Doctor and Advice

[EmilyRose314]

So my doctor tells me tonight, that I need to let my daughter be exposed to things like norovirus...because that way she can build up immunity toward it and help her out. Umm all my reading tells me that every strain of norovirus is different and thats why they can't make a vaccine for it. So....how would exposing her to it , give her immunity?.....she says that because i avoid places where people have noro, and i make her wash her hands, and use Germstar hand sanitizer when i know there is a noro outbreak.....

[Razzle]

I would expose her to stuff like chicken pox and all that fun stuff because you DO build immunity, and while you're young at that. So she's half right - she shouldn't live in a bubble per se - and it's no doubt kids will catch some form of bug whether it be noro or rotavirus. Kids are curious like that. But with that said, I would NOT go out of my way to give my kid noro since it's pretty much a waste if you ask me. After several months? a year? her immune system won't recognize it, it would be as if she never caught it at all.

Case in point? My father was in contact sports as a child. Was social in college. Was in Vietnam in the army back in the 70s..where he had to drink the water from streams and hope the bleach tablets worked to clean the water. He traveled. He was not afraid of things...so he was exposed to A LOT in his time. But I brought home noro at 3 years old...little me. And it put him out for a week. 2 days of nightmareish hell and the rest of the week to recover. It hit him HARD...despite everything he was exposed to, despite his strong disposition and immune system.

Really noro takes no prisoners. It's an ugly virus that does not wane in intensity the more you get it. Your doctor's advice in that regard can kick rocks.

[Jess44246]

Razzle is so right! Don't let it get to you, Emily. Your doctor just doesn't understand your habits. Norovirus is a demon from hell to us emetophobics. Your daughter shouldn't be purposely exposed. She's getting enough through school (if she's in school).

[momof5]

I would have asked the doctor if he/she was available to babysit during your child's bought of sickness and if not tell him, well it wouldn't have been very nice. But I also think doctors need you to be unwell to make their money. Not a doctor person. Do what your doing, your children will become exposed enough on the heir own. They don't need any help with that.

[chicajojobe]

Razzle is right. It's been proven that kids who live in slightly dirtier homes, have pets, and are allowed to go play in the dirt, are healthier than kids who are raised in the closest their parents can get to germ-free bubbles!

However, you're also right that intentionally exposing your kid to norovirus is about as pointless as intentionally exposing them to the common cold because there's so many strains.

So, really, your doctor was probably just oversimplifying basic immunology...like most doctors do for patients. She sees that you avoid places with noro, and go crazy with Germstar and thinks "Oh God, another germphobic parent! Better let her know that could be more harmful than helpful for her kid!" because she, like most non-emets, doesn't understand that it really is just about noro and v*ing because that, unlike chicken pox or a cold, is our worst nightmare. She didn't actually mean your daughter needs to be exposed to noro specifically because that's not really true, and lets face it, she probably will be someday no matter what you do. What she actually meant was you shouldn't try to raise her in a germ-free bubble.

[Jess44246]

Razzle is right. It's been proven that kids who live in slightly dirtier homes, have pets, and are allowed to go play in the dirt, are healthier than kids who are raised in the closest their parents can get to germ-free bubbles!

However, you're also right that intentionally exposing your kid to norovirus is about as pointless as intentionally exposing them to the common cold because there's so many strains.

So, really, your doctor was probably just oversimplifying basic immunology...like most doctors do for patients. She sees that you avoid places with noro, and go crazy with Germstar and thinks "Oh God, another germphobic parent! Better let her know that could be more harmful than helpful for her kid!" because she, like most non-emets, doesn't understand that it really is just about noro and v*ing because that, unlike chicken pox or a cold, is our worst nightmare. She didn't actually mean your daughter needs to be exposed to noro specifically because that's not really true, and lets face it, she probably will be someday no matter what you do. What she actually meant was you shouldn't try to raise her in a germ-free bubble.

I agree completely!

[CMM811]

My daughter used to love eating dirt as a toddler 🙈🙈🙈🙈!!!!!! So gross but she was my second and I wasn't nearly as much as a germaphobe with her. My first I was and it rubbed off on him but since I have relaxed some so has he, he's my mimic but I'm not washing my kids hands every second just after chores before eating or when coming home or inside from playing outside. Other than that it's free reign. My son has even taken out the trash a few times and go side tracked by friends outside and never came in to wash his hands I didn't realize till hours later and while grossed out by it he survived! Kids need to build up that immunity they need the exposure to germs otherwise once they get into school it's a overwhelming germ factory now a days!

[chicajojobe]

now a days!

Now a days?

LOL!

I'm nearly 30, and my dad called school "the germ factory" when I was in elementary back in the 90s! School was no more hygienic when we were kids...I don't even need to know how old you are to make that statement.

[Jess44246]

I have a more modern name for how germy schools are. Hell!

[CMM811]

Now a days?

LOL!

I'm nearly 30, and my dad called school "the germ factory" when I was in elementary back in the 90s! School was no more hygienic when we were kids...I don't even need to know how old you are to make that statement.

I'm 33 and I nor my friends or my mom ever remember schools with outbreaks like they are now. I got 1 stomach virus through all of elementary school, and now a days kids get multiple a year because parents send their kids to school sick! I don't know if you have kids but when I was a young kid school wasn't a germ factory now they for sure are.

[Razzle]

I'm 33 and I nor my friends or my mom ever remember schools with outbreaks like they are now. I got 1 stomach virus through all of elementary school, and now a days kids get multiple a year because parents send their kids to school sick! I don't know if you have kids but when I was a young kid school wasn't a germ factory now they for sure are.

I second this - I'm 26. No doubt schools are germy, but in my life most of my sv* were from any random place and me being gross and sticking my hands and feet in my mouth when I was really little, like toddler age. But I think I had like 1 or 2 sv* in first grade and that was it. They taught us in kindergarten to wash up (and watched us do so) before lunch and snack times and I think they did this through second grade.

But yeah, there were kids who v* in school (I witnessed 2 in classrooms and 1 on the schoolbus ride home) so it happens but they rush the kid off to the nurse and had them get picked up. My school never had an sv* outbreak. Lice maybe, and colds. But not sv*.

I'm finding sv* in general to be more of a problem now than in the past and am wondering if it has to do with people using hand sanitzer more and thinking that it is enough to ward off the virus particles, or if people just have worse hygiene now or are visiting from parts of the world with poor hygiene and spread their stuff everywhere. Whatever it is, it sucks.

[chicajojobe]

I'm finding sv* in general to be more of a problem now than in the past and am wondering if it has to do with people using hand sanitzer more and thinking that it is enough to ward off the virus particles, or if people just have worse hygiene now or are visiting from parts of the world with poor hygiene and spread their stuff everywhere. Whatever it is, it sucks.

Hmm, okay well I stand corrected.

The thing about worse hygiene now that in the past doesn't make sense to me at all unless, as you said, it's accidentally from things like hand sanitizer and they think they actually have better hygiene.

When I was in elementary school hand sanitizer wasn't really a thing. Purell came out when I was a little older, and then hand sanitizer brands really exploded after that. K-4th grade though, we were just taught to wash our hands after using the bathroom.
I do remember my teachers loved using lysol, which also doesn't kill noro, so I can believe that teachers douse their kids and classrooms in alcohol based hand sanitizer and lysol thinking it'll stop noro when it really doesn't.

I will say that it seems like people are more germphobic now, not less. For example, at the hair salon once I overheard the stylist and client in the next chair talking about Zika virus. The client worked for a marketing company, and said that their latest project was for pesticide company and their big advertising point was that the product kills mosquitoes that carry Zika. Well her stylist and mine both were saying "Oh yes, I've heard about Zika. It's so scary!", however, the client (the one using 'kills Zika' as a selling point!) said that she agreed but didn't know what actually happens when you get Zika, and both the stylists said they didn't either. Meanwhile I was sitting there with my mouth hanging open. They were shocked when I told them that in healthy people it usually only causes a minor illness, and the real danger is to pregnant women because of the risk of birth defects. All off them were scared of this virus, but had no idea why!