Another Sick Coworker - Update & ???

[sillygirl]

I was finally starting to do better. The coworker that was sick has been at work and pretty much fine the last 3 days. I was starting to relax, hoping I was able to dodge this one. Then another coworker asked me if I needed anything because he is going home sick. I told him no, just go, but now I am afraid I was already exposed. He and I work closer than I did with the other coworker. I'm not sure if he got it from her or not. He told me it is his stomach, and I just saw him rush out towards the hall where the bathrooms are. I know we have touched the same fax machine, copier, etc. I haven't used the same phone as him, but he did hand me some paper work to stick in a FedEx envelope with mine. Now my alert is way up again. I really hope I don't get it from him! So much for my relaxing weekend! Edited by: sillygirl

[sillygirl]

I'm really losing it now. I am so scared. My husband and I were going to go out to dinner to celebrate selling our house, but now I am afraid. And, for the first time, I feel like I should quit working just because I can't handle the worrying about sv anymore. I don't know what to do. I feel like the air I am breathing is contaminated. I want to go screaming out of the building. Help!

[dita]

Try not to worry (easier said than done, I know). I kissed my husband 1 hour before he got sv* and I didn't get anything if that makes you feel any better. Just wash your hands and don't go near where he was and i'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck, and I hope you feel better!

[6pksummer]

sillygirl...im so sorry you are feeling this way. i know how you feel...it really really sucks...as long as you didn't touch your face, eyes, nose, mouth...you should pull through this one. Just need to make sure that you are washing your hands really well, and tomorrow clean the fax machine, copy machine, phones etc, with some lysol or clorox wipes...hopefully that will keep you safer. A lot of times, I think coworkers are faking the illness cause it is nice out...you think that might be a possibility?

[sillygirl]

Thank goodness it's Friday and I won't have to go back until Monday. Hopefully by then any germ will be gone from the copier, etc. I know I didn't touch my nose or mouth because I am really careful about that, but I find myself leaning on my hands a lot and rubbing my eyes, so hopefully I didn't actually do that today (but I can't be sure). I guess it's possible that he was faking it to leave early - being Friday and everything. It's the last day of the month which is always really busy for us so maybe he thought that if he just asked to leave early the boss would say no. Being sick, he is more apt to let him go early. I'm not sure if he ate lunch or not - we had lunch brought in today for month end, but I had to leave during lunch to close on my condo and by the time I got back everyone had eaten and all the food was gone. On the plus side of that I didn't have the opportunity to eat any food that anyone else in the office that was sick may have touched and contaminated. I did notice right before he left he chugged all the water that was left in his water bottle. I would think that if he were v* he would have just sipped on it, not chugged it. But maybe that is normal for non-emets, I don't know.

[sillygirl]

It's Monday now - this all happened Friday. He called in sick today. His supervisor told me that he said he "didn't have a good night Friday and was taking today off." The first question I have is so what about Friday? Today is Monday. Why not come in on Moday if you felt bad on Friday? So that logically makes me think that maybe he scheduled a last minute long weekend trip somewhere and he doesn't get back until today, or something that would require a long weekend. But, we do not get sick and vacation time. We get PTO time. Basically, we get 4 weeks a year that can be used for anything. Why lie and say your sick if you aren't because you can get the day off anyway? So that makes me think that he must be telling the truth. So, assuming he really was sick on Friday, that must be some horrible sv to keep him out at least through Monday. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that he isn't here to spread the germs, but what if somehow I do get it? I can't imagine being that sick for 4 days. I think I would die! If he caught it from my coworker who was sick on Monday and Tuesday of last week, but in the office, at least for a little while, every day last week, what was the incubation period? Could I still get it from the original sick employee? I haven't seen either employee since Friday nor have I been in the office since then to touch anything. Am I in the clear yet?