Thankful Thursday - 3rd Trimester & Gentamicin

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for food. Today I had to go in for a 3-hour glucose tolerance test (yes, that means I failed the 1-hour. I was 133 and the cut off is above 139, but anything in the 130's they do a 3-hour on just in case. We'll keep you posted with results). However, the one thing I learned from this fasting test is how much I am thankful for food. I had to go in fasting for 12 hours, and then it was 3 more hours until I could eat...and for this preggo momma, who eats every 2-4 hours, that was not awesome. I've never had a lunch taste so good! I sure am thankful for food.

I'm thankful for a bigger Peanut. Peanut is growing and healthy, and I am so thankful for that. But the thing I love the most this week is that Peanut is getting big enough that I can sometimes feel a body part moving under the skin, and actually FEEL the body part. It's not just the movement, but Peanut's body that I can feel. It is so incredible!! I am so thankful for the bond I can build with my baby as I feel her wiggle around.

I'm thankful for being in the 3rd trimester! As of Tuesday, we were 28 weeks pregnant. Man, I am SO thankful to be in the 3rd trimester. We are counting down to the end now - only 12 weeks left. Looking at the calendar it looks SO close and I think the next several weeks will fly by (as we have a lot on the calendar), but then it'll probably slow down as we get close to the end and time will crawl by. Also, t feels great to know that if I were to have Peanut today, she would have a 90% survival rate. Knowing that we've made it to a point that Peanut would likely be ok if I went into labor, brings a lot of peace to my often worrying mind!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my opportunity to spend some time with the good folks out in Kansas City this weekend. I've been invited to speak at their CF education day on Saturday and I'm really excited to share my story. I love being able to speak face-to-face with members in the community, and sometimes I even get to meet people that I know from the online community. I certainly hope that's the case on Saturday!

I'm thankful for this blog. This blog gives me the opportunity to talk about anything and everything. And although talking, or writing in this case, about stuff I care about is enjoyable, I especially like the interaction that takes place on RSBR. It's amazing how willing you guys are to share tips and tricks about topics I discuss on this blog. I've been struggling to come up with veggie centric meals, I voiced that concern and within hours I had comments and emails giving me suggestions. I seriously couldn't ask for anything more!

I'm thankful for inhaled antibiotics. I still think inhaled antibiotics are the best thing since sliced bread. These things go right to the source of the infection and most of the time, no matter which drug it is, it feels like something is working. I just started another cycle of inhaled Gentamicin (an oldie but goodie) and I'm hoping that it holds off a trip to the Hole for a little while longer!

So, what are you thankful for today?

New Drug Class Offers Hope Against "Superbugs"

This is very new discovery, but exciting to hear nonetheless!! For full article click here.

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Swiss scientists have found a new class of antibiotics, offering drug developers a fresh weapon in the fight against multi-drug resistant bacteria or "superbugs".

Researchers from a privately held Swiss biotech company Polyphor and the University of Zurich said the potential medicines are effective against a type of bacteria known as "gram-negative", and offer hope for new treatments for serious and often life-threatening infections.

The antibiotics work by deactivating a protein vital for the formation of the bacteria's outer cell membrane.

Polyphor's chief financial officer said the firm was in talks with pharmaceutical firms about possible licensing deals on the most advanced drug candidate, called POL7080, which selectively kills the dangerous pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common bacteria that can cause lung infections.

"There is a big need for new antibiotics that can overcome rising resistance," Michael Altorfer told Reuters. "And if you look back in history, finding a new class of antibiotics is an event that probably happens about every 20 years."

Until recently, antibiotics have been viewed by drugmakers as a low-growth area but the emergence of superbugs has rekindled interest in the field.

A study published in the journal Science found that POL7080 was able to target and deactivate an essential protein of the pseudomonas bacteria, killing the bug.

A report in December found that gram-negative bacteria account for around 63 percent of infections in hospital intensive care units. Experts commenting on that study said they feared resistance among gram-negative bugs was rising while the number of medicines to treat them was shrinking. [ID:nN01516996]

Drug-resistant bacteria kill about 25,000 people a year in Europe and about 19,000 in the United States.

Altorfer said Polyphor is planning to start Phase I clinical trials in healthy volunteers in the second quarter of this year and had begun out-licensing negotiations with potential pharma partners. He declined to name any of the firms in talks.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a particular problem in hospital acquired infections and in patients with cystic fibrosis, whose lungs and digestive systems become clogged with a thick, sticky mucous.

Altorfer said he was keen not to raise hope, but the drug could potentially be made in an inhalable form to help cystic fibrosis patients, of which there are around 70,000 worldwide.

"But there are other indications that could come first, such as hospital acquired infections," he said.

Full article can be found at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE61G0OX20100218

I Got Hit by a Truck

Day 2: So before you panic, I actually didn't get hit by a truck, but it sure feels like I did. I like to call it the old "antibiotic blues".

Now join me in the (Hospital) Run/Walk Challenge! BTW, does anybody have a more clever name for that? The ____ ____ _____ Challenge! Ideas???