Do you notice that you bring illness home from work?

[abckidsmom]

Flu is terrible this year, and we are seeing a lot of it, plus the standard GI viruses, upper respiratory schmutz and so on. Someone in my house has been sick since before Christmas, and I'm tired of it.

I haven't been showering and changing before I come home from work, but that's coming back again.

Are there any solutions to this problem of being constantly exposed to stuff?

Right now 3 of my kids have flu, coming right on the heels of a week where they passed the croup around. This is getting expensive, and I'm tired.

 

[Hunter]

Flu is terrible this year, and we are seeing a lot of it, plus the standard GI viruses, upper respiratory schmutz and so on. Someone in my house has been sick since before Christmas, and I'm tired of it.

I haven't been showering and changing before I come home from work, but that's coming back again.

Are there any solutions to this problem of being constantly exposed to stuff?

Right now 3 of my kids have flu, coming right on the heels of a week where they passed the croup around. This is getting expensive, and I'm tired.

I have a co worker who keeps his boots inside a milk crate in his trunk, changes out of them before he gets in his car and doesn't ever wear em into his house.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Flu is terrible this year, and we are seeing a lot of it, plus the standard GI viruses, upper respiratory schmutz and so on. Someone in my house has been sick since before Christmas, and I'm tired of it.

I haven't been showering and changing before I come home from work, but that's coming back again.

Are there any solutions to this problem of being constantly exposed to stuff?

Right now 3 of my kids have flu, coming right on the heels of a week where they passed the croup around. This is getting expensive, and I'm tired.

I personally don't have a problem with it but one of my roommates or their girlfriends or both are usually always sick and I feel pretty bad about it. Definitely pretty sure it has something to do with me and they've pretty much fingered me as the culprit.

We have one shower at our garage so it'd be tough to shower before coming home every night, especially since we only work 12s but I'm going to start leaving my boots and jacket in the garage. They usually get put with everyone else's shoes on the shoe rack. Going to start to bring a change of clothes with me as well.

Not really sure what else can be done. I guess my immune system is burly from being around sick people constantly for the last few years, they just haven't caught up yet!

 

[mycrofft]

Do as my family does do when we volunteer at the local animal shelter: enter through the laundry where you have a change of clothes or a robe waiting, and throw your clothes into the washer, then go shower off.

In nursing college we wore a uniform and a lab coat over it, the coat was for when you were outside the clinical area both to keep outside dirt out, and keep nosocomials in, the hospital.

But actually, unless they are home schooled and play in the woods with the otters and skins, kids are more likely to bring bugs home to you.

 

[abckidsmom]

Do as my family does do when we volunteer at the local animal shelter: enter through the laundry where you have a change of clothes or a robe waiting, and throw your clothes into the washer, then go shower off.

In nursing college we wore a uniform and a lab coat over it, the coat was for when you were outside the clinical area both to keep outside dirt out, and keep nosocomials in, the hospital.

But actually, unless they are home schooled and play in the woods with the otters and skins, kids are more likely to bring bugs home to you.

They are homeschooled and play in the fields with goats and bunnies. I'm the culprit.

 

[mycrofft]

Peroxide the house.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hydrogen_peroxide_vapor_enhances_hospital_disinfection_of_superbugs

Your living room.

 

[EpiEMS]

Your living room.

Johns Hopkins will protect this house.

Interesting question -- anybody have any data?

 

[Trashtruck]

Pt's with a cough get a mask, or you wear one yourself. Wash your hands like a champ. Don't touch your face. Wipe off your stylus or pen after a pt touches it. In fact, wipe everything down you can.
Nothing is foolproof, but you can try to mitigate it.
My boots stay at work, too.

 

[mycrofft]

Johns Hopkins will protect this house.

Interesting question -- anybody have any data?

AH, data! RIght on.

I noticed when I ate inmate prepared food I didn't get food poisoning as often. Except for Giardia once from an AM-PM hotdog or a T&A Truck Plaza fish sandwich.

 

[EpiEMS]

AH, data!

Having trouble finding anything good. I think flu is a likely target -- there's a couple things out there.

Patient --> healthcare worker --> family of healthcare worker is a plausible chain of causality, but if there are measures in place in between, p(infection) falls. Plus, it's not as if each p =1. After all, p(infection of healthcare worker|infected patient exposure) doesn't necessarily equal 1.
Now if it is high, then that's a problem. I question whether it is as high as we might worry about.

 

[abckidsmom]

Having trouble finding anything good. I think flu is a likely target -- there's a couple things out there.

Patient --> healthcare worker --> family of healthcare worker is a plausible chain of causality, but if there are measures in place in between, p(infection) falls. Plus, it's not as if each p =1. After all, p(infection of healthcare worker|infected patient exposure) doesn't necessarily equal 1.
Now if it is high, then that's a problem. I question whether it is as high as we might worry about.

Raising the rate of infected patient exposure increases the likelihood that one infection will slip through the crack.

I thought the december spike in flu was not the end for this year. I see a February spike building now.

 

[mycrofft]

Consider that to become infectious/temporary or chronic carrier, you have to undergo a period of incubation. Some diseases have reportedly had that period as short as a day (pneumonic plague, menigiococcal meningitis) but most are longer. So it might be the caregiver is more of a fomite (object on which the germs are just riding) than a carrier in most instances.

 

[abckidsmom]

Consider that to become infectious/temporary or chronic carrier, you have to undergo a period of incubation. Some diseases have reportedly had that period as short as a day (pneumonic plague, menigiococcal meningitis) but most are longer. So it might be the caregiver is more of a fomite (object on which the germs are just riding) than a carrier in most instances.

Thus the strict showering policy, at least until things are less infectious at work.

 

[mycrofft]

I brought athlete's foot back from Basic Training and fungal cruritis from my first fire bunker clothing.

 

[BillyBonebrake]

Speaking of sick ... I'm a new employee with a major operation and my partner on Monday came to work with a stomach virus. He actually threw up before we made it to our first post. So I suggested he cancel and got the "don't give me any advice, greenhorn" treatment. Within two hours of our shift he was barfing in front of a patient in the back of the rig. After that, he finally called in, we returned to station and I got reassigned. But, you guessed it - the damage was done and now I'm sick. God only knows how the 94 y.o. dialysis patient we were transporting is feeling right now. But lesson learned - from now on I don't care about seniority. If you're sick, I'm not riding with you. And I will call you out. And if I can't make this next shift I'm telling them why and naming names. h34r:

 

[mycrofft]

I used to work sick and injured. Not anymore.

I retired.

I knew a guy named Bonebreak once! For real.

 

[BillyBonebrake]

You're right! After adopting this silly nickname I found out that Bonebrake (or -break) is a real last name.

 

[Tigger]

I've never had too much of an issue with it. I should probably not wear my uniform home, but usually at EOS I just want to pack up and get out. I don't usually wear my shirt home in the summer and in the winter I wear my jacket (presumably cleaner since it doesn't get worn into most calls) in the car. Boots do not go farther than any other shoes and I shower when I get home.

I need to start doing a better job, but sometimes being tired takes over.

I will say that I am maniacal about keeping a clean truck, but I know that is not really a complete solution.