NFR - Are you aware - antibiotic shortage

Shawn Seeger

Legend
Forum Supporter
Since I was accused of being a troll recently, I will clarify.

I had heard about the volume and spike of respiratory illnesses in kids. But until a cousins son (in Oregon) got really sick and required antibiotics and was told it might be 3 days to a week before any were available, I hadn't paid attention.

Then my brother got sick and it progressed to the point of NEEDING antibiotics (West WA.) And was told on Monday it might be available on Thursday (lucky his doctor reacted some down after multiple pharmacy calls) that I did some digging.

Just don't get sick isn't and answer.

Please, I am just sharing information! Please stay on topic! Just be aware.

https://www.aap.org/en/pages/amoxic...otic-options-for-common-pediatric-conditions/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/opinions/drug-shortages-antibiotics-ranney/index.html
 
currently have a 15 year old grandson at home in Spokane with high fever and moderate respratory distress, tested positive for infuenza, was literally given the last dose of an anti-viral left in the urgent care center. My daughter says childrens aspirin and OTC cold mdicines are cleaned off the shelves at her local pharmacy.
The supply lines continue to experience severe shortages, folks are still dying from influenza and covid, and jackasses want to conduct sham investigations against the pharm companies making the vaccines that are saving lives.
Wife and I are now past two weeks with cases of covid, still feeling like crap, still testing positive. We had a video meeting with our primary doc last week, who is quite certain the primary and booster vaccines my wife and I received have been the difference maker between being able to ride this out at home, vs ending up in the hospital where more then a few of his older vaccine resistent patients currently are.
Welcome to the new normal.
 
Many of us, me included, have a supply of various OTC drugs in our cupboard. Do you ever check the expiration date on them? You should! Those dates are there for a reason. The efficacy of them dwindles over time. Also the reliability of test kits results, e.g. Covid, reduces over time.
 
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Sorry to hear about family members and forum members being affected by this. RSV in children, especially under 2, is dangerous. We had friends' newborn require a hospital stay due to RSV and it was an extremely distressing time for them. Experts have been calling this a tripledemic with Covid, Flu, and RSV. Hope y'all stay safe and consider safe practices when spending time with friends and family this time of year.

 
My wife and I had every single vaccination available and we both still got Covid this summer. I complained about it to my doc and he told me I didn't die so the vaccines did work.

That's true. So when the newest latest greatest vaccine was available a few months ago, my wife and I got yet another shot.

When we had covid the shots must have had an effect because we didn't feel any worse than if we had the typical flu... and even then it only lasted three days.

I didn't know they were getting low on meds but it doesn't surprise me. I know the over the counter medicine section of most grocery stores has a lot of empty shelves.
 
My wife and I had every single vaccination available and we both still got Covid this summer. I complained about it to my doc and he told me I didn't die so the vaccines did work.

That's true. So when the newest latest greatest vaccine was available a few months ago, my wife and I got yet another shot.

When we had covid the shots must have had an effect because we didn't feel any worse than if we had the typical flu... and even then it only lasted three days.

I didn't know they were getting low on meds but it doesn't surprise me. I know the over the counter medicine section of most grocery stores has a lot of empty shelves.
Same here , my wife , and I have had all the lasted, and greatest . We also got Covid this past summer , thought I had some allergies. Same here only lasted a couple three days , coughs lingered for about a week . Pretty mild . Have had the common cold that was worse. Funny thing about it ,dodged Covid the entire time in our populated area . Get to Montana for our 6 week summer stay , very small RV park on a river , and get Covid , and all that time around people outdoors, except once in a fly shop for a license, must of got it there .
 
the only inside place around others we are ever unmasked is when swimming our daily laps...so gotta think there was a Typoid Mary in one of the adjacent lanes.
This one has been like having a bad cold, and personally haven't had a bad cold in 15 years, and only a couple of mild flu's during that time. Our doc says several variants are active at this time, ranging from fairly mild to what we apparently have. Thankfully, when Covid first hit, the nurse wife had stocked us with Rx inhalers used for asthma, which we have been using due to the reactive airway cough that goes with the strain that tagged us.
One of our dear friends has been on chemo for 4 years now, just came down with Covid and is on O2 at home, and we are seriously worried about her...whereas we expect a full recovery, we can only hope she has one as well.
 
My dad recently got COVID and it really messed him up. I hate to think what would have happened, had he not been recently boosted. My mum and sister had much more mild symptoms than he did, despite both being less fit and active than him.

My wife was also very sick, at the same time. Thankfully, it wasn't COVID. However, she sent me out to get some basic OTC stuff and I had to go to three different pharmacies; the shelves were literally empty. I got the last bottle of generic brand NyQuil, at Target.

It seems like folks are starting to mask up again, not just for COVID, but for everything else. It's probably a good thing that we have that as part of our culture now, like some other countries always have.
 
As JaredConnor pointed out about his Dad, it is often the healthiest that have the strongest reaction to infection, as their bodies ramp immune systems for the fight, triggering stronger symptoms. Being a fitness addict my entire life, and still so at 72, had thought being fit would have given me an edge - not. BTW, to address the local shortage of OTC meds, a catchall order from Amazon works well.
Covid, much like the 'normal' flu has for centuries, will continue to do laps around the world, mutating as it goes, the newest variant(s) landing on our shores on a regular basis. It is likely all of us will get Covid sooner or later, and likely more than once.

 
My wife had knee replacement surgery in September. Ten days in, she got an infection at the surgical site, likely caused by an allergic reaction to the surgical glue they used. (pirneo fro J&J... get tested before if your surgeon is planning on using this). So when diagnosed we were given a prescription for an antibiotic. At Walgreens we were told not in stock and no idea when, Fred Meyer the same story, finally found it at Rite Aid. The Doctor was surprised by this, and I question that, my thinking is that should be something they are at least aware of.
 
The respiratory viral infections this year were especially tough on our school community, upwards of 25% of the school out sick for about 5 weeks end of October to start of December. It was a mixture of illnesses. I missed 5 days because I got COVID (3 days of allergy symptoms, then perfectly normal. Symptoms began 2 days after booster). Many missed 7-10 days due to the flu and/or bad cold that seemed to have a double-wave illness. Many of my students reported feeling bad for 2-4 days followed by getting mostly better for a few days only for the whole thing to immediately repeat. It seems to have moved on for now though. I am anticipating another round post break though
 
I was not aware but I sure am now. Hope we don't need any antibiotics any time soon, but my 4 year old had a 104 fever and we finally found some children's acetominophen (no ibu) at the 4th place we checked.
 
Completely apolitical statement here..

I think we would all be wise to move towards any type of self-sufficiency that we possibly can.
Garden, harvest, forage, store and stockpile. Etc....
As the Boy Scouts say, Always be prepared. And it is humorous to me how many people/friends always teased me as a "prepare" for having stuff on hand and always a little extra. UNTIL the pandemic and now this...

And we have really started noting the plants and things in nature we have in our property. And we expanded the garden area this fall.

This was a picture from a Burien CVS when our granddaughter needed medication on Nov 22.

IMG_20221215_124645~2.jpg
 
It's not an answer although it would be wise to not put yourself in a position to pick up these viruses. Wash your hands a lot and mask up is my advice.

Still can happen. I'm pretty OCD about this shit (even pre-Covid stopped shaking hands) and got something in early November. Shocking to see how many obvious sick people are travelling and the majority of people in public bathrooms either don't wash their hands or run them under water for a quick second with no soap. It's like 2020 didn't even happen.
 
I prefer to wash my hands prior to using the urinal or toilet in public places. I know all my body parts are clean.....except my filthy hands.

People touch their body parts with dirty hands then wash hands after......it.makes little sense.

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Wash after too.....you filthy animals.
 
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I prefer to wash my hands prior to using the urinal or toilet in public places. I know all my body parts are clean.....except my filthy hands.

People touch their body parts with dirty hands then wash hands after......it.makes little sense.
Oh Peyton...I don't even know where to start.

Your skin is covered in flora. if you shower daily or not. Doesn't matter because it lives on you.

Maybe the best way to explain it is like this: Washing your hands before touching your privates would be like washing your truck before you go mudding...if they are covered in grease or something then yeah sure but the flora that lives on you is everywhere and the closer you get to your exits the more likely it has ecoli and some other stuff. So wash after as well...
 
From a health article today:
"Parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, adenovirus, influenza A, influenza B, respiratory enterovirus and human metapneumovirus. And then, there’s the rebounding coronavirus: The seven-day average of new daily cases is above 66,000, with hospitalizations above 40,000, the highest those numbers have been since mid-September and late August, respectively.
Patients with back-to-back respiratory illnesses. Simultaneous infection with three or more viruses, or with bacterial infections, such as Strep A. Otherwise healthy people suffering for weeks, rather than days, with simple colds."

Half of our children/grandchildren are now sick as virus's rip through their communities.

An FYI for home health, especially for those of us in the dry, cold snow zones - download a humidity app on your phone, make sure your home humidity is at least 40%, which helps protect the immune system by keeping sinus and lung tissue from drying out and becoming more prone to irritation and infection. We currently have 3 humidifers going in the house.
 
Oh Peyton...I don't even know where to start.

Your skin is covered in flora. if you shower daily or not. Doesn't matter because it lives on you.

Maybe the best way to explain it is like this: Washing your hands before touching your privates would be like washing your truck before you go mudding...if they are covered in grease or something then yeah sure but the flora that lives on you is everywhere and the closer you get to your exits the more likely it has ecoli and some other stuff. So wash after as well...

I never wash my hands or shower. Never sick. Dirt is good disease prevention. I request my surgeons smoke and go sans gloves and mask. Totally fine. I might even be immortal.
 
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