The Venting Thread

Ugh. Michael left this morning for field exercises for 2-3 weeks. I was all, "Oh, it's just a few weeks, no biggy!" Now I'm sitting at home watching TV and being mopey. Boo. This sucks.

Hopefully he'll get phone time in the next few days.

Siiiick

We sometimes joined in Chazaddicts -Facebook group but we were removed later from it for some reason. It would be nice if someone who knows told the reason for it. How can we come back there so that we could write there?

Ebola. Why wouldn't it come to cleveland. Everything else does!

Seriously!? If you are caring for a pt with a illness like that you would think traveling would not be on the to do list or they would assign them to someone else. Now everyone in the area she visited plus the 130 plus people closed in on the plane and all the people they are in contact with. And doesn't plane poop just get dumped in the air or something? Fbdnbfjcnfnc $&?!


Stop it people. Just stop it. CDC are idiots. Hospitals are idiots. ( literally extent of training at ours is a link to the cdc site on main hospital page). I'd quit today and stay home if I could afford it!!!

I found the article about the situation you're referring to, and they've glorified the headline making it sound like the woman flew on the plane already showing Ebola symptoms. The woman showed no symptoms on the flight. The primary issue with ebola is that the first symptom is usually just a fever. Fever presents in many illnesses, and ebola is so rare that it's still not the first thing on people's radar.

I wouldn't blame the individual woman for flying, IMO. Because it's spread through bodily fluids (and ONLY bodily fluids) I have a feeling most of the people on the aircraft are fine.

Honestly this ebola business is ridiculous. It's not Outbreak. We're in a developed country and people are notorious for freaking out over such things. Here in Ottawa we had a woman thrown into isolation for having a fever. Surprise! It wasn't ebola.

Yes it's a scary virus and yes some people are infected/have passed away in North America and yes that's sad and yes it's a concern... but I think we've all watched a few too many zombie flicks. We're going to be okay, guys.

I believe the health care workers were informed that they could travel while self monitoring after they cared for the patient. They were however advised not to travel by plane so that was her bad.

She was not symptomatic when she was traveling...the virus is contagious when the patient has symptoms only. The more sick the person, the more contagious they are as their viral load is higher.

I would not worry too much about any of this stuff at this point... we have had two people that got sick here in the US. In West Africa they have an epidemic with thousands of sick people, thousands of deaths, and not enough resources to deal with it all.

Any time anyone has gotten sick here it has been caught and monitored...

Deep breaths...and take the news media with a grain of salt

As Douglas Adams would say "Don't Panic"

Eh. I work in a hospital and thus see how things spread. All the supplies they could possibly need and these two get it. Does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Ten days between her being sick and flying, sure. Next day To close for comfort. Did she check herself for a low grade fever every day?

Problem is they are trying to make it sound like it is passed on like aids when it's not. It is transmitted much easier or all of these people would not have it. Lives outside the body etc. in reality it is here and scary.

If mrsa or cdiff were Ebola a lot of people would be dead. Those are both theoretically easy to stop the spread off illnesses. Yet they run rampant. So yes, it just making it into a hospital is terrifying to me. I guess it terrifies me even more some people think it's not a big deal and it's like getting the flu. This is not the flu.

No it is definitely not like getting a flu...

There has been discussion about the fact that there seems to have been a breakdown in safety protocols at that particular hospital. They were not ready or equipped to deal with what was handed them. I think that was obvious when they sent the initial patient home with antibiotics and missed the fact that he had traveled in Liberia.

There are only 4 facilities in the US that are equipped with full bio containment for a level 4 agent.

It is nowhere near as infectious as many other illnesses though. I would be more worried if it was one of the hemorrhagic viruses that have insect vectors like mosquitoes for example.

All in all I just think people should not panic or be too afraid at this point.

Have you seem what the nurses treating the guy were wearing for PPE? I wear more embalming than they did.

Have not. But I think they make them think it's no big deal. I have heard over and over standard precautions.

And now they are saying she did travel with a fever.

I think everywhere is very very poorly set up for this. Again, we have a link to the cdc about it. If we actually had a pt with it what happens? You can bet the ers will be full of possibles. Is each one kept separate with a private nurse because there are only so many rooms and so many staff members available.

You know, if the nurse traveled while she was not supposed to, I can't say I'm confident that they were... contentious about their PPE.

Rumor has it, this is one of the worst hospitals in Dallas.

They are taking the second nurse and moving her to Atlanta.

I am not sure if they are also moving Nina Pham. She has received serum from one of the previous and now healed patients. She was doing well last I heard.

I read that at least Nina Pham assisted in treating Duncan during not just one but two high risk procedures trying to save his life. It is at those points she was likely exposed somehow.

No place that has not experienced dealing with an agent that is level 3 or 4 would be completely ready I think.

I don't like the fear mongering and panic that is associated with so much of this.

The hospital did many things wrong starting the moment that Duncan first walked into their ER... but finger pointing and frightening people is not going to help. Educating and containing the problem is key.

Part of the containment problem in Africa was the fear and mistrust that prompted people to be violent towards the very medical workers that are trying to help remedy the situation.

Well, in the hospital's defense, Duncan lied and didn't tell anyone he'd been directly exposed to ebola. How many more people will be doing the same, just to get to the U.S. for treatment? Other countries around the world are banning travelers from infected areas, why can't we?
The CDC is taking, I think, a rather cavalier view of ebola. Did you see the photos of workers with no protective gear hosing down the area where Duncan vomited on the way to his car? People in the area were casually walking through the run-off. Shouldn't the CDC have had someone supervising that clean-up?

There is a lot of information flying about... a lots of people saying lots of different things it is hard to discern the truth at times.

Duncan mentioned he had traveled from Liberia...it was not communicated and got lost in the shuffle.

There is no doubt that the health workers or that hospital were not ready to deal with a disease like this. We never see illness like this in developed countries normally.

The CDC may not be doing enough... or doing enough fast enough... I agree with you on that. Our health professionals need to be told what to expect, what to look for, how to deal with it.

He deliberately neglected to say he'd been in direct contact with a woman who later died from ebola in Liberia. I do believe if he'd said that, they wouldn't have sent him home the first time. Mentioning he'd traveled from Liberia was a vague statement, especially with people who may not connect Liberia with ebola.

Actually there are a couple of different stories out there as to whether or not he was aware that he had been exposed to the virus. I have at least 3 different accounts from different sources.

It is no use to worry about it now... the poor guy died, and other people are fighting for their lives.

The next step is the zombie apocalypse dontcha know :/

This.
The panic spreading the news is doing makes me angry. Seriously.
With the right precautions, ebola isn't THAT easily spread. It IS being spread quickly in countries in Sierra Lione because of less education on ebola and because they don't have the facilities to treat and contain ebola as it should be.
Panic isn't going to help anyone - it may just make it worse. If everyone with just a fever is contained like they have ebola - people are going to stop seeking treatment.

I really hate living with a soul-sucking pessimistic person that shoots every single thing I have to say down with scathing negativity.

I thought by 23 you're supposed to start the realization that your mother was actually right about things, and you start to build a relationship beyond that "teenage angst" period. Nope.

I now know that everything I say is "stupid" or not worth talking about. K thanks mom.

My dad is what he calls a realist, but I think he is really a closet pessimist. He also shoots down every idea I have for my life if it doesn't sound like I can make money at it... there is more to life than making money, dad. mom is more open to my ideas.