Sepsis Anxiety

[Matthew1233]

I was reading online that you can get sepsis from biting your fingernails and I do bite my nails and i'm very worried about this. I've been biting them a lot recently due to anxiety

Thanks

[Carys]

Let me guess - you read an article in the 'Mail online' yesterday. That was the first link that came up when I googled. :winks:

Firstly 1) Its the Mail, they find the most rare and gruesome stories they can and are masters at freaking out their audiences. They thrive on it. I mean who ever heard of someone they know dying of sepsis whilst biting finger nails??? Don't read the mail, it is complete sensationalised click-bait-and not even news. You don't read about the other 6,000 people (I made that stat up lol) that were treated with antibiotics just fine for an infected finger. Nope, that doesn't scare people.

2) Sepsis can be caused by anything, there are 'at risk' groups such as the old, those with immune problems and children....but I believe there are other risk groups also. People can get a pressure ulcer and get sepsis, a cut on their hand and get sepsis, an infected insect bite etc etc. So, worrying about one possible way to infect/allow bacteria to entre your body makes no sense. The key to it is vigilance....if you have an infection that doesn't look right and/or you feel unwell/ or it spreads....see medics.Yes, nail-biters do get finger infections, but there are lots of nail-biters and they aren't getting sepsis.

3) Why not try and solve the finger nail biting issue? I don't think you'll get sepsis, but its not a great habit for a lot of reasons. It is a 'tension reliever' for those with anxiety. Has anyone talked with you about transfering your habit to something less harmful?

[Matthew1233]

Let me guess - you read an article in the 'Mail online' yesterday. That was the first link that came up when I googled. :winks:

Firstly 1) Its the Mail, they find the most rare and gruesome stories they can and are masters at freaking out their audiences. They thrive on it. I mean who ever heard of someone they know dying of sepsis whilst biting finger nails??? Don't read the mail, it is complete sensationalised click-bait-and not even news. You don't read about the other 6,000 people (I made that stat up lol) that were treated with antibiotics just fine for an infected finger. Nope, that doesn't scare people.

2) Sepsis can be caused by anything, there are 'at risk' groups such as the old, those with immune problems and children....but I believe there are other risk groups also. People can get a pressure ulcer and get sepsis, a cut on their hand and get sepsis, an infected insect bite etc etc. So, worrying about one possible way to infect/allow bacteria to entre your body makes no sense. The key to it is vigilance....if you have an infection that doesn't look right and/or you feel unwell/ or it spreads....see medics.Yes, nail-biters do get finger infections, but there are lots of nail-biters and they aren't getting sepsis.

3) Why not try and solve the finger nail biting issue? I don't think you'll get sepsis, but its not a great habit for a lot of reasons. It is a 'tension reliever' for those with anxiety. Has anyone talked with you about transfering your habit to something less harmful?

Thank you for this but my worry is still there- also while the Mail is sensational I doubt they would exaggerate a true story in this sense

[axolotl]

while the Mail is sensational I doubt they would exaggerate a true story

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

The Daily Mail barely counts as journalism. And even if it's a true story, it doesn't make it any less of a freak occurence.

[Matthew1233]

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

The Daily Mail barely counts as journalism. And even if it's a true story, it doesn't make it any less of a freak occurence.

I get that but I don't think they would exaggerate a medical story

[axolotl]

I get that but I don't think they would exaggerate a medical story

That is basically all they do! Seriously, the health reporting in the Daily Mail is appalling, preying on people's morbid curiosity and anxieties for clicks. It's a garbage newspaper.

And as I say, even if this story was the best bit of reporting in the world, newspaper medical stories are all about the extremes. That's what news is. News wouldn't be "Man thinks he has cancer but is OK", or "Man has illness but is cured and is fine without much trouble", or "Man has a nice life and dies peacefully at 79". It's not interesting enough. The rare and the gruesome seem more in our faces in the press because they're rare and gruesome.

[Elen]

Time to put limits on your browsing

The more you click on these horror stories the more they will appear in your feeds.

Do yourself a favour and block them

[AMomentofClarity]

I get that but I don't think they would exaggerate a medical story

If 1 person out of 7 billion contracts a disease and dies, and a publication writes about it, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily “exaggerated”, but it means there’s a 1/7,000,000,000 chance of it happening to you. Do you really want to spend your life worrying about those kinds of odds?

[MyNameIsTerry]

If 1 person out of 7 billion contracts a disease and dies, and a publication writes about it, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily “exaggerated”, but it means there’s a 1/7,000,000,000 chance of it happening to you. Do you really want to spend your life worrying about those kinds of odds?

Agreed. And journalists also have a habit of being quite scarce with details from studies they quote. They also create bias in their articles.

Not everything the DM write about (medical stories) is incorrect sometimes it's just poor and without reviewing the sources you will be pushed into incorrect conclusion due to the bias or incompetence of the journalist.

[Matthew1233]

Agreed. And journalists also have a habit of being quite scarce with details from studies they quote. They also create bias in their articles.

Not everything the DM write about (medical stories) is incorrect sometimes it's just poor and without reviewing the sources you will be pushed into incorrect conclusion due to the bias or incompetence of the journalist.

I understand what everyone is saying but would the writer of such article really exaggerate the details of story that is quite terrifying in this case

Maybe I don't understand what you are talking about, if so sorry about that

[axolotl]

I understand what everyone is saying but would the writer of such article really exaggerate the details of story that is quite terrifying in this case

Maybe I don't understand what you are talking about, if so sorry about that

The Mail is a newspaper of liars and exaggerators that only exists for ad revenue through clicks, and to further the political will of its owners.

Did you know Wikipedia once banned it as a credible source of information? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/08/wikipedia-bans-daily-mail-as-unreliable-source-for-website

[Shadowhawk]

I understand what everyone is saying but would the writer of such article really exaggerate the details of story that is quite terrifying in this case

Maybe I don't understand what you are talking about, if so sorry about that

YES! That is EXACTLY what shady "journalism" does, which is what that website counts as. They make money son writing sensational stories, because they get the clicks.

As another noted.. if it has happened to one person out of the 7 billion on the planet, they they can say that biting your nails can do it.. even if your off of it happening are more unlikely than you winning the lottery jackpot twice...

[axolotl]

YES! That is EXACTLY what shady "journalism" does, which is what that website counts as. They make money son writing sensational stories, because they get the clicks.

As another noted.. if it has happened to one person out of the 7 billion on the planet, they they can say that biting your nails can do it.. even if your off of it happening are more unlikely than you winning the lottery jackpot twice...

Exactly.

Look at this way - Plane crashes make national news more than car crashes do, even though car crashes are more common by an order of magnitude. Why? Because plane crashes are scarier, and far rarer, as air travel is relatively safe.

[Carys]

Agreed axolotyl!



I have never forgotten reading, a few years ago, one of their stories about the false widow spider (my mother sent me a link). It was really similar to this nail-biting sepsis one - some guy had been bitten by this spider and swollen up/ nearly died *insert gruesome pictures*. It was in essence a true story, he had been bitten by a false widow spider - but the bias in their reporting, the way they missed out facts, the way they made it sound like we as a population were under seige and should cower in our beds from these deadly creatures....was so out of proportion with the level of threat.

A few weeks later, at the garden centre, a worker there at the till saw a spider in a box. Yep, I recognised it immediately ! He popped it onto his hand and took it outside. I was like - whahhhhhhattttt are you doing ? Are you insane ? He knew it was a false widow and informed me he knew loads about spiders, and they rarely bite unless threatened (clearly this one wasn't) and he had seem quite a few this summer and taken them out in a similar way, on his hand.

The moral to this is that, the threat the the Daily Mail and their like want you to feel, is out of proportion with reality.

Also note, these people only 'nearly died'. As it happens they didn't, were treated and are back at home selling their story to the DM. :roflmao:

[axolotl]

False widows are a great example. Most incidents in the press are people who somehow get it into their heads they've been bitten by a false widow with no evidence, or the odd poor sod who has the double misfortune to have an allergy to spider venom and get bitten by one of the few British species that can break human skin. The sheer exaggerated nonsense in the press led to situations like recently when a school was evacuated because someone found some!

Australians must look at our trembling fear of our pathetic, mildly venomous spiders and laugh their heads off!

Off topic, but I hope the OP sees this as an example of how the DM takes real stories and make them seem way scarier, or more likely, than they are.

[Shadowhawk]

Agreed axolotyl!



I have never forgotten reading, a few years ago, one of their stories about the false widow spider (my mother sent me a link). It was really similar to this nail-biting sepsis one - some guy had been bitten by this spider and swollen up/ nearly died *insert gruesome pictures*. It was in essence a true story, he had been bitten by a false widow spider - but the bias in their reporting, the way they missed out facts, the way they made it sound like we as a population were under seige and should cower in our beds from these deadly creatures....was so out of proportion with the level of threat.

A few weeks later, at the garden centre, a worker there at the till saw a spider in a box. Yep, I recognised it immediately ! He popped it onto his hand and took it outside. I was like - whahhhhhhattttt are you doing ? Are you insane ? He knew it was a false widow and informed me he knew loads about spiders, and they rarely bite unless threatened (clearly this one wasn't) and he had seem quite a few this summer and taken them out in a similar way, on his hand.

The moral to this is that, the threat the the Daily Mail and their like want you to feel, is out of proportion with reality.

Also note, these people only 'nearly died'. As it happens they didn't, were treated and are back at home selling their story to the DM. :roflmao:

You aren't kidding about blowing it out of proportion... the false widow, while venomous, isn't actually even dangerous, typically equated to no worse than a bee sting. If a bite was actually from that spider, and caused that reaction, it is an even MORE rare case, making it more sensationalized.

[Matthew1233]

Thank you everyone!

This is a very good forum for anyone who has read something scary on the Daily Mail (or Express for that matter, they are just as bad).

[Carys]

Australians must look at our trembling fear of our pathetic, mildly venomous spiders and laugh their heads off!


On that theme - this very summer I was out walking the dogs at a popular walking location. It was a lovely hot summer day and as I went along the sandy path, coming towards me, about 10 metres away, was a group of people. One woman nearly trod on something on the path, she stopped and looked at it closely, stepped over it..and carried on walking and chatting.

As they came close enough I asked her what it was, as I had seen it moving. In an Australian accent she said 'Oh, just a little snake'. :roflmao:

That little snake was indeed an adder, basking on the sand. I got a stick and moved it from the path....and thought how terrified many British people would be...and laughed at her comment and reaction.



You aren't kidding about blowing it out of proportion... the false widow, while venomous, isn't actually even dangerous, typically equated to no worse than a bee sting. If a bite was actually from that spider, and caused that reaction, it is an even MORE rare case, making it more sensationalized.


Absolutely! Infact, normal wasp stings can also get infected in the same way, but they aren't BLACK SPIIDDEERRRRSSSSS

[axolotl]

Thank you everyone!

This is a very good forum for anyone who has read something scary on the Daily Mail (or Express for that matter, they are just as bad).

Ah now the Express... Just look for any of their "predictions" of extreme weather coming to see how papers can make a living printing utter b****cks!

[Fishmanpa]

I understand what everyone is saying but would the writer of such article really exaggerate the details of story that is quite terrifying in this case

Maybe I don't understand what you are talking about, if so sorry about that

Being that nothing said about the article will sway you from believing it's going to happen to you, I suggest you stop biting your nails (not a good habit anyway) and get help for your skewed thoughts and irrational fears.

Positive thoughts

[Pamplemousse]

As a child in the 70s, I used to bite my nails so much I used to make them bleed. I even used to bite my toenails :foot:



Still here, as you can see!


Also - DON'T READ THE MAIL!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I understand what everyone is saying but would the writer of such article really exaggerate the details of story that is quite terrifying in this case

Maybe I don't understand what you are talking about, if so sorry about that

What I meant was that they will mislead you, as has been shown by later examples such as the false widow. They will give you a number of case studies where the worst happened and forget to tell you you have more chance of being struck by lightning whilst an Elvis Impersonator wearing a Spice Girls Rule top walks past you on a warm sunny day. :winks:

I think the DM get a bad rep for this partially due to places like these forums because you will find most people read their headlines and laugh. But on here they are taken very seriously and yet many other newspapers peddle much the same nonsense. It's just that the DM are more virulent in it.

Axolotl posted The Guardian above yet they are well known for their political scaremongering. The Mirror are well known for being New Labour fan boys. The Independent are often joked about being far from independent on their views. The Telegraph are joked about as being Tory Comms Central.

Even the BBC are now getting known for being sparse with certain details so they can frame a narrative to the reader.

They all have their issues with bias. Papers like the DM just have it more central to their business plan.

It obviously is going to present a problem to those with HA as the subconscious will start going ape when it sees a trigger. But it's actually the same for non HAers too where they have themes the media impact on e.g. political change, war, terrorism, etc. Some on the GAD board post about how they have read something and it has scared them, they can't watch the news, etc. Again, it comes down to scaremongering media. For instance, shortly after North Korea started heating up on national newspaper had a front page spread with a mushroom cloud on it! It's just shock tactics for clicks and this wasn't the DM (so god knows what their front page looked like! :winks:)

Much the same issues are in play as for the HAer, it's just the theme differs. I got over my problems with big stuff in the media. It was never health for me but things like political unrest, big changes from elections, war, terrorism, etc. These days it doesn't bother me in the slightest, I just have all my other issues to deal with :doh:

---------- Post added at 02:36 ---------- Previous post was at 02:29 ----------


On that theme - this very summer I was out walking the dogs at a popular walking location. It was a lovely hot summer day and as I went along the sandy path, coming towards me, about 10 metres away, was a group of people. One woman nearly trod on something on the path, she stopped and looked at it closely, stepped over it..and carried on walking and chatting.

As they came close enough I asked her what it was, as I had seen it moving. In an Australian accent she said 'Oh, just a little snake'. :roflmao:

That little snake was indeed an adder, basking on the sand. I got a stick and moved it from the path....and thought how terrified many British people would be...and laughed at her comment and reaction.





Absolutely! Infact, normal wasp stings can also get infected in the same way, but they aren't BLACK SPIIDDEERRRRSSSSS

Aw, that's sounds nice! I live near Cannock Chase (well, not really near but it's not far) so occasionally people get bitten by them. Like any animal though, it's just defending itself from something it's terrified of as it thinks it may get eaten.

Now seagulls...:whistles:

Remember all the stories about spiders & scorpions in fruit hitching a ride?

The giant mutant rats one on the DM front pages always made me laugh. Giant rats coming from mainland Europe...most likely stealing the jobs of good, honest, hard working British rates! :winks:

The funny thing was, not long after they followed it up how they were starting to infest Parliament. I would think giant rats have been there for a fair bit longer...:whistles:

Like axolotl says, Aussies must laugh when they can find the deadliest snakes in their cellars or under porches. I remember Flipp, now Flippy (remember Karina?), coming in her house one day to find a King Brown in one of her kids bedrooms and having to get her shotgun out.

But then I think Aussie members were scratching their heads over Aussie Flu since to them is was just flu.

[Scass]

I still get a fear that there are spiders in my grapes! It hasn’t stopped me eating grapes, but it just shows how scary those articles can be.

I have bitten my nails for 30+ years. It’s a horrible habit, I must try and stop it one day.....




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Matthew1233]

I know this is quite stupid but I cannot obsessing over worrying about sepsis.

I just keep hearing about it, looking it up and hearing stories about it and it's terrifying.

I can't stop worrying about getting it or something similar.

Thanks for the help.

[Fishmanpa]

C'mon Matt, you know better than this :doh: The bottom line is you're doing this to yourself! One doesn't "keep hearing about" sepsis but one can and in your case is, looking it up and digging yourself into an irrational rabbit hole. There's absolutely no reason or cause to be concerned with this :shrug:

Positive thoughts

[Carys]

Trouble is with sepsis right now is that it is the health story that the media seems to have picked up on as a way to scare the poo out of people, and the NHS have had a bit of a drive on getting people aware of it I think. Last 'season' was strokes, the one before meningitis....etc and so forth. Don't go looking for the stories and if they do appear on things you are reading then discard them as 'something thats always been there but currently receiving the headlines'. They never talk about the people, the majority, who get sepsis and respond to treatment e.g. my Dad and a close friend I have.

[Matthew1233]

Thanks for this

But thee worrying thing is that it can happen to anyone of any age which is what concerns me.

I'm now worried if I ever get the cold, flu, cut on my body or chest infection it will develop.

I understand you, it's good idea to be aware of this condition but what Im doing is making myself terrified of it,

[Fishmanpa]

I understand you, it's good idea to be aware of this condition but what Im doing is making myself terrified of it,

Exactly. In the same manner you should be aware of lightning during a thunder storm (and coincidentally, the number of people injured by lighting worldwide is about the same as people getting sepsis).

Ohhh one more thing... STOP GOOGLING! :lac:

Positive thoughts

[Carys]

Yep, anyone can, just as anyone can win the lottery.

However, those most at risk, the highest proportion are those....



with a medical condition or receiving medical treatment that weakens their immune system
who are already in hospital with a serious illness
who are very young or very old
who have just had surgery or who have wounds or injuries as a result of an accident


Both people I know who had it, one had a very serious medical condition and was in hospital and the other was having chemo and was 80 years old.

You should look at my thread ''healing tongue'.....the human body is pretty darned good at fighting infection!

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.

Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.

It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.

[Carys]

Ahhhh merged........Matt and the fingernail chewing! (trigger the Daily Mail :D)