Stop smoking/Go to bed!

[Lace Neil Singer]

OK to set the scene; I have a chest infection. No big deal; every time I get a cold, it goes straight for my chest. I'm not about to take loads of time off every time that happens as I can still go to work as long as I have tissues and take cold medicine every so often. However, why is it that SCs seem to think that this is on a par with going to work suffering from bubonic plague? -.-

I had one SC mistake my chesty cough for a smokers cough and lecture me on giving up smoking; I only managed to stem her flow by lying and telling her I'm a lifelong non smoker... yes, I do smoke, but not when I'm ill and she had no right to assume things anyway.

Several others told me I shouldn't be at work but instead should be in bed... nice if I could, but I don't get paid for staying at home. I even got a few "Howard Hughes" who acted as tho everything I touched was infested with germs. Ignoring the fact that a couple of hundred people who are also down with the cold are walking thru the supermarket sneezing and coughing over everything that the germ phobic people have in their trolley.

[Toujin]

My sisters can be the same way (germaphobic) when I get a cold, even though I'm doing everything I can not to spread it. It's like they expect to lock myself in my room for the duration of the illness.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Heck, that's nothing. My own doctor asks me every single time I visit him for a chest cold how much I smoke. Not "Do you smoke?" or "Have you ever smoked?" but how much I do it. I still don't think he believes me when I tell him I've never smoked to begin with.

As for the germophobes, I've just gotten to the point where I give up trying to not catch things during cold & flu season. I mean, I still keep the hand sanitizer in my pocket at work and take the occasional dose of Airborne, but I figure there's no use in being overly cautious right now. About half the population seems to have it, people do need to go to the store to get medicine (as regrettable as it is to have to spread germs) and people like myself have bills to pay and must go to work sick. I'll only call in if I'm feeling particularly wasted or can't control the snot flow, etc

[Lace Neil Singer]

I also had an SC once tell me I should wash my hands every time I coughed. I would have spent the entire day walking from till to sink.

[rerant]

That was me all day today. I couldn't speak well since for me when I get cold it goes to my throat, I was feverish and flush, and coughing up a storm. BUT I was using Purelle every so often, coughing closely into my sleeve and even going so far as to walk away from customers when I had to cough.

One woman sympathetically told me I should be at home, while one man suggested that I was putting other people's health at risk by being there.
Sorry, I called in sick yesterday, and losing one day's pay is all I can afford. I wouldn't have even done that much if I didn't get paid for New Years day, which in my mind justifies the day off.

[PepperElf]

kinda wish the states would adopt this trend... here in japan - and in other asian countries - when people have colds or etc, they wear little dust masks when they go out in town. that way when they cough and sneeze they don't get it on others.

[rerant]

kinda wish the states would adopt this trend... here in japan - and in other asian countries - when people have colds or etc, they wear little dust masks when they go out in town. that way when they cough and sneeze they don't get it on others.

I would seriously feel like such (read: more of) a leper if I had to wear a mask when ill.
I don't want to insult a social trend or anything, but I couldn't imagine being forced to work with a mask on.

[Pagan]

However, why is it that SCs seem to think that this is on a par with going to work suffering from bubonic plague? -.-

Well, seeing as that can happen....I hope they never vacation here in the summer! We have several cases every year.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

kinda wish the states would adopt this trend... here in japan - and in other asian countries - when people have colds or etc, they wear little dust masks when they go out in town. that way when they cough and sneeze they don't get it on others.

Actually, I'd rather wear a huge-ass sign reading "I'm sick! Stay the hell away from me!"

I don't doubt a mask would cut down on the spread of airborne germs but I don't think I need to broadcast my illness any more than my body already does.

[aniwahya]

My mom gets completely germaphobic around sick people. Not because she doesn't want to get sick, but because she doesn't want to come home and give me the germs since when I get chest colds I usually end up in the hospital.

That being said, while I do think people should call in if they are sick, especially to spare those whose immune system can't properly fight a cold, I understand that sometimes theres simply no other choice but to go in. Hell, when I worked for The Bell preparing food they gave me such a hard time about calling in when I couldn't breathe that I finally went in sick.
<Warning: gross! sorta.>

Part of my asthma is that I have thickened mucous, which contributes to my respiratory distress by clogging airways. It's thick, disgusting and, when I'm sick, it's mass produced. So in short I am NOT the person you want around your food. Even if I'm washing my hands and not getting anything near/in food it sounds completely disgusting. Secondly I cough constantly. Deep painful coughs that sound like i'm hacking up internal organs (except when my airways close and then I just wheeze, which is gross AND pathetic).

Despite all this they wanted and expected me to go in and make peoples food and serve customers. Aside from the fact that i physically couldn't do it, I just didnt feel it was right. They stopped giving me a hard time after I went in and went into a medical emergency on them, and I think got a ton of complaints.

[Lace Neil Singer]

**Warning: Grossness!**

My chest infections are a bit like that; not hospitally, but still pretty bad; the worst days had me coughing up blood and mucus.

I know; I shouldn't go into work in that state, but cuz I'm sitting down and can take medication in my breaks and Strefen during work time, I go in cuz I really can't afford to lose pay by staying at home and cuz you can't take more than 3 sick days off per rolling year or you get a disclipinary. -.- Right now, I'm trying to save my days up for the summer as if we get another hot summer I will inevitably get a humidity induced migraine.

[Imogene]

I also had an SC once tell me I should wash my hands every time I coughed.

Some older woman told me that a few weeks ago as well, after I'd just sneezed into my elbow!
"Why? I didn't even get my hands with that?"
"Well... you just should!"
*blink blink* "K, crazy lady! Buh-bye!"

[Lace Neil Singer]

Wash your elbow?

[Imogene]

Wash your elbow?

Uh? Shirt? I was wearing a long sleeved shirt that day... and me without my washing machine/board...

[Lace Neil Singer]

Well, she probably was expecting you to do so. XD With my chest infection, I was coughing practically every five seconds... and in any case, everyone in my neck of the woods has the virus, so she's bound to catch it sooner or later. XD