Again, to Shannon – here’s to negative HIV tests, and one more thing ruled out!

Nurses on occasion will often wear vinyl gloves, but will wear them longer than they should be.

One thing to remember, and I know Shannon knows this, is that the constant usage of gloves are relatively a new thing within the medical industry.

First protocol of BBP/Infection Control is to wash & dry your hands properly before and after you do something like this.

Than from there you should ideally be wearing Nitrile gloves, as latex is a much more allergic option to wear, for customers/patient.

I really hope you are not HIV+ Shannon. And just like you I’m sure its just another misdiagnosis to go onto the pile.

WLFDRGN – When I asked a nurse who was trying to start an IV, she mentioned something about the emotional aspect that is involved with skin to skin contact. It was a rather ironic episode, however; as she was debating the merits out loud, and slipping the needle out, my vein blew in a most explosive manner (which I’d warned her about, prior to the procedure – my veins like to do things like that). The result was blood splattering from her hand to elbow, the sheets, and who knows where else, and a stat HIV test (and a side of testing for hepatitis etc.) for me. That was for her peace of mind – in my opinion, a potential high cost to pay for what may or may not have given me a bit more peace of mind, the no gloves thing.

That made me decide that I would stick with my original opinion – it really is better to just don a pair of gloves and be on the safe side. I fully expect tattooists, piercers, and anyone else who may come into contact with my bodily fluids to assume that I’m carrying every blood borne pathogen there is, and I assume the same whether doing a piercing or administering first aid, whatever. HIV is no longer the death sentence that it once was, but unnecessary risk like this just strikes me as foolish.

I wonder if it’s a conscious decision in healthcare to try to appear more personal, more connected to the patient. Skin on skin contact is very reassuring, at a subconscious level. Much more so than latex on skin.

I dated a piercer and I know if he pierced one person without wearing gloves, it could warrant the shop being closed down and him losing his license. It disgusts me that health professionals are so careless. If anyone sticks me with a needle, I tell them to put gloves on.

When I think about it, there’s no need to wear gloves when you’re doing something like that, so I completely understand, but it was still odd.

I haven’t asked the nurses about it, but next time I will.

And while injecting radioactive dye, the tech didn’t wear gloves for me, either. Do they just not care anymore, or have they realized just what a low probability there actually is of contamination?