Kinda sums it up

I was quite the looker back in the day.

Sepsis is the new black

The manufacturers of vancomycin,  zithromax and ceftriaxone must be very happy right now. They are selling millions of dollars worth of their products as doctors over react to new sepsis guidelines.

Eighteen years old, temp of 101, heart rate 94?  You are automatically possibly septic these days.  You're gettin' a shit load of and antibiotics galore.

My queston is, with superbugs like MRSA, VRE, MDRO from overuse of antibiotics, how is all of this not going to help develop new strains?  What about things like c diff?

I get that sepsis is a huge problem and kills many people, but is this the answer?

Gun violence for fun and profit

1) Comparison of US terrorism death vs.  gun deaths 2004-2013.  Amount of money spent on anti-terrorism: $3 billion.  Whole new government agency created for anti terrorism fight: Homeland security. Firearms industry yearly profits: $33 billion.  Gun violence health care yearly costs: $229 billion.

2) Number of school shooting since 2012: 142

7

More dead bodies

Another group of people dead and injured.  This feels hopeless.  It keeps happening and will keep happening.  There is no end in sight.

There will be talk of gun control legislation, background checks and my favorite: treatment for mental illness (you know that's a joke if you work in an ER).  None of that, even if it passed, would make any difference.  We never get around to talking about why this keeps happening in our country. Why are we so obseseed with guns? Why are we as a people so violent?

That is never discussed.  We don't want to face who we have become. It seems like if you think about it, most people want guns for protection.To protect our families.  From criminals we think are going to break into our houses.

What are the odds someone is going to break in while the family is present? Low.  What are the odds you are going to get the gun from the lockbox in time to confront the criminal? L ow. Then there are the people who want to personally carry around guns for protection.  I view them as nuts.

So with the odds of us actually needing a gun are low, why the obsession? Is it because we fear each other? That's what it really comes down to. We somehow have been convinced that there are groups of people who are out to get us. They lie in wait, waiting for us vulnerable people so they can rob us, attack us, break in our homes.

There is crime in this country. We all know that. Most of it takes place in poor communities who prey on each other for the most part. Most of crime centers around drug use. Most of it will never touch us. Yet we have this overwhelming fear that consumes us to the point where there are enough guns in the country to provide every person with their own gun.

There is a lot of profit to be made off of all this fear. Gun manufacturers make billions every year. They make money off of our fear of each other and reinforce it. They use the NRA to keep the profit going.  They point to the Constitution to justify their money grubbing.  We as a society suck it up. I don't see it changing anytime soon

Hey my life ain't so bad....

One thing about nursing, it makes you realize how good you got it.  You don't have cancer, you aren't quadriplegic, you weren't born with a terrible illness or deformity. Your kid is OK.

People handle tragedy in their lives in many ways. Some people become difficult to deal with. Some people become control freaks. Some people become manipulative.  Then there are those who somehow learn to cope and thrive. Often they are innovative in dealing with their situation, developing unique strategies to deal with seemingly impossible situations.

It's unbelievable to see what people are capable of overcoming.