public toilets, help

[xundu]

so i was going to school today when suddenly i felt that i need to d* really badly. i went in one of those really awful public toilets they have in the metro stations here. well the last person there hadn't flushed the toilet, so when i stepped in the toilet flushed itself and it send this reaally stinky air wave right into my face.

now i'm panicking that the air carried viruses or something from the toilet with it and i will get sick. please tell me that this isn't likely. i ended up coming home ad had mild d*, now i'm feeling alright in that sense but now i'm just scared that tonight i will get ill because of going into that toilet

[paulinek]

Ewww that sounds gross! To be honest, unless the "remnants" in that toilet were contaminated with norovirus then no, you won't get ill, if they were then I guess there is a very remote possibility viral particles could have been wafted up in to the air but i think that possibility is highly highly unlikely. I would say your odds are exceedingly low of getting ill from that incident.

[MaybeBaby]

I wouldn't worry too much. Healthy people can take some pretty stinky poops!

[JasonJ]

The odds of that are pretty low. Especially if you used a...I can't think of the name, those paper things that you put on the seat so you're not directly touching it. Toilet seat cover? You get what I mean. I'd say you're pretty safe, though. The odds of catching something from that situation really isn't much different than being next to a stranger when they sneeze, they probably don't have a cold, and chances are the next day you don't have a cold. I wouldn't sweat it too much hope you can get some sleep.

[AnxiousCanuck]

I have to be honest and say that you are incredibly brave, much braver than I. Had that happened to me, I would be in the psychiatric ward within an hour.

However, with that being said, as we all know, we always think more rationally when we aren't the ones in the situation. So, I'd agree with the other posters. Chances are minute that you'd catch anything from that incident. But, the possibility IS there, despite how unlikely it is, I want to be honest. The worst thing in the world to me is wondering if someone is lying just so I don't freak out, so because of that, I never lie about this stuff.

The person who left that steamer would have had to had Norovirus within the last 72 hours for it to be present in their feces. It CAN remain in it for 2 weeks after recovery, but that isn't common. Think of how many people live in the world, and how many are sick. The number of people ill is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than the population, I'd say well under 1% on any given day. So, if less than 1% of the entire planet is ill with Noro, what do you think the chances are that the particular person who dropped that turd is in that -1%? Barely even a record able percentage!

[Pigatron]

Ugh, that experience sounds so gross I don't know whether to laugh or cry! I've had similar things happen to me and have also panicked over it for the exact same reason. I don't even like going into the ladies room at work, which has four stalls, and catching even a slight whiff that someone might've gone #2 recently because I think, oh no, what if there is noro virus in the molecules in the air! Sometimes I hold my breath and then breathe through a wad of toilet paper once I get into a stall. But I agree with previous posters that there is only a very remote chance that you could catch something from the incident that occurred.

[xundu]

thanks guys, i know the chances are really low, but try tell that to my phobic brain...

and yes it was so disgusting that i had to take a shower when i got back home...

[Trudy]

Ugh! Gotta love those public bathrooms! Someone took a terroristic dump at my job today and the smell nearly knocked me over. You'll be okay, though.

[Syrup]

Eeeeeeewwwwwwwww! Sounds gross but not dangerous. It could have been a plumbing issue honestly. Really, truly, you're ok!

[butterfly91]

Public toilets are disgusting and smelly, i'm sure that the air isn't carrying any viruses, think of the 100's of people who use public toilets everyday, and 9 times out of 10 they probably never pick anything up from them