help! sick house guest...

[lucinda]

so its 4:00am here and Im freaking out... I think my house guess has the stomach flu...


How can I calm my self down? Will I catch it? Please help

[yenn]

Hey... you should be fine, as far as I know the only way to catch an sv is by having contact with the actual v* itself and not washing your hands so I'm thinking you should be fine :-)

[lucinda]

Thank you soooo much for replying. I am angy, upset, confused all at the same time. I just washed my hands with bleach and soap. I am staying far away from that bathroom. I am agry because I told this person if they were sick they could not stay. Now I am a nervous wreck. I can't live like this I'm shaking

[steph77]

it's such a terrible feeling to have when you feel like your own house is hell. just keep washing your hands and get out of the house and get some fresh air if that will help. i hope everything goes well

[lucinda]

thank you so much for replying, Ive been up all night listening to this girl v* I am beyond upset... Im a mess...

it's such a terrible feeling to have when you feel like your own house is hell. just keep washing your hands and get out of the house and get some fresh air if that will help. i hope everything goes well

[jennyleigh1975]

I would be so upset if this was happening at my house. I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I think I would have told the person to leave my house. Was she feeling bad before she came to your house, I mean, did she know she was sick when she got there. How is she now? How are you?

[lucinda]

yeah I'm very upset still. I finnally slept like 2 hours but my nervs are still pretty bad... Well the problem is this girl invited her self for an 8 week visit (from japan) I told her 2 weeks was the max she could stay. SOmehow she won the battle...well my friend is sort of dating her. He had her for the weekend. She was exposed to the SV and I tonld him he HAD to keep her. He brings her back not feeling well. Needless to say, this person will not be my friend any longer... no one seems to understand how hard it is to b an emet or how hard ot is to cope with... thanks for replying!

I would be so upset if this was happening at my house. I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I think I would have told the person to leave my house. Was she feeling bad before she came to your house, I mean, did she know she was sick when she got there. How is she now? How are you?

[sparky2004]

Using too much bleach to wash your hands can actuallyharm your skin and change it's natural colour. To keep bathrooms clean at the fire hall, we use 1 part bleach, 3 parts water and 1 part soap. You only need a very small amount of bleach to kill any germs.


Grab a bottle of Lysol and spray down any surfaces she might have touched, such as door knobs and counter tops. Wash any towels she may have used as well. Tell your friend to wash the toilet, orkeep putting3 capfuls of bleach into the toilet water after she uses it. This will keep any germs at bay, and the flushing action will help disinfect the surface in the toilet bowel.


Do not touch your face during this time. Keeping your hands clean is one thing, but we all touch ourface at some point in time, either to apply make-up or wipe our noses. For example, germs can enter your bodyvia mucus membranes in your mouth.Listerine mouthwash will kill any germs in your mouth, so use it at full strength. Don't dilute it with water, and gargle for one minute, even if you feel like your mouth will exlpode.


As for having to listen to your guest in the bathroom, as flippin' gross as it is, refuse to allow such unpleasent distractions.If you have a fan in your place, set it up in the bedroom so it drowns out any background noise. If you have a walkman/CD player, fall asleep to your favorite songs. Keep the TV going. Your house guest may have no idea how her illness affects you as an emet, and she is probably toosick to even think aboutanything else. It is also difficult to fight your anxiety on no sleep.


Yet if she is bringing an illness over from another country, than I suggest going to see your doctor,and get her to a doctor. This will help to contain the virus and make sure that the virus doesn't spread to people with lowered immune systems who can become deathly ill. (you are helping to contain the virus by using the above cleaning suggestions)


I hope these tips to prevent infection help you, and help ease your fears as well.

[lucinda]

Yeah my mom has been washing everything down. I do not go near that bathroom, Ive been almost completely locked up in my room only leaving to use a seperate bathroom. She didnt bring the illness, she has been ehre for about 6 weeks. She said somethign about having a "independence nerve malfunction" whatever that means....I think it got lost in translation...

[yenn]

independence nerve malfunction? maybe she means shes homesick and so it has made her nervy? Nervous sickness or something?

[charzysbebe]

Man, that is awful! I would be P.O.'ed too! I would have dropped her back off where she was, where she contracted the virus. (ok, I probably wouldn't have been able to sit in the same car with her...eeeek)


Sorry you have to go through this![img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img] Charlotte

[ownedbyacat]

Hey, I feel your pain, girl. I was freaking out when my husband came down with an sv on Thanksgiving morning, of all times. I had even kissed him the night before, too, so you know I was freaking out! But, I quarantined him to the bedroom and I moved out to the couch and slept out there for a WEEK. After a week, I put on a face mask and cleaned the master bathroom (thank God we have 2 bathrooms!)with antibacterial cleaner and Lysol'ed the heck out of it. LOL I made sure hubby didn't go into the kitchen or anything and contaminate the house. He was very compliant - nice hubby! LOL I brought him anything he needed to the bedroom - once his tummy had calmed. I held a kitchen towel over my face as I went down the hallway and into the bedroom just to make sure I didn't breathe any of his germs. Well, the good news is - I was able to remain sv free! I never did catch it. But I tell you, the anxiety I was in for a few weeks sure was hell! I took Benadryl for the anti-emetic effect and the drowsy side effects so that I could calm down and sleep some. It was my lifesaver during that time. I sure hope I never have to go thru that again, or anything worse. I'm just glad I didn't catch it. Let my story give you hope!



As far as having to listen to her get sick, no way should you have to tolerate that. What I did was - Iturnedon a fan near me to drown out the noise, PLUS kept the TV onat all times. That way, I didn't have to hear any of it. It really helped, because I can't stand hearing it. It makes my anxiety worse.


I hope this helped you



Andrea

[lucinda]

yeah I kept trying to call my friend who exposed her, he wont answer his phone... nice friend right?

Man, that is awful! I would be P.O.'ed too! I would have dropped her back off where she was, where she contracted the virus. (ok, I probably wouldn't have been able to sit in the same car with her...eeeek)


Sorry you have to go through this![img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img] Charlotte

[lucinda]

yeah I have NO idea what she ment >.< sorry I didnt answer when you messaged earlier, I was sleeping (finnally!) yay!

independence nerve malfunction? maybe she means shes homesick and so it has made her nervy? Nervous sickness or something?

[lucinda]

ownedbyacat/andrea: thanks so much for that story, it helps. I always have a fear that if somone in the house has a SV then its unavoidable. Luckily my parents never get them.


My house is super clean too wich Im sure helps, but I am still very nervous. I just cant wait till next week haha the panic will be over I hope!

[ownedbyacat]

I've always heard that if you were breast-fed as a baby, that your immune system is higher and you're less likely to get stomach viruses. Fortunately, I was a breast-fed baby, and I rarely get stomach viruses.


Andrea

[lucinda]

I wasnt breast fed But I think I'm ok. Ive stayed far from her, and that bathroom which my mom has cleaned with bleach a bunch of times. Its been 4 days now so I think Im in the clear.

[chicajojobe]

I was and I can only remember having a stomach virus once ::knock on wood::



Once was quite enough for me but, unfortunately, I'll probably have another one some time in my life.

[2jo2]

That is my worst fear with emet, is someone bringing it into my house. I would sincerely dump that friend, because that was totally s***ty to do to you. Luckily you have a mom who will clean the bathroom.

[lucinda]

I know.. it really messed me up... I did not leave the house for 4 days, did not eat anything but soda crackers and the occasional chicken soup and drink gingerale. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, shaking occasionally crying, it was awful.


And I know that she so doesnt understand my fear. This is a very small, fragil woman who v* often. Usually from her period or what not. But this really freaked me out, the friend that dropped her off got sick too.


I'm REALLY hoping it was just something they ate. It was super hot that day 96degrees, and I know leaving food out can spoil faster in hot weather. He was sick for like 2 hours and then he was fine. She was sick all night and into the day. But again she's underweight and doesnt exersize or eat well so Im guess thats why she was so sick.

That is my worst fear with emet, is someone bringing it into my house. I would sincerely dump that friend, because that was totally s***ty to do to you. Luckily you have a mom who will clean the bathroom.

[princessmel]

I'm sorry you are going through this right now. How is your friend now? Is she any better?

[Scattycat]

I'm so sorry you have to go through this - I'm not sure how I would have coped.

I hope your friend is feeling better (and you too!)

P.S. I wasn't breast-fed and have never had an SV that I can remember. I think I have quite a good immune system, most illnesses pass me by (apart from the occasional cough/cold)

[lucinda]

shes all better, she seemed to be fine in about 12 hours. My friend sayd he was sick for about 2 hours. She got sick alot more than my friend because she kept trying to take some japanese remedy pills and drinking water... I think it may have been food poisoning. Im doing much better, just had my first day at CBT thereapy!

I'm sorry you are going through this right now. How is your friend now? Is she any better?

[lucinda]

yeah it was rough, Im a little embarrassed how I reacted but, I'm not sure Id react any differently if it happened again. Its a pretty big fear that controls alot of my life :/


Thats really good aboutyour immune system!

I'm so sorry you have to go through this - I'm not sure how I would have coped.

I hope your friend is feeling better (and you too!)

P.S. I wasn't breast-fed and have never had an SV that I can remember. I think I have quite a good immune system, most illnesses pass me by (apart from the occasional cough/cold)