Monday, February 24, 2020

HOME DELIVERY


Just a quick update on last week's post. My tub is finally fixed and I am smelling fresh and fine once more.  Being without a real bath for 6 days took me back to my Florida days when we could be easily out of power that long after a hurricane.

That first bath was amazing. Also they didn't have to punch a hole in my wall so all my concerns about my computer were avoided. But I will be ready if they ever need to.

Now on to another subject.  I am not really concerned about Covid 19---yet. I am more concerned about the regular ole seasonal flu which is really leaving its mark around here.  Normally I would be a bit careful this time of year anyway but I was never a serious germaphobe about the flu. I never really feared it till recently.

Today with my compromised lungs, I take many more precautions.  I get my shot, I shop early in the day to avoid crowds and basically make avoiding any type of crowd my primary concern.  So far, even though we have had several school closings and a real rash of the bug in this area, I and everyone I know have been spared.

Was feeling pretty comfortable that I would escape any illness this season when the plumbing mess began.  Finally I got the men to come here to fix the problem. I was so happy to see them and politely stayed down wind from them as much as possible to keep my aroma to myself.

Then it happened.  The lead guy coughed once, then he coughed again, and again.

"Allergies??" I questioned hopefully.

"Nope," he said. " Not sure what this is. It just started today."

Well now I decided standing up wind might be the better idea.  They would just have to put up with my gamey aroma. I did not need his germs.

Then I started to smile as I remembered a dear friend who had moved to Vermont to live with her daughter.  While there, she got a really nasty cold that she caught from a handy man who had done some work for them.

"This is really an accommodating town." she told me with remarkable good humor.  "You don't even have to mingle with the masses to catch a cold. They will actually deliver it right to your door."

Luckily my guy didn't deliver what ever he had to me.  Maybe it was my aroma that made him cough or possibly that same smell ran the germs off. I suppose even germs have their limits.  Regardless, it has been 5 days and all is well. My lungs and I are grateful.

Are you paranoid this year regarding the flu?

57 comments :

  1. I guess the trick is to go a week without a bath/shower to keep any germs from hopping on for the ride

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    Replies
    1. Anni,
      Ha ha, do you suppose I have stumbled upon a new vaccine?

      Delete
  2. I get my flu shot -- a habit I developed as a teacher. Still, I m concerned about mingling with crowds and plane travel, so I guess I will just have to spend some extra time in FL this year and wait out the flu season.

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    1. Olga,
      I really think plane travel is the riskiest right now. Hey, enjoy that sunshine a bit longer.

      Delete
  3. I am happy to hear you are doing well Patti!! My husband has been coughing for 7 weeks!!

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    1. Margaret,
      Yikes, poor Rick and also poor Margaret. Getting any sleep?

      Delete
  4. I always thought that the best way to avoid getting a cold was to wash your hands a lot. How wrong I was. This is the best blog post I've read all week!

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    1. Tom,
      Thank you so much. So glad you enjoyed. Still think the hands are a good thing to keep clean.

      Delete
  5. What a funny line...about getting germs delivered to your door.

    In past years I've been very germaphobic but for some reason this year, I haven't taken the same precautions I have in past flu seasons other than wash my hands a bizzion times a day.

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    1. Jean,
      I know it amused me when Joan used it. I still do the hands till they are chapped.

      Delete
  6. I have never had a flu shot, because I fear the side effects might be worse than the actual flu. So far so good. I am still alive.

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    1. gigi,
      I did have a reaction last year which was mild fever and chills but I had gotten the flu shot and the pneumonia shot in the same day. This year, no problems.

      Delete
  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. I've only had the flu once since I started to get flu shots ages ago. I only think about it when I have to go to the doctor for other things and have to sit in a crowded waiting room.

    What I don't understand is why there isn't more of an uproar about the flu when 34,000 people died in 2019 and 61,000 died in 2018. I just looked it up - I knew it was a lot, but no says anything about it.

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    1. Inger,
      I know this run of the mill flu is really quite deadly. It is the one I fear the most. Doctor's waiting rooms are a bit scary. No one goes to the doctor just to chat, they go because they are sick.

      Delete
  9. Oh yes, definitely a paranoid germaphobe here. I wash my hands so often it's utterly absurd, but I can't stop. This flu season has me on edge. I think next year might be the first time I'm going to get the flu shot. Ugh.

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    1. robin,
      Last year was my first time with the flu shot and now I don't think I will miss any in the future. 50% isn't great but better than nothing.

      Delete
  10. I had the flu when I was young, under 30 and it damn near did me in, fortunately doctors made house calls then, so I know it is serious even if you are young and strong.

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    1. joeh,
      Oh it is a brute isn't it? We had it sweep through my work place years ago and we nicknamed it the "Green Death."

      Delete
  11. Glad to hear you didn't catch anything. I think we all need to be concerned about the flu, though I don't believe I'm paranoid about it. I suspect it's only reasonable to assume that new viruses will come our way and if there is a vaccine it only makes sense to get it. Unless there is a good reason not to. My grandson showed an allergic reaction to eggs when he was a baby but has thankfully outgrown it so was able to get his shot this year.

    Stay healthy and enjoy that bathtub!

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    1. Eileen,
      I am so glad your grandson outgrew the allergy for a lot of vaccines have an egg connection. They say the flu is really hard on the very young and the very old.

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  12. I have a dilemma at the moment as I am due to travel to Vietnam in 10 days. Do I go or not? The official advice is not advising against the trip. Maybe I should write a post and ask for bloggers advice.

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    1. If I get a vote right now I'd say don't go. Is it something you can do later when all this has settled down? Do post about it.

      Delete
  13. I am concerned about the flu, all the different kinds, but still mingle with lots of people. Church, Bible study, lunch in restaurants, etc. By the way, I use comment moderation too as I don't want to see spam in comments on my blog.

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    1. Terra,
      I once had a Dr. tell me the easiest place to catch a cold or flu is in Church. Do be careful.

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  14. I am also immune compromised so I am definitely very leary of the flu! I had the horrible cough thing and stayed home for three weeks until I was well - now, I go to exercise class and someone coughs and I think "Stay home" LOL! Then I try my best to hold my breath and exercise - not easy! HA HA! Stay healthy!!

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    1. Ann,
      Ha ha, I do that breath holding when I'm in a store and hear hacking. Not sure how good it works but it makes me feel better. "Stay home" was my mantra when I worked and someone came in sick. The only flu I've ever had happened that way.

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  15. Dear Patti, because I can no longer drive, I am pretty much homebound except for when friends/family take me to doctor appointments. However, I recently went out for lunch and a movie with a friend and was aware of the flu possibility. And yes, I pretty much avoided shaking hands, etc. According to all I've read and heard, as we age, flu is harder on us and with your compromised lungs it has to be a real concern. I have COPD and asthma and so I, too, am careful. Peace.

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    1. Dee,
      We both have the same condition and are prime targets of the flu along with small children.. We can only do the best we can and hope for the best.

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  16. Oh, I know you can get germs delivered to your door. I've been housebound since 2004 and even when I had no company and didn't go anywhere for a month at a time I picked up colds and flu. Delivery of packages & mail, door handles and knobs, somebody coughing in the elevator...yes, they are delivered whether you like it or not--LOL! But less so the less visitors I had. Now with the grandkids and company more often--catching more--LOL! But I am still not paranoid--yet. ;)

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    1. Rita,
      I am so sorry you are housebound. My mother was housebound and bedridden all of my childhood. Not sure how but Mom always managed to keep her humor. I hadn't thought about mail but that is a possibility. So glad you are not letting all this get to you.

      Delete
  17. Glad all is well with your personal health and the health of your plumbing job, Patti! No, I'm not afraid of germs. I've always avoided crowds because I just don't like them. I also wash my hands frequently and eat really well. I do get rare and short-lived head colds which I think add resistance to more serious bugs. Anyway, I hope your workman coughed into his shirtsleeve.

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    1. Florence,
      Ha ha, actually he coughed into my tub. Easy clean up. Think you have all the precautions you need. No crowds, eating right and hand washing. All great measures to prevent any type of contagion.

      Delete
  18. I'm definitely a germaphobe of the highest order. And it has served me well. I shudder to see my husband put the groceries in the car and start to drive without sanitizing his hands. I don't touch railing on stairs and I clean my hands after opening the public bathroom door to leave.

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    1. Carolyn,
      I understand as I am leaning more that way these days. My mother lost her sister in the 1918 Spanish flu that infected 1/3 of the world's population. A little sanitizer goes a long way.

      Delete
  19. If a gamey aroma is what it takes to scare off the flu bugs, you may have made a major scientific discovery. Hope all keeps going well. Hubby and I aren't especially germaphobic. We are somewhat crowdaphobic, though. No Mardi Gras parades for us in the past few years!

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    1. LC,
      Ha ha, if nothing else it keeps folks away from you so you can't get their germs. Wonder if they will name the "get stinky" protocol after me:))

      Delete
  20. We have a time in our church when we all are suppose to get up and shake hands with everyone we can. I always get a little nervous about it and have started carrying a small bottle of hand sanitizer and use it liberally after the meet and greet. I sure hope it works.

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    1. Snickelfritz,
      Good precaution to take. My doctor did once tell me that church was the best place to catch a cold or flu.

      Delete
  21. I doubt very much your aroma set him coughing. With daily sponge baths or even just wet-wiping, you wouldn't be at all smelly. I'm not too paranoid about the flu, I get a shot every season, but still breathe through a hanky held against my nose when on a crowded bus or tram, just in case.

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    1. River,
      Actually the stinkiest thing about me was my hair. I had needed a shampoo before it all happened. I ordered a rinse free shampoo cap in case it happens again.

      Delete
  22. Take care of yourself, no more "home deliveries" ha ha. I have asthma and COPD too and tend to isolate during flu season. I give up crowded places, church included and I also grocery shop very early in the day to avoid the crowds. My pumonologist goes there also and I notice he uses one of those little bottles of hand sanitizer too. Me too.

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    1. Celia,
      We have similar conditions and really do have to put in the extra effort. Hey, if your pulmonologist does it, sounds right to me.

      Delete
  23. I'm not sure why but I have a thing about washing my hair when I come home from stores, etc. If I get germs in my hair and roll around on my pillow, I will be feeding them straight into my nose/mouth. Dumb but it bugs me.

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    1. Barbara,
      Actually that does make sense. We do what gives us the most comfort and peace of mind which is half the battle. The thing I missed most during all this was a shampoo.

      Delete
  24. I think I've always been a little paranoid about the flu germs. Now they have the super shot for people over 65 and it makes me aware of how compromised my age makes me.

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    1. Ginnie,
      Me too. I was a bit miffed when I didn't get carded for the super shot:))

      Delete
  25. That bath MUST have felt amazing!!! I can only imagine what it was like when that water first hit you.

    Sometimes I feel like I could stay in the bathtub for hours. Especially on a cold day.

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    1. Sherry,
      Oh yes, it is the best. I normally love my bath but deny me for 6 days and I was ecstatic. I wouldn't have traded a winning lotto ticket for it:))

      Delete
  26. I'm glad to hear you scared the germs away.
    I am slowly getting closer to being afraid of the Corona, since I live in Germany and it is getting scary close. However, I tend to avoid people. Also, my addiction to garlic should kill off every germ that comes my way.

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    1. Baiba,
      Do be careful lady. I hear it is threatening Germany. Hey, if nothing else, garlic will keep the sick people away:)

      Delete
  27. I think there is a thing called 'herd immunity" which means, as near as I can tell, the people in that group are all kind of used to each other, and rarely get anything startling from one another. But if you've noticed, you go away for three days and pick up a cold or a cough, or something, just from being around strange germs.

    I don't worry about the flu, we both have our pneumonia shots (it ain't the flu that does you in, it's the pneumonia) and shingles shots.

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    1. mittens,
      That is probably why so many Eskimos died from the measles we introduced to them.
      You are so right about the pneumonia shots. I am current on them.

      Delete
  28. No, I don’t fret catching bugs. I get the flu shot, have any other shots I’m supposed to have, yest ‘round follow the precautions I.e. hand washing etc., seldom am in crowds of any size as always avoid busy shopping times. Figure there’s not much else I can do so don’t give much more thought to situation, but having worked in medical setting where at any time might have to gown, mask, etc. to see a contagious patient guess i’m conditioned to take care. Hope it continues to work for me and what you do does for you, too.

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    1. Joared,
      I do the same things you do and have done them all along. So far so good. Wouldn't want to travel right now or join a huge crowd.

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  29. I'm getting a bit paranoid about the virus now as we are getting more cases in the UK, and the first person here has died from it, although he was in Japan. I can't see how they will be able to contain it. Glad you didn't get the workman's bug!

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  30. I got deathly ill from the flu shot when our kids were little and haven't had one since. This year, because of Bob's cancer, I'm worried about his possibly lower immunity, so we are taking some precautions like shopping and running errands early and washing hands/face when exposed to people. We also aren't eating in restaurants - we live in a resort town so there are people from all over the world visiting. That said, our youngest grandson who is 7 was visiting this weekend and ended up getting sick. They left early Sunday morning, but I was totally holding hands with him and holding him on my lap the day before. Hope Bob and I don't come down with something, but you can't isolate yourself completely! Stay well Patti!

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