<p>So, I’m in line at Chipotle getting some lunch yesterday and the lady ahead of me starts telling the one behind me she is there to get some food for her son who is home sick with the swine flu. She is not wearing a mask. She starts moving closer to me to talk to the lady behind me and I look her in the eye and tell her that I have no desire to catch the flu and to back off. She starts to tell me how it’s “good” to get the flu and she must be immune blah blah blah as she moves closer again. I tell her to back the F away and I mean it. She looks shocked and turns and leaves.</p>
<p>I would have just either backed away or left myself. If I was really concerned about the swine flu then I wouldn’t go to a fast food place and stand in line with a crowd in the first place. If that lady wouldn’t have happened to say something you would have had no idea that her kid was at home with swine flu. OTOH I think a lot of people are claiming ‘swine flu’ now when they really have the ‘regular’ flu or just a cold instead, not that it really matters much for most people.</p>
<p>three of the 4 other housemates had probable flu (with 2 mates at Udub). DS had to take one to the ER. He comes home following week to see 3 - 90yo grandparents. </p>
<p>If it’s nine days you are probably okay. My friend’s teenage daughter had a confirmed case a week ago. Her older daughter who doesn’t live with them and grandson (whom the younger had been babysitting) both came down with it. My friend went to her work last week but was pretty careful. No hugging the girlfriends like me (we usually hug hello/goodbye). We went to an event together and she had someone else prepare her a plate off the buffet even though she had no symptoms. It’s been about two weeks. She never came down with it. I spent some time with her off and on (but not her daughters or grandson) and didn’t come down with it either.
Agree with ucla dad on this one…you are probably out and about all the time and around people who are caring for someone with it, you just don’t know about it unless they open their mouth.</p>
<p>I thought as much this weekend when we were in a restaurant - if you’re overly concerned, I would avoid as many public places (such as a restaurant) as you can. Think about the tables, bathrooms, etc. - honestly, they can only be cleaned so good and I didn’t see any tables being disinfected as we were eating and others left.</p>
<p>How many people have you seen out and about wearing a mask? In a docs office yes, but I haven’t seen any out and about doing their business wearing a mask.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’m overly concerned but when somebody volunteers the info I’m going to use it. And it would be harder for me to back up as there were people in line behind me–she had plenty of room on the other side.<br>
One of my co-workers in our Portland office had a kid come down with it–diagnosed swine flu. His entire family was told to stay home until it passed so he worked from home.<br>
I asked nicely once. That’s enough in my book. But I’m from Jersey. We only give one warning.</p>
<p>I’ll be honest, I don’t understand why you were worried about getting the flu from the woman. She wasn’t sick, her son was. Yes, the flu is contagious before you get sick, but it’s not that easy to pass viruses around. Was she coughing? Touching you? Spitting on you? </p>
<p>I do think anyone who thinks it’s good to get the flu is nuts, though.</p>
<p>Did I miss the memo about how caregivers are supposed to be wearing masks? Are they supposed to be gloved up as well? Or are they supposed to stay home and go without food, medicine, or any of life’s other necessities when someone in their home is ill? barrons, if someone is caring for you and happens to share that info in line in a restaurant, should they be told to back the F away? Perhaps you can simply make an announcement whenever you enter a public place: “Everyone who’s got H1N1 at home, back the F away.” That should be quite effective.</p>
<p>There is no way to keep everyone who has been exposed to H1N1 away from everyone who hasn’t.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, there is very little “regular flu” around at the moment, we aren’t really into the “regular flu” season. If someone has a cough, fever, and aches, it is highly probable that they do have “the swine”. Most people I know are really trying to distinguish between that and a cold (they aren’t telling people they have H1N1 if their symptoms don’t match, eg no fever).</p>
<p>I heard a federal official on PBS evening news (Dr. Anthony Fauci, I believe) say that virtually all the flu going around right now is swine flu. So really, if you are very worried about getting it, you should stay out of any public places as much as possible.</p>
<p>I did a food/drink/tissue run for my DD at college when she had swine flu. I also did laundry for her. We were there for parents weekend and until she was out of quarantine, late Friday nite, she and I just exchanged items at the door, and she had her mask on. </p>
<p>I am glad no one accosted me when I was shopping for her.</p>
<p>I am seeing very little caution used in my area regarding H1N1. I know people who have let their kids go to school feeling sick when they knew that it was probably this particular flu. One local high school shut down for a couple of days to break the cycle of exposure but the kids were still getting together at the mall in spite of . The people that I know who have had it have only felt truly rotten for a few days - when it turns into something manageable they go out and about. I am grateful that it isn’t a worse bug but my opinion this is a test run for the real deal (which hopefully will never happen). I would give the public health organizational aspects of this pandemic a C- at best.</p>
<p>I might also say that if her son was ready to eat Chipotle, he must have been close to feeling better. As much as I love it, when you have this flu, you are not too worried about food, and even MORE likely to not want to chow down on Chipotle!</p>
<p>The incubation period for influenza is typically 1 to 3 days. So you might still come down with the swine flu, but if you do it will be from another source.</p>
<p>Barrons, I don’t blame you for being upset about this. When she moved towards you after the first warning, I don’t think I would have said anymore, but I would definitely have moved in back of the woman behind you, so the two could talk. Actually, you may have had to move to the end of the line, because I think I just read that the germs spread within a 10 foot radius.</p>
<p>Our family travelled to Minnesota for a family reunion Labor Day weekend. The day we were to leave, my MIL called to say that my SIL had swine flu. MIL had been caring for her all week. We told MIL that she was no longer invited to the family reunion, even though she had no symptoms. She said, “The doctor told me I won’t be contagious because I’m taking Tamiflu.” We still told her not to come.</p>
<p>I believe Toledo is right - about the 10 feet. Our peds clinic that does not have a sick/well room (just one waiting room) was trying to reconfigure last week so that they could create sick-well areas and that was one of their considerations - the 10 foot distance.</p>
<p>Bad colds can sometimes produce a moderate fever, but the big difference between a cold and flu is how sick you feel. During the acute phase, if you are miserable but still able to get up go through your day if you have to, it’s very likely a cold. If you have a serious fever and feel too rotten to get out of bed, it’s probably the flu. </p>
<p>Once you get real influenza, there is no mistaking it for a cold. Flu is to a cold what a mountain lion is to a kitty cat.</p>
<p>Well she said he had a 103 degree fever. Maybe the food was for her other kid. I did not inquire. It would have been hard to step out of line because I was at the point where they are asking what you want on it, etc just before the register–she was at the register.
Why should I be nice to some stranger I already asked to move away from me–for any reason?? Kind to some fool that thinks spreading the flu is a nice gesture?? Screw that.
I don’t get paid sick days so every day sick costs me at least $500 cash money.</p>