Day 19
Monday, November 19th, 2007Even though I did show her off two days ago, her Daddy (who is my nephew by love) asked his Mom why I wasn’t talking about her, here. So, once again, Miss Amy. Isn’t she precious? Now, her Daddy needs to get her here for me to hold her. ahem.
Love you, Daniel.
Yes, my friends read this site. In fact, they have known about it for years and if I go too long without updating they holler at me. My family reads as well. You’ll find them commenting from time to time (although not often enough, hint, hint.)
I have a fantastic family and group of friends. In fact my friends are my family as well as we have all known one another most of our lives. Last night, Tracey called to let us know that Danny (the hand holding Amy in the picture above) was in surgery for an infection, probably MRSA in his right hand. They had to split the skin and remove some tissue but that is all we know at this point. Tracey is keeping me updated on him.
Years ago I wrote about superbugs, including MRSA when one almost killed my father. Daddy underwent multiple surgeries, lost a lot of flesh and muscle, and ended up with some nerve damage from it. He was lucky as they really thought he wasn’t going to make it.
That bug, and the ones that are all over the news, are caused by the overuse of antibiotics and “antibacterial” everything. Triclosan, which is the standard antibacterial ingredient, only kills off the weaker bacteria, so it leaves the stronger ones to thrive and grow. And infect people, and kill some of those it infects.
These superbugs are our fault for not listening. For using antibiotics too much, for not finishing a prescription off and allowing the stronger bugs to multiply, for using soaps with triclosan instead of plain old soap. We can’t go back in time but, we can make the future of these bacteria different. Throw out any of the antibacterial crap you have. If you need to use anything, use bleach on surfaces and use the alcohol based hand sanitizers.
They kill off the bacteria, even the strong ones, instead of just killing off the weaker ones. And, with all of the MRSA and other staph variants floating around you should be washing your hands very well. Keep any open spots (wounds, scratches, etc.) covered. If you are in the hospital or visiting one be twice as vigilant. The same goes for nursing homes or other skilled nursing facilities. Be careful but do not make the problem worse by using antibacterial products.
If nothing else, do it for that cute little baby and her Grandpa Danny.