I was at work last night and the nurses were talking as if it was normal.
I love working in healthcare, but as you know accidents happen, like urine splashing on you/clothing, someone spitting on you or rushing in without gloves during an emergency.
I'm starting nursing school next year but seriously thinking its not for me.
They say, that all nurses get it? Is it true?
I wouldn't want to expose this to my family or other patients that why I practice good hygiene. Any insight?
The flu shot causes the sugar dyabeetus. We already covered this in another thread.
I'm genuinely curious to get cultured. Maybe I'll track down some growth medium and other micro tools and see for myself. I looooved micro!
Diabeetus. LOL
I know Im suprisingly not colonized, as I have had various surgeries in the last 6 years, and swabbed each time. No cdiff here either But I did have a coworker once get cdiff. And we all had to be treated for scabies.
Unfortunately weve been exposed to TB a few times, but so far so good( had f/u ppds.)
I think people should be more concerned about getting MRSA from gym mats and shopping carts.
C. dif is in your normal gut flora, it's just kept in check - i.e., not allowed to proliferate and cause sx - by the other gut flora. Plenty of people acquire C. dif illness after a course of multi-abx therapy or even monotherapy if it's a particularly strong antibiotic. Kills off all the beneficial bugs and C-dif takes over. This is especially true for geriatrics.
I'd be far more worried about getting it that way, to be perfectly honest.
People with healthy immune systems aren't likely to get sick with C-dif if they practice good hygiene.
If it makes you feel any better my stepfather (in his 90s) had it a few months ago. My mother took care of him at first sx onset. Cleaning bathroom, bedsheets, everything. She never got sick.
Either fecal orally meaning that you come into contact with something contaminated and then transfer the pathogen to your mouth. Even then you will not always get the infection because as others have stated its a normal microbe in most or many of our guts. The second time it becomes an issue is when antibiotics ( often iv) are administered and most of the bacteria in the gut is wiped out. The spores from c. Diff begin to reproduce and cause a rampant infection that can cause temporary colitis.
People who have ibd or are immunosupressed are at higher risk.
Cleaning with bleach and hand washing with soap ( not Purell) will remove the pathogen and spores.
martymoose, BSN, RN
1,946 Posts
Diabeetus. LOL
I know Im suprisingly not colonized, as I have had various surgeries in the last 6 years, and swabbed each time. No cdiff here either But I did have a coworker once get cdiff. And we all had to be treated for scabies.
Unfortunately weve been exposed to TB a few times, but so far so good( had f/u ppds.)
I think people should be more concerned about getting MRSA from gym mats and shopping carts.