Minor rant about being sick and the assholes who MUST comment

[lupo pazzesco]

This is a slight multi-parter. So for the last couple of weeks, I've had some sort of respiratory infection/bug. It sucks. I felt like crap, but I took care of myself as best I could. That said, the sheer number of overly helpful people that felt the need to comment? I wanted to infect them, just to shut them up (Because I lost most of my voice with the coughing). They fall into a couple of categories:

1. Go to the doctor, duh!
Ok, folks, I'm sorry, but health care in America is expensive, even with insurance, which I do not have. I know enough how to identify what ailment is causing problems, and how to treat it. I do not need to go running to a doctor for every sniffle and cough, because I can't AFFORD to. If I can treat it with OTC stuff, alleviate the symptoms, I'm going to do it, because that means it's viral based, and nothing the doctor prescribes is going to help anyway!! I'm not dropping a chunk of money to be told I have a chest cold that there is no prescription for!

2. And speaking of medications...
I am NOT going to take an antibiotic for a VIRAL infection, you freakin' dumbass!! Telling me that I need to go get antibiotics isn't going to do ANYTHING when I have a VIRUS. It is not antiVIRAL medication, it is antiBACTERIAL. I am not going to put ANYTHING in my body that isn't going to do anything!! Further, I have my own regime, thanks! I take mucinex as a suppressant/expectorant, sudafed for the sinus congestion, and, if I need it, a cold medicine for the fever. Don't tell me I'm taking the wrong medicine. Don't tell me that I need to take natural herbal supplements. Sure, echinacea and vitamin C can increase an immune system, but they can't alleviate symptoms, which is what I need right now! Further, don't disparage my choice to not dope myself up with everything I can find over the counter. I take what I can to alleviate the most severe symptoms, and let my body do the rest. I don't relish spending the day in a drugged state, thanks. Don't agree with me? Fine, that's your prerogative, but don't try to tell me I'm killing myself (Seriously had someone say this!) and do NOT accuse me of trying to kill YOU because I don't jump and do everything you tell me I HAVE to do to get better!

3. Yes, I get it, I'm sick!
Don't act like I have the plague. I cover my mouth when I cough, I disinfect surfaces that I come into contact with, and I wash my hands regularly. What more do you want? I can't afford to stay home, because if I don't work, I don't get paid. I realize this probably prolongs the recovery period, but yeah, you know what? Shut the fuck up. I don't see an MD after your name. You're not my mother or my physician, thus I do not have to listen to you at ALL. End of story. Butt out of my affairs! Don't treat my like a pariah because you're afraid you'll catch my cooties. Grow the fuck up, and act like an adult! I'm doing the best I can!!

I get miserable and moody when I'm sick, I don't need anyone telling me what I'm doing wrong or right, especially when I'm not the only one who's sick. What's worse is there are a few other people at work who have the same or similar bugs, but I sound worse when I cough, so obviously I'm the only threat, and thus, must be ganged up on repeatedly. I'm getting tired of it. between work and random strangers on the bus/at the bus stop/at the store, I'm ready to beat someone bloody. Stay the fuck OUT of my business, mind your own!!

Oh, and one final note? When I say I'm not going to a doctor for a cold, don't take that as your cue to start a political rant against whatever entity is apparently responsible for me not being able to get suitable health care or be able to take care of myself (I AM TAKING CARE OF MYSELF!), and how we need to change the country/world/universe for the betterment of mankind. Seriously, I'm really glad my head was so congested i only heard every other word you spouted. Get the fuck away from me. kthxbai.





I hate people...

[XCashier]

Oh, do I ever sympathise. I've got a respiratory infection right now, too. Believe me, I wish I could stay home from work and get a magical prescription that'll make it all better, but I can't afford it. Thus I have to work while feeling like crud, try to keep my distance from people and tell everyone "it's allergies".

[HYHYBT]

I'm going to leave the rest alone, but this

If I can treat it with OTC stuff, alleviate the symptoms ... that means it's viral based...

is factually incorrect. It may well be that what you have is viral, but being able to treat the symptoms does not prove it to be. A cough suppressant, for instance, will suppress coughing, period, regardless of whether it's from a cold or, say, tuberculosis.

[Kaylyn]

I hate this too! I once had a toothache, no big deal, but I felt like crap. Coworker asked what was wrong because I was grumpy. I mentioned toothache, he said "Go to the dentist." Well, duh, and if it had carried on forever I would have, but it was one day, and nothing naproxen couldn't suppress.

I have another friend that yells at me to go to a doctor every time I cough. Yeah, I'm getting over a chest cold, this will be over with in a week or two. I know my body, and I know when something is doctor-worthy.

I also hate having to ask myself, am I sick enough to work full-speed, or do I need to stay home with no pay? No sick time at work, and once when I chose to work and only did about 3/4 of what I can do fully healthy, they threatened to fire me for lack of productivity. How about some sick time so I don't have to make that choice?

[protege]

I once worked with a guy who insisted that because I have allergies...that my immune system was poor. Uh, no, asshole. I'm *allergic* to things, because my immune system is working *overtime.* It sees things like dust and pollen as intruders and goes on high alert when it tries to deal with them.

Also, many of the medications, including the prescription stuff, no longer work. I've been dealing with this crap for well over 30 years. Long enough, that I've been on every allergy or sinus medicine, and nothing works all the time. In fact, I'm usually carrying Kleenex, sniffling, or stealing rolls of TP at work in an attempt to keep my nose clear. Don't like it? Tough shit.

[Kimmik]

Amen...

My problem is I have an auto immune thing-a-bob, I also suffer from a rare for of migraine and a few other things.. With my FM I get the following

You should try x diet
you should just push through it
take a medication
oh and my favorite "FM is a fake disease"
etc etc

[protege]

You should try x diet

Ugh. Another one of my pet peeves. When I first started my current job, my boss was *constantly* going on about how great the Atkins diet was, and that everyone should try it. Then he started going on about how I "ate too much" for lunch, and that I'd "put on some weight" since I started working for him. Then he commented on how I seem to chug down caffeine.

Those last two comments just pissed me off. Sorry, but I *like* my pair of ham & cheese sandwiches, yogurt, applesauce, and banana for lunch. Yes, I do have a Mountain Dew usually around lunchtime. It helps keep the sinus pressure down, and makes it less likely that I'll get a headache. It sucks, but it makes me feel better, and it's one less pill that I have to mess with. Did I also mention that I actually burn off quite a few calories running around the office...and my daily walks down to the railroad tracks? Throw in the gym, and I've actually *lost* weight, and gained muscle

Things like that piss me off. My feeling is, that unless you're a *perfect* human specimen, you have no right to give *anyone* grief about such things. To my boss, I'd actually tell him "shut the hell up, you fat fuck," since he's a bit "round" himself. But, to do so...would be a tad hypocritical, don't ya think?

[linguist]

2. And speaking of medications...
Telling me that I need to go get antibiotics isn't going to do ANYTHING when I have a VIRUS. It is not antiVIRAL medication, it is antiBACTERIAL. I am not going to put ANYTHING in my body that isn't going to do anything!!

it's not true that antibiotics do nothing when you have a viral infection. they may not do anything for the virus, but they can prevent opportunistic bacterial infections or wipe out those you already have been infected with but may not know it because the symptoms may be the same as those of the viral infection.

case in point, a couple of weeks ago i had a cold (viral). the cold ran its course, but i was still coughing a week later. i went to the doctor and found out that while my body was fighting off the cold i'd developed (bacterial) bronchitis. a short course of antibiotics and i was better within two days. had i gone to the doctor and taken antibiotics from the beginning, i could have prevented myself an additional week of sickness.

[guywithashovel]

My dad is horrible about this. If he sees one of us as much as blow our noses, he'll start instructing us to take this medicine or that medicine. I have bad sinuses, so even when I'm not sick, I still have to blow my nose occasionally. If he were to hear me doing that, it would be, "Eeeew! I hope you're taking some medicine!" It was worse when he still worked at his old job, because sometimes he would bum prescription drugs off of his co-workers and try to get us to take them. Any time one of us sneezed or used a tissue, he would try to get us to take it, saying, "That's REALLY good sinus medicine. It'll dry you right up!"

[RavenStarr]

[QUOTE=lupo pazzesco;66131]

2. And speaking of medications...
I am NOT going to take an antibiotic for a VIRAL infection, you freakin' dumbass!! Telling me that I need to go get antibiotics isn't going to do ANYTHING when I have a VIRUS. It is not antiVIRAL medication, it is antiBACTERIAL.












Every time me or my kids had a viral infection the Dr always prescribed antibiotics to us. So far it has always worked. So if you went to the Dr.and he prescribed antibiotics to you for a viral infection, would you take them? Or tell him he was a quack?

I admit I don't know much about this. I only know that it has worked for us.

I really wish BlaqueKatt would respond to this thread. I've noticed many times in her posts that she always has info and links to back up what she's saying. I think she could give us a lot of info on this.

Also look at the bright side. At least you don't have 50 people coming up to you and asking: "Are you sick?

[AdminAssistant]

I had the opposite problem when I worked retail. I was just about the only one who could do the cash office, and they whined at me when I needed off for three days...because I had strep. Yeah, I lost the hours and the pay, but I was not about to infect my co-workers, the customers, OR the bank employees that would handle the same money I handled. No. I'm staying home, doping up, and getting well.

[blas87]

I have insurance and I won't go to the doctor over bullshit common cold symptoms, or allergy/sinus flareups. Pay a $20 copay every time just to be told to drink lots of fluids and sleep a lot?

[lupo pazzesco]

It may well be that what you have is viral, but being able to treat the symptoms does not prove it to be. A cough suppressant, for instance, will suppress coughing, period, regardless of whether it's from a cold or, say, tuberculosis.

It may be that I was just too tired and ranty, but that was actually supposed to be reversed, more along the lines of "If I know it's viral based, I can take OTC stuff and just alleviate the symptoms." Oops.

it's not true that antibiotics do nothing when you have a viral infection. they may not do anything for the virus, but they can prevent opportunistic bacterial infections or wipe out those you already have been infected with but may not know it because the symptoms may be the same as those of the viral infection.

And if my virus lasts longer than it should, or I see the telltale signs of a bacterial infection my doctor warned me about, THEN I would go in and see about an antibiotic if necessary. But I didn't. And, I'm sorry, but this is case and point about what I'm griping about. I tell people I have a cold, I don't NEED an antibiotic,and I've had at least 10 people tell me I should get one because I don't know what other stuff is lurking under the virus!! I have to take other meds becuase ZOMG!! A bacteria might have snuck through!

Yeah, and I might have contracted gonorrhea from that toilet seat. I'm not going to go running out and taking a medication when it isn't necessary, just because something might be hiding in the background. Maybe. Possibly.


[QUOTE=RavenStarr;66174]

Every time me or my kids had a viral infection the Dr always prescribed antibiotics to us. So far it has always worked. So if you went to the Dr.and he prescribed antibiotics to you for a viral infection, would you take them? Or tell him he was a quack?

Also look at the bright side. At least you don't have 50 people coming up to you and asking: "Are you sick?

1. It depends on what the doctor and I have talked about. But if the infection is viral, why is the doctor providing medication meant to treat a bacterial infection? I wouldn't call the doc a quack, but I would ask why I'm being given an antibacterial when he had diagnosed me with a virus. So, no, I wouldn't take an antibiotic unless the doctor could tell me why I have to take a medication for a problem I don't have. That's just how I am, though. I want to know what I'm being given and why, in detail. I've had doctors tell me they're going to give me an antibiotic "just in case". Just in case of what? What signs, exactly, point to the fact that there may be a bacterial cause for my being sick? Can't answer? Then, no, thank you, I'll come back in a week if it persists and we can go from there. (Yes, I realize my doctors probably think I'm a pain in the ass, but I don't want them to shove an antibiotic at me to shut me up, which is becoming a prevalent theme in health care today)

I understand that symptoms can be caused by similar viruses and bacterias, but I also know that a broad spectrum antibiotic kills ALL bacteria, good and bad. If my immune system is fighting off a virus, why am I going to take something that is going A-bomb anything and everything, when some of the good bacteria in my system might help?

Do I have links and facts to back this up? No. I just have years of experience from getting respiratory infections and bronchitis every year, generally around this time of year.


2. Yes, I DO have that. That's just not as high on my list of irksome qualities. It's more of a "well, DUH, what do you think, genius?" response that can be conveyed with a simple Look.

I have insurance and I won't go to the doctor over bullshit common cold symptoms, or allergy/sinus flareups. Pay a $20 copay every time just to be told to drink lots of fluids and sleep a lot?

THANK YOU!!

That's just it. This lung crud I have right now is clearing up well enough. I can't get rid of the cough, but that's always the last to go, in my experience. I spent almost $20 getting OTC meds, kleenex, juice, soup and tea. You want me to spend that much just to be told to do what I already did? Huh? Ok, thank. Thanks, blas, for understanding and putting it in a different light.

[blas87]

Not a problem. I wish you a speedy recovery, or at the very least, better spirits.

Some people mean well and just come across as stupid. Other people just are full of it and stupid, just liking the sound of their own voice or sounding like a doctor.

[JLG]

I have insurance but even after the co-pay I often get another bill saying that my insurance did not cover everything and I still have to pay.

Last time my daughter was sick and I thought she might have strep throat I took her to the doctor and it turned out not to be strep and the visit was like 15 minutes long. I got a bill for $35 a week later saying my insurance didn't cover the entire visit. They covered the strep test so I am not sure what exactly didn't get covered.

When somebody is sick at work I encourage them to go home only because I want them to rest and feel better. I don't try to shove my remedies down their throat unless they ask for advice.

But I total understand how some people really can't stay home because they just can't afford to lose the hours and pay. We keep hand sanitizer up front along with wipes to clean the area for the next person.

Being sick at work sucks and you don't need co-workers dumb comments added into that mix.