What is with people sharing their cold/flu germs!!

[greengables]

I met a friend yesterday and she tells me after we've been together having coffee/lunch for 2hrs she has a really bad cold and her daughter also has it!! (I couldn't tell right away as she is actually dosed up on Sudafed andthe Sudafed masked it)

I was SO upset and annoyed. I am 9months pregnant so my immune system is low and I can't take anything but Panadol!!

I toldmy DH and he was also v angry.

What is with this?

This seems to be common though. At work people would come in all the time with colds. I just thought that a fellow mum would be abit more sensitive about sharing her germs with me and my daughter!

[bunintheoven12]

I hear you.....Yesterday I took my son to the shops and this woman turned around on the escalator and coughed all over my son. I was so upset. The same thing happens at preschool and school - parents send their kids sick and I speak first hand as I'm a teacher. It's so annoying but what can you do?

Hope you don't catch the cold:)

[Kizmet]

oh this is one of my pet peeves! I hate going places and then finding out once you get there that people are sick, have coughs,sneezes , temperature etc...Drives me mental. I am the type of person who hates being rude to people so have a lot of trouble dealing with people like this. What do we do turn around and walk back out or back away again?

I would be so annoyed if I was you! I hope you dont catch whatever she has! My DD and I are the same, if there is a cold within a 50km radius we will catch it! I have always been like this and DD seems to have inherited it from me.

[Princess_Alisa]

It is incredible, I have a friend as well, who's child is always ill from childcare with all sort of things. So when the toddler is sick, my friend has to take off work and then she always wants to catch up with me so our children can have a play. It always comes out later, that she is actually sick.

I am so annoyed and cannot believe how irresponsible some people are. They just think about themselves that they don't want to stay at home alone to entertain their child. The problem with this friend is, that it probably has not even occured to her that you don't take ill kids out to other people.

But what do you say to people like that? I am not very good with this sort of things..

I am in the same situation, 32 weeks pregnant and I can't afford beeing ill.


I hope everything goes well with your pregancy and you don't get any more germs from your friend:fingerscrossed:

[A Party of Five]

No, we all stay at home and kept warm :snow: I don't want to make other sick and I don't want my kidlets getting worse either.

[Tam-I-Am]

I had a walk-and-coffee date with another BHer this morning, and rang her beforehand to let her know that Claire had a little cold. I do that when Claire's sick. Then its up to the other person to decide whether they want to catch up or not (and I would never be offended if they decided not to!)

I think that's just common courtesy, and I would expect the same from others. I do think we tend to be over-cautious with our kids though. A cold is a cold is a cold - uncomfortable but not inherently dangerous, yanno?

[mum23girls]

I won't share my germs deliberately. I have been dying to see an itsy bitsy little bubba, but I have been sick and the hubby and the kids.. he is nearly a month old now,and still haven't met him because someone here has been sick!!

However, infection periods for illness can happen way before symptoms can...;) so unfortunately if you are going to get it, you will get it no matter what unless you live a very secluded/sheltered/covered life :laughing:


:hugs:

[mumdadandgrace]

A cold is a cold is a cold - uncomfortable but not inherently dangerous, yanno?

exactly:thumbsup: -not quite the end of the world.

The next time I hear a person telling me that they have the 'flu' when obviously all they have is a runny nose I am likely to crack up laughing right in their face, when did we all get so
precious?:laughing:

[kiimbo81]

exactly:thumbsup: -not quite the end of the world.

The next time I hear a person telling me that they have the 'flu' when obviously all they have is a runny nose I am likely to crack up laughing right in their face, when did we all get so
precious?:laughing:

Totally agreed! If you're gonna catch it, you're gonna catch it. They actually say you are more likely to catch a cold of someone walking past you in the street, than someone you know that has a cold!

Having said that, I always stay home with bubby until atleast the worst of the cold is over with. But you can't lock yourself up until every tiny little sniffle is gone otherwise you'd be locked up inside permanently.

I can see where you are all coming from though.

And a stranger coughing over you and your child? That's just plain RUDE! :shame:

[blessedmummy]

true true... if you catch it well, cant do much about it really, except for lots of rest i say! ive had the bad cold for the past week and been in bed for most of those days, but slowly getting better now which is good, girls have been a bit sniffly and that but im glad that they have been ok and nothing worse!

[Jeclipse]

I dont go out to see friends if I am overly ill.. liek have a cold or a fever...

but if i have the sniffles.. I dont lock myself up inside my house lol

But I do warn the friend im seeing if I dont feel well.. :rolleyes:

[SassyMummy]

I'm not usually sick, sick. I have a very tiny cough at he moment, and a slightly runny nose... but I'm not going to stay at home until it goes away.

It's not major, and DP hasn't even caught it (and I've had it for about 2 weeks).

If I had the FLU I would stay at home... but I don't. I don't even have a proper cold... just a few minor cold symptoms.

[Milliner]

No, I stay at home in bed.

[greengables]

Well this makes me feel better - I thought I was a germaphob but I'm NOT !! :)

[Tulp]

A friend brought her bub over for a play with DS a few days ago and he just caught the cold from daycare. Thought since theywere already at the house no point turning them away.

DS is now down with the cold. He just recovered from ear and chest infection (cold and fever too) a couple of weeks ago and now he's down with the cold again. Am not too pleased. We should be more vigilant now especially with the influenza virus going around.

Be considerate of others around. Especially the little ones. It really breaks your heart to see little ones miserable.

[~mia&ryan~]

I stay away from people until I am all better, and warn them that I have been sick... I dont want sick people around my DD so I dont want to be sick around other people and their children...

[greengables]

I don't understand - you guys are all considerate - I just seem to run into people who love sharing their germs!!

I guess it only takes 1 doesn't it?

Also - I think it's hard for normally strong/healthy people to understand that others don't fight off colds as well as they can.

[squiglet]

I am carfull not to share my germs around.
I hate it when someone comes to visit and they are sick. Or you go to visit them and after they sniffle all over you and the baby, then let you know they have a cold.
It's just plain rude.

But if I do have a cold and someone whan't to come visit me, I let them know I'm sick and they can choose to come or not.

Er, but on the other hand I'm not such an :angel: either. Cold or no cold the shopping and odd jobs have to be done. I don't have the luxury of being able to stay at home and not go to the shops.

[youngones]

!!! There seem to be a lot of responsible people on BH, but so few others out there :D !!!

I know that for most people, a cold is no big deal, but many people forget that there are others out there who really suffer when they get sick, have other illnesses or conditions that make their immune systems compromised ie cancer, pregnancy, asthma, HIV.

During my preg, DH got a cold and refused to dose up with cold and flu tabs as he said it would pass. Well he coughed and sneezed all over everything and sure enough, a few days later I had a cold, then bronchitis and then pneumonia and was dreadfully ill for weeks.

He now appreciates that he is not the only person in the world. Wish others would work that one out...

[Hollywood]

I stay away from people, not just to keep the germs away, but also because I don't feel so great if I'm sick so I'd rather not go out (depending on what it is).

[westerner]

A cold is a cold is a cold - uncomfortable but not inherently dangerous, yanno?

So true..

And i tend to think that if you couldn't even tell she was remotely sick (yes drugs somewhat help but they don't 100% mask it.. you can still tell if someone is sick or not..) Then i dont honestly think your friend had a bad bad cold.. the sniffles, maybe.. a touch of sore thoat, possible..

But there is no way to 100% mask the fact you have a "bad cold" You would have noticed.. You were with her for two hours, there would have been a cough or a sniffle or a nose blow at least..

But yes it is common courtesy to let people know.. I do the same as Tam and ring the person, let them know and allow them to decide if the meet will still take place or not.. Unless im dying then i simply cancel..

[subaruforestermum]

I visited DP's baby in the hospital at the start of me being sick, but I stayed well away from them after a small cuddle.....

I have also continued to go to the gym...I'm paying for it, I still have to use it sick or not....

I still go to work, and I still do my shopping.

But I'm not up close and personal with anyone there...

Friends (well the couple I have) are warned, or I say I'm too sick to go out or DS is too sick, just so we can try and recover.