus, kids may be a pain but their all healthy, new baby on the way, two beautiful grandaughters who are awesome, house, job, car that still drives even after if was wrecked, husband that puts up with me through everything and still loves me so all in all I say not to bad.

Some days are good and some days suck. That's life.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Originally posted by Gibsie


The whole point of semantics is that we get your point, see what you mean and don't disagree. You don't need to rephrase your wording or get defensive like this, even if I am making silly semantic replies to minor technicalities

sorry i have a uterus what can i say

[Urban Ranger]

Ill. Is that like cooties or something?