How do cohabiters deal with sharing of illness?
October 3, 2011 9:56 AM Subscribe
A new part of being in a relationship: sharing illnesses. Having some mental (as well as practical) difficulties with this. Special snowflake details below.
Boyfriend and I are six months in, and getting serious. I am a teacher and so am exposed to germs a lot. He has just gotten his first cold from me and I am wracked with guilt. Special snowflake detail: he has had a chronic, serious health condition since childhood. He is doing very well now and with an excellent prognosis, but because of this experience, his perception of regular illness is skewed. As far as he is concerned, if he is not sick enough to be in the hospital, he's fine.
So, guilt-wracked me is fretting because he is pushing himself like business as usual here (and he cannot take over the counter treatments because of his health issue, so he's coughing and sniffling as he goes) and he doesn't see what the problem is. And of course, if I do get sick again (as I am likely to given my job) I wouldn't expect much sympathy from him while I deal with it.
So---suggestions as to how to prevent ourselves from cross-infecting each other are welcome since I am new to semi-cohabiting. And any tips on the other stuff...I just want him to take care of himself, and I feel even guiltier that he isn't given that I was the plague-bringer here. But he is just coming at this from a very different place.
Anonymous because he reads mefi. Thanks!
Boyfriend and I are six months in, and getting serious. I am a teacher and so am exposed to germs a lot. He has just gotten his first cold from me and I am wracked with guilt. Special snowflake detail: he has had a chronic, serious health condition since childhood. He is doing very well now and with an excellent prognosis, but because of this experience, his perception of regular illness is skewed. As far as he is concerned, if he is not sick enough to be in the hospital, he's fine.
So, guilt-wracked me is fretting because he is pushing himself like business as usual here (and he cannot take over the counter treatments because of his health issue, so he's coughing and sniffling as he goes) and he doesn't see what the problem is. And of course, if I do get sick again (as I am likely to given my job) I wouldn't expect much sympathy from him while I deal with it.
So---suggestions as to how to prevent ourselves from cross-infecting each other are welcome since I am new to semi-cohabiting. And any tips on the other stuff...I just want him to take care of himself, and I feel even guiltier that he isn't given that I was the plague-bringer here. But he is just coming at this from a very different place.
Anonymous because he reads mefi. Thanks!
Zycam. My teaching coach swears by it, I nearly gave my classroom induced cold to my girlfriend but I had her do a round of Zycam and it stopped it in its tracks. Based on my experience, it really helps stop a cold from going full blown.
I guess if you can't do anything for him once he gets sick, your best bet is to make sure you keep your immune system healthy so you won't be a carrier. Bathe in hand sanitizer, take vitamins, and get lots of sleep if you feel that first tickle in the back of your throat.
posted by JimmyJames at 10:05 AM on October 3, 2011
I guess if you can't do anything for him once he gets sick, your best bet is to make sure you keep your immune system healthy so you won't be a carrier. Bathe in hand sanitizer, take vitamins, and get lots of sleep if you feel that first tickle in the back of your throat.
posted by JimmyJames at 10:05 AM on October 3, 2011
I would step up your disinfecting routine - wash hands with soap and warm water frequently and for at least 30 seconds and wipe down with a disinfectant commonly touched surfaces regularly (e.g. doorknobs, faucet handles, fridge handle, phone handset, remote control).
He should get in the habit of avoiding touching his face (nose and eyes especially).
posted by cecic at 10:06 AM on October 3, 2011 [5 favorites]
He should get in the habit of avoiding touching his face (nose and eyes especially).
posted by cecic at 10:06 AM on October 3, 2011 [5 favorites]
Oh, honey, he only got a COLD. You actually have no way of knowing if he even got it from you in the first place -- colds are called "common" for a reason.
And he's right, if he's not sick enough to be in a regular hospital, he's fine. I wouldn't beat yourself up -- yeah, it sucks for him that he can't take Sudafed, but he'd be stuck not-taking-Sudafed whether he got a cold from you, from his neighbors, from a stranger on the bus, or from someone HE works with, so...there's nothing you need to feel guilty about, I promise. I'm sure he's developed other ways to cope.
You have no reason to feel guilty. Absolvame, go and sneeze no more.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:07 AM on October 3, 2011 [20 favorites]
And he's right, if he's not sick enough to be in a regular hospital, he's fine. I wouldn't beat yourself up -- yeah, it sucks for him that he can't take Sudafed, but he'd be stuck not-taking-Sudafed whether he got a cold from you, from his neighbors, from a stranger on the bus, or from someone HE works with, so...there's nothing you need to feel guilty about, I promise. I'm sure he's developed other ways to cope.
You have no reason to feel guilty. Absolvame, go and sneeze no more.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:07 AM on October 3, 2011 [20 favorites]
My sister is a teacher and always changes clothes right when she gets home from work before doing any close touching with her kids or husband. She is also a fanatic about disinfecting everything in her classroom (I think she's a tiny bit of a germophobe, but it works for her). So maybe think about changing your clothes and washing your hands right after work. And keep up with disinfecting your classroom!
posted by MultiFaceted at 10:08 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by MultiFaceted at 10:08 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Given symptomless incubation periods, it would be easier for you to prevent getting infections yourself (obsessive hand-washing, or a hand sanitiser every time you touch something the kids have touched) than prevent transmitting them to your partner - unless you want to give up kissing during term time.
I think you're overreacting though, he has a cold. There's no reason to not carry on like business as usual if he's able to (other than infecting his co-workers). I'm self-employed. If I don't work, I don't get paid and I rarely take cold medicine (they give me the jitters), its really not a problem.
posted by missmagenta at 10:10 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think you're overreacting though, he has a cold. There's no reason to not carry on like business as usual if he's able to (other than infecting his co-workers). I'm self-employed. If I don't work, I don't get paid and I rarely take cold medicine (they give me the jitters), its really not a problem.
posted by missmagenta at 10:10 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sharing illnesses is only a big deal if both of you picked up the same stomach bug and your house only has one toilet.
Until then, stock up on chicken soup and kleenex and thank your lucky stars that getting a cold is the biggest problem in your life right now.
posted by phunniemee at 10:11 AM on October 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
Until then, stock up on chicken soup and kleenex and thank your lucky stars that getting a cold is the biggest problem in your life right now.
posted by phunniemee at 10:11 AM on October 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
Special snowflake detail: he has had a chronic, serious health condition since childhood. He is doing very well now and with an excellent prognosis, but because of this experience, his perception of regular illness is skewed. As far as he is concerned, if he is not sick enough to be in the hospital, he's fine.
I sort of fit this description (though my skewed standards are more about pain and energy expenditure than infection). I'll tell you what I've told my partners: he's a big boy. If it's not a big deal to him, then ... it's not a big deal. Even if it sucks more (for him, because he can't take whatever meds; for me, because I have a higher amount of daily pain than most), it's something we're used to; it's something we know how to deal with and think about; and to some extent, it's something we're choosing. That is, if he's more prone to getting colds because you're a teacher, well, obviously that's not something that - to him - is a reason not to be in a relationship with you!
I get why you're feeling guilty, I do. But you also need to respect that his perspective on this is not incorrect just because of his medical history.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 10:11 AM on October 3, 2011
I sort of fit this description (though my skewed standards are more about pain and energy expenditure than infection). I'll tell you what I've told my partners: he's a big boy. If it's not a big deal to him, then ... it's not a big deal. Even if it sucks more (for him, because he can't take whatever meds; for me, because I have a higher amount of daily pain than most), it's something we're used to; it's something we know how to deal with and think about; and to some extent, it's something we're choosing. That is, if he's more prone to getting colds because you're a teacher, well, obviously that's not something that - to him - is a reason not to be in a relationship with you!
I get why you're feeling guilty, I do. But you also need to respect that his perspective on this is not incorrect just because of his medical history.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 10:11 AM on October 3, 2011
All things being equal, it should not be all that easy to pass on sicknesses from the classroom - maybe there are other factors at play. Are you both washing your hands? Does your apartment or residence have forced air (which will dry out your nose and throat and make it easier to catch a virus)? Are you both getting enough sleep? Are you exercising and keeping your immune system boosted?
Are there any over-the-counter treatments for the common cold? All of the ones I can think of only help alleviate the symptoms.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:12 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Are there any over-the-counter treatments for the common cold? All of the ones I can think of only help alleviate the symptoms.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:12 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
I realize that I only addressed part of your question; I was more concerned about you feeling GUILTY about giving him a cold, because you really, really shouldn't.
But you're also concerned about transmission of serious illnesses. I imagine that really serious illnesses (flu, etc.) are things that you may not be giving him anyway because you'd be feeling miserable and staying away from him anyway, so no concern there.
Also, don't forget he's an agent in his own health. He knows how much risk he wants to assume on a daily basis; he's also had a lot of practice in coping with it. If he decides he wants to assume the risk of falling ill himself by tending to you when you've got the flu, then...accept that from him and don't feel guilty. I'm sure he's touched that you're trying to not make him sick, but there's really only so much you can do. We are human, we get sick. And physical defenses are some of the defenses we all drop when we're in an intimate relationship.
You're fine. He knows how to take care of himself. Let him take care of you if he really wants to, and don't worry if you infect him with a cold despite your best efforts; these things happen.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:18 AM on October 3, 2011
But you're also concerned about transmission of serious illnesses. I imagine that really serious illnesses (flu, etc.) are things that you may not be giving him anyway because you'd be feeling miserable and staying away from him anyway, so no concern there.
Also, don't forget he's an agent in his own health. He knows how much risk he wants to assume on a daily basis; he's also had a lot of practice in coping with it. If he decides he wants to assume the risk of falling ill himself by tending to you when you've got the flu, then...accept that from him and don't feel guilty. I'm sure he's touched that you're trying to not make him sick, but there's really only so much you can do. We are human, we get sick. And physical defenses are some of the defenses we all drop when we're in an intimate relationship.
You're fine. He knows how to take care of himself. Let him take care of you if he really wants to, and don't worry if you infect him with a cold despite your best efforts; these things happen.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:18 AM on October 3, 2011
There are two things you can do to help keep him from getting sick, reduce the pathogen load that he is exposed to and increase the load necessary to cause illness in him.
The trick to aseptic technique in a lab is mindfulness, it works the same way with an illness. Be mindful of your hands. Wash them, with soap is best but just water is still quite effective if you get dry hands, every couple of hours that you are home. Every time you blow your nose, when you wake up, before dinner, once between dinner and bed, and once before bed should be plenty. Cough/sneeze/breathe exuberantly into the inner elbow of your sleeve instead of your hands, don't touch your face. Be mindful of how your hands interact with your face, as an experiment while you're watching TV or something smear your hands in chocolate, sit on some plastic, try to forget your hands and watch how you get chocolate all over your face.
In the meantime the moment you get sick he should start taking zinc unless contraindicated by his other conditions. All of those expensive pills at drug and grocery stores are precisely as effective as zinc because thats all they are, zinc pills shouldn't run you more than a couple of bucks for many months supply. It is only effective as a prophylactic so the moment he starts feeling sick, if he does, he might as well stop taking them.
posted by Blasdelb at 10:21 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
The trick to aseptic technique in a lab is mindfulness, it works the same way with an illness. Be mindful of your hands. Wash them, with soap is best but just water is still quite effective if you get dry hands, every couple of hours that you are home. Every time you blow your nose, when you wake up, before dinner, once between dinner and bed, and once before bed should be plenty. Cough/sneeze/breathe exuberantly into the inner elbow of your sleeve instead of your hands, don't touch your face. Be mindful of how your hands interact with your face, as an experiment while you're watching TV or something smear your hands in chocolate, sit on some plastic, try to forget your hands and watch how you get chocolate all over your face.
In the meantime the moment you get sick he should start taking zinc unless contraindicated by his other conditions. All of those expensive pills at drug and grocery stores are precisely as effective as zinc because thats all they are, zinc pills shouldn't run you more than a couple of bucks for many months supply. It is only effective as a prophylactic so the moment he starts feeling sick, if he does, he might as well stop taking them.
posted by Blasdelb at 10:21 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
My teacher husband just gave me a cold he caught from his students. I never for a second thought it was "his fault" and I certainly wasn't upset about it. I'm sure it would be nice to show your boyfriend some extra TLC if he catches a bug from you, but otherwise don't worry about it!
posted by Cygnet at 10:21 AM on October 3, 2011
posted by Cygnet at 10:21 AM on October 3, 2011
All things being equal, it should not be all that easy to pass on sicknesses from the classroom
It isn't any harder than passing on a cold you picked up on an airplane or the subway strap or the elevator button. Unless one is obsessive to the point of absurdity, it's easy to pass on colds because that's what cold viruses are designed to do, and because you're contagious before you're symptomatic.
In any case, OP: do wash your hands a lot. As soon as you feel a cold coming on, tell your fellow you think you should cancel that evening's plans because you don't want to infect him....and then let him decide if he cares about being infected (canceling because you feel like crap is totally legit, of course). But even doing that - well, if you're contagious but don't even know you're sick, he might get it anyway just from the two of you sleeping in bed together.
My honey and I swap colds sometimes. Our downstairs friends sleep in separate rooms when one of them gets sick, in an effort to limit the contagion. The other will often get sick anyway.
posted by rtha at 10:23 AM on October 3, 2011
It isn't any harder than passing on a cold you picked up on an airplane or the subway strap or the elevator button. Unless one is obsessive to the point of absurdity, it's easy to pass on colds because that's what cold viruses are designed to do, and because you're contagious before you're symptomatic.
In any case, OP: do wash your hands a lot. As soon as you feel a cold coming on, tell your fellow you think you should cancel that evening's plans because you don't want to infect him....and then let him decide if he cares about being infected (canceling because you feel like crap is totally legit, of course). But even doing that - well, if you're contagious but don't even know you're sick, he might get it anyway just from the two of you sleeping in bed together.
My honey and I swap colds sometimes. Our downstairs friends sleep in separate rooms when one of them gets sick, in an effort to limit the contagion. The other will often get sick anyway.
posted by rtha at 10:23 AM on October 3, 2011
You're both going to have to get used to it. People living in close quarters share germs. Wash your hands frequently, change out of your school clothes when you get home, and the person getting sick should be quarantined at night. I prefer to sleep on the couch when I'm sick because I have asthma and the elevation I can achieve against the arm of the couch helps me breathe, but your mileage may vary.
posted by crankylex at 10:42 AM on October 3, 2011
posted by crankylex at 10:42 AM on October 3, 2011
If it helps: after a few years you'll have built up enough immunity that you'll stop getting most of the colds that come around. My mother, a teacher, stopped getting sick, except for a very few times, after a few years and her immunity stayed built up until a few years after she retired.
(Which meant she had no sympathy for me, assuming I was faking how bad I felt, when I was in school and was sick. The first time she got hammered by a cold after she retired, she called me and apologized, whereupon I immediately mocked her.)
Also, a tip for making the cough and sore-throat portions of colds shorter: a humidifier in your bedroom overnight! I used to get HORRIBLE HORRIBLE coughs that lasted 3 or more weeks after the cold, and would have to go to the doctor and get treatment for bronchitis. After I got a humidifier and started running it at night when I was sick, those stopped completely, and my sore throats were significantly lighter. I know it was the humidifer because three times I've been traveling when I caught a cold and had to sleep without it, and got the horrible cough again.
Note: this is not a vaporizer, which can send medicine into the air, but a plain old humidifier that sends an invisible mist of water into the air. As long as your husband's condition isn't exacerbated by humidity and you change the filter frequently to prevent mold, it should be fine for him.
posted by telophase at 10:58 AM on October 3, 2011
(Which meant she had no sympathy for me, assuming I was faking how bad I felt, when I was in school and was sick. The first time she got hammered by a cold after she retired, she called me and apologized, whereupon I immediately mocked her.)
Also, a tip for making the cough and sore-throat portions of colds shorter: a humidifier in your bedroom overnight! I used to get HORRIBLE HORRIBLE coughs that lasted 3 or more weeks after the cold, and would have to go to the doctor and get treatment for bronchitis. After I got a humidifier and started running it at night when I was sick, those stopped completely, and my sore throats were significantly lighter. I know it was the humidifer because three times I've been traveling when I caught a cold and had to sleep without it, and got the horrible cough again.
Note: this is not a vaporizer, which can send medicine into the air, but a plain old humidifier that sends an invisible mist of water into the air. As long as your husband's condition isn't exacerbated by humidity and you change the filter frequently to prevent mold, it should be fine for him.
posted by telophase at 10:58 AM on October 3, 2011
Oh man, my partner and I have just resigned ourselves to the inevitability of infecting each other. I've given him colds, he's given me Norwalk... basically, one of us is usually healthy while the other is sick, so the healthy one takes over chores and such until the sick one is better.
There's no reason to feel so guilty. Pick up his favourite comfort food or takeout on your way home one day as a nice "Feel better!" gesture, or make some chicken noodle soup, and let it go.
posted by torisaur at 11:01 AM on October 3, 2011
There's no reason to feel so guilty. Pick up his favourite comfort food or takeout on your way home one day as a nice "Feel better!" gesture, or make some chicken noodle soup, and let it go.
posted by torisaur at 11:01 AM on October 3, 2011
In followup to my previous question, when our eldest son started attending preschool at age 3, I was sick from the end of September to the beginning of December, thanks to colds he brought home. At the time we were living in a house with forced-air heating, and I was working in a climate-controlled office.
We moved, I changed jobs and have not been seriously sick since.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:08 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
We moved, I changed jobs and have not been seriously sick since.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:08 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
You've gotten a flu shot, right? It's a small thing on the practical side of things that might help you feel that you're doing what you can to avoid cross-contamination.
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:23 AM on October 3, 2011
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:23 AM on October 3, 2011
You're in a relationship. You're going to share a lot, including germs. Obviously he feels you're more important to him than not getting sick, so point goes to him.
He knows the score about his health far better than you. If he starts to freak out about it, then you can safely freak out about it. Until then, however, just follow good hygeine rules. Wash your hands, keep your eyes from your eyes nose and mouth and cough/sneeze into your elbow.
posted by inturnaround at 11:56 AM on October 3, 2011
He knows the score about his health far better than you. If he starts to freak out about it, then you can safely freak out about it. Until then, however, just follow good hygeine rules. Wash your hands, keep your eyes from your eyes nose and mouth and cough/sneeze into your elbow.
posted by inturnaround at 11:56 AM on October 3, 2011
Don't feel guilty about the colds. I'm married to a teacher and it's part of the territory. You can however, gently (slowly and possibly this works better when you're married rather than dating) get him to use his sick time when he's sick, and if he hasn't see a doctor when he has a cold. I'm very reluctant to do either and very slowly but surely my husband has started to convince me to actually take care of myself when I'm a 'little' sick.
posted by ejaned8 at 11:56 AM on October 3, 2011
posted by ejaned8 at 11:56 AM on October 3, 2011
I don't know if Zicam has changed their formula since 2009, but the FDA has warned people to stop using it because it can permanently destroy your sense of smell.
posted by inertia at 12:05 PM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by inertia at 12:05 PM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
(Married to a teacher.)
You can take reasonable precautions, but if he gets sick from you anyway, it's not your fault. It's those damn viruses! Blame them -- they're the parasites, not you.
I'd recommend getting a flu shot for sure, unless his chronic illness means that he shouldn't be near people who've gotten the flu shot. Otherwise, just wash your hands a lot and relax.
I do think that you have the right to ask for sympathy when you get a cold even if he's the tough-it-out kinda guy. You are not him and you have the right to want sympathy.
posted by callmejay at 12:38 PM on October 3, 2011
You can take reasonable precautions, but if he gets sick from you anyway, it's not your fault. It's those damn viruses! Blame them -- they're the parasites, not you.
I'd recommend getting a flu shot for sure, unless his chronic illness means that he shouldn't be near people who've gotten the flu shot. Otherwise, just wash your hands a lot and relax.
I do think that you have the right to ask for sympathy when you get a cold even if he's the tough-it-out kinda guy. You are not him and you have the right to want sympathy.
posted by callmejay at 12:38 PM on October 3, 2011
he has had a chronic, serious health condition since childhood. He is doing very well now and with an excellent prognosis, but because of this experience, his perception of regular illness is skewed. As far as he is concerned, if he is not sick enough to be in the hospital, he's fine.
Well I am not a sufferer of chronic illness and I tend to feel pretty much the same way. The only concessions I'll make to common illnesses like colds is to try to sleep an hr longer and perhaps to try to work from home so I am not unpleasantly snivelling and sneezing near my colleagues. And he is an adult so how he deals with illness is down to him. If you feel he should be looking after himself better you can of course voice that but he may well ignore you.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:49 PM on October 3, 2011
Well I am not a sufferer of chronic illness and I tend to feel pretty much the same way. The only concessions I'll make to common illnesses like colds is to try to sleep an hr longer and perhaps to try to work from home so I am not unpleasantly snivelling and sneezing near my colleagues. And he is an adult so how he deals with illness is down to him. If you feel he should be looking after himself better you can of course voice that but he may well ignore you.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:49 PM on October 3, 2011
As a nurse, I'm quadrupling what cecic said, and it goes for both of you. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands and learn not to touch your face. You do it a lot more than you think you do.
posted by puddinghead at 1:34 PM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by puddinghead at 1:34 PM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
When you suspect you're getting a cold, wear a face mask at home, the type you see people wearing in Japan. That's the main reason they're wearing them, as a kindness to others, so they don't pass along their cold. The masks are available at almost any drugstore. They may also make you more comfortable by increasing the humidity of the air you're breathing.
posted by HotToddy at 2:21 PM on October 3, 2011
posted by HotToddy at 2:21 PM on October 3, 2011
You can avoid passing most things on if both of you are careful.
I'm a very touchy-feely mom with a little girl who brings home all sorts of illnesses. When she's ill, I'm careful to wash my hands frequently (particularly when we've been in contact and I've touched her hands or face), avoid touching my face, and nix kisses. My husband isn't great about remembering any of these things. He gets sick, and I don't.
As a teacher, you can be more conscientious in the classroom. Wiping things down each day, washing your hands regularly, and not touching your face will all help to significantly reduce your chances of bringing anything home in the first place.
posted by moira at 2:24 PM on October 3, 2011
I'm a very touchy-feely mom with a little girl who brings home all sorts of illnesses. When she's ill, I'm careful to wash my hands frequently (particularly when we've been in contact and I've touched her hands or face), avoid touching my face, and nix kisses. My husband isn't great about remembering any of these things. He gets sick, and I don't.
As a teacher, you can be more conscientious in the classroom. Wiping things down each day, washing your hands regularly, and not touching your face will all help to significantly reduce your chances of bringing anything home in the first place.
posted by moira at 2:24 PM on October 3, 2011
Take off your shoes at the door, wash your hands and face well, and change clothes right away. If you can sleep in a different room when you have a contagious illness, that might help. He has a condition, and it sounds like he's adapted to the risks he has to live with. Ask him how he learned to cope with the anxiety, and learn from him.
posted by theora55 at 3:27 PM on October 3, 2011
posted by theora55 at 3:27 PM on October 3, 2011
I am a string teacher who lives with an emergency room doctor. Our house has the potential to be a festering cesspool of germs, but we managed to get through the last school year without so much as a cold. There is hope (although it helps that both of us have been at our jobs for ten years or so, and have accumulated a crapton of antibodies in our time).
So:
1) I have stocked my room with 3 one-liter vats of pump (generic) Purell- every time I touch a kid or another suspect object, I try to use a squirt, since it's handy. My 200 students are welcome to use it too, and sometimes they do- can't hurt. It's cheap at Costco.
One of the Purells lives next to lotion, so that I can use that every once and a while so the Purell doesn't make my hands dry beyond belief. I am really, really good about not touching my face now, but it took several months of, every time I touched a kid/instrument, repeating "don't touch your face don'ttouchyourface" to myself until I could wash or sanitize my hands.
If you have desks in your classroom and you teach elementary kids, make one of the classroom jobs desk spritzer and one desk wiper, and have them clean desks at the end of each day.
As a doc, he obviously washes his hands a zillion times a day. We both wash our hands before we leave work.
2) Neither of us use shoes in the house- those stay in the garage. He leaves his scrubs at work to be washed, and I effectively do the same because I/we work out as soon as I get home, and that requires a change out of work clothes and into workout clothes. After the workout, I change into something cozier than my work clothes.
3) We both get the flu shot as soon as possible each year.
4) If we get sick, we try not to blame the other. We probably should sleep in different rooms in that instance, but we don't.
Works for us. I have no idea how much of our recent good fortune can be attributed to being relatively careful, and how much to just being increasingly immune in our old ages.
posted by charmedimsure at 7:25 PM on October 3, 2011
So:
1) I have stocked my room with 3 one-liter vats of pump (generic) Purell- every time I touch a kid or another suspect object, I try to use a squirt, since it's handy. My 200 students are welcome to use it too, and sometimes they do- can't hurt. It's cheap at Costco.
One of the Purells lives next to lotion, so that I can use that every once and a while so the Purell doesn't make my hands dry beyond belief. I am really, really good about not touching my face now, but it took several months of, every time I touched a kid/instrument, repeating "don't touch your face don'ttouchyourface" to myself until I could wash or sanitize my hands.
If you have desks in your classroom and you teach elementary kids, make one of the classroom jobs desk spritzer and one desk wiper, and have them clean desks at the end of each day.
As a doc, he obviously washes his hands a zillion times a day. We both wash our hands before we leave work.
2) Neither of us use shoes in the house- those stay in the garage. He leaves his scrubs at work to be washed, and I effectively do the same because I/we work out as soon as I get home, and that requires a change out of work clothes and into workout clothes. After the workout, I change into something cozier than my work clothes.
3) We both get the flu shot as soon as possible each year.
4) If we get sick, we try not to blame the other. We probably should sleep in different rooms in that instance, but we don't.
Works for us. I have no idea how much of our recent good fortune can be attributed to being relatively careful, and how much to just being increasingly immune in our old ages.
posted by charmedimsure at 7:25 PM on October 3, 2011
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Other than that, it's a "get used to it" situation. And, his choices as to how he deals with it are his choices. All you can do is say "sorry, sweetie..." and make soup.
/married to a teacher
posted by HuronBob at 10:05 AM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]