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http://fluboard.rhizalabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3673#p3673

Personal Account From GA health care worker

Well, public school started back about 4 weeks ago in our state, two weeks ago kids started filing into the hospital with flu-like symptoms, but I reported then that they were mostly mild (even the ones in the hospital.) Now, in the last two weeks, we are seeing the real victims beginning to come in. The young adults, and the slightly older adults.

We have seen an increasing number of young adults in intensive care... on ventilators, with flu-like symptoms. Some are confirmed, other results are pending. Not even a whole MONTH after the start of school, and it’s taking its toll.

The patient I took care of today, was not in the unit. I felt like I spent the entire day in that person’s room trying to ease their Severe Respiratory Distress. The pain (just from the flu) was abnormally severe... the body aches were having to be treated with pain meds... the nausea had to be treated with meds.

I have to tell you folks, that reality set in for me today.

This person was between 20-30 years old, and thank god was on Tamilfu AND Relenza. Oxygenation was an issue, and we progressed through several modes of increasing support throughout my twelve hour shift.

Nothing helped. By the time I left, the patient was headed for ICU, and a ventilator. Along with a couple of other previously healthy adults who are already in the unit on vents. This morning one of those patients was becoming increasingly more ill, and in need of High Frequency ventilation due to an inability to oxygenate.

School starts all over this country next week. We all better hang on, because we’re going to be in for a rough ride in the next few months.

It started with mildly sick little kids coming in, then progressed to VERY ill young men and women.

I spent my whole day in full isolation gear. It wasn’t easy (emotionally). But as a health care worker, I know, that no matter what, I will take whatever vaccine that anybody offers, so I can be there on the cutting edge of this battle to do my job in the coming months. They’ve cut back on so many skilled workers it’s pathetic. Our healthcare system is going to be put to the test, and hospital administrators all across this country are going to have to answer for their decisions to cut staff down to the bare minimum (even during a Pandemic.) Our Hospital has cut our Respiratory Care staff this past Summer, even after a Pandemic was declared.