Boil, boil, toil, and trouble....

[Pagan]

But I thought the Bubonic Plague was frozen in two laboratories somewhere?

Nope, Bubonic Plague is still around...but it is treatable with antibiotics and is rare, especially in developed countries.

(You're probably thinking of Smallpox.)

You're thinking of smallpox. One sample is in the CDC in Atlanta and the other is somewhere in Russia.

I was going to say that, too, but BE and Mark beat me to it. We've had, I think, 8 human cases of it here in New Mexico this year so far. Can't remember when we last had a case of pneumatic plague. Ah, yes....New Mexico, Land of Enchantment....and home to medieval diseases!

[BookstoreEscapee]

Hehe, I recently read In the Wake of the Plague by Norman Cantor, and a couple years ago I read The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly. Interesting stuff. If you're into that sorta thing .

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, I hope I didn't come across as insensitive. I don't mean to be. It would horrify me to react in any way other than to completely ignore her condition. But like I said, I am not of the strongest intestinal fortitude, and I am just being honest when I say my own weakness might make me react badly.

Guy came in once with a smashed finger. It looked sort of freshly smashed...black and blue fingernail, part of the skin missing, crusted blood under the cuticle. Damned if I didn't nearly faint. I couldn't help look at it because the guy was using that hand to point out stuff on his order form. I actually got swimmy headed. I dont' know why that bothered me so much, my reaction very much startled me. It just looked so...I dunno, painful.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Holy carbuncles Batman!

I think I've mentioned "Robert", the elderly, somewhat mentally-challenged man who used to come into the store about 3 or 4 times a day just to wander around and talk to people. He had psoriasis. One day he was talking to the girl working behind the photo counter when he rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal his flaking arm, and said proudly "Know what this is? This is psoriasis!", like he was showing off a trophy bass or something.

I just about . Major TMI if you ask me. So you got psoriasis--that's no big deal but you don't need to thrust it in my face.

[Cyanocobalamin]

Hehe, I recently read In the Wake of the Plague by Norman Cantor <and other mentioned books>

Cool! Some things for me to keep an eye out for next time I go book shopping. If you haven't read it yet, you may like 'The Coming Plague' by Laurie Garrett. It talks about how our global society is ill-prepared (pun intended) for pandemics.

Somewhat back OT, I picked up a gnarly hand-foot-mouth infection when I was 13 or so. Huge blisters on my hands and feet gave way to itchy, skin-flaky tastiness. A GIS is not the worst but still not-safe-for-lunch.

[SuperB]

Holy carbuncles Batman!

I think I've mentioned "Robert", the elderly, somewhat mentally-challenged man who used to come into the store about 3 or 4 times a day just to wander around and talk to people. He had psoriasis. One day he was talking to the girl working behind the photo counter when he rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal his flaking arm, and said proudly "Know what this is? This is psoriasis!", like he was showing off a trophy bass or something.

I just about . Major TMI if you ask me. So you got psoriasis--that's no big deal but you don't need to thrust it in my face.

I believe the key in that story is "mentally-challenged". Just pointing out that there is a huge difference between 'in one's face' and not covering up and cowering due to the publics insensitivity and inability to deal.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Cool! Some things for me to keep an eye out for next time I go book shopping. If you haven't read it yet, you may like 'The Coming Plague' by Laurie Garrett. It talks about how our global society is ill-prepared (pun intended) for pandemics.

Cool, I will have to check that out (cuz I don't have enough books on my list ). Funnily enough, when I looked for it on bn.com, the next 2 books to come up after it were ... In the Wake of the Plague and The Great Mortality!

My ex runs a history discussion group at the store he works at, and their book last month was In the Wake..., so I borrowed it from him. The Great Mortality I actually own; I didn't intend to buy it but I borrowed the hardcover from work (when it first came out I was still in the store) and managed to spill hot chocolate all over it - before I even got it out of the building. So I had to pay for it. (I thought about sneaking it into the damaged returns and blaming it on a customer, but I couldn't do that...damn my integrity! Why did my parents have to raise me so well?!)

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I'm of two minds here. First, there is no way to know if someone has or hasn't seen a doctor. And second, I don't think anyone should have to stay at home because of what others might think.

I have psoriasis and while it's 99% gone now, before Enbrel it wasn't fun even with my mild case. People would ask if I had poison oak on my arm and after a while I would either say 'yes' or tell them it was eczema. For whatever reason, that word they recognized and it was ok to them. The word "psoriasis" was foreign to them. I really feel for people who have it worse than me.

My b/f has that on his knees quite bad . . . he says it's a side effect of shots he has to take weekly to help with the arthritis. I've also read somewhere that stress can cause it to worsen as well . . .

He'll wear shorts out in public - hey, he wears them to work. But then, with the heat we've been having this summer and part of the time he's loading carts or pallets from within a truck trailer (and those trailers are quite hot and stuffy in the summertime) he doesn't care about looks. He's going to wear what's comfy and that's it.

I've seen people covered with boils . . . I've seen people with shingles and that ain't pretty either, but I'm not really fazed by it.

I guess some people have stronger stomachs than others.

[AnaKhouri]

Ugh, I had shingles this summer. I had never heard of it and was indignant when I looked it up, "What?? I'm 28! This is a disease for OLD PEOPLE!"

Well, I discovered it can hit at any age, and damn is it painful. I even had to take off work a day, and I had a mild case!

But usually when people have some kind of skin condition it doesn't bother me. Can't say I've seen anything quite like the lady described in the first post, so I'm not sure how I would react.

[ForestDragon]

You're thinking of smallpox. One sample is in the CDC in Atlanta and the other is somewhere in Russia.

I don't understand this. It's extinct out in the world, so why in the world don't we - I don't know, kill it off for good?! Keeping this nasty little bugger alive tends to set off alarm bells in my mind, and I'm one of the last generation who actually got a smallpox vaccination as a kid. (Don't know if it's still effective after several decades, though) Call me paranoid, but I just don't think it's being done for a good reason.

A note on the Elephant Man - it's now suspected he had something called Proteus Syndrome rather than neurofibramatosis.

Back on topic - I work with a guy who has the most horridly fascinating lumps and bumps on all exposed skin; I suppose that's why he qualifies for employment at the Portland Habilitation Center (which specializes in finding work for people with physical/emotional/mental problems). I guess most employers wouldn't hire him because of his appearance. So now he, like me, works the graveyard shift at the airport. I haven't yet asked him about it - I'm curious, but it isn't really my business.

[Banrion]

I don't understand this. It's extinct out in the world, so why in the world don't we - I don't know, kill it off for good?! Keeping this nasty little bugger alive tends to set off alarm bells in my mind

Because while there are a very few documented samples remaining, and there have been no infections in the wild for quite a number of years, there is always the possibility of there being undocumented samples being kept somewhere, or the possibility of there being frozen samples near the poles which if thawed could cause infection. They can't produce the vaccine again without a sample of the virus. It is also a useful research tool as there are many virii out there that are similar to small pox.

A lot of people around here are freaking out about it right now, since Boston has approved plans for a new Bio-lab here that will be doing testing on smallpox and Anthrax.

[AirHostess]

I called in sick to work once when I had a huge infected spot on my chin...I was way to embarrased to leave the house.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be covered in boils

[ForestDragon]

Because while there are a very few documented samples remaining, and there have been no infections in the wild for quite a number of years, there is always the possibility of there being undocumented samples being kept somewhere, or the possibility of there being frozen samples near the poles which if thawed could cause infection. They can't produce the vaccine again without a sample of the virus. It is also a useful research tool as there are many virii out there that are similar to small pox.

A lot of people around here are freaking out about it right now, since Boston has approved plans for a new Bio-lab here that will be doing testing on smallpox and Anthrax.

Ah, okay. [thoughtful expression] That makes sense. I was just thinking that just because germ warfare is against international law, it doesn't mean it won't happen at some point (torture's illegal, too, after all, and we all know how well that law's enforced these days. ). Hadn't considered the possibility of viruses similar to smallpox out there, which I think I should've, considering the vaccine was made from cowpox in the first place - comparatively mild 'pox, but similar enough to make the body immune to the much nastier smallpox.

Speaking of anthrax, out of curiosity, is anthrax curable, or is it one of those things like distemper/rabies - your animal gets it, you may as well put it out of its misery?

[Banrion]

Speaking of anthrax, out of curiosity, is anthrax curable, or is it one of those things like distemper/rabies - your animal gets it, you may as well put it out of its misery?

It depends how you are exposed as far as the fatality rate goes, but it is a bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics.

Here is some info from the CDC:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/anthrax/faq/signs.asp

[FormerCallingCardRep]

As someone who has NF, the only time the dr. will remove the bumps really is when they could be cancerous (my dad had one removed on his arm). Any other time, it's considered cosmetic surgery and insurance companies really won't cover that.

They have problems covering NF, but that's for a different board.

Sandman, My husband has NF type 1. He has had several fibromas removed recently. He had a plexiform on his face that had invaded the sinus cavity and the eye socket that had to be removed.