I haven't felt very well this weekend. I've been zapped by my sinuses and a bad sore throat. I've just felt cruddy. This happened in spite of all my germ assassin weaponry.
Hand sanitizer is a must have in my purse. It irks me that I still managed to catch something. I get teased about carrying it with me, but it's kept me from catching something all winter until now. I slather my hands and the hand rails of the carts at Wal Mart with it. I carry my own pen so that i never have to use a public one. I have a tiny bottle of Lysol spray in my purse too for questionable public bathrooms.
Since I got that staph infection that resulted in me losing my toe, I've become a germ assassin. I wasn't so over the edge before it all happened. Now is a different story. It's part of the fear I battle. Irrational or not, it's very real. I'm not as bad as Howard Hughes, but I really don't want a germ to live in my space.
Someone, somewhere must have breathed some germs on me that got passed my germ assassin weaponry.
Sigh...
It'll be another night of sleeping in the recliner so that I don't cough so much. Laying flat makes my sinuses drain resulting in the mother of all sore throats. My voice is gone.
Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
CW
CreativeWoman posted on Feb 24, 2008
| views: 313
Comments
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Twylarants said on Feb 24, 2008....
Poor CW! I hope you feel better soon. I'm germ phobic, and like you, will never use anyone's pen but my own. Have you noticed how many people put pens in their mouths? Ewww!
I also carry wipes to the supermarket to clean the shopping cart handle, although some stores now place them inside the entrance.
And I never touch the handle on a restroom door without a paper towel, or turn the water in the restroom sink on and off without a paper towel.
But unless you wear a mask like Michael Jackson, someone will invariably cough or sneeze in your space because no one's taught them how to cough into their own clothing.
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dailyachesandpains said on Feb 24, 2008....
Awe...CW!!! I'm so sorry you're not feeling well!I actually just decontaminated my kitchen before I signed on. Mr. Clean makes a GREAT cleaner that's antibacterial. It's in an orange spray bottle.I'm just like Twyla! Welcome to the germaphobe club, CW! It's sad, but I'm glad we can share our tips and tricks and obsession with germs and cleaning.{{{{HUGS}}}}Daily -
wombat said on Feb 25, 2008....
Hope you're feeling better now and have your voice back! I used to handle alot of money with my job, and that's about the germiest thing you can handle. We kept two or three bottles of hand sanitizer nearby at all times. -
Twylarants said on Feb 25, 2008....
We have a fingerprint identifying thing in work to clock in on...no more time cards.
But it doesn't work if your skin is too dry. You wouldn't believe what people do to moisten their fingertip in order to be recognized by the stupid thing!
I tell them to wet their finger in the sink that's 5 feet from the clock.
That's after screwing up my face and saying "EWWW!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? I HAVE TO TOUCH THAT THING TOO YA KNOW!!!
So it's no wonder we get sick even as careful we are.
And money! How disgusting is that...right Wombie? I worked in a clothing store and a guy pulled money out of his shoe and tried to hand it to me to pay for his purchase.
I just looked at him like "are you kidding me?" I reached under the counter and got a wad of paper towels and said "just put it there", folded it in the paper towels and stuck it on the side of the register. As soon as I was through with him I took it to the restroom and washed it in the sink with antibacterial hand soap. Yecch!
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CreativeWoman said on Feb 25, 2008....
Twyla,
I know it's hard to fight all germs. It's very easy to sneeze or cough into a tissue and then throw it away. I don't know why more people don't do it. You can't be too careful.
Daily,
I use ammonia a lot to clean with. Lysol and Spic and Span are also favorites. My mom swears by Pine Sol. I'm always cleaning door knobs. I seem to have developed a more intense fear of germs after losing my toe.
wombat,
That's very true. Money is germ loaded.
I haven't been to church much this winter because of my fear of germs. I'm Catholic and we always shake hands to share the sign of peace. That's one of the worst ways to pass virus germs around. Then we all drink from the same cup at communion. I always pass on that. I hate that I am that way, but I'm just not over that fear yet. Maybe as time goes by, it will lessen.
Twyla,
I would not be liking that finger moistening thing either. Ewwwwwww. I wouldn't have been too thrilled with the guy having money in his shoe. That's unique to say the least. :-)
CW
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Twylarants said on Feb 25, 2008....
I became germ phobic when my husband contracted staph in 20004 in the hospital after a femoral artery graft. It was (and I hope I'm spelling this right) necrotizing facilitis? The flesh eating variety, probably the same one you had, CW, and it appeared in the surgical site. I didn't know there where different forms of staph. When the dr told us it was staph, I thought it was easily treated. Boy, was I ever wrong!
2 weeks of "ok, he'll live, but we may have to take his leg", then 6 weeks of daily antibiotic treatments through a Pic...ugh! After that, germs will scare you to death.
I clean my entire house with white vinegar...walls, ceiling, bathrooms, glass, carpeting, upholstery, wood, stainless...everything. I even add some to my laundry to kill germs.
I don't blame you in the least for taking precautions.
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uniquely-ironic said on Feb 25, 2008....
Ohhh, I'm sorry you're not feeling good. Drink lots of citrus and rest. Hope you're feeling better soon. -
CreativeWoman said on Feb 25, 2008....
Twyla,
I'm not certain the exact name of the staph that I had. I had it before I went to hospital and I don't know where I picked it up. They were afraid it was MRSA, but it wasn't. I had to have antibiotics through a PIC line every six hours for about 10 days. It was a very fast moving infection. The antibiotics didn't kill it, so my toe had to go. Of course,the diabetes was feeding it. I'm left with a terrible fear of germs now.
I'm so glad everything worked out well for your husband.
UI,
Thank you. I took some extra Vitamin C this morning. I still don't have much of a voice. I think maybe I'll head for a nap soon.
CW
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pickersplock said on Feb 25, 2008....
I hope you feel better soon CW!I just found out my son has a double ear infection, and guess what?They don't give out antibiotics anymore for ear infections. -
CreativeWoman said on Feb 25, 2008....
pickers,
I still don't feel great. Maybe I'll be on the mend soon.
I'm sorry to hear about your son's ears. That always hurts.
Take care,
CW
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Mamie said on Feb 25, 2008....
aw, that stinks, cw! I caught something too and it is making me batty! I have been fortifying myself all the while so I cannot figure out where I caught something....except that I had blood labs done las t week and guess what? I think i caught something at the hospital!! gross!! hope tomorrow is better for you. xo, m -
CreativeWoman said on Feb 25, 2008....
Mamie,
I'll bet you are right. I hope you are feeling better. Hospitals are terrible places to face for people like me who fear germs. Shudder.....
CW
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Eilan said on Feb 25, 2008....
I think we have the same cold, CW. Maybe you caught a cyber-bug from me. And my entire family has been passing around some stupid stomach bug for 3 1/2 weeks. Enough already!
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dyingman said on Feb 25, 2008....
Just to add to your problems...
Hand santizers, like all antiseptics are indiscriminate and kill all germs, even the harmless ones that happily multiply and form a barrier from more harmful disease.
Some feel widespread use of such tools will cause resistance in future generations of germs. Easy for me to say. I've never lost a toe.
Still, concerns about germs can have a downside, such as the meticulous housekeeper that causes his or her kids to get asthsma because their immune systems can't understand a world of harmless foreign substances because they've never detected anything inside their sterile, clean home. Children with exposure to pets have far less asthsma than children raised museum-style.
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CreativeWoman said on Feb 25, 2008....
Eilan,
I hope you feel better than I do. :-)
dyingman,
I have heard that about killing off the good germs too. I'm not that good of a housekeeper as to wipe them all out. :-) It's the obvious public ones than I'm after. I know it's kind of an irrational fear that I have. Maybe it will lessen over time.
CW
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lfbno7 said on Feb 26, 2008....
Do you take lots of vitamins and minerals? Do you get lots of rest? You can't keep germs out but you can strengthen your resistance to their assault. -
CreativeWoman said on Feb 26, 2008....
lfb,
I think I do ok on the vitamins and minerals. The rest is probably iffy. I've been laying around a lot the past couple of days though.
CW