East-West Safety Training, Inc.

Should I be worried about recalled H1N1 vaccine?

With 800,000 H1N1 vaccines recalled, parents are becoming wondering if they should still get their children vaccinated.   According to the CDC, the vaccines are safe and have been recalled due to the vaccine losing its strength.   Children who have been vaccinated do not have anything to worry about as the vaccine is safe and will not have to be revaccinated.   The vaccines made by Sanofi Pasteur in the pediatric doses are the only ones affected in the recall.

With a decrease in the H1N1 Virus being reported do I need to be vaccinated?

From January to the end of February we tend to see the highest reports of the flu.   It is still highly recommend that if you have not been vaccinated for the H1N1 that you should seek vaccination.   There are still enough doses that have not been included in the recall for you to receive the vaccination.  

 

Overview of Signs and Symptoms of H1N1 as defined by the CDC

The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever. Severe illnesses and deaths have occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.

 

CDC steps to protecting yourself against H1N1

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

·         Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

·         Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

·         Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

·         If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.*) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Other important actions that you can take are:

·         Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

·         Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs * (for when soap and water are not available), tissues and other related items could help you to avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious.(http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm)

After many years of doctors ignoring signs of heart attack in women, they are finally taking it seriously.  My mom had been complaining of chest pain for the last year. Finally a Doctor took her serious and found out that she had a mild heart attack.  If you know somone who is experiencing chest pain or any other signs of a heart condition, Please have them seek medical attention. If the doctor wont listen, get a second opinion. I have included the link and the full article for those who can not access aol.

By CARING.COM Conventional wisdom has it that heart attacks come out of the blue. We’re also trained to expect a heart attack to happen a certain way; the victim clutches his chest, writhes in pain, and collapses. But for women, it often doesn’t happen that way. Study after study shows heart attacks and heart disease are under-diagnosed in women, with the explanation being that they didn’t have symptoms.

But research shows that’s not the case. Women who’ve had heart attacks realize, looking back, that they experienced significant symptoms — they just didn’t recognize them as such.

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 95 percent of women (that’s almost all!) who’d had heart attacks reported experiencing symptoms that were decidedly new or different from their previous experience a month or more before their attacks.

Even when a heart attack is occurring, women are often slow to realize what’s happening and call a doctor. The reason? Women’s heart attack symptoms are different than men’s. This failure to recognize heart attack signs in women has led to a grim statistic: women are more likely to die from sudden cardiac death than men are, and two thirds of women who have a heart attack don’t recover completely.

To prevent a heart attack from sneaking up on you, watch for these 7 little-known signs of heart attack:

1. Fatigue. More than 70 percent of women in the NIH study reported extreme fatigue in the month or months prior to their heart attacks. This was not just your run-of-the-mill tiredness — the kind you can power through — this was an overwhelming fatigue that sidelined them from their usual schedules for a few days at a time.

2. Sleeplessness or Insomnia. Despite their fatigue, women who’ve had heart attacks remember experiencing unexplained inability to fall asleep or stay asleep during the month before their heart attacks.

3. Anxiety and Stress. Stress has long been known to up the risk of heart attack. But what women report is the emotional experience; before their heart attacks they felt anxious, stressed, and keyed up, noticeably more than usual. Moments before or during a heart attack, many women report a feeling they describe as “impending doom;” they’re aware that something’s drastically wrong and they can’t cope, but they’re not sure what’s going on.

4. Indigestion or Nausea. Stomach pain, intestinal cramps, nausea, and digestive disruptions are another sign reported by women heart attack patients. Become familiar with your own digestive habits, and pay attention when anything seems out of whack. Note especially if your system seems upset and you haven’t eaten anything out of the ordinary.

5. Shortness of Breath. Of the women in the NIH study, more than 40 percent remembered experiencing this symptom. One of the comments the women made is that they noticed they couldn’t catch their breath while walking up the stairs or doing other daily tasks.

6. Flu-Like Symptoms. Clammy, sweaty skin, along with feeling lightheaded and weak, can lead women to wonder if they have the flu when, in fact, they’re having a heart attack.

7. Jaw, Ear, Neck, or Shoulder Pain. While pain and numbness in the chest, shoulder, and arm is a common sign of heart attack (at least, among men), women often don’t experience the pain this way. Instead, many women say they felt pain and a sensation of tightness running along their jaw and down the neck, and sometimes up to the ear, as well. The pain may extend down to the shoulder and arm — particularly on the left side — or it may feel like a backache or pulled muscle in the neck and back.

In addition to the symptoms they do have, women differ from men in another significant way — they may not experience many of the symptoms we traditionally associate with heart attacks. This, experts say, is a major reason why women’s heart attacks go unrecognized and untreated. Almost half of all women in the NIH study felt no chest pain, even during the heart attack itself. Numbness is another symptom women may not experience, experts say.

How to protect yourself or the women you care about? If your body is doing unusual things and you just don’t feel “right,” don’t wait. Go see your doctor and ask for a thorough work-up. And if you have any risk factors for cardiac disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, or family history of heart disease, mention these to the doctor. Time is of the essence, so don’t count on medical staff to know your background or read your chart — tell them your risk factors right away, so your condition can be evaluated fully and completely.

Heat Stroke is a true medical emergency that needs to seek immediate medical attention.

Heat stroke is caused when the body temperature is elevated and is accompanied by neurological symptoms of dizziness, slurred speech and the inability to sweat.  Heat and the inability to sweat is not the only cause of heat stroke, did you know that if you become severely dehydrated on a hot day that you stand a chance to suffer from heat stroke?   You can prevent Heat Stroke by drinking plenty of fluids during hot days, avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks which causes you to become dehydrated.  On hot and humid days wear light colored , light weight clothes to aid  keeping the body cool.

  Who is at risk for heat stroke?

1. The elderly
2. Infants and small children
3. Outdoor workers
4. Athletes
5. Anyone working outside in dangerous heat and high humidity days.

What should I watch for in someone that is suffering from Heat stroke?

When looking for the signs and symptoms of heat stroke we need to remember the symptoms of heat exhaustion.  

1. Nausea
2. Vomiting
3. Fatigue
4. Dizziness
5. Muscle cramps/aches
6. Headaches and
7. Weakness

Other signs of Heat Exhaustion are:

1. The inability to sweat
2. High body temperature
3. Rapid pulse
4. Strange behavior
5. Confusion
6. Hallucinations
7. Seizures
8. Loss of consciousness

How do I treat someone who I think is suffering from Heath Exhaustion?

a)      Get the person to a shady and cool spot as soon as possible

b)      Remove clothing and apply cool water compresses to the person.  You may also apply ice packs to the underarm and groin to help cool the patient.

c)       Notify EMS as soon as possible.

d)      Stay with patient and monitor for changes.

With  summer upon us, we need to look at anaphylactic shock  that is caused by food allergies and bee stings.

Anaphylaxis is a fast occurring allergic reaction that involves the whole body. The allergic reaction can cause difficulty in breathing, hives and death.  An allergic reaction is the body’s response to the invading allergen.   

I have been stung by a bee before and never had a reaction?

For anaphylaxis shock to occur you must have been exposed to something in the past. While growing up on the farm, I have been stung many times by bees and wasps. After I turned 30 I was stung by a wasp and had an allergic reaction.  I am now required to carry and epi kit with me when I am outside.  Don’t assume that because you never had an allergic reaction that you never will. Look for the following signs and symptoms and act accordingly.

 

 

What can cause an allergic reaction:

1. Medication,
2. Venom from spiders, snakes and bees
3. Foods
4. Latex or rubber materials

 

What signs and symptoms should I look for:

A)      Difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or airway, Wheezing or chest tightness

B)      Shock or loss of consciousness

C)      Cardiac arrest   

D)     Hives  or skin itchiness

E)      Nasal congestion or sneezing

F)      Irregular heartbeat

G)     Nausea or vomiting

H)     Anxiety

I)        Confusion

 

When should I seek Medical Attention?

 

If having any signs or an allergic reaction you should seek medical attention as soon as possible by calling 911.  It is difficult to judge how severely that person will have an allergic reaction to a known substance. 

 

What should I do while waiting on the ambulance to arrive. The following are not to be used in place of going to the ED. 

1)      Keep calm.

2)      Take one or two capsules of Benadryl

3)      If feeling light headed, lay down  and raise your feet higher than you head to get blood flowing to your brain.

4)      If prescribed and Epi Kit, give yourself the shot.

As summer is upon us I want to take a look at heat exhaustion.  Do you know the sign and symptoms of heat exhaustion?  Who is likely to suffer from heat exhaustion?

 

Heat exhaustion occurs when you are exposed to high temperatures for a long period of time and lack fluids.  Those most prone to heat exhaustion are those who work in the heat for a long period of time, the elderly and those who suffer from high blood pressure.

 

What are the signs of heat exhaustion?

1. Heavy sweating
2. Paleness
3. Muscle cramps
4. Tiredness
5. Weakness
6. Dizziness
7. Headaches
8. Nausea or vomiting
9. Fainting
10. Fast pulse rate
11. Skin will be moist and wet
12. Fast and shallow breathing

 

Should you see these symptoms, put the patient in a cool place and help them to cool off. This can be done by putting the patient in an air conditioned room, give non alcoholic beverages, remove heavy clothing, and apply cool cloths to the wrist and back of neck.   Failure to cool the patient down could lead to heat stroke.  If the above symptoms last longer than 1 hour seek medical attention.

Emergencies come in all shapes and forms, is your home prepared for emergencies big or small?
Over the next few blogs we will look at different emergencies that can occur around your home and how they can be prevented.
In this blog, I would like to discuss accidental poisonings. In today’s society cleaning manufacturers are trying to come up with new and improved cleaning supplies. To a small child these cleaning supplies often look like things that they are use to eating and drinking.
While at home take a look at the cleaners you use. I pulled out a bottle of orange floor cleaner and put it next to a glass of orange drink. The smell of the cleaner was a little stronger than that of the orange drink, but to a child who are thirsty and sees their favorite orange drink. What do you think might happen? If your child had drunk the floor clearer would you know what to do? Do you know the phone number for poison control? Is it posted where you can easily find it in the case of an emergency?
Another area of concern for children is medication in the homes. To a small child they may look like candy. We need to have our medications in a safe area and away from our kids.
As a parent are you aware that vitamins can possible be a poison? Vitamins are often made to taste good so that children will take their daily vitamin, should a child take more than is recommended daily dose it could poison your child and cause harmful side effects.
My challenge to all of you out there is to take a look at your Childs favorite foods and drinks and compare then to your cleaners and poisons around your house. Send me an email and let’s discuss them.
The National poison control number is 1-800-222-1222