I just read a disturbing article over the weekend that kind of grossed me out! I know I will definitely be asking any doctor I see from now on to wash their hands! My family doctor is very good at doing this because she always washes her hands in front of her patients before she examines them. But according to this article, that isn’t happening as often as we have thought.
In the article, The Dirty Truth About Docs Who Don’t Wash, health writer JoNel Aleccia had this to say:
It’s a question no hospital patient should have to ask: “Hey, doc, did you wash your hands?”
But in an era of rising rates of drug-resistant infections and overburdened medical staffs, hygiene experts say the best-protected patients are those willing to take safety into their own hands — by asking health workers to wash theirs.
Doctors, nurses and other hospital staffer too busy, too distracted — or, sometimes, too arrogant — to wash up are the target of a growing movement aimed at cutting rates of hospital-acquired infections that kill nearly 100,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to federal estimates.
Studies show that hospital staff wash their hands approximately half of the time and some hospitals post hand hygiene rates as low as 20% when they start investigating the problems. Isn’t that scary?
A University of Pennsylvania public health researcher says that they are now making the connection between people dying of MRSA due to the lack of hygiene and handwashing. Another scary thought.
Workers claim the reasons they do not wash their hands regularly is due to lack of time, they forget, or they feel because they wear gloves they don’t have to.
National guidelines state that healthcare workers are supposed to use an alcohol-based hand cleaner or soap with warm water, scrubbing for at least 15 seconds, before and after direct contact with every patient. These rules also apply to handling excretions and contaminated surfaces or objects.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
I received a nice comment from a lady who has a rare disease called Porphyria. I had never heard of this illness, so I emailed her to find out more. So that’s what today’s chronic illness post is about!
Porphyria is a rare genetic metabolic disease that affects the blood and liver but can also affect numerous other organs too. Porphyria affects less than 200,000 people in the United States. The illness is caused by faulty genes, so you cannot catch Porphyria from someone like you could a cold. Porphyria is actually not considered one single disease, but a group of approximately eight disorders that differ from each other a great deal. According to the American Porphyria Foundation:
A common feature in all porphyrias is the accumulation in the body of “porphyrins” or “porphyrin precursors.” Although these are normal body chemicals, they normally do not accumulate. Precisely which of these chemicals builds up depends upon the type of porphyria.
The clinical manifestations of the different types of porphyria are not the same. Forms of treatment also depend on the type of porphyria. Therefore, it is difficult to make general statements that apply to all these disorders.
The symptoms arise mostly from effects on the nervous system or the skin. Effects on the nervous system occur in the acute porphyrias. Proper diagnosis is often delayed because the symptoms are nonspecific. Skin manifestations can include burning, blistering, and scarring of sun-exposed areas.
The terms “porphyrin” and “porphyria” are derived from the Greek word “porphyrus” meaning purple. Urine from some porphyria patients may be reddish in color due to the presence of excess porphyrins and related substances in the urine, and the urine may darken after exposure to light.
Forms of Porphyria
- Acute Intermittent Porphyria
- Variegate Porphyria
- Hereditary Coproporphyria
- Protoporphyria
- Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
- Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria
- ALA-D Porphyria
Symptoms
Symptoms of Porphyria depend on the form of the disease a person has. This list does not include all of the symptoms experienced by these patients and the group of symptoms among patients can vary.
- Urine color changes
Darkened urine
Nerve complication symptoms
Chest pain
Abdominal pain
Muscle cramps
Muscle weakness
Hallucinations
Seizures
Depression
Anxiety
Paranoia
High blood pressure
Rapid pulse
Fever
Skin complication symptoms
Skin blisters
Skin itching
Skin swelling
Sun sensitivity
Photosensitivity
Paresthesias
Hair growth abnormalities
Skin pigment changes
Gastrointestinal upset
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Nausea
Constipation
Diagnosis
All forms of Porphyria are rare so the disease is often misdiagnosed. Diagnosis is made through analysis of urine, blood, or stool samples, and tests must often be conducted at a specialized facility. In addition, the samples to be tested should be collected during a suspected attack, they must be stored properly, and multiple tests may be necessary.
Treatment
Treatments for Porphyria depend on the form of the illness the patient has. Most commonly used treatments include:
Complications
Prognosis
Porphyrias are life-long diseases with symptoms that come and go. Some forms of the disease cause more symptoms than others. Proper treatment and avoidance of triggers can help reduce the time between attacks.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
When you suffer from a chronic illness, you not only need help with the physical aspects of the disease, but also the mental. Being chronically ill is very stressful and the psychological effects can worsen the physical symptoms.
There are still a lot of doctors and skeptics out there who do not believe in some of the chronic illnesses people suffer from (Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, for example) and they attribute their illness to psychological problems. So please don’t misunderstand what I am saying when I say that chronically ill people have psychological effects from their illness. The physical symptoms come first, then after being sick for a while is when the depression, inability to handle stress, etc. come into play.
This to me is where the Internet has been a wonderful resource. When you are first diagnosed with a chronic illness, you think that there is no one else in the world who could possibly understand what it is like. But then when you start finding support groups on the Internet for your illness, you realize that there are many people out there like you. With support like this, you realize that you are not alone, what you are feeling is validated because others are experiencing the exact same symptoms and emotional feelings.
I do have to caution that you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet and it is not wise to try and diagnose yourself or take medical advice as gospel. But support groups are great because it is people just like you and me sharing their experiences, talking about what helps and what doesn’t.
Also finding websites or blogs that are written by patients are helpful. I would personally rather sit down to read a blog on the chronic illnesses that I suffer from by someone else who suffers from the same thing. I don’t want to read a doctor’s website or a scientific website about the illness. I want to read about what someone else is experiencing, day to day, living with the illness. This to me is also where I find support.
If you have just been diagnosed with a chronic illness, start researching online and look for online support groups that you can join and be a part of. Also check your local newspaper to see if there are any groups that meet weekly or monthly for your illness.
Counseling is also another way to learn how to deal with chronic illness. I have been through counseling a couple of times and it has helped a great deal.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
British researchers have determined in a study that birth control pills can protect women from ovarian cancer for 30 plus years after they discontinue their use. So far, over 100,000 ovarian cancer deaths have been prevented worldwide due to birth control pill use.
Ovarian cancer is more common after age 50, but the researchers the longer women stay on the pill the lower their risk of developing the disease becomes.
Valerie Beral of the University of Oxford and colleagues wrote in their report:
“Worldwide the pill has already prevented 200,000 women from developing cancer of the ovary and has prevented 100,000 deaths from the disease. The findings are the strongest evidence yet of the benefits of the pill when it comes to ovarian cancer, and show the protection lasts far longer than people had thought.”
The research examined 45 studies on ovarian cancer in 21 countries and these results showed that the benefits outweigh the risks. The risk of getting breast cancer while taking the pill is much smaller and that risk goes away once women stop taking the pill, according to Beral.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
Australian researchers are reporting that weight loss surgery (adjustable banding) can reverse Type 2 diabetes in people.
The Journal of the American Medical Association says in the report that:
Complete remission of diabetes at 2 years was achieved in 73% of the patients in the LAGB group vs only 13% of those in the medical/behavioral therapy group.
The obese diabetes patients who had the LAGB procedure were more than five times more likely to see their diabetes resolve than people who relied solely on lifestyle changes.
Lap-Band Surgery has become popular as an alternative and less invasive surgery to the typical gastric bypass. With the LAGB surgery, a silicone band with an inflatable inner balloon is placed around the upper part of the stomach, effectively reducing the capacity of the stomach.
The band ensures a feeling of fullness after ingesting only a small amount of food. And because the band controls the passage of food to the rest of your digestive tract, the feeling will continue for several hours after a meal, thereby reducing the urge to eat between meals. The tightness of the gastric band can be adjusted by means of injecting fluid into or out of it through an access device, located under the skin of the abdomen. This adjustment is a simple procedure and can be done on an outpatient basis.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
Blocked arteries deprive the heart of needed blood and causes chest pain which can lead to a heart attack. Bypass surgery reroutes blood vessels to detour around the blockages. Stents are an alternative that have been used to keep the clogged arteries open. Angioplasty is another alternative used where a balloon is pushed into the blood vessel and inflated to flatten the clog.
Latest studies published today in the New England Journal of Medicine report that bypass surgery remains the best treatment option for those who have more than one clogged artery. The study compared bypass with drug-coated stent procedures. The research was hoping to find that the less-invasive stent procedure would be just as effective as a bypass surgery for those with multiple blockages.
The study found that the death rate and heart attacks were less in those who had bypass surgery compared to the patients who had angioplasty and stents. Stents are mesh cylinders that are coated with drugs to keep the vessels from clogging.
These drug-coated stents have revolutionized the heart medical world because they are much more effective than the old metal stents that were used. Over 6 million people have had stents placed worldwide. But sales have been hurt in the past year by safety concerns and studies questioning the value of angioplasty itself for certain patients.
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
I have written several articles that are published online regarding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Just click the links below to read them!
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Articles
Fibromyalgia Articles
CFS & Fibromyalgia Articles Combined
I have a post on my Fighting Fatigue blog this morning that will probably anger many Fibromyalgia patients. I had found online yesterday a post by a woman who does not believe in Fibromyalgia. You will not believe some of her remarks. Click below to read my post:
Another Fibro Skeptic - Ignorance Is Not Bliss!
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
Health news from London yesterday states that a recent study shows that work related stress can in fact kill you. The study provided evidence that work-related stress raises the person’s risk of developing heart disease by disrupting the body’s internal systems. People who were under severe pressure and demands at work had a 68% higher chance of developing heart disease. The link was strongest with people under the age of 50.
The 12-year study included more than 10,000 British civil servants. Their stress levels were measured by researchers who asked them questions about their job demands: how much control they had at work, how often breaks were taken, how pressed for time they were during the day. The findings also revealed that stress-induced biological changes may play a more direct role in developing further health issues (I could have told them that and I’m not even a doctor!).
Tarani Chandola, an epidemiologist at University College London who led the study said:
“This is the first large-scale population study looking at the effects of stress measured from everyday working life on heart disease. One of the problems is people have been skeptical whether work stress really affects a person biologically.”
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
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