[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

[Smoove_B]

I know it sounds gross, but it's the eyeball equivalent of when you put lotion on dry, cracked skin. It just feels so damn good.

[Daehawk]

I wondered why they would give you teat duct plugs if your eyes were already too dry. Now I know. Hmm.

Also...

There's still no remedy for floaters.

Actually there is. They suck out your old floater fluid and replace it with new synthetic stuff. I have floaters and looked into it. Ill pass. But it was a good read on it.

A fibreoptic illuminator is used to light the inside of the eye during the operation. The vitreous gel is replaced by either saline solution, air, or gas, all of which are replaced by the eyes own fluid over time. The vitreous does not grow back and the eye is able to function well without it.

[Isgrimnur]

Vitrectomy

Three tiny openings are made in the sclera and delicate instruments are inserted into the eye. Vitreous cutters, forceps and scissors remove the vitreous gel and scar tissue that’s growing on the surface of the retina. A fibreoptic illuminator is used to light the inside of the eye during the operation.

The vitreous gel is replaced by either saline solution, air, or gas, all of which are replaced by the eyes own fluid over time. The vitreous does not grow back and the eye is able to function well without it. Sometimes, silicone oil or heavy liquid is inserted into the vitreous cavity at the end of the procedure and this will require another operation for its removal at a later date. Occasionally, a silicone band is encircled around the eyeball to assist with reattachment of the retina.

[Daehawk]

[Kraken]

My wife had them inserted 5+ years ago and we'd joke she had implants. I think they helped for a really short time, but then stopped working.

I can't cure your dry eyes, but I can recommend OTC Retaine eye drops. It feels like you're putting lotion on your eyeballs - it's amazing. Definitely get some.

Oooo, pricey. I reckon I'd only use those at bedtime. Will try them, though. I mostly use Thera Tears and Systain. For awhile I was gluing my eyelids shut with some kind of gel at night...probably ought to start doing that again.

Vitrectomy

Three tiny openings are made in the sclera and delicate instruments are inserted into the eye. Vitreous cutters, forceps and scissors remove the vitreous gel and scar tissue that’s growing on the surface of the retina. A fibreoptic illuminator is used to light the inside of the eye during the operation.

The vitreous gel is replaced by either saline solution, air, or gas, all of which are replaced by the eyes own fluid over time. The vitreous does not grow back and the eye is able to function well without it. Sometimes, silicone oil or heavy liquid is inserted into the vitreous cavity at the end of the procedure and this will require another operation for its removal at a later date. Occasionally, a silicone band is encircled around the eyeball to assist with reattachment of the retina.

My floaters would need to get a lot worse before I'd undergo that. They're a damned nuisance in both eyes, but not a suck-out-your-eyeball-juice level of nuisance.

[Smoove_B]

Oooo, pricey. I reckon I'd only use those at bedtime. Will try them, though. I mostly use Thera Tears and Systain. For awhile I was gluing my eyelids shut with some kind of gel at night...probably ought to start doing that again.

Yeah, we've used all that and Retaine is still the best. She went to a dry-eye specialist and they said to use a warm compress each night as well - an eye mask that help keep your glands open and functioning. It's just an eye mask filled with rice or something that applies warm heat. Between the eye drops and daily eye masking before bed time, it's made a huge difference.

[Alefroth]

The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye)

Now that's funny!

Glad to hear it's not too serious.

[Isgrimnur]

SCIENCE!

The Nobel Committee has awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, one of the most common causes of liver cancer. The prize was given to Harvey Alter of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH); Michael Houghton of the University of Alberta, Edmonton; and Charles Rice of Rockefeller University.
...
Half a century ago, doctors knew that recipients of blood transfusions were at higher risk of liver disease, and in 1967, Baruch Blumberg, also at NIH, discovered the hepatitis B virus, which won him one half of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. But hepatitis B did not explain all of the cases of hepatitis seen in patients who had a blood transfusion. This year’s Nobel laureates did work over 3 decades to identify the hepatitis C virus, show it was responsible for most of the unexplained cases of hepatitis in blood transfusions, and make it possible to screen blood donations for the virus.

[WYBaugh]

Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.

That is so good. I had a vitreous detachment, followed by a torn retina that finished with me being blind in my left eye.

Always take the eye shit seriously.

[dbt1949]

When I go to the doctor I would much rather him /her find nothing wrong than find something wrong.

[Jeff V]

When I go to the doctor I would much rather him /her find nothing wrong than find something wrong.

The surprising thing is they find a fossilized spleen to be a perfectly normal condition.

[Daehawk]

Oh for fucks sake. The town is still having the Halloween party. They've had a Halloween Block Party for 30 years or more. I remember Little Richard being here lol. We never went. Its usually centered around the center few blocks of town. Draws about 18,000 tightly packed people and 50 vendors. So how are they going to keep people safe from COVID this year? Why expand the area to the entire town area of course. The old part. So instead of a tightly packed 4 blocks now they will have a packed 8 blocks or 10. Supposedly this will spread everyone out. #%^#$%^%# This is why we cant have nice things..humans are stupid as dirt and greedy.

They only expect 20,000 this year.

[em2nought]

Oh for fucks sake. The town is still having the Halloween party. They've had a Halloween Block Party for 30 years or more. I remember Little Richard being here lol. We never went. Its usually centered around the center few blocks of town. Draws about 18,000 tightly packed people and 50 vendors. So how are they going to keep people safe from COVID this year? Why expand the area to the entire town area of course. The old part. So instead of a tightly packed 4 blocks now they will have a packed 8 blocks or 10. Supposedly this will spread everyone out. #%^#$%^%# This is why we cant have nice things..humans are stupid as dirt and greedy.

They only expect 20,000 this year.

Relax, average life expectancy is only going down by one year as opposed to the Spanish Flu which dropped it by eleven years. There might just be fewer deaths in America in 2020 than there were in 2018. If that's the case I hope we don't decide that we have to wear masks for all eternity because they cut down on other disease spread as well? ...or maybe it was the extreme hand washing? I know I've at least quadrupled my liquid hand soap use this year.

[Blackhawk]

Bullshit is bullshit.

[The Meal]

I hope we don't decide that we have to wear masks for all eternity

I hope we decide to respect our fellow humans as much as Asian cultures do.

[Daehawk]

I just got my flu shot. Its the first time the pharmacy lobby inside has been open since about Feb.

[Max Peck]

It looks likely that Ontario is rolling back to a modified Stage 2 un-reopening (reclosing?) for the next 4 weeks in the current hot spots, including here in Ottawa.

Ontario reported 939 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday — its highest-ever daily number of new cases.

It is also the second day in a row the province is seeing record-breaking daily figures, trumping the previous record of 797 set Thursday. Doctors are also sounding the alarm about an increased number of COVID-19 patients being admitted to intensive care units.

Friday's update has prompted Premier Doug Ford's cabinet to hold an emergency meeting to consider tighter public health measures to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. That meeting was set to begin at 11 a.m., and Ford is scheduled to hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. ET, which you'll be able to watch live in this story.

The increase, while startling, is consistent with modelling from epidemiologists who forecast last month that Ontario's second wave of the pandemic was accelerating at a pace that put the province on track to hit 1,000 new cases per day by mid-October.

The measures being recommended to cabinet Friday include the closure of:

• Indoor food and drink service in restaurants, bars, nightclubs and food courts.
• Cinemas, casinos and conference venues.
• Gyms and fitness centres.

Cabinet is also being urged to put capacity limits on real estate open houses and guided tours and to shutter interactive exhibits at tourist attractions, such as museums where there is a high risk of transmission of the virus. Team sports would be limited to training activities, with no games or scrimmages permitted.

The recommended closures do not extend to schools, child-care centres, colleges, universities or courtrooms.

Two additional sources said the recommendation is to apply the stricter measures to Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa. The nation's capital has seen a sharp rise in new COVID-19 cases over recent weeks, along with outbreaks and deaths in long-term care homes.

[em2nought]

I hope we don't decide that we have to wear masks for all eternity

I hope we decide to respect our fellow humans as much as Asian cultures do.

I think it's actually sick people or those more likely to get sick that predominately wear them in Asian cultures from what I've seen. Plus they wear them because of pollution sometimes. I'd have no problem putting one on if I'm sick to protect other people in a regular year.

[Blackhawk]

And with a disease that's deadly and shows no symptoms for many people, the only conscientious thing to do is assume that we're already sick and put the mask on. Not having a mask on for whatever reason isn't worth the chance, however slight, that my convenience or comfort might result in the death of an actual human being.

[Daehawk]

here in America they commit violence when told to wear a mask.

[The Meal]

I hope we don't decide that we have to wear masks for all eternity

I hope we decide to respect our fellow humans as much as Asian cultures do.

I think it's actually sick people or those more likely to get sick that predominately wear them in Asian cultures from what I've seen. Plus they wear them because of pollution sometimes. I'd have no problem putting one on if I'm sick to protect other people in a regular year.

Super reasonable. I hope all of the Western world picks up on this way of doing things.

[Punisher]

And with a disease that's deadly and shows no symptoms for many people, the only conscientious thing to do is assume that we're already sick and put the mask on. Not having a mask on for whatever reason isn't worth the chance, however slight, that my convenience or comfort might result in the death of an actual human being.

Commie! You're not a true 'Merican! Remeber everything here must boil down to WIIFM Whats In It For Me?
I must come first and everyone else a far second. If my few more comfortable breaths mean you die then so be it! I'm gonna live my life how I want without bitching...right up until I actually get the virus and then cry woah is me..

[Lorini]

Frankly no matter what happens I'm wearing one when I'm inside and in close contact with people. Why not. I use a disposable mask which doesn't bother me a bit.

[FishPants]

Frankly no matter what happens I'm wearing one when I'm inside and in close contact with people. Why not. I use a disposable mask which doesn't bother me a bit.

Why not a fabric mask you can wash? I personally feel that mother nature is sending a very clear warning shot across our bow here - to use a mask and throw it in the trash every time you enter a store seems like a hefty waste. I get it in a hospital with surgeries and other fluids -- but for shopping at walmart - we use fabric masks and wash them afterwards with the laundry.

[Daehawk]

The only place Ive seen use throw away anything is a bank. They had a box of ink pens to use and then put in the used box. Not sure what they did with them. They let me take a couple pens for my own use though.

[Blackhawk]

The only place Ive seen use throw away anything is a bank. They had a box of ink pens to use and then put in the used box. Not sure what they did with them. They let me take a couple pens for my own use though.

They likely disinfect them and then cycle them back into the 'take' box.

[hitbyambulance]

They likely disinfect them and then cycle them back into the 'take' box.

yes, that is correct. happens all over the place here.

They let me take a couple pens for my own use though.

i thought everyone in the US already had enough ballpoint pens to last a generation or two

[Daehawk]

I embarrassed myself a little. I grabbed one and it wouldn't write. Grabbed another and it too would not write. Teller showed me they have a little plastic ball covering the real roller ball and I needed to scratch it off first. I in my 51 years have never seen that. But I dont buy pens either.

So I dont think they were reusing them after a cleaning cause they wouldn't be able to get that almost invisible plastic ball coat on the tip.....unless they send them off.

[The Meal]

That's probably exactly it. The third-party disinfectant company protects the roller-ball before putting them through the disinfectant process.

[Daehawk]

You'd think a bank, or anyone, could get pens in bulk they are so cheap and just toss them. Like 1000 for $10 or $15. Seems it would be cheaper than sending them off to be cleaned then returned over and over.

[The Meal]

Seems it would be cheaper than sending them off to be cleaned

Absolutely. This bank must prioritize something else ahead of money, or at least in regards to something on the budgetary scale as providing pens for customers' use.

[Lorini]

Frankly no matter what happens I'm wearing one when I'm inside and in close contact with people. Why not. I use a disposable mask which doesn't bother me a bit.

Why not a fabric mask you can wash? I personally feel that mother nature is sending a very clear warning shot across our bow here - to use a mask and throw it in the trash every time you enter a store seems like a hefty waste. I get it in a hospital with surgeries and other fluids -- but for shopping at walmart - we use fabric masks and wash them afterwards with the laundry.

The reason is that I'd be using the mask to play board games for long periods of time, 8 hours +. And the cloth masks become very warm after a few hours. The disposable mask breathes better. However I will keep your words in mind. Perhaps there's an effective washable mask that is still comfortable after 8 hours. In shorter situations I do in fact use a washable mask, like when I go to the local gardens or to the store. But for long periods I've found them to become very uncomfortable.

[LawBeefaroni]

I embarrassed myself a little. I grabbed one and it wouldn't write. Grabbed another and it too would not write. Teller showed me they have a little plastic ball covering the real roller ball and I needed to scratch it off first. I in my 51 years have never seen that. But I dont buy pens either.

So I dont think they were reusing them after a cleaning cause they wouldn't be able to get that almost invisible plastic ball coat on the tip.....unless they send them off.

Those are new pens. That's how they ship.

There's no way they disinfect a pen they can buy for pennies. The cost in time alone would be more than the cost of the pens.

[Blackhawk]

My optometrist disinfects them. There is a 'use these' box and a 'place here' box. They just take 'em in the back, rub 'em down with alcohol, and put 'em back.

[hitbyambulance]

My optometrist disinfects them. There is a 'use these' box and a 'place here' box. They just take 'em in the back, rub 'em down with alcohol, and put 'em back.

yes, this is exactly i see all over the place in Seattle. no way they're doing to discard a pen after one signature (and it's super wasteful). i actually carry a pen around with me and just use that.

[Daehawk]

My arm is barely sore. I dont notice it at all unless I press hard and rub. So a normal flu shot. Should be totally gone by tomorrow.

[Daehawk]

They give away cheap pens for a reason. This one broke. I took it out of my pocket and it looked broken. Pulled the cap and the entire thing and ink came with it. Got it all over my hands. At least it didn't stain my pocket. Threw it away as it was unfixable.

[Blackhawk]

Today was shopping day, and the entire family minus one* got their flu shots. The pharmacist giving the shot commented that this she's had more people getting them than ever before. Anecdotal, I know, but if more people are waking up in rural Indiana, there may be hope.

*Caiden was in school when we went shopping. I'll take him in tomorrow for and old-fashioned needlin'.

[Kraken]

Remdesivir: Yeah, maybe not. It's not a knockout study, but it's not encouraging either.

Remdesivir, the only antiviral drug authorized for treatment of Covid-19 in the United States, fails to prevent deaths among patients, according to a study of more than 11,000 people in 30 countries sponsored by the World Health Organization.

The data, which were posted online on Thursday, have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.

“This puts the issue to rest — there is certainly no mortality benefit,” said Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an infectious-disease physician at the University of Alberta in Canada.

But Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, was more circumspect.

A huge trial like this one, conducted in various countries with various health care systems, can lead to inconsistent treatment protocols whose effects can be difficult to analyze, he said.

“So much goes into care, “ Dr. Chin-Hong said. “The drug is only part of it.”

[Daehawk]

The way the news talks the hype up and with cold weather and the flu incoming Im starting to wonder if there will be another run on toilet paper. Thinking I may need to stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, and hand sanitizer while I can instead of being caught without any. I mean Lysol hasn't been on shelves in my area all summer. The shelves are still bare where it should sit.