intestinal virus...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

if i see anymore vomit or diarrhea, i don't know what i'll do:eek:

ever have an intestinal virus come to your unit and attack

everyone it meets except a few who are left to clean up??? well last night was the night of all nights and i'm not looking forward to going back tonight. a few people were sick during the night, but at 4:25, 5 minutes before we were to roll those med carts out for 5 am meds, a 300 lb very ambulatory, very continent resident lost it from the bottom all over his br floor, slipped and fell between the toilet and the wall and couldn't hardly move. we finally got him to where we could bring the hoyer lift in and get him into bed. after we cleaned him up, he lost it from the top all over the place!!!!!!!! at the same time, three other residents began vomiting and having diarrhea. vomiting is what freaks me out in nursing and if i had ear plugs i'd cram them into my ears so i wouldn't have to listen to all of the reeeeeetching! i found myself washing my hands every five minutes whether or not i needed to just to keep those nasty micros away from me! the 6am nurse called out sick at the last minute, so now myself and the other nurse had to split her hallway for the meds. one na walked out after cleaning one rez for the third time and proceeded to vomit for the fourth saying, "i've had enough, i can't take it no more!!!" then two more day nurses called out sick...i was still passing meds at 8:30 while the float nurses from other units were saying,"are you done yet so we can get report?" i just wanted to wack them...it seems that everyone i gave meds to brought them right back up. i was beginning to wonder if i'd ever see the light of day...alive. i finally finished and gave my big report. what report? everyone is sh!tting and pooping, mr so-n-so slipped and fell, mod examined, ordered x-rays of left hip and left elbow, documentation is done, incident report is done and i'm done. have a fun-filled day everyone and i left. as i walked down the hall to the elevator, a resident was sitting quietly looking out the window watching the birds. i pushed the button for the elevator. as i stood waiting for the "gates to heaven" to open for me to skip on in, the rez sitting by the window began to reeeetch. the doors opened, i ran in while stuffing my fingers into my ears and it was then that i realized there is a god b/c he brought me this elevator just in time. i thanked him......alot! ;)

hopefully everyone is finished with their intestinal flu when i return tonight. what do you think my chances are of getting it???

:confused: i'd rather die than vomit.......................

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Good luck but I think that you are doomed.

I have not called in sick for a year and was just waylayed by a bug that had my HAIR hurting !!!!!!! I felt yuckky for 3 days !!!!!!!!

And I didn't even feel guilty.

Kat

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Nightowl,

I'm with you. I would rather have the flu for a week than have a 24 hour stomach virus. Isn't it funny how everyone can remember the last time they threw up. It's like that Seinfeld episode with the black/white cookie.

I would say your chances of getting it are pretty good, but the last time I had a stomach virus - last year come February - I went home and wretched for a whole day and my husband who was with me for 2 whole days holding my hair back and helping me recooperate never even had a symptom.

Maybe you'll get lucky.

Just out of curiosity, the nurses who called off and were on the shift after you - did they have the flu?

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Way to go Night Owl - I read your thread and I wanted to start retching!!!!!It would almost seem like your shift was a Saturday Night Live skit! How about a million mg's of Maxeran all round? It's a russian roulette if you get sick. I had the flu -woke up feeling like I was beaten with a baseball bat during the night. Even when I farted it hurt all over.( And of course my farts are ever so tiny) We get alot of flack at work over sick time. It's that time of year for heavens sake. Patients cough in your face, hork on your hands, poop on your shoes, unless you wear a body condom you're exposed. You know how uncomfortable those things are. What we do of course is bring in a stool sample (beef barley soup if your diarrhea is over)and a container of our emesis ( cream corn and chili mixed together is effective)for our clinical co-ordinator (fancy name for head nurse) plus a note from our mother, even if she is deceased. I wish I could do projectile vomiting on command. That would show her wouldn't it?They want it? hey we'll give it. heeeheeeheee;)

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Oooooohhh been sick since Thursday, went to work because I got up and vomited after our 2 hour call off time, hit every single toilet on the way to my floor! Must have appeared green ,my hair looked like Cameron Diazs' in What About Mary ---because ALL my coworkers told me to GO HOME (seems we don't get paid if we call sick later than 2 hours before our shift, but we DO get paid if we come in and go home immediately!, go figure).

At least 5 nurses on my unit so far got it. My son is here from Philly, has had it for 5 days with severe abdominal pain, husband is having the time of his life on a Colarado ski trip, hugging the toilet, not the slopes, daughter works at Probation Dept, they have it, friend in a preschool - got it! All of LI is pooping water!! Grooossss! And looks like we are sharing the joy with Colorado.

Hope everyone feels better!

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We called it "Two exits, no waiting".

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We share your pain! A hospital in Glasgow (Scotland) is on emergencies-only admissions due to a "Viral" vomiting outbreak!

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Originally posted by donmurray

We share your pain! A hospital in Glasgow (Scotland) is on emergencies-only admissions due to a "Viral" vomiting outbreak!

This is the 'viral' outbreak in Glasgow...Got it from ProMED today:

Date: Sun 20 Jan 2002

From: ProMED-mail

Source: BBC News Online, Sun 20 Jan 2002 [edited]

Hospital outbreak not yet contained

-----------------------------------

A further 31 cases of Norwalk-like virus infection, which causes vomiting

and diarrhea, have been reported at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow,

taking the current total to 218. There are now 149 patients affected, 69

staff affected, 35 others with symptoms, and an unknown number who may be incubating the virus.

The hospital was forced to cancel planned operations and has closed its

doors to 138 new admissions following the outbreak at the end of last week.

Health chiefs were hoping that the worst was over when 25 new cases, the

lowest daily rate, were recorded on Sat 19 Jan 2002. A spokesman said:

"Regrettably the daily trend of patients and staff affected by the virus is

not yet showing a downward trend, and although this is not untypical of the

nature of this kind of viral outbreak it does mean that the trust cannot

look forward to an early resumption of the clinical activity at the

Victoria Infirmary.

Hospital bosses had already cancelled 88 planned admissions to the Victoria

Infirmary and they announced on Sun 20 Jan 2002 that a further 50 would be

cancelled at the Victoria Infirmary and the Southern General Hospital,

which is also part of the same hospital trust. "Contingency plans which

have been operational since Friday evening will continue with emergency

admissions being directed to the Southern General Hospital."

The revised figures followed a further meeting by an outbreak control team

on Sat 19 Jan 2002 made up of infection control nurses and public health

department staff. The new total comes in the wake of an announcement by

health minister Malcolm Chisholm that a hygiene inspection of every

Scottish hospital would take place in the coming weeks. Mr Chisholm said:

"We shouldn't be judged by the problem but what we do about it. There will

be inspections of all hospitals in the next few weeks and it is this kind

of action that we need to emphasis."

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See, that's why we drink a lot of Schnaps here!!

Kills the beasts from the inside! LOL

Take care and keep on "schnapsing", Renee

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Six days later, not one sign or symptom....yet. But, two people who already had it got it again!!! My hands look like chopped meat because I've scrubed them so often! I wash them when I just washed them!!! and they hurt...but, I'm symptom-free and it's worth it. They say it's transmitted by mouth, so I was observing our two MS patients. If they don't get it, (they can't bring their hands/fingers to their mouths) then it definately is transmitted via the oral route.

kids-r-fun,

I read that article. It sounds just like the VA nursing home! We aren't allowed any visitors or any admissions, and only life threatening d/c to the hospital.

Renee,

Schnaps is GOOD you healthy little devil. Let's have one for the health profession! {{shot glasses held high}} "To us!" {{{gulp!}}} ahhhhh, that's nice stuff...{{{{B-U-R-P}}} Excuse me... ;)

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kids-r-fun, I bow to your superior net skills, more than a little embarrassed that your source is on my media news list!

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Lucky you Night Owl...........I woke up last Wednesday with Bells Palsy following the GI flu. It looks like I'm winking at everyone;)

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