Aids HIV FAQ

RANT.ignorant/bloody/nogood/ba stard/hospital (long)

Question:

ok. so. took me all day to get to write this because i’ve been catching up on sleep. i figured it would have passed after some rest, but NO. it needs to be shared…let me set the scene… Thursday night/Friday morning 1am…      Dad gets up, 104.3 temperature (chronic illness, too long to explain, mo’ to the rescue) I get him to the emergency room around 1:30am (had to get my 300 lb dad-who cant walk when he gets sick like this-from the car into wheelchair into lobby by myself because no one would help)      Get him in and registered, and I walk in just in time to see Dave (paramedic intern, trainee, would you like fries with that F*ck) starting to stick my dad for his IV line.  now my dad has veins the size of garden hoses…a very easy stick…so i figure, ok, no sweat, it doesnt matter that he’s in excrutiating pain, delirious from fever and cant breathe, trainee boy will have him stuck & have antibiotics hung in no time…oh how wrong could i be…      ok, so he has his sterile (we hope) gloves on ( i didnt see him put them on) he’s got the tournicate on (huge bulging vein in hand) …and the asshole lines up, sticks, dad doesnt even flinch, and all of a sudden there’s blood SPURTING, (yes spurting) from his hand. trainee boy goes "shit" and yanks the needle out. grabs gauze pads, and applies pressure…good so far.  while going to exchange gauze pads, he REMOVES his gloves, tosses gloves and bloody gauze in TRASH not biohazard box,  grabs for more pads, drops pads on the floor, anyway…i get real nurse, she sticks him clean, one shot. …and that’s not even the worst of it..this does have an on-topic bodmod theme… an hour later (or so) he brings me coffee, puts his arm around me (excuse me?!) and says (in his best "talking to the helpless damsel in distress" voice) Him: "I hope I didnt upset you with all that needle stuff" Me: (removing his paw from my shoulder) "Uh, no. I’m quite comfortable with needles" (flash the tongue pierce…) "among others" Him: (gasp) (in admonishing know-it-all tone, after spewing blood gloveless all over the place an hour earlier says…) "Do you have ANY idea the risks involved with that shit?!" (his exact words) "Do you know how DIRTY and UNSANITARY that is?  Ever heard of AIDS?" i calmly stood up (eyes burning holes through his thick skull), and in my sweetest, dearest voice said … "If we were anywhere else but my father’s hospital room, I would physically remove you from my sight, you sad, ignorant bastard …now…Remove yourself from this room immediately…before i decide i’m not in the mood to play nice.  NOW!" needless to say, he got up right away, and i went right to the nursing supervisor and filed a report. and (lucky for me he was wearing an arm patch from his college paramedic program) called the dean of students this morning and filed an official complaint against him….poor davey…would you like fries with that? damn. that was long.  sorry. mo’ up since 6:30am thursday …1am saturday now …running on empty Maura K Phipps http://members.aol.com/mop418/main.htm "Everyone sees what you appear to be, few feel who you are" -Machiavelli

Response:

Mo hun, sorry bout yer dad..  but after living round here for so long.. ya should know.. thats MWMC for ya.  It’s a learning hospital full of ignorants that think they know all, when in fact they are students. Luv ya Ki~

Response:

> Mo wrote about taking her dad to the hospital: > Sorry, Mo, about your dad’s illness. I’m glad you had the strength to get > him to the hospital.

ditto – i hope all is well with your father, and that "would you like fries with that" boy gets a kick in the pants. > I think I’m just beginning to become aware of how dirty life really is. > Can you say – amazed that we don’t have massive outbreaks of the plague?

i’ve been wondering about this. Considering how saturated our little corner of the world is in germs and bacteria and such, why there aren’t more outbreaks like the ones in Jackk-in-the-box in the Pacific NW a few years ago? i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, they did have a plague didn’t they)? not to mention (yes, ObBodMod) pierces and tattoos. Even if you go to a good piercer, as I’m sure most of us do (unless you pierce yourselves), and follow the aftercare, there is still exposure to all kinds of dirt and foreign matter… maybe we’re tougher than we thought…. end of rambling pasquale — Learn to love opinion

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Mo wrote about taking her dad to the hospital: > Sorry, Mo, about your dad’s illness. I’m glad you had the strength to get > him to the hospital. >ditto – i hope all is well with your father, and that "would you like fries >with that" boy gets a kick in the pants. > I think I’m just beginning to become aware of how dirty life really is. > Can you say – amazed that we don’t have massive outbreaks of the plague? >i’ve been wondering about this. Considering how saturated our little >corner of the world is in germs and bacteria and such, why there aren’t >more outbreaks like the ones in Jackk-in-the-box in the Pacific NW a few >years ago? >i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, >but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, >they did have a plague didn’t they)?

You sanitize (not sterilize) for the safety of your yeast. I don’t believe there are any human pathogens that’ll live/thrive in beer or wine during it’s production. >not to mention (yes, ObBodMod) pierces and tattoos. Even if you go to a >good piercer, as I’m sure most of us do (unless you pierce yourselves), >and follow the aftercare, there is still exposure to all kinds of dirt and >foreign matter… >maybe we’re tougher than we thought….

Your example of winemaking is a good one. We sanitize (not sterilize) our beer/wine making equipment, not to ~elimininate~ every bad guy, but to cut the number down to a level that our yeast can deal with.  We’re basically just creating a favorable climate for yeast, which gives them a headstart in the population game.  As the yeasties muliply rapidly, they change the environment so radically that the bad guys can no longer survive, and thus perish.  Our bodies can also deal effectively with small intrusions of most pathogens, using several different methods.  We can kick ass MUCH better than the single celled yeast! If our sanitation while making foodstuffs is not what it should be, or the conditions we start our culture in aren’t ideal, a bad strain may get the headstart instead, producing bad wine or beer.  If our sanitation prepping for bodmods is not what it shoud be, or our immune sysyem is compromised, then the bad guys might have the advantage, producing bad health or death. If we just sanitize equipment for both our beverage making and our piercing, the possibility exists of introducing a bug that isn’t as concerned about it’s environment.  It will thrive , and do much damage.  If our beer or wine is spoiled, we’re bummed and discard it.  If our bodies are spoiled, we’re bummed and (possibly) severely screwed.  That’s why sanitation is ok for food, and sterilization is important for bodmods. BTW, the difference between sanitation and sterilization as applied to beverage making can be illustrated in the differences between the procedures for making wine at home and the procedures for producing pure strains of yeast in a lab. Lou K. "Employees Will Wash Hands Before Returning to Work"

Response:

> >i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, >but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, >they did have a plague didn’t they)? > You sanitize (not sterilize) for the safety of your yeast.

…or for the safety of our beer…must allow for adequate propagation if you want it palatable. Fellow Brewer? timo<toasting Lou, Bert, and any other _real_ beer drinkers in the crowd>

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> >i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, > >but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, > >they did have a plague didn’t they)? > You sanitize (not sterilize) for the safety of your yeast. >…or for the safety of our beer…must allow for adequate propagation >if you want it palatable. >Fellow Brewer?

You bet! $5.00+ for a 4 pack of Murphy’s gets to be a bit much after awhile.  Double that when the wife discovered how good it was. Been brewing for about 3.5 yrs.  Slowed waaaay down, as we found ourselves drinking to keep up with production.  5 gal every 2-3 weeks was a bit much too. (or is that  " a bit too much?") Only ever had 1 infected batch.  After about one week in the bottle, it got a ~thin~ white film on top.  It didn’t seem to affect the drinking quality of the beer, just the look. Unlike piercing, I actually prefer the after care phase of zymurgy.  glug glug Lou K.

Response:

> $5.00+ for a 4 pack of Murphy’s gets to be a bit much after awhile.  Double > that when the wife discovered how good it was. > Been brewing for about 3.5 yrs.  Slowed waaaay down, as we found ourselves > drinking to keep up with production.  5 gal every 2-3 weeks was a bit much > too. (or is that  " a bit too much?")

I always love being able to tell friends I have a 5 gal. batch brewing adn probably 100 full bottles in storage…gets me invited to _lots_ o parties. > Only ever had 1 infected batch.  After about one week in the bottle, it got > a ~thin~ white film on top.  It didn’t seem to affect the drinking quality > of the beer, just the look.

Hmmm…the first, and last batch I kegged was infected…a beautiful dry hopped IPA, ended up tasting like hoppy butt crack. > Unlike piercing, I actually prefer the after care phase of zymurgy.  glug > glug

ahhhhh….. timo

Response:

> You sanitize (not sterilize) for the safety of your yeast.

thanks for the clarification Lou…. I checked the instructions that came with my kit, and the specifically use "sterilize," however, who the hell am i to argue with such a long and clear explanation…. ObBodMod: going in for touch-up in 1 week – then it’s done – I get a new machine on Wednesday, so I can scan it in when it’s done…. yay! ta pasquale — Learn to love opinion

Response:

>Hmmm…the first, and last batch I kegged was infected…a beautiful >dry hopped IPA, ended up tasting like hoppy butt crack.

I do love the way you phrase things around here, people…. Love and hugs Adrianna "I do what the voices in my head TELL me to do."                         ~Visit Me~ http://members.aol.com/LadyRaeven/index.html

Response:

: : i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, : but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, : they did have a plague didn’t they)? : Actually, in those days people would prefer wine for reasons of being more sanitary than well water, the c alcohol, ya know… frank       — It’s a man’s life in the British Dental Association.

Response:

>i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, >but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, >they did have a plague didn’t they)?

  Hi there.  I don’t mean to butt in, but you’ve just hit one of my favorite topics: medieval history.   Anyway, if the plague you’re talking about was the Black Plague, there’s no real relevance to unsterilised brewing/winemaking equipment, or any cooking tools for that matter.  The three varities of plague were trans- mitted by fleas on rats, and could not live long outside a body.  Even pneumonaic plague, which could be transmitted through the air, required that the infectee be fairly close to a coughing victim.   Of course, unsterilised cooking tools could transmi *other* diseases…   Useless information from your friendly neighborhood lurker. –Carrie S.                   <http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~caos>   Unsolicited commercial email sent to this address will be subject to a $1500    processing fee.   Sending mail to this address, manually or automatically,                       implies consent to these terms.  

Response:

>>i take pains to ensure that my home-wine making equipment is sterilized, >but i doubt that it was a concern back in the middle ages (then again, >they did have a plague didn’t they)?

ok, so i’ve opened up a can of worms by shooting off my mouth about things I don’t know enough about… the above statement was intended to be semi-facetious, so I’ll add a retroactive :b~ >   Of course, unsterilised cooking tools could transmi *other* diseases… >   Useless information from your friendly neighborhood lurker.

sorry Carrie, lurker-no-more! you’ve posted, which means that you’re one of us now (mouhahahahaha)… so, i suppose that there is a benefit to my nonsensical posting, it brings out the lurkers! ta pasquale — Learn to love opinion

Response:

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