Someone remind me...

[shiva]

Okay.. So, everyone everywhere is sick with something or another. Right now my whole household has a headcold. yadda yadda yadda. Whenever people come on here worrying about being exposed to someone who was sick, I always try to remind them of their immune systems and tell them to remember the last time they were exposed and did not get sick. However, it happened to me today and I am having a hard ass time convincing myself. Someone help because I don't want to go into panic mode. I just want to stay calm.


Here's the situation... Girl at work. (We work pretty closely.. only 6 people working together) She did not work yesterday, but came in today and nicely told me that I might want to keep my distance. She was very nice about it, but knew when I saw her eating her crackers and drinking her g ale that I would ask questions, so she decided to just come out with it and be honest. She felt bad that she had to come in because she knows it bothers me and just wanted me to keep away incase it was viral. She said that she ate something last night that she had never eaten before (octopus) and although it was good, she thinks it probably was the culprit in her sickness. She woke up at 1am with stabbing tummy pains. She was sick every half hour for 4 hours. Both ends. She looked fine this morning. She ate soup at lunch. She has her color. But, she said her tummy is still feeling off, but she thinks it was probably just from what she went through last night. No one else she ate with got sick. Even though food poisoning is contagious, I don't get so upset about being around people who are sick with that because I assume it's only contagious through their s*** and not airborne.


Anywhooo.. I need someone to talk sense into me before I get silly here, k?

[pretty polly]

Shiva, while no-one can be positive this was not an SV that your
colleague had, by the sound of it, it is far more likely to be food
poisoning, or just the octopus "disagreeing" with her digestive
system. The timing and description of it seems to relate to a
negative reaction to food.

All you can do is keep telling yourself that you are strong and
healthy, with a truck load of emet baggage hanging off you which will
pretty much guarantee you won't v* even if it is an SV, and make
sure you wash, wash, wash....blah blah!

Be positive (and make sure you never eat octopus in the future!! as
if any of us really would!!)

[liriodendron]

If you aren't close to them or their V*, or get all touchy-feely with
them, that's a start but when people come to work sick, the risk is
that they spread their germs to fomites (objects) and when other people
people touch those fomites they could come in contact with the germs.
Of course whether they get sick or not sorta depends on the hand
washing regimen of both the sick co-worker and the innocent victims. So
if you didn't touch anything they touched or get to close, I think
you'll be safe.



Another inconsiderate person to come into work ill. I hope you don't work at a restuarant.

[samara's on tv]

(and make sure you never eat octopus in the future!! as
if any of us really would!!)

Hey I like octopus and squid! It's very good! LOL But yeah it sounds like she just had a bad reaction to the food. Maybe she has a minor seafood allergy. Anyway just do what people already said, try not to touch stuff she's used and wash your hands. I'm sure you won't get it!


~Monica

[mjewell]

If it makes you feel better, almost no one I know has been sick. There was a "virus" floating around my work several weeks ago, and a couple people in my tiny office even had it. My office is the communal one because I have the color printer, paper cutter and laminator, and I didn't catch a sniffle. I totaly believe in washing your hands and using sanitizer before getting them near your face. I think I have avoided lots of illnesses that way. I don't believe for most healthy people that just being in close contact with someone will make you get sick.

[shiva]

Thanks everyone for being here for me. Thank God, No I don't work in a food place, but she was in close contact with people throughout the day, as she is a sales person. I am not, so I have my own space. I didn't answer the phones or anything. I think that helps me feel better. I really hate that when people wake up and feel "fine" they still go out and contaminate the world, but who knows how I would feel if I were not emet. I guess most people just figure that illness is a part of life and if they don't make people sick someone else will. YUK! Not I! Geez, I just had my daughter home for over a week with a bronchial thing. I am sure most parents would have sent their kids back after the fever broke. Oh well.. to each their own, I guess.


But again.. Thanks so much for the support. Trying hard not to get sucked into that usual winter place I tend to get lost in. Please help keep me strong and don't let me go there. No depression for me this year.. No panic.. Please. I don't want to be that person.

[japa]

shiva,


You're doing great! The woman's problem certainly sounds like food poisoning from the description. And today is Friday, right? You don't work weekends, do you? (just to think that you don't need to be around her tomorrow)


It's funny how I was telling my therapist that I feel guilty if I get someone sick or if I have to go somewhere when I am sick because I might spread it.


Then, I told her I felt guilty about going to see her when I had a cold because she might catch it. And she was just like, "If I did get sick, I don't see how I would know that I got it from you." I told her, well, I was sick, and I visited you, and we hugged (I wasn't really certain I was sick until the next day). And then she told me, "well, but I've also been to the supermarket, to the public restrooms, and my coworker's been coughing, and I've been many other places, so I don't see how I would know it was you."


I guess that she is just one of those people who takes the sicknesses in stride.

[stella9]

The woman may not have had food poisoning, but she could have reacted to octopus. Since she never had it before, it is likely that she is allergic or it just does not agree with her.


She could have also had a sv. The only way to know is to send a stool or V** sample off for testing. By the time the results would come back, you would be out of the dreaded wait.


I would treat it as if she had a sv. Keep your Purell handy and your hands away from your face.


Stella

[shiva]

Thanks everyone! I was asked to go into work today, so I worked with her again. She was eating all day and says she's been fine. I guess the positive is that if I do get it (if it was a bug) it is short lasting (or at least it was in her). I tried very hard today to remain in control. But, I still didn't use the phones and I was very careful about washing my hands before I ate. I also know that she is very conscientious about washing her hands as well. I did notice she was sneezing today, and I didn't like that much.. But, I was like 20 feet away from her. She has not once been within 4 feet of me. I wouldn't allow it


I never did go into panic mode and I haven't found myself thinking to count safe days or anything, so I guess I handled it well. Thanks for your help, everyone!

[gubba]

WASH YOUR HANDS A LOT!!! I swear by that and if we get dick anyway, it was bound to happen, but I have heard that handwashing is the #1 way of preventing, even the flu and cold virus. SV's are kept at bay in household when proper handwashing is used. Is is still possible to catch things even with good handwashing...YES, but at least we have done all we can to avoid it.

[madisonsmom]

Even though octopus may be yummy...ICK, EEWWWW! That makes me nauseous thinking about it. They are so ugly!


Shiva,


Hope you are doing well!

[brina85]

guba did you mean sick or you really meant dick lol[img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[gubba]

OOPS...my typing is horrible, but that seems to fit too, so I did mean SICK, but both are fine!!! LOL

[shiva]

LOL@dick I know what you meant..

[mjewell]

Even though octopus may be yummy...ICK, EEWWWW! That makes me nauseous thinking about it. They are so ugly!


Shiva,


Hope you are doing well!

SERIOUSLY!! Just looking at an octopus makes me queasy...blech!!!

[liriodendron]

Also keep in mind that some people just like to whine and complain to
get sympathy. And of course some people sort of underplay the situation
if they are sick and act like it's no big deal or they may not be sure
what they have or think it's that bad. They may never have had a severe
SV in their adult life but might have stomach discomfort and call it a
SV anyway because they don't really know. Of course, just uttering the
words is what sends us into panic mode so that's why so many e-phobe
ask a lot of questions about the symptoms to get a better idea of what
they're dealing with. I know I do that and I think it annoys the sickos
but sometimes makes me feel better.

For example, once I was talking to someone who said they were suffering
the whole weekend with a "terrible flu" and of course the alarms
started buzzing in my head and the adrenaline was rushing. I started
asking some questions like, what are your symptoms, did you have a high
fever etc.. Long story short, they admitted that all they had were cold
symptoms, stuffy/runny nose, headache, sore throat etc. So I said, it
sounds like you have a cold and not the flu. And you know what he said
next.... "What's the difference?"



I rest my case.