everyone around me has noro and they are all stupid - they're infecting EVERYONE

[raine]

my boyfriend works at a coffee shop and his boss got sick with noro in the bathroom. she couldn't go home for some reason so she was just sick there. that was 1 week ago today, and he has to go work with her tomorrow and sunday, when she's still contagious. so that's #1 way i'll be exposed.
#2: like 10 people on my friends list all have noro and they don't understand how it works!!!!! they think that the flu (chills, cold, body aches etc) is the same thing as the stomach flu and that the flu shot prevents the stomach flu. they think norovirus is some big scary thing you contract at hospitals or something. they don't wash properly and think hand sanitizer kills it, like what the fuck. I realize that I'm way more neurotic than most people about this but no one even has common sense about it.
#3: on my friend's status, a girl said she was at the airport with noro! and was throwing up in the airport!!! i was just at the airport on Monday which was when she was there too. i'm in the clear for that but like how rude and inconsiderate of you to go to the airport and get on a plane when you know you're sick with something so highly contagious?
i'm just so frustrated and annoyed, i feel like there's no way i'm going to escape this flu season without getting it. i got it last year but before that i hadn't had it in 12+ years. i've made it through almost EVERY other year without ever getting it so i know statistically i'm probably fine but UGH I AM SO MAD

[YellowBeads]

I don't know why anyone would hang around at a COFFEE shop with noro! Like ... WTF??? I get why someone would go on a plane if she reeeeaaaaally had to and maybe suspected it was just, say, FP, but still probably could have been avoided. I don't fly much myself, so I can't be sure how that works. I think you'll probably be fine since you're so careful - at least it sounds like you are, since you've gone that long without catching noro! - but I understand the panic. Urgh!

[raine]

arg thanks for your kind words!!! i don't know why it's freaking me out more this year than other years. i've always had emet but it's worse this year for some reason......my bf and i were flying home on a short 1.5 hour flight on monday and he had some belly issues (food related, not viral) and we almost pushed our flight back because of it!! traveling while sick is miserable and if you could possibly infect the elderly and children at the airport....no way. sigh.

[Colleen01]

I know what you mean, it is so wrong of people to put unsuspecting members of the public at risk.These viruses could be eliminated if people had more common sense.

[_lorna_knight_]

I get that at school sometimes, people did it at schools I've been to in the past, like wat r u doing? I remember at a hospital school I was at, someone was sick in the toilet and then came back to class to get her stuff & was in school the next day! It was something to do with tablets, I think, which wasn't so bad. But at the time I didn't know that. I too understand that I may be more neurotic than most in these situations, but the lack of common sense I experience from people around me never fails to astound me. so far though, since I developed this phobia, I've never contracted anything of sickness. But having said that, winter has fast approached & now I'll be lost within a fear wrapped bubble for the next 2-3 months, #talkaboutfun

[crd08]

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that the flu and stomach viruses are the same. I always correct people and they never believe me lol anytime anybody is sick it's "the flu". It seems to be a general term for being unwell.
It's contagious, it's going to go around. And people can't avoid their lives for a week after being sick. But I do agree that people are misinformed and don't seem to know the basics of helping cut down on infecting others, like simple hand washing. It's frustrating to see. I know I'm a member of a general forum and a grown man mentioned going to see his sick grandma (just got out of the hospital and at a nursing home) after being up sick all night! Like common sense is you don't do that! But I guess not! Just keep doing what you know to do

[julesbutterfly18]

When people don't have the phobia they think it's NBD and so don't consider that other people would like them to wash their hands, stay home etc. I'm at work today and some of my co workers have been sick over the last week ugh. Try not to panic!

[ChiGal]

Keep in mind that lots of people do not get paid sick days - and some can even be potentially fired if they do not come into work or find someone to cover their shift. And when you make a terrible minimum wage and are supporting family you would rather go in sick then miss a day. It sucks but that's the way it is now. If you are in the US keep that in mind when you go to vote. Not trying to be political, just being honest as I have been there.

Hope you can relax soon!

[pogopig]

Working with food or drinks when you have a stomach virus is a public health issue. At the college where I work there is a working restaurant. The catering students are not allowed into the kitchen for 48 hours after v* or d*. They also learn about a case where loads of people got sick after dining in a restaurant. It was traced back to staff who weren't allowed to take time off when they were ill. They ended up getting sued. I thought it was just basic good hygiene to not be sick at work?

[jkl81]

It is basic policy for most health departments in the US and Canada. We can't really blame the workers, what we need is a paradigm shift by owners and management, and more enforcement against food establishments for requiring or allowing sick workers. Surely health departments can enforce this and issues that likewise cause food related illness instead of majoring on the minor like they do now.

[tiredofitall]

My sister-in-law's father is a chiropractor and he teaches biology at a local college. On Christmas Day he was at our house and the topic of noro came up somehow. He's a DOCTOR yet he actually said noro is airborne and is spread through heating and air conditioning systems and through sneezing. He then went on to say it was no big deal because you just get "the poops" for a few days and then you're fine! So many intelligent people are just misinformed. I didn't bother to correct him because he's a bit of a know -it-all and it just wasn't worth it.

[CMM811]

My sister-in-law's father is a chiropractor and he teaches biology at a local college. On Christmas Day he was at our house and the topic of noro came up somehow. He's a DOCTOR yet he actually said noro is airborne and is spread through heating and air conditioning systems and through sneezing. He then went on to say it was no big deal because you just get "the poops" for a few days and then you're fine! So many intelligent people are just misinformed. I didn't bother to correct him because he's a bit of a know -it-all and it just wasn't worth it.

I once knew a chiropractor just like this! He was a know it all, and nothing you could say to him would be correct cause he had his pretty little degree hanging 😂😂😂! Sorry not hijacking the post but I died laughing remembering him. I no longer see him. 😁

[Afdpt]

I completely understand all of your frustrations because I've felt them all before. I try to keep myself calm by thinking about it from a non-emetophobic stand point.

The biggest thing to remember is that most people don't treat vomiting as a crisis because to them it's not (just like it shouldnt be for us.) So to them flying with a stomach bug is not much different than flying with a cold or strep throat. They also usually don't understand the way things are spread so that's not something they're using to make choices. I wouldn't fly with a stomach bug but I have flown with colds before. It's just not always easy or possible for people to change flight plans especially at the last minute (financial, timing, personal issues all come into play.) Also, who knows - maybe the bug didn't hit until they were already at the airport or on their way (we know these things hit hard.)

Even though it's a public health issue, the truth it a lot of people do not have much freedom with sick days and feel the need to go into work on days when they're sick. They may fear a range of punishments from their employer including possible loss of job. Again, they don't consider how they could be spreading their germs to others. They just think of it as a miserable day of work, but necessary. I agree with others than this is more of a management vs personal issue.

Personally I think it's healthier for us to shift our though processes more toward the rest of the public rather than expect them to adopt our tendencies toward over cleaning, over sanitizing, obsessive hand washing, avoiding all situations for 2 weeks after being sick, etc. Because the way we want to live and want others to live is really no better than they way they do it. Most adults typically only catch bugs once every few years (and emetophobes may get another few years in between bugs but they STILL catch them now and then - some more than others.) So, we're spending so much time and energy trying to avoid catching bugs that we probably wouldn't even catch if we weren't so careful.

Once I let go of my need to control all vomit-related situations, my life has changed drastically for the better. Not saying I'm 100% not afraid anymore but I stopped believing I could hide forever and my anxiety has decreased significantly as a result!

Again - not trying to down play your fears and frustrations because I've felt them all before too and completely understand where you're coming from but I think it's important to hear and consider the other side of things and try to be as logical and rational as we can be about things.

[mdgirl1977]

LOL I was engaged to a chiropractor who swore that because his title was DOCTOR, he knew it all. I hated it, his sanctimonious, I am a doctor bullshit. I didn't marry him Shame, because he was sooooo hot and good in bed. Oh well, I couldn't have lived with that attitude for my 60 years of my life.

[tiredofitall]

I'm afraid I made my sister-in-law's father sound like a terrible person. He isn't. I actually like him very much. He is quite kind to me and is very good to my brother (his son-in-law). Although he can be a know it all at times, he is a good guy. Just misinformed about the transmission of the stomach virus😀