Over the past several days whilst I've been home drinking lots of fluids, keeping Coke and Johnson & Johnson in business, I started thinking about how fast this bug infects. It is rather interesting (at least to me).
Last Friday a tiny little bugger, about knee high, wanted to hand me his hat... while the physician I shadowed talked to the mom, and not wanting the youngster to get loud and boisterous, I did what all moms (and good dads) do: kneeled down, helped him with his jacket, took his hat, gave it to him and then it happened. He sneezed all over me. Little shaver apologized and smiled with those big, sparkly blues... and full baby teeth mouth.
Make no mistake: I'm fastidious with keeping my hands clean, when I sneeze I cover my nose and mouth with either hand or elbow, and then wash my hands again. This little shaver though, gave me no opportunity to get away... cute little guy that he was.
It was less than 72 hours from that, to ... this. Which makes me wonder.
Is this virus that I have really H1N1? or is it something else like a cold? And if it really is H1N1 would vaccination after inception have stopped the onset? or made it worse? Also, is it possible that this is all coincidence, that I'd actually picked up the virus from the U, and it just happened that I got sick 3 days after shadowing?
Why should I care? Curiosity. There are things in life that make me wonder why, what could be done differently, would that change the outcome. In this particular case, I'd rather have given up my "friend" that's been with me for 6 days now. I could do without the scratchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat, inability to sleep (from throat pain)... however, I do not mind the lack of appetite!
Always a bright side! Make it a great day :)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
LOL, I Want MY Badge O'Courage (update)
This flu thing... yeah, not such great fun. I think even know which youngster gave it to me. It was very kind of him to want to play with me while the mom talked to the physician I traipse around after and then sneeze all over me. (unschlucking tongue from inside of my cheek) Poor little guy didn't know any better but I DID!
Hope none of you are getting this.
Ad2b is headed back to bed. Cheers!
Tweensy update:
After reading a bunch of articles on deaths of children and seemingly healthy adults who get the flu, I can understand the slight fear. No one wants to watch their child suffer, or worse, have them pass away, and no one understands why seemingly healthy populations pass.
It is not that they are unhealthy and the flu kills them, it is the secondary infections (generally, staph) that do. Staph always exists in the skin and in the human body. It is supposed to. The bacteria does good things when in check... but the flu, whacks the balance and the kooky staph goes nuts (you're welcome Chicka!).
Anyway, of all the deaths reviewed by me over the past 3 weeks (and honestly, that's not many, I'm not into necrology), all of the patients died due to complications from some other issue; asthma, obesity, heart disease, HIV, kidney disease, and other immuno-suppressant diseases.
So, for the most part, health adults who get this will be miserable. Sorry. It's not like the cold. As I told a friend of mine, it feels like a fire truck on a 3-alarm fire in my throat with a drunken construction worker operating a jackhammer on my head. And no, I didn't go to school today.
The things to watch for:
getting better and then suddenly changing direction and getting much worse (good to know as tonight the only real thing I feel is a sort throat, weird voice, runny nose, and sneezing)
difficulty breathing - gasping for air, unable to breathe (that is probably worthy of a 911 call)
I will watch for things as I'm hoping today was the worst.
As an aside, the day gave me time to prep for upcoming mid-term... now if I could learn to use the damn calculators that we're mandated to use, I'd be set. You know, if we're smart enough to program the dumb things, and get the right answer, don't you think we probably know the formulas and how to use as well? It would just save time.
At least that was the mantra in my master's program.
Hope none of you are getting this.
Ad2b is headed back to bed. Cheers!
Tweensy update:
After reading a bunch of articles on deaths of children and seemingly healthy adults who get the flu, I can understand the slight fear. No one wants to watch their child suffer, or worse, have them pass away, and no one understands why seemingly healthy populations pass.
It is not that they are unhealthy and the flu kills them, it is the secondary infections (generally, staph) that do. Staph always exists in the skin and in the human body. It is supposed to. The bacteria does good things when in check... but the flu, whacks the balance and the kooky staph goes nuts (you're welcome Chicka!).
Anyway, of all the deaths reviewed by me over the past 3 weeks (and honestly, that's not many, I'm not into necrology), all of the patients died due to complications from some other issue; asthma, obesity, heart disease, HIV, kidney disease, and other immuno-suppressant diseases.
So, for the most part, health adults who get this will be miserable. Sorry. It's not like the cold. As I told a friend of mine, it feels like a fire truck on a 3-alarm fire in my throat with a drunken construction worker operating a jackhammer on my head. And no, I didn't go to school today.
The things to watch for:
getting better and then suddenly changing direction and getting much worse (good to know as tonight the only real thing I feel is a sort throat, weird voice, runny nose, and sneezing)
difficulty breathing - gasping for air, unable to breathe (that is probably worthy of a 911 call)
I will watch for things as I'm hoping today was the worst.
As an aside, the day gave me time to prep for upcoming mid-term... now if I could learn to use the damn calculators that we're mandated to use, I'd be set. You know, if we're smart enough to program the dumb things, and get the right answer, don't you think we probably know the formulas and how to use as well? It would just save time.
At least that was the mantra in my master's program.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Patient Presents With...
scratchy eyes, scratchy throat, minor headache, rhinorrhea, watery eyes.
Thinking after all the cases of flu I saw whilst shadowing on Friday, I will be best served by staying home, in bed, drinking lots of fluid (diet coke!!) and taking Vit C with Cold-eeze. It would also seem prudent as passing it around the university might be a bad thing.
The whole "HAVE SWINE FLU" to me seems like an announcement or badge of courage in some weird sort of way. All the patients except one on Friday, probably just had garden variety flu but because of media hype over this man-made pathogen, they almost needed a badge of honor in saying they'd conquer it.
To be sure, swine flu can be fatal in certain populations but so can many other diseases. If your family member or friend has the flu, here are extremely adverse symptoms to watch for (courtesy of: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=99712&page=2):
Antiviral medications are available for persons 1 year of age and older. Ask your healthcare provider whether you need antiviral medication.
Thinking after all the cases of flu I saw whilst shadowing on Friday, I will be best served by staying home, in bed, drinking lots of fluid (diet coke!!) and taking Vit C with Cold-eeze. It would also seem prudent as passing it around the university might be a bad thing.
The whole "HAVE SWINE FLU" to me seems like an announcement or badge of courage in some weird sort of way. All the patients except one on Friday, probably just had garden variety flu but because of media hype over this man-made pathogen, they almost needed a badge of honor in saying they'd conquer it.
To be sure, swine flu can be fatal in certain populations but so can many other diseases. If your family member or friend has the flu, here are extremely adverse symptoms to watch for (courtesy of: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=99712&page=2):
Get medical care right away if the sick person at home:
- has difficulty breathing or chest pain
- has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
- is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
- has signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when they cry
- has seizures (for example, uncontrolled convulsions)
- is less responsive than normal or becomes confused
Antiviral medications are available for persons 1 year of age and older. Ask your healthcare provider whether you need antiviral medication.
Influenza infections can lead to or occur with bacterial infections. Therefore, some people will also need to take antibiotics. More severe or prolonged illness or illness that seems to get better, but then gets worse again may be an indication that a person has a bacterial infection. Check with your healthcare provider if you have concerns.
Warning! Do not give aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) to children or teenagers who have the flu; this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye's syndrome.
- Check ingredient labels on over-the-counter cold and flu medications to see if they contain aspirin.
- Teenagers with the flu can take medicines without aspirin, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) and ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, Nuprin®), to relieve symptoms.
- Children younger than 2 years of age should not be given over-the-counter cold medications without first speaking with a healthcare provider.
- The safest care for flu symptoms in children younger than 2 years of age is using a cool-mist humidifier and a suction bulb to help clear away mucus.
- Over-the-counter cold and flu medications used according to the package instructions may help lessen some symptoms such as cough and congestion. Importantly, these medications will not lessen how infectious a person is.
- Check the ingredients on the package label to see if the medication already contains acetaminophen or ibuprofen before taking additional doses of these medications—don't double dose! Patients with kidney disease or stomach problems should check with their health care provider before taking any NSAIDS.
Check with your health care provider or pharmacist if you are taking other over-the-counter or prescription medications not related to the flu.
As for me, I'm staying home getting my rest, buying my diet coke, and working on chem research. I'm praying this will pass rapidly and I can maybe wear my own badge of courage (or not)... in fact, I won't even bother the docs with a visit. Best to stay completely out of the public.Monday, October 26, 2009
CourtMeister Extraordinaire
Part of being an older, non-traditional pre-med is the somewhat continual "what am I thinking" and "how will my undergrad/younger peers accept me" quandary. Last semester, on my first day of school in 20 years, I was standing next to a young, cute, bubbly, tanned, toned, and funny blond. My first thought was "Oh God, she's not gonna care about our lab scores."
It is embarrassing. Stereotypes I was afraid of and yet, there I was stereotyping people myself.
Court, this is a shout out to the best lab partner ever!
I miss her camaraderie as we worked with our difficult and... something else, TA. I miss her ability to question why we were doing something and then pushing me to explain it to her ensuring we got the details right and our lab scores would subsequently, reflect that. I miss her ability to say, "J, you can do this. You're smart, don't forget that." I miss her ability to flick numbers out on her calculator. Truly, if they had Olympiads for calculator button pushing, she'd win that too, hands down. I miss her creativity on the dreaded poster project.
Last semester we did a research paper/poster on penicillin (she even let me pick). I put together the research paper, she was the very creative brains behind our project. She, le gasp, wanted to add glitter to our poster. She had some other really creative ideas to make everything stand out and included my want of building the penicillin molecule out of styrofoam balls, paint, and toothpicks with a protractor to get bond angles set properly.
We won. Creativity, research, overall. I could not have done it alone... and yet, this semester, I am. I miss Court.
My lab partners this semester are very nice, very polite and at times, they allow me to be just a student and laugh with them (or tell stories of my drunken youth). However, they are not as cautious, or careful in lab, or detailed. I'm often left trying to clean up after them (as a mom should, I suppose), trying to get them to measure properly and accurately, and making sure we are done on time. I end up doing most of the computer work as Excel is 2nd nature to me. I end up doing most of the calculations as ... well, I'm just anal.
Court is, by far, one of the most conscientious and hard working students I have met. It explains her high GPA... and for privacy reasons, I won't say what it is but I know.
So, here's another shout out to the lab partner I wish I could carry with me all the way through med school and just in case you read this:
Court, you can still be surgeon! You can still major in chem, join me in med school.
How 'bout it?! :D
It is embarrassing. Stereotypes I was afraid of and yet, there I was stereotyping people myself.
Court, this is a shout out to the best lab partner ever!
I miss her camaraderie as we worked with our difficult and... something else, TA. I miss her ability to question why we were doing something and then pushing me to explain it to her ensuring we got the details right and our lab scores would subsequently, reflect that. I miss her ability to say, "J, you can do this. You're smart, don't forget that." I miss her ability to flick numbers out on her calculator. Truly, if they had Olympiads for calculator button pushing, she'd win that too, hands down. I miss her creativity on the dreaded poster project.
Last semester we did a research paper/poster on penicillin (she even let me pick). I put together the research paper, she was the very creative brains behind our project. She, le gasp, wanted to add glitter to our poster. She had some other really creative ideas to make everything stand out and included my want of building the penicillin molecule out of styrofoam balls, paint, and toothpicks with a protractor to get bond angles set properly.
We won. Creativity, research, overall. I could not have done it alone... and yet, this semester, I am. I miss Court.
My lab partners this semester are very nice, very polite and at times, they allow me to be just a student and laugh with them (or tell stories of my drunken youth). However, they are not as cautious, or careful in lab, or detailed. I'm often left trying to clean up after them (as a mom should, I suppose), trying to get them to measure properly and accurately, and making sure we are done on time. I end up doing most of the computer work as Excel is 2nd nature to me. I end up doing most of the calculations as ... well, I'm just anal.
Court is, by far, one of the most conscientious and hard working students I have met. It explains her high GPA... and for privacy reasons, I won't say what it is but I know.
So, here's another shout out to the lab partner I wish I could carry with me all the way through med school and just in case you read this:
Court, you can still be surgeon! You can still major in chem, join me in med school.
How 'bout it?! :D
Swine Flu
Straight out of Scotland... "Blame the bloody tourists"... haha. Trust me, this is cute and the satire, innuendo, and commentary bloody spot on.
We studied H1N1 in biochem and learned concepts that are not being addressed by the media.
Each year flu vaccines are created based upon those flu types being found in the southern hemisphere 6 months to 1 year earlier. In that flu vaccine this year, there was a component for H1N1 HOWEVER it was not for "swine flu" variety. The second vaccine that came out this year, the one that is in short supply, is created specifically for swine flu, or a different strain of the exact H1N1 virus.
What's the difference?
Think of H1N1 like a 2-story colonial house. Then picture 10 of them on the same street, each one with a different roof line and material type. To fix each one of those roofs would take a different type of material and/or plans. With each one of the roofs equating to H1N1, and the materials to fix roofs equating to antibodies, it can be seen then, that not one type of antibody will fix all types of H1N1 (or roofs).
On Friday, whilst shadowing the physician I think I saw 20 cases of H1N1. Common threaded advice?
Stay home. Wash your hands. Keep hydrated. Don't go back to work/school until 24 hours AFTER the last temperature.
If the Scottish video didn't crack a smile, maybe this will (kudos to Billy Joel for making the base song in the 80's).
We studied H1N1 in biochem and learned concepts that are not being addressed by the media.
Each year flu vaccines are created based upon those flu types being found in the southern hemisphere 6 months to 1 year earlier. In that flu vaccine this year, there was a component for H1N1 HOWEVER it was not for "swine flu" variety. The second vaccine that came out this year, the one that is in short supply, is created specifically for swine flu, or a different strain of the exact H1N1 virus.
What's the difference?
Think of H1N1 like a 2-story colonial house. Then picture 10 of them on the same street, each one with a different roof line and material type. To fix each one of those roofs would take a different type of material and/or plans. With each one of the roofs equating to H1N1, and the materials to fix roofs equating to antibodies, it can be seen then, that not one type of antibody will fix all types of H1N1 (or roofs).
On Friday, whilst shadowing the physician I think I saw 20 cases of H1N1. Common threaded advice?
Stay home. Wash your hands. Keep hydrated. Don't go back to work/school until 24 hours AFTER the last temperature.
If the Scottish video didn't crack a smile, maybe this will (kudos to Billy Joel for making the base song in the 80's).
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