Can my very elderly mother dine with others?

My 93 year old mother, who lives in a Retirement community with others in precarious health situations, has recently been tested positive with Hepatitis B.
Noone is able to figure out how she contracted the disease, but that is beside the point.

She has been placed in isolation in the Health Care facility, but has begun to feel better and would like to return to a dining room to eat with other elderly residents.  She would also like to eat out at a restaurant. Is it possible to do with without jeopardizing the health of others?

I would greatly appreciate your advice.

[willing]

Hi - here is the CDC hepatitis B <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/index.htm">site</a>.  The FAQ page gives the following answer to "how do you get hepatitis B?" :

"You get hepatitis B by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person; for example, you can become infected by having sex or sharing needles with an infected person. A baby can get hepatitis B from an infected mother during childbirth.

Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water or by casual contact."

It should be perfectly safe for your mother to dine with others. Someone on this forum recently described a situation where a caregiver apparently contacted HBV from changing bandages of an infectious patient - so this may require additional caution. Having her Dr. order a hepatitis B panel should tell you what stage her infection is at and whether she is still infectious. Best wishes to you and your Mom - I hope she gets back to dining with her frienfs ASAP.

[Pisa]

Thank you very much "Willing" for having answered my query about my mother's desire to eat with her fellow residents.  Your answer will help support my request that she be allowed to return to her familiar surroundings.  

I am going to post a new question about how she might have contracted Hepatitis B.

[oldhippiechick67]

I know Mike and Galen are probly chompin at the bit, but I will step in and say -
We are only allowed 6 questions on this forum per day, so if you have additional questions and comments try to post them under one thread.  I noticed Pisa was going to post another question regarding how the grandmother may have contacted Hep B but I figured we are outta threads for today.  So you can post it right here under this thread Pisa.  If  you need more links about Hep B just ask or do a search under any ol search engine, or ask us and we will get you some lickedy split.  Best to your grandmother!

[kennedge]

please check with your credit card company about unauthorized transactions...this is a free forum with no costs...as for ohc...maybe she can tell us the lottery numbers too

[Pisa]

I'm completely confused by OldHippiechick's post.  I filled out a "pay for advice" form, submitted a credit card, that had the query about how my mother might have gotten this disease. I did not post it as another thread.

Where did OldHippiechick "notice that I was going to post another thread?"

Where do I learn about the rules that only 6 threads are allowed per day.  Is that meant for the entire population?

Please explain!

[oldhippiechick67]

Sorry if I came across as being unwelcoming or such, its just the medications we are on that make some of us cranky.  I am having a particularly crabby, irritable day.  I have noticed not too many of the regs are posting, dont know if they are busy or just not feeling good.  I hate to see questions go unanswered so I blurted an answer.  No problem with you speaking up though, not to worry, we are usually pretty dang helpful here.  So its your mother that has the Hep B?  I guess I thought at 93 she would have to be a grandmother. Well, anyways, good luck to her getting over it!

[layla]

I notice when post are full for the day a screen offers you this option, to ask a question to be reviewed by 3 doctors for money, I think $14.95 to be put on your CC as you saw. I almost did it once myself but found that if I just waited post would open up here and it was free and there was a lot of advice and experience right here. When it says the post are full it doesn't clarify that it will open within the day everyday for 6 (or 8) post only. I'm new but found at least once day there is a post where someone notes feel free to ask additional questions on it. This is a good place to add additional questions so you dojn't use op a new thread. I don't think there is anyplace here that tell you only so many post are allowed a day. By the way did you get an answer from the docs? I've been curious about this offer? LL

[giddyup]

No hoaxes here, just a little confusion. Hang in there. This forum is generally used for the sharing of oppinions and experiences of people affected by hepititus [primarily hepc].There are other med help sights.

[oldhippiechick67]

I noticed you stated in your post above my answer to you, "I am going to post a new question as to how she might have contracted hepatitis B"  Thus I am not psychic.   And there isnt any place where it tells us we only get 6 - 8 new post topics per day... we just find out by not being able to post a new question, so we add on to existing ones.  Sorry to confuse you.
I didnt know about the 14.95 thing here.  There is another site called eCure  and it charges for dr's advise also, in case anyone is anxious to spend a few more bucks for real live doctor advise.  
I am going to leave the "advise to newbies" up to other guys/gals, Im too much in the fog and feeling whipped to bother with advise  any longer.....puff puff, pant pant, I'm fading fast...so long fellow heppers!  Happy weekend, if possible.  I am on #12 today, an I have felt SOooooo Drainnnnnnnned!  Hugs and chin up ya'all.  OHC

[Pisa]

I paniced when I read Oldhippychick's first comments to me because I thought that I'd done something wrong and made public, in a different forum, the question that I had intended as my request  paid medical advice. I wasn't even certain how I had arrived at that window.  I had not,  at that point,  reread my earlier comments in which I did, indeed, say that I might put up another thread.

It would probably have been more prudent for me, as a Newbie, to have cautiously learned my way around this place before jumping right in, but that isn't my style.  I have myself served as a Senior member for two years at website that had a constant stream of New Arrivals, and everyone there was more than happy to guide newcomers through the ropes.  

I was very pleased with the response that I got from the Medical Advisory Board for the paid question.  I feel as though I have some good things to discuss with my mother's doctor.  Believe me, I would do anything to try to make her life a  little more pleasant at 93.

[Pisa]

This Website has a section called "Answersoft," in which one pays $14.95 to seek out the medical advice of doctors.  It states that three doctors will review the question and then submit a reply.

I've very new here, but I'm assuming it isn't a hoax.

[layla]

Does anyone know of a hep b info sight? You might try hivandhepatitis.com They do have a section on hep b that could be helpful. Good luck to you. LL