At the Workplace

[rasogommato]

What are some things that you guys do to keep from getting all of the bugs that go around the workplace? In the past two weeks I think like 5 of my fellow employees have become ill with the SV and I have been a nervous wreck since word of the first case. The fact that every day when I come into work to find out that someone else has called in with it only causes me more anxiety. I am so diligent about washing my hands and using purell. I an really consious about not putting my hands in my mouth, eyes or anything like that as well. Any suggestions as far as other precautions I can take? or any words of comfort??????

[madisonsmom]

I really dont have any words of comfort. I hate the fact that people come to work sick. I try to avoid people who even appear sick!

[rasogommato]

I do the same! People probably thing I am crazy....when they are sick its like I interrogate them regarding their symptoms....Then I try to analyze the likelihood of me getting it...

[silver]

I completely understand the distress and anxiety that you are experiencing. About 3 weeks ago all of my coworkers children had the sv* as well as a bunch of our client's children and clients as well. It was awful, I kept worrying about who was carrying it to work. I was so convinved that I was going to get it. I couldn't concentrate for days!! I was a nervous wreck!! It sounds like you are doing a good job with your hygeine and unfortunately, that's all you can do. A little reassurance though, think about how many times these viruses are floating around and you never get it...Think about the number of coworkers that you have that haven't gotten sick as oppossed to the number that have. Those things help me when my stress is feeling high. Hang in there...I think that most people here are feeling the same way..try to stay calm and not castrosize it.

[rasogommato]

Good call! I'm so glad I found this site!

[kmjundt]

From what I have read and heard, this type of virus is not airborne, so as long as you keep up with washing your hands and not touching your face, I think you should be fine. If your like me, whenever theres something going around my workplace, I stay out of the kitchen area, and try to avoid the bathrooms as best I can. Plus silver is right, I always think even though 5 people have gotten the bug there are still 45 people here that haven't.

[rasogommato]

Thats always one of the things that tends to calm me down is the fact that these things are not airborne. Its so funny how we are all the same though, I have not been in the bathroom here at work since Christmas probably!

[silver]

That is definately one of our biggest downfalls...we assume that if one person has it, we are FOR SURE going to get it. That is such self-defeating behavior. We tend to make a bigger deal of it then it actually is. I think back to the time that I had the dreaded sv* when I was 12. I was so incredibly sick, my mom was with me the entire time cleaning up after me and hugging me....The point is...NOBODY in my family got it from me. KMjundt, I know that you are dealing with the worry and the anxiety that you may get sick since your child was sick the other night. There is NO reason to believe that it is an automatic sentence for you or other family members. I remember when I was little getting sick and v* a couple of times for no reason and nobody else in my family ever got sick. I hope that helps a little. Its easy for me to give good advice, but when the sv* was going around here...I didn't use the restrooms at all either!![img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[rasogommato]

I hate it! I probably will not feel better until spring time when people arent getting sick left and right!

[kmjundt]

Thanks Silver, that does make me feel alot better, I do need to try and put some of my own experiences to use from when I was a little girl.You are right about it not being an automatic sentence,even after sharing a room with my brother and growing up in a house with 2 younger brothers, I never once caught a single sv* from them, and they were both sick often. The weird thing is, my parents would never discuss when they were sick, so I don't know if they were just never sick, which I know is not true, or they just hid it? So I have no clue how many times they would catch anything from us.


P.S. Sorry for the ramble.

[rasogommato]

I sometimes think that even if I did get an SV, I would have the willpower to not let myself V..hopefully that would be the case but I cant say for sure because I have never been in that situation. Do any of you feel the same way???

[kmjundt]

I had an sv* , it will be 3 years this Feb. The whole family caught it at the same time and were all v* all night long every couple of hours. I myself only v*ed once, because I was able to stop it from coming about 10 times before that. The nausia(Spelling?) was the worst though...I almost wished I would just let myself get sick, but I don't. I just get in this panick mode and my body will just do anything to stop it no matter how bad I feel.

[rasogommato]

Thats comforting. I think

[kmjundt]

I know, sorry about that, not very reasurring.

[rasogommato]

No it was, seriously!

I just want to avoid the whole thing

[tayda]

So here is what I do:


1.)I don't keep tissues out on my desk (who needs other people's snotty hands, or sneeze germs in my area.


2.) I don't let others use my phone


3.) My purell or sanitizer is always in my pocket or in drawer


Bottomline.. I'm not the office nurse... I don't let anyone know about any of the meds, tissues, or whatever I MAY have.. b/c I don't want the sickies to seek me out to "use" my stuff.. EEWW.. NO thank you..


I hope you don't think I'm a jerk.. but that's just the stuff I do as a safeguard...

[silver]

Its difficult, but I honestly think that it is the FEAR of the fear that we are truely afraid of. Its so hard to relax, but when we are able to put things in perspective as to how often it really happens. I think of the fact that it hasn't happened to me in like 12 years and it makes me angry to think that I have wasted so much time worrying about something that hasn't happened in 12 years!! Gosh, I have wasted a lot of my life worrying!! Hang in there, I know that its hard, but try to rationalize it, it really helps.

[reese]

When I was working at my old office last year, there was a pitch-in. I do
NOT eat at pitch ins due to the emet as well as the fact that I'm vegan,
and you just never know what's in there! Anyway, the afternoon of the
pitch in, one girl went home with V*. The next day, the lady who I shared
an office with told me to stay away from her because she wasn't feeling
well. 2 Minutes later she RAN out of the office. Well, lo and behold the
next 2 weeks 95% of the office got it. I think that most of them got it from
something at the pitch in and then spread it around the office to those
who didn't eat it. It was HORRIBLE. My worst nightmare.

Interestingly enough, I started feeling horrible at some point during that
week. I was n* but I never got sick. I don't think that I had what they had,
but I was not feeling good and got extremely dehydrated. I went to the Dr
and he told me that I needed to stay away from work because if I got that
sv he was concerned that I would DIE from dehydration. Shoooo....

I don't know exactly how I dodged it, but I was drinking Emergen-C all
day long. Since vitamin C is water soluble, I would drink a pack every
couple of hours or so. I told my Dr, and he said to be careful because too
much vitamin C can give you d*... but it never has that effect on me. He
said as long as it didn't give me d* that I should keep drinking it as long
as the people around me were sick...

[rasogommato]

I never eat anything at those pitch in's myself..not to sound ugly but you never know how conscious people are of cleanliness while they are cooking at home when no one is watching! I think alot of things get spread around by those things!!

[californiagirl]

What are some things that you guys do to keep from getting all of the bugs that go around the workplace? ?

Work from home!!!!!!!--lol