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Thread: Life on the front line.

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by soulman101 View Post
    You and your fellow front line colleagues are doing us all proud , big thank you from us. Match tickets on me if you ever get the chance to come over.
    Thanks Lloyd but you would never get me parting with my hard earned money to watch footballers. I take note that they have not attempted to make a stand with the people who usually watch them week in and week out. Just how many millions does a person need in a bank account. Football was dying before C-19.
    It looks very unhealthy now.

  2. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Dubbag View Post
    So last week we were told what to expect. Over the course of the last 14 days or so...plans have been drawn up to deal with this Virus, COVID19. Our hospital normally holds 21 ICU beds. We have plans to go to 100 plus over the next few weeks a this unfolds. The hospital has cleared many beds in order to deal with this. On Monday when I returned back to work, we had one suspect show up in our ICU. All PPE applies to such cases until tests results come back...which can take a few hours or a day....I was involved with clearing out an adjacent ward that holds10 beds..whcih we began to convert into an ICU ward. Medical gas, suction points. infusion stands and medical pumps have to be set up at each space as well as the much sought after ventilators. Plus computers and intell needs to be quickly installed to bring an ordinary ward up to scratch. New beds have to be ordered along with everything else... but as Mr Ben you say...."as if by magic a shopkeeper appeared" and so money is no longer in short supply across the world.
    By state of play on leaving on Monday night...our one patient had been confirmed positive and another 3 needed ICU treatment and were on there way in to us.

    On arriving in yesterday morning...we had six patients isolated and awaiting test results...all were subsequently positive.
    This is where is get dangerous....while patients can come in breathing by themselves....it appears to be the quickness of deterioration that has caught the world of guard with this virus. In the space of three hours all six were not only positive but on life support...and immediately been proned. The word from other wards was that another 4 were needing ICU beds quickly. And so it begins. We immediately had an issue with PPE gear...not enough masks to be worn each time...Not good. Hopefully that will be addressed. Proning takes about 5 staff and involves turning the patient on to there stomach for about 16 hours to helps relieve the lungs and stop them from filling up to quickly with fluids. But because the patient is tubed...you need to be careful that the circuit doesn't break in the process ans spew virus droplets everywhere....so PPE stuff is ***** for us....Working fully gowned to the eyeballs and in heat is not ideal but it could be worse...it could be Ebola in a really really hot country...So shouldn't grumble.....The water is trickling around our feet at the moment.....but rising.......we shall see how it goes!!
    Stay well and envoy your life....
    Respect Dubs. Respect

  3. #23
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    So.....we are certainly closing in on suppression of COVID-19 over here. Our hospital ICU has remained below the increased capacity of beds thus far. A huge effort by all concerned, especially the public at large. Compliance has been close to near total...considering this is not an army exercise but lots of civilians spread over our island. Transmission is at or about 0.7 which is fantastic as it was up around 4.2 at the start.
    Without doubt, closing down Patrick day celebration and pubs very early was a massive course correction in dealing with this virus..
    Many make comparisons with the seasonal flu....this is not a good analogy. This is much more contagious then flu.
    The headline death rates that are announced by countries on a daily bases are crude at best...Most only include hospitals related COVID deaths. If you die from the virus in a nursing home it goes unrecorded in the national figures. Also we have noticed that a patient with C-19 and dies may not necessarily have died from C-19. So it will take time to figure out the correct way.
    But it appears at this stage from over here the figure is quite largely under pronounced.

    Reading comments and talking to people in general....I find that the understanding around this virus is still not properly understood at large.
    A lot of countries are looking at unwinding the lock downs across the world, which has to happen. But life will be very different. Listening to pub owners over here...they think only a few people may be allowed in at a time, depending on how big the place is. Most mass gathering events are not even close to opening up.
    Coumo in New York is kind of right...its only half time...I would say more like first quarter ending. We may not have reached the peak yet...that looks like months away but we are getting more honest and truthful information on the workings of this novel virus.
    One microbiologist over here at a local ward round briefing...said we have done well to suppress this, considering nobody in the world was remotely ready for it.
    We have bought a few months...we better use it wisely....cause this aint going away and because it is a novel virus, nobody really knows what it may do next or how it may adapt to human contact. And there lies the danger....COMPLACENCY
    PPE has been the biggest issue for front line health workers....There just hasn't been enough. Staff are dying because of inadequate PPE.
    One use items are been reused over and over again......the fibers in these masks deteriorates and you end up inhaling fibers which gives you a nasty coughs.......Anyway all that said, life is good. Got myself a new Swag tent the other day online. Slept out in the back garden the other night.....pure bliss....
    Stay well.....

  4. #24
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    Well since my last post ...thing have taken a turn for the better....Thanks to the compliance of the general population...we never hit an Italian or Spanish like surge. Back in March...when we got our first C-19 patients it looked ominous...but we sustained a medium level below our increased ICU capacity and never went higher then about 60% by my reckoning....
    While it was busy and certainly uncomfortable with the PPE, it was manageable. We had a number of our own local staff out sick and a few hospitalized but thankfully nobody died....so far.As I write we are seeing the fruits of our extreme lockdown coming to fruition. Less people are presenting to hospitals now then before and total ICU admittance is now below a crucial number for over here...And most significantly...the transmission "rate" is below .5 and falling. We begin to ease some restrictions this Tuesday (Bank holiday this weekend here) but the general lockdown has been extended by another two weeks...There is a map ahead for opening up the economy but post virus...so many businesses will struggle to reopen and even fail. But others will grow.
    On a more optimistic note as well....it would appear the the virus is not re contactable after once having contacted it. This was a worry for the medical scientists investigating the virus..so far. It appears that many of those such cases from China, Japan and S Korea were false negative results. The tests didn't pick up that the virus was in its shedding phase rather then its active phase.....which is also a worry, regarding testing.

    I have noticed this even in our ICU...where someone tested comes back as a double negative...only to be proven to be positive through a Bronc Scope test. This highlights the fallibility of some tests. Many are done to hit number targets without been accurate...Don't mind scammers out there trying to get your bank details (although be mindful of them as well)but be careful about buying home testing kits.
    Anyway...we are now leaving the suppression stage...however the next stages are the harder ones to confront...
    But such is life...or death...
    Last edited by Dubbag; 03-05-2020 at 11:07 AM.

  5. #25
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    Nice one Dubbag, keep up the great work.

    Do you think the wearing of masks will help after lockdown as is being made compulsory on public transport in some Countries?

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by BaggieBlood View Post
    Nice one Dubbag, keep up the great work.

    Do you think the wearing of masks will help after lockdown as is being made compulsory on public transport in some Countries?
    When we are the patient's bedside and working closely with them we are suppose to be using the PP3 masks which are a specific test fitting type of mask for the individual. After about two days of the pandemic...we were out of those masks. We were supplied with a substitute PP3 mask. There is a tight seal around the mouth and nasal openings with PP3. When away from the patient bedside, in other words when we are in general walking on the corridors in the between wards...it is mandatory to wear a face mask covering to prevent spreading any droplets should you cough or sneeze. Yes the loose mask may not prevent you from being infected...but it can reduce the virus from spreading further then it other wise would without a mask...

    I think the bull shyte you hear about the science doesn't prove it...is just that..BS. When I see the micro biology people wearing masks all the time...then thats enough for me...These guys know...this is highly contagious, more so then the Flu virus. I have worn a face mask for some time because I cycle around and the pollution is quite bad at times....I certainly would be using one when restriction are lifted....The Virus is still novel......so no one really knows the next step...there is no guide book for this...
    But one thing is for sure...the only person really concerned for my well being is me...not some Government agent bureaucrat, who doesn't know me nor cares less about me....
    Clearly this is an unscientific response..just someone watching and involved in the front line each day...

    One last thing....BB, we have infection control people working in the hospital who come down on you if they see any kind of bad practice...we have realms of good practice guide protocols to read through which are updated all the time...and yet when the PPE became an issue they were happy to change protocol at the drop of hat. Hardly our best interests at heart... Over in the UK..it was shocking to see the national health guidelines bent out of shape ...in telling doctors and nurses and in genera front line staff..that you could you "Single Use Only" more then once????
    Remember that!!

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dubbag View Post
    When we are the patient's bedside and working closely with them we are suppose to be using the PP3 masks which are a specific test fitting type of mask for the individual. After about two days of the pandemic...we were out of those masks. We were supplied with a substitute PP3 mask. There is a tight seal around the mouth and nasal openings with PP3. When away from the patient bedside, in other words when we are in general walking on the corridors in the between wards...it is mandatory to wear a face mask covering to prevent spreading any droplets should you cough or sneeze. Yes the loose mask may not prevent you from being infected...but it can reduce the virus from spreading further then it other wise would without a mask...

    I think the bull shyte you hear about the science doesn't prove it...is just that..BS. When I see the micro biology people wearing masks all the time...then thats enough for me...These guys know...this is highly contagious, more so then the Flu virus. I have worn a face mask for some time because I cycle around and the pollution is quite bad at times....I certainly would be using one when restriction are lifted....The Virus is still novel......so no one really knows the next step...there is no guide book for this...
    But one thing is for sure...the only person really concerned for my well being is me...not some Government agent bureaucrat, who doesn't know me nor cares less about me....
    Clearly this is an unscientific response..just someone watching and involved in the front line each day...

    One last thing....BB, we have infection control people working in the hospital who come down on you if they see any kind of bad practice...we have realms of good practice guide protocols to read through which are updated all the time...and yet when the PPE became an issue they were happy to change protocol at the drop of hat. Hardly our best interests at heart... Over in the UK..it was shocking to see the national health guidelines bent out of shape ...in telling doctors and nurses and in genera front line staff..that you could you "Single Use Only" more then once????
    Remember that!!
    As always very informative thanks Dubs.

    Is there a mask you’d recommend for Joe Public that we can use safely day after without having to constantly buy a replacement?

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by mickd1961 View Post
    As always very informative thanks Dubs.

    Is there a mask you’d recommend for Joe Public that we can use safely day after without having to constantly buy a replacement?
    The material in most disposable masks begins to deteriorate after about two hours of use. This is due to the increased moisture content from your constant exhaling which causes the fibers to degrade. A more robust face mask can still be a problem. The more washable mask has a more water resistant material in them but they prevent your exhaled air from clearing quickly through the fibers. You can actually and do feel more lite headed after a while with these masks. If you are exerting yourself...then they are more uncomfortable then the cheaper one.
    You have to also remember that the virus can enter through the eyes as well as the nasal passages and mouth.
    Short answer Mick...try get the PP3 masks...get a few of them. But they are in very short supply at the minute.

  9. #29
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    Off work for a few days now and the weather is super over here. I usually go for a good walk in the Phoenix Park which is close by. I have run there for all my marathons over the years and it is quite enjoyable to have time walking and exploring this park which is the biggest walled garden in Europe.
    A discovery I made recently, may be of interest to some of you out there......regarding the Hawthorn tree. This beautiful low growing tree is in bloom about now and has a rather delicate white flower growing on its gnarled spiked branches...not to be mixed up with Blackthorn, which flowers earlier in the late Spring. The flower on the Hawthorn is quite pungent and many on smelling it find it rather offensive....

    Here in Ireland...this tree is steeped in folklore of the little people or leprechauns of ancient times, ancient folklore like King Arthur, which may have some shred of truth in the mysts of time. The Hawthorn had a bad reputation with the local population and many believed the tree marked an entry/exit spot for the Spirit world of the unseen. Magical, mystical tradition still pervades the countryside over here. So much so...that you will often see The Hawthorn tree solitary growing in the middle of a crop field. These trees will have been left undisturbed for centuries as they tend to drop seeds close by. In the Phoenix Park ther is a cluster of them in ground that is left alone by the grounds staff..

    Of interest for its bad omen in Irish folklore is the belief that the pungent smell associated with the flower was similar to rotten flesh! Interestingly enough, the Irish wake centuries ago, often involved the body lieing in the house for a week or more owing to the distances family and clan members had to travel back then. Mostly on foot. By the end of the week the body had begun to decompose and the smell was said to be similar to the Hawthorn flower. Even more interesting a fact about that, is that the flower has a unique chemical that attracts mainly carrion insects, such as flies, to help the Hawthorn tree in pollination. A rose by any other name I guess.

    I for one believe that there was a lot of wisdom lost from our ancestors through a loss of transmission value placed on the oral transmission. We have lost a lot of knowledge because of this...but some stories still never really go away...they are permanently etched into our subconscious mind... One final note.....I actually like the smell of the flower...so next time you pass one have a closer look. Mind you...be quick, there isn't much time left for the flower in bloom....

  10. #30
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    I already have masks ordered some weeks ago but if I have to wear one it will only be to make other people feel better. Masks are not a good idea unless they are actually good enough to catch the tiny Covid virus which I suspect 99% aren't. I can also go all day without touching my face but with a mask I'll be messing with it every 5 minutes. Masks are NOT a good idea. They harbour germs.

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