No CPR Shields? This is Negligence

 

This week, the City of New York is holding a trial for a man accused of depriving street entertainer Jordan Neely of oxygen, ultimately causing his death. Testimony has indicated that police officers initially refused to administer CPR to Neely since he was a "dirty" drug user.

CPR shields prevent any skin to skin contact while allowing air to flow to a patient. They can be purchased in bulk for as little as $2.00 each. It's sad to think one of the largest police departments in the world wouldn't be provided these as standard issue.

CPR shields, Narcan - these are supplies that we all need to carry in today's world. You hope you never have to use these items, but you should be ready:

CPR Face Shields

Nurse Nan

Pertussis Up 300% in Alabama

 

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is up 300% from last year. Why? The Alabama Department of Health has announced this, and all, vaccination(s) are down in 2024.

What could happen to your child if he or she contracts Pertussis?

Minor complications are:

• Middle ear infection
• Loss of appetite
• Sleep disturbance
• Fainting
• Hernias
• Rib fractures
• Rectal prolapse

Major complications can lead to death. It doesn't have to happen; the vaccine has been around since the 1950s. If you love your child, vaccinate today!

Nurse Nan

Pink Noise is Better

 

If you work shifts or just have trouble falling asleep, you may have been using some kind of noise producing device for years. I had tried three over the decades before I purchased a Google Home Assistant and began using that exclusively for the many and varied sounds it can produce. Somewhere along the way, I had settled on "rain sounds" as my favorite. Now I've found something better.

Pink noise - what is it? From Yogasleep: In white noise, the power is constant, but in pink noise, as the numbers get bigger, the difference in power becomes smaller, so the higher-pitched sounds are softer. Because the lower frequencies are louder than the higher frequencies in pink noise, it sounds less abrasive and leads to a better night's sleep.

So the next time you can't sleep, give pink noise a try. There's no subscription, which makes it a win-win for a good night.

Nurse Nan

Blue Light for Pruritus (an Itch)?

 

You frequently hear that some men are chick magnets. Have you ever heard that some women are insect magnets? I imagine cologne and scented soap play a large part, but studies show that many insects prefer women, especially Caucasian women. Unfortunately, I'm one of them.

I hadn't intended to do any yard work last Saturday without some repellent on my legs, but I never expected the huge bite I received while outside only a few minutes without it. I soon saw a dime size red mark that managed to enlarge to almost quarter size by the end of the day.

Then the pruritus (itching) set in. By early Monday, it was intense. I had tried ice, hydrocortisone cream (usually OTC formulas don't work), and benzocaine marketed for oral health. I even considered a trip to the emergency department, not caring how much anyone laughed.

Out of desperation and pain, I decided to try my LED device. I usually set the light to red, but I knew that the blue light treated some skin problems. Would it work for the extreme discomfort I was then feeling?

Yes, it did and it took less than 90 seconds. So far the symptoms haven't returned, and I've ordered a new bottle of Ben's to keep by my door. Stay bite free this summer, but if attacked by some of the little buggars, have a blue light handy.

Rubeola (Red Measles) Is Comig!

 

Florida currently has the largest number of measles cases in the United States. The CDC has predicted the once-eradicated disease will work its way west via the panhandle to New Orleans. If so, Alabama's coastal area will be in the path of the highly contagious virus.

Will the virus spread north to the Shoals? We can't predict that. What we can positively say is that the vaccine is 99.9% effective against the disease.

It's been only two or so years since a political activist in the Shoals stated he wished his toddler son would contract the disease. We sincerely hope this man knew nothing about the effects of the disease or what he was wishing on his son.

If you care about your children, have them vaccinated against Rubeola!

Nurse Nan

Did 4D Sonograms Change Views on Abortion?

 

This is the second article of a three part series:

At one time, it was basically only the Catholic Church that saw induced abortion as immoral. The Southern Baptist Church in the 1970s called opposition to such abortion a "Catholic issue" and proclaimed in its early 1980s' handbooks that it was a personal decision for each woman to make. By the end of the 1980s, a decade before the advent of 4D ultrasound, official Baptist doctrine stridently opposed the common procedure. What changed?

The u-turn in viewpoint was mainly political, and pundits differ on the exact cause; however, many in all denominations will tell you today that the advent of 4D sonograms (available commercially in 1997) changed the views of many. If you find that confusing, you're not alone.

If asked to explain, the anti-abortionist will further relate that until 4D technology, no one really knew how a fetus looked. Apparently, these individuals are merely spouting an idea some misguided church leader has proclaimed.

Unfortunate women who have had spontaneous abortions (miscarriages) over the years have often done so in emergency rooms and similar medical facilities. Physicians and other medical personnel have often seen firsthand what fetuses look like in every stage of pregnancy. Fetuses have been preserved, drawn, and photographed for decades. These images have then been widely publicized in various media from medical texts to pamphlets on pregnancy.

While a personal belief is that induced abortion should not be used for purposes of birth control, the trope that 4D images first changed the politics on this issue is completely false.

Nurse Nan

Rape, Pregnancy, & Abortion

 

In the various homes I've gone into over the years I've spent in home health, I've often been asked for advice on terminating a pregnancy. Oddly enough, I've never been asked about preventing pregnancy to start with.

Alabama obviously needs more funding for sex education, but what about when sex is forced? What about when the sex is an act of violence called rape? What can a woman in Alabama do if she's raped and this heinous act results in a pregnancy? Not very much thanks to our misguided state legislature.

We don't support induced abortion as a form of birth control. We do support it when the pregnancy is the result of a violent crime against a woman's body. Currently we frequently see two very specious arguments against induced abortion - one seemingly Biblical and one reportedly scientific. We'll be looking at the fallacy in these two arguments in our next blogs.

Nurse Nan