I was sure the “allergies from hell” are what got me so sick, but the doctor’s diagnosis for my newest and latest virus is that it has nothing to do with my allergies and is just coincidence.
“And the fact that I get viruses and infections a lot?”
Coincidence.
Not buying it.
SOMEthing is getting me constantly sick. I’m vigilant with hand washing and Purell usage post-subway rides, but I’m going to step it up, starting with the institution of a strict no-shoes-in-the-house-policy, especially since we walk over half a mile to the subway on a regular basis through this filthy neighborhood filled with dog feces no one bothers to pick up and the ever-present “loogeys” that dot the sidewalk. Oh, and the human pee! On Wednesday there was a man taking a leak on the side of the corner store. The river snaked its way into my path on the sidewalk causing me to have to leap over it. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but then I got worried he would turn around.
Pee is sterile (for all intents and purposes anyhow).
There’s also the school of thought that if you baby your immune system so much that it becomes in effective at fighting off infections/disease/etc.
Though taking your shoes off when getting home is something a lot of people do simply to reduce the amount of dirt trekked around — saves on vacuuming.
Brad
25 May 09 at 10:05 am
You should get something like this to put outside your entrances. http://www.dawginc.com/floor-safety/specialty/sanitizing_mat.php
I saw these outside every barn door at Plimoth Plantation a couple of years ago during the mad cow disease scare.
sangster
25 May 09 at 2:43 pm
maybe you are killing all the “good” bacteria/germs with all your washing/purell and you don’t have a very good defense system?
Rachel cooper
25 May 09 at 8:20 pm
I think it’s time to find a different doctor.
With regards to Rachel’s theory, I don’t know about killing the good bacteria with all your hand washing. But, it does seem like you don’t have a good defense system and some people are just born like that. Being active and a good healthy diet helps sometimes…
Btw, did you do the mold test yet?
G.
26 May 09 at 11:48 am
I don’t think I can possibly be washing my hands too much. I’m saying that I wash my hands when I should (post-bathroom, post-sneezing, before handling food, etc.) The purell is for after subway rides. It’s a cesspool down there.
No mold tests. It might be my complete lack of exercise.
amber
26 May 09 at 11:58 am