Terrified- Need Help

[arosenba]

I am currently working in an elementary school with 2nd-5th graders. I am working on my masters in teaching. I am so scared that I am going to get the stomach bug from working here. It is scaring me so bad I don't think I can handle it. I drink a cup of grape juice everyday (does this work?) to prevent the sickness and more than that if I know I am exposed. Does anybody have any suggestions? I am very scared...

[Syrup]

Have you already started this job? I am a preschool worker, and it really helps me to remember that first of all, most people by a LARGE MARGIN don't get sick every year. So the idea that every kid has sv* germs crawling on them isn't true. Erase that from your mind because it's a lie. Second, people aren't contagious until they start to show symptoms, so if a kid has been at school all week it's silly to be concerned about passing papers back and forth, etc. with the students. They aren't sick! Now, when a student HAS been out, it's good to use precautions. Don't make them feel bad or go overboard. Tell yourself that you can wash your hands after you're through with their class or at a regular break time. you AREN'T going to be touching your face or your food, so there's no reason to panic. Who cares if there are germs on your hands as you're going to wash them down the drain? There's NO WAY for you to get sick! I'll go on to say that I've been v*ed on by a child with a sv* more than once and never caught it. The chance of that happening to you is pretty much 0 as kids that age know that they don't feel well. You are going to be FINE! The longer you're there the more comfortable you'll feel. ENJOY IT!!!

[arosenba]

I have. I have been there about a month. I know that several kids have gone home sick lately and that really freaks me out. I feel like I am a ticking time bomb who is bound to get it. It scares me so bad. Also, does the grape juice thing work?

[Grace47]

Do you know they all had sv? Are you sure it's not a cold or flu? Colds, flus and allergies are going around in a lot of places. Even if it is sv, that doesn't mean you'll get it. Remember a severe outbreak is four to six percent of the population having it in the course of a year. That means you have a 96 to 94% chance of not getting it. I'm sure you have excellent hygiene. But if by some chance you do get it, you have all of us. You're not alone. There will be people here encouraging you all the way through. It will be okay. Whatever happens, you can handle it.

[Pigatron]

Regarding the grape juice theory, from what I've read, it is mainly just a placebo affect. If a sv can withstand the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, I think it would also withstand grape juice, but that's just my own reasoning. If you feel better drinking it everyday, then keep doing it.

[Jackalynn]

I taught elementary school for 3 years and never got a sv! First, a lot of bugs affect kids differently than they affect adults, a bug that makes a child v, might only be a light upset tummy for an adult. Also, my first year I was so overwhelmed with being a teacher that I didn't wash my hands enough (and I smoke, so germs on my hands go straight to my mouth), I caught tons of colds, and the flu, and even got strep, but never once did I catch a sv and more than one passed through the school-kids give each other everything, but the teachers seemed to all figure out pretty quickly that as long as you keep your hands clean and away from your face, you stay healthy pretty much all year! You're gonna be totally fine!

[arosenba]

Thank you! I think things are starting to get better but it still scares me. It worries me a lot.