A little nervous..

[nicholas]

Hello everyone,

I'm in college, and I live in a frat house with a bunch of my friends. Two days ago, one of my roommates got sick with what was probably a sv* (had d*, v*, felt tired, feverish, etc.). I was a bit paranoid that I would catch it from him, since we live on the same floor and use the same bathroom, but 48 hours have passed since I was exposed to him and I've pretty much stayed out of his way ever since, so I think I'm in the clear from that.

Today, when I was in class, I felt a little odd. Not sick, but that feeling you get when you're about to be ill. I decided to take the rest of the day off and come home to relax. I chalked it up to a panic attack (which I tend to get when I'm nervous about v*). While I was sitting in my room, I heard another one of my roommates (who also lives on my floor) getting sick in the bathroom. This freaked me out a bit, and I asked him what was wrong. He said he had just started feeling sick. I suspect that he caught the v* from the first guy by sharing the same utensils at dinner.

I fell asleep around 12 AM, only to wake up at 3. This made me pretty nervous, since the only time I ever wake up in the middle of the night is when I am sick or when I am nervous. I woke up feeling mostly how I feel when I get a panic attack, but I haven't felt actually sick or on the brink of v*. I've had intermittent bouts of nausea since I first found out my roommate was sick.

Anyway, while I sat in my room this morning, unable to get to sleep and trying to work on some homework, I heard yet another one of my roommates getting sick in the second floor bathroom. This freaked me out even more, as just an hour before, I used that bathroom because I didn't want to risk anything from the third floor bathroom being unclean. I washed my hands with soap and warm water and also used hand sanitizer after I was finished, but I can't help but feel really nervous that I'm next in line to get whatever this awful sv* may be.

I feel like someone who's on death row, just waiting for the inevitable. Does anyone have any stories about how they managed to get through a house full of sick people uninfected? I could really use some of those right now.

Thanks,
Nick

[stella9]

SV's can pass around frat houses and dorms. Can you stay somewhere else for a few days until this dies down?

Stella

[amie.essex]

I really feel for you. I'm sure you'll be safe as you are so hygiene conscious and are aware of it - maybe try staying somewhere else or at the very least being out as much as possible and eating elsewhere. Dont leave your stuff (ie toothbrush, towels etc) in the bathrooms. Maybe try explaining to people about the importance of cleaning hands and surfaces properly - I'll bet those that have caught it are nowhere near as bothered as you or i would be about handwashing after the toilet and before eating etc.

Will keep my fingers crossed for you xx

[lisalou]

You poor thing...yes death row is about it.....I am going through similar at the moment as my son was sick 15 times last night and I am on death row like you waiting for the rest of us to get it. But hey, you are doing all the right things so i doubt very much you will catch anything...the others who caught itwould not have washed their hands probably because they are not emet and do not understand the procedure and probably don't care about getting it anyway.....I too have done the right thing but I do understand how you are feeling because it won't make the anxiety go away.

Please try not to worry...there have been many svs in my family over the years and very rarely more than one person gets it (only when they were really little and didn't clean so much until my hands were raw!)....my mum brought up 3 kids who had countless bugs and she or my Dad never ever caught one from us....that inspires me.

Take Care and keep us informed

Lisalouxx

[nicholas]

I just decided to come home for the weekend and commute to my classes tomorrow. It's my mom's birthday tomorrow so I planned on coming home anyway.

I feel fine so far, a little tired but I presume that's because I didn't get much sleep last night. I had a normal appetite today and I definitely feel much better now that I am home, away from all of the chaos.

At this point, if I get it, I get it. I think I'm almost in the clear but being home with my family definitely makes me feel more peace of mind.