Home › #Health › SUSPICIOUS? ABSOLUTELY! THEY ARE ALL FULL OF GERMS!

SUSPICIOUS? ABSOLUTELY! THEY ARE ALL FULL OF GERMS!

By on • ( 56 )

VALID SUSPICIONS

Garry and I don’t go anywhere and it isn’t because of the weather.

It’s the flu. The stomach flu. The lung and chest and sinus variations on a theme of flu. Go to the doctor? DOCTOR? That’s where all the sick people go! Grocery store? Pharmacy? That’s where the rest of the sick people go.

I swear to you … every time I go anywhere, I come home sick. And so does Garry. Then we give it back and forth to each other for the rest of the winter. Sometime in April, we start to feel better and this isn’t because we got old.

We have been doing this “togetherness” act for a very long time. When Garry was a working reporter, he got everything. If anyone anywhere sneezed or coughed, he came home with it. He still had to go to work because Channel 7 didn’t believe in illness. Sick? So? Unless you were in the hospital on life support, you were expected to be at work.

My work was nominally less grueling, but not much. I inevitably worked solo, so if I didn’t show up, the job just waited. There was only so long I could let it go before I had to drag myself into the office. No one else could do what I did. There are some disadvantages to working alone and that is definitely a big one.

I’m tired of being a little bit sick, a little bit sicker, or finally getting better only to discover Garry is down with something I am absolutely sure I will get in three to five days. If there is an answer to this problem, let me know what it is. Other than living in a bubble, of course.

It isn’t really that I love warm weather. It’s that warm weather means less disease stalking the valley. I can usually count on not being sick from early May through late October. By Thanksgiving, all bets are off.

How are you doing these days?

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Categories: #Health, #Photography, Relationships

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56 replies

  1. Taswegian1957
    02/15/2018 • 17:36

    Workplaces are shocking for transferring colds and flu. People should stay home rather than coming in and giving it to everyone else but understandably they don’t because either their employers would frown on it, they have no paid sick leave and can’t afford not to come, their work would pile up or they would worry they were putting extra work on their team. Result, you stay sick longer and share your germs with everyone at work starting one of those cycles that takes till spring to end.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/15/2018 • 19:19

      Smart bosses tell people to stay home when they’re sick. There are far too few smart bosses.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Garry Armstrong
        02/16/2018 • 11:34

        We need a coroner or an autopsy report report to get a sick day. Suits didn’t believe in sick days.

        Like

    • Garry Armstrong
      02/17/2018 • 14:12

      During my working days, we staved off the flu and other bugs with medication at our local bars.

      Like

      • Taswegian1957
        02/17/2018 • 18:47

        I can quite understand but it’s frowned on if you have to operate machinery. When I worked for the railways they used to do random testing. One morning I arrived for work at some ungodly hour like 5am and the tester was there. “Let’s breath test the cleaner.” the train controllers, drivers and shunters thought it was a great lark. A lot of them took alcohol for medicinal purposes on the night shift.

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          02/17/2018 • 19:08

          A lot of people who shouldn’t be working work anyway. Usually, it’s a money issue. People who are paid by the hour can’t afford to take time off and even people working full time rarely have enough time to get well. We used to say that you might as well work when you are sick and save your sick time for something more entertaining than illness. But when you got sick enough, it didn’t matter.

          Liked by 1 person

  2. DailyMusings
    02/15/2018 • 06:02

    I had 2 kids in my 1st grade class hacking their heads off today- the teacher told them they should tell their mothers to keep them home tomorrow. I had both windows in the classroom open and my hands are raw from washing…… it is a losing battle when parents send the kids to school sick- and then they infect everyone. Drives me nuts

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Carol Carlisle
    02/15/2018 • 00:08

    Thanks glad to know I’m not the only one staying away from crowds. I just stay home and text the sickies 🤧🤢I know.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. lwbut
    02/14/2018 • 23:57

    Since having my kidney transplant 2 years ago and taking the immuno-suppressant and anti-rejection drugs i’ve been bug free (touch wood!) I go out shopping 2-3 times a week and have Dr’s and hospital appointments regularly but don’t go out and mingle much other than that to avoid picking up someone else’s cold.

    Strengthening your immune system naturally is the best thing i’d suggest (other than becoming hermits – you have social media, who needs physical contact anymore? 😉 ) Particularly important is to eat foods that aids immune response and avoid those that damage the gut bacteria and the gut itself – google: plant lectins (bad) and plant polyphenols (good).

    And maybe stick a cut onion on top of your fridge!? 🙂 It can’t hurt – right? 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/15/2018 • 00:09

      We are very healthy eaters and there’s very little sweet stuff in the house. But as for avoiding disease, short of never seeing anyone, every time we go out in public, there’s a pretty good chance someone somewhere is going to sneeze or cough and handle something you will also handle. We’ve done pretty well in avoiding anything really serious. i’ve got two replaced heart valves and I have to be very careful about infections. I can’t even get my teeth cleaned without heavy doses of antibiotics, but whenever you have replacement parts, you’ve got to be really careful. We ARE careful, but we’ve got a few friends and family and while we don’t spend a lot of time in crowds, even small groups of people have colds and for some obscure reason, don’t get the FREE flu shots which totally baffles me. Why the fuck NOT?

      Liked by 1 person

      • lwbut
        02/15/2018 • 02:02

        Same here with the dentist.

        You should move to Oz! 😉 Free flu shots here – and warmer/less bugs/people! 🙂

        Probably more ‘things’ * that could kill you though – but they are usually pretty easy to avoid!

        * Definitely LESS gun-toting homicidal maniacs here – Sympathies for Parkland and Fl. 😦

        Liked by 1 person

    • Garry Armstrong
      02/15/2018 • 13:59

      “Onionhead” (’55/WB) Andy Griffith, Nick Adams.

      Like

  5. Globug
    02/14/2018 • 22:14

    My family shares the wealth, so to speak, all winter long. There is almost no time during the winter that one or the other isn’t sick with something. For the last few years, I have taken the flu shot and the pneumonia shot. So far this year I have caught 1 illness, the stomach flu. Before I began getting the flu shot every year, like you, everytime I left the house, I came back and was sick within 24 hours. But, miracle of miracles, I have not been ill for nearly 3 years. I may get a touch of sinus, but that’s it. The flu shot seems to protect me from most illnesses. No one else in my family takes them. It’s so much easier to feel superior when I can offer sympathy that they are once again ill, knowing they still refuse to take the shot despite my example. I am going to go knock on wood as soon as I finish this…pride goeth before a fall you know! lol

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/14/2018 • 22:19

      The flu shot has saved my life. I don’t think they have one for the stomach flu or i’d have gotten that one, too. But I haven’t had pneumonia in 4 years (yes, you CAN get it even with the shot, but it is less likely) and haven’t gotten whatever official flu was going around in 20 years. But i pick up the stuff that isn’t in the inoculations, probably because I’ve got a lot of other physical issues and I suspect I’m permanently a bit rundown. But on the up side — hey, I’m ALIVE.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Globug
        02/14/2018 • 22:27

        Because I have some issues with my immune system, I take them every year and you are right, they are life savers! My Dr is ordering mega doses of Vit D. Is suppose to help with immune system and brain function – and I sure need that! lol

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          02/14/2018 • 22:33

          I tried vitamin D. I overdosed. My family seems to overdose on vitamins. It’s apparently genetic.

          Like

          • Globug
            02/14/2018 • 22:42

            Wow, that’s a new one on me!. I apparently am allergic to something, my stomach and chest are covered in very itchy red bumps. Maybe too many visits from grandchildren? lol Have 3 doctor appts this month – maybe somebody can give me a clue.

            Like

            • Marilyn Armstrong
              02/14/2018 • 23:23

              There are about 20 million people in the U.S. with non-specific itching rashes on some part of their body. I’ve had one coming and going — for no known reason — for about 40 years. It is ridiculously common and no one bothers to do any research on them because they aren’t lethal and they sell gazillions of dollars of “cures” for them. Good luck. I refuse to see yet one more skin doctor. They don’t have a clue. I’ve written two or three posts about them. They are very popular posts. Every itchy person write in about their rash and what works — if anything — for them. When I said “overdosed,” I mean my kid almost died from overdosing on Vitamin A and I was seriously overdosed on vitamin D. The kid was in the hospital for months. I just had to stop taking it. Ever.

              Type “eczema” or “dermatitis” into Google and watch.

              Like

    • Garry Armstrong
      02/15/2018 • 13:58

      Love the folks who gave me stinky eye about getting early flu shots. Karma is visiting them.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. kirizar
    02/14/2018 • 21:29

    You sing the song of my people–sickos every last one of them. I think it might be healthier to just insult every last one of them and end up on the Do Not Call List just to avoid catching the next plague to come around. But that’s how I feel when I’m getting better. When I’m sick, I’m grateful when they show up with cans of chicken soup and ginger ale that they leave outside the zone of contagion for me to crawl to the door and recover.

    Unless you want to become a hermit and eschew people altogether, I highly recommend a word with your doctor and a request for some kind of immuno-therapy or mega-vitamin shot before the season starts. Until they come up with a bullet-proof method of avoiding the interminable seasonal crud, I’m afraid we socialites are doomed.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/14/2018 • 22:08

      I have so many physical issues, no one is giving me any kind of medication unless it’s literally life or death. I try to stay away from people I KNOW are sick, but a lot of the time, people who are coming down with something don’t know they are getting sick … and they are the most contagious. At least I’m diligent about vaccines. And i’ve managed to avoid having pneumonia for a full three years — some kind of record!

      Like

    • Garry Armstrong
      02/15/2018 • 13:56

      Wear surgical masks everywhere?

      Like

  7. Covert Novelist
    02/14/2018 • 18:53

    Onion. Take the ends and skin off of an onion and place it atop the fridge or somewhere, leave it overnight and throw it away, repeat. I read an article about a woman in Europe who did this when the plague was horrific and her family remained unaffected. The doctor making his rounds wondered why they hadn’t contacted anything, flu or otherwise. I decided to give it a try. So far, so good. We have been plagued with flu, with little people in school, they bring it all home. xx fingers and toes, so far, I’ve remained unaffected. Just a thought. I know the smell of onion isn’t great, but hey, it’s working so I’ll put up with the smell.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/14/2018 • 20:04

      I guess the onion on the cutting board didn’t do the job? Some people are just less susceptible than others. Even if the worst plague hits, not everyone dies. Call it onions or just call it an exceptional immune system. For years, i had a great immune system and half the time, Garry would get sick and I never caught it. Times have changed.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Covert Novelist
        02/14/2018 • 21:04

        We become more frail with time and more susceptible too if there is a particularly weak area of the body. I was 2 months preme weighing in at 3.5 lbs. 3 organs weren’t developed and my twin had lungs heart and kidney undeveloped. So those are his weak spots. I can’t remember mine cause his was life threatening and we had to watch out for him. Some ppl are carriers too, the x was. brought home every damn thing, never got sick ever lol.

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          02/14/2018 • 21:26

          Garry picked up everything … but he was outside a lot in the cold and wind and weather. He also never got enough sleep and never seemed to be well rested. He shook things off pretty quickly, though. But reporters really are exposed to absolutely everything — like elementary school teachers.

          Liked by 1 person

      • Garry Armstrong
        02/15/2018 • 13:55

        Yes, the times HAVE changed.

        Like

  8. Su Leslie
    02/14/2018 • 18:38

    I mustn’t be human. The Big T travels frequently and globally for work and catches everything going. The boy-child, when he lived here, invariably brought other people’s children home to stay, sneeze, cough, puke, etc … and (i’m almost too scared to say it), I’m unlucky to catch a three-day cold. One friend’s toddler did smite me with a hideous flu about 17 years ago, but I seem to have been largely immune otherwise. I wish I had some practical suggestions for you, it sounds really miserable feeling sick so much ☹️

    Liked by 1 person

  9. angloswiss
    02/14/2018 • 17:13

    Since Mr Swiss and I no longer belong to the workforce, we only have aches and pains, but not so much stuffed heads. It’s our bones and muscles that no longer work as they should and nobody’s fault but our own

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      02/14/2018 • 18:35

      We are fine … as long as we stay away from the coughers and snifflers. The problem is that sick people don’t stay at home. They go out and give it to everyone. One person with the flu in the grocery can transmit it to EVERYONE. And of course, if you have little kids in your life, all bets are off. As for bones and muscles, well … mine haven’t worked for a long time. I think the world is finally catching up with me.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Garry Armstrong
      02/15/2018 • 13:52

      Update,please Pat. How are YOU feeling now? Better, I hope.

      Liked by 1 person

      • angloswiss
        02/15/2018 • 14:27

        Thanks for asking Gary. I feel a bit helpless.during the day I can ignore various aches and pains, but during the night the pain begins in my left knee around 2 in the morning and is robbing my sleep. I just feel very insecure when hobbling around and worried that I might fall. At the moment iit is more mental than physical, I will just have to be patient with the healing process, Thank goodness for Marcel.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          02/15/2018 • 14:49

          Patience is easy to ask, hard to do. Sadly, there isn’t another way to go. You can’t hurry healing. I’m pretty sure without the computer, I would have totally lost it. I know it’s hard. I can’t make it better but I can promise you it WILL get better and you will look back and it will not seem as bad as it does right now. Love you!

          Liked by 2 people

        • Garry Armstrong
          02/16/2018 • 13:05

          Kudos, Marcel.

          Pat, I cannot imagine how difficult it is for you. Marilyn tells me how hard it is for you because she can relate. The aches and pains have come to me relatively late in life. I used to think I was invincible. I was spoiled. Now, I know how everyone else feels. Sniffle, sniffle.

          Liked by 1 person

  10. swo8Leslie
    02/14/2018 • 15:54

    You’re absolutely right on this one. I can remember getting a cold from some restaurant about this time of year. The guy probably sneezed into our soup.
    Leslie

    Liked by 1 person