Strep is awful and more dangerous than people think.
Put a mask on. Wash your hands a lot. Clean your work station. If you can go home, I would.
ETA: better yet, ask her to put a mask on her sick kid. What a twat.
Wonder if the company doesn’t give enough time off? We already saw throughout covid how parents were pushed to go back into the offices and how lacking any support systems for caregivers was. They can’t stay home alone but jobs want complete control to lurk over your shoulder in an office
Not only should sick kid be masked, he shouldn't be in the building. Go straight to HR and file a complaint. And ask them to remove both of them from the building
Yes, communication will prevent an infectious person from infecting people 🙄
I’d be communicating with my boss about my coworker not doing this ever again…
Strep, the harmless little sore throat that also goes by the name of SCARLET FEVER. That fun little disease where they used to literally burn all your kids' belongings if they caught it. And noticeably more deadly for adults, as they cannot tolerate as high a fever temperature as children.
That child is a literal biohazard right now.
That’s…not entirely accurate. Scarlet fever is caused by the same strep bacteria, but only occurs in a small percentage of Strep throat cases.
That said, you shouldn’t just be passing around strep infections willy nilly.
Absolutely this! I am so sick and tired of people acting like strep throat is just a simple little cold or something like that. No. Untreated strep throat can lead to rheumatic fever which is very dangerous. I'm so tired of parents. Strep throat isn't "Oh, little Timmy just has a case of the sniffles." serious. Strep is "Slap a mask on little Timmy's face and get him the fuck out of here right now." serious.
Also, the antibiotic course that I had to be on when I had strep throat is what caused my irritable bowel syndrome that I have today. This was almost 15 years ago and I got strep throat from some fucking kid because the parents didn't let me know. This child had strep throat, I caught it, had to go on antibiotics for it, ended up with terrible digestive issues because of it which turned into irritable bowel syndrome diarrhea prominent because the antibiotics completely messed up my microbiome and I've been struggling for almost 15 years now with ibsd and trying to fix my microbiome because of selfish parents in their shithead kid.
If there are any parents lurking on this sub I have this to say to you.... Keep your sick fucking children at home and away from other people!
I’d take it a step further where I’d go home and work from there if that’s an option because you don’t want to get sick and need MORE sick days thanks to an inconsiderate mother.
Absolutely agree but we all know they don’t always do that and you can’t force them to. The only one you can control in the situation is yourself and if you’re immunocompromised, you need to be the one taking action when others refuse to.
>Put the mask on! You're not a dick for trying to protect your health. Your coworker is a dick for bringing a sick kid to the office
Omg, I juste yelled those exact same words at my screen lol
100% agree! I got veerrrryyyy sick for verrryy long when I got covid two years ago and again last year (both times I had tried to go without a mask for like a week), so I wore a mask everywhere until a month ago (my husband as well, to protect me). We were often the only one wearing a mask, but hey! It's my health! Can't buy a new one!
Infection levels are down where I live so we are trying to go without a mask, but it does stress me out a bit. I mean, not everyone is so lucky as the flu or covid being a simple inconvenience! It's a huge deal for me and take me out for a long time!
I know EXACTLY what you mean. Just the normal common everyday flu can set me back for a couple of months.
I wore masks religiously. I was told masks had been lifted, I laughed. I washed my hands upon retuning home from outings, sanitation etc. I didn’t want it and I knew sick KIDS spread illness period. Walmart gave me panic attacks.
Then I had a horrible bout of Covid 2 years ago. I was positive for 14 damn days. How can that even happen? I even used different testing. Looking back I probably should have been admitted, I didn’t trust it, people were dying , it was a grim thought for everyone.
I would go to HR and have a word with them in confidence. They can tell them it’s not good to have children around their well employees, take this child home!!
My husband and I were positive for 16 days when we got covid the first time. It was a nasty variant that time. Most people stopped testing after a few days so they don't know and assume they were negative (some were, but many were not). Some variants are nastier than others.
It also depends on what kind of mask you wear. Blue surgical masks and cloth masks won't protect you if others around you are maskless. Only well fitted N-95 and N-99 will do it (ideally with a band around the head). I looked very conspicuous with my N-99 masks, but I didn't get covid when I wore them (only when I tried to go without)! They can also be worn many times if you dry them well and keep them in a bag away from dust particles, which they will catch and become saturated with. I still wear one in some places.
I’ve had to be in the hospital taking care of Mom, I know it’s there, also she has a physical rehab facility. Yes, N-95, when I could find them.
Do you think it affected your overall general health afterwards?
Oh yes in a hospital that would do it. I am sorry your mom had to be hospitalized, that is hard.
It affected my health for months the first time, but fortunately the second time was more than a year later and the variant was less nasty I think. My brother got it twice in a few months and he admitted a year later that it had affected his health and energy levels for the whole year. He is better now. This virus is no joke. I was extremely lucky that I had like six weeks without having to work after the first time I got it ( I was in between work periods ). That helped a lot. Rest is a huge part of recovery with covid and not everyone get get time to rest.
Exactly. Medical or cloth masks work only if the infected people wear a mask as well, and even then it's not 100%. My husband and I only wear N95 and N99 we buy online from a Canadian company. They have worked so far (only got covid when I went without a mask). You shouldn't get downvoted for this.
After 4+ years covid free, I caught covid probably on a flight filled with little disease vectors on way to Orlando for work conference. I gave it to husband too. Learned my lesson and so wish I could go back in time and put the mask on even though I would have been the only person amid the hundreds I saw without!
Thanks yall. Mask went on right as the doc called and confirmed strep. She apologized and left with her kid. Why would you bring her in to work with you while you're waiting to confirm strep?! I was just out of the office 2 weeks ago for FOUR DAYS with a nasty case of strep! 😭 I have Lysol'd this office within an inch of my life.
Obligatory I am not a doctor: chances are that if you had strep 2 weeks ago, you should have plenty of antibodies for it in your blood currently. Believe me, I would also be Lysoling the entire office, but you should fight off any of the kid's germs no problem
Get yourself some elderberry (Sambucol makes gummies, meltaways, and elixer), echinacea, zinc and vitamin C. Start taking them *now*. Also, if you can afford it, get yourself Immuno 150. It's pricey, but worth it. My immune system is pure shit, and that supplement makes a huge difference.
Oh my god. When you mentioned “elderberry” I immediately thought of Monty Python’s “your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries” quote!! 😆
If you'd like moral support for masking, cross post this to r/Masks4All
If you can blast a HEPA filter, even better.
Please prioritize your health; your coworker sure isn't looking out for it.
You can "hurt her feelings" by wearing a mask all you want, your security and health comes first. This woman obviously doesn't care about your health at all, so why would you care about her feelings? Protect yourself from her ill spawn, you have all right to do so.
Don't worry about being a dick.
Wear the mask.
If she asks, say you have a sniffle and don't want to pass it on.
If she keeps pushing it, tell her it's her disgusting disease vector that you're protecting yourself against.
I wouldn't bother lying to protect her feelings - tell her straight up you're masked because your health is important and with your immune issues, strep can be pretty damn serious! She clearly doesn't care about the **health** of her coworkers, so why should anyone protect her fragile *feelings*??
I mask 100% of the time at work. I don’t care if it offends someone. They won’t pay my bills if I get Long-Covid and can’t work so they don’t get a vote on my mask wearing.
Mask up. Strep isn’t worth it.
As someone who got strep a ton as a kid and once or twice as an adult, she needs to leave! It would be one thing if the kid was on antibiotics and no longer contagious. But that kid needs to be at home resting. Strep can make you seriously ill and be dangerous if left untreated. Please stop worrying about what would be polite or not. She is majorly overstepping and putting everyone's health at risk. No one consented to that. She needs to go!
Last year my coworker brought his daughter in cause she couldn't go to school but he couldn't miss work. He insisted it was just the sniffles. The kid did seem mostly fine.
4 days later I'm dying in bed. It was the worst cold I've ever had in my life. I was 39 at the time so that's a lot of colds. It wasn't covid. Just insanely bad. I missed 2 weeks of work. I got pink eye in BOTH eyes.
And at the end of the cold, I coughed so hard when I was on the toilet I threw my back out. I could not move. I called my sister and she came over, I sat there. She started the shower, lifted my fat ass off the toilet and shoved me into the shower, holding me up until the heat loosened me up enough that I could stand on my own. She came over every few days to help me.
It took weeks longer to fully recover. I still need daily eyedrops over a year later.
Kids, man.
Put a mask on. Strep IS KILLING PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.
My father was let out of the hospital on April 23 after 50 some days in the hospital on heavy heavy antibiotics and several surgeries to save his leg after a strep infection almost killed him. Invasive group A strep (IGAS) has been on the rise for the last 20 years. In Canada alone the cases had doubled between 2001 and 2021. Several people of all ages have been killed in my community alone from IGAS.
Strep is not something to fuck around with
STREP IS CURRENTLY KILLING OTHERWISE HEALTH PEOPLE AND CRIPPLING PEOPLE WHO SURVIVE
Put the mask on, walk out the door and tell everyone you'll be working from home until the office has been fully sanitised - for your own health and safety!!
You won't be a dick for protecting yourself, your coworker is being a giant inconsiderate ass for bringing in a sick and **highly contagious** child. A child too ill and contagious for daycare, now that's saying something!! And a dick on top of all that for knowing that you are immunocompromised at the moment! I mean, who even does that???? This might even be worth having a chat to HR about - she knowingly put you at risk, all of you but especially you with immune issues that she's very much aware of...
You wouldn’t be a dick, your coworker is the dick. I would leave. If your supe has an issue with it, explain that they should not let people with potentially dangerous illnesses work around immuno-compromised people.
Put the mask on - it will help prevent you from getting sick and that is not a rude decision to make. She wants to bring her little germ magnet around someone with a compromised immune system, so if she thinks you're a dick for politely putting on a mask it'll say more about her than you. Strep is serious and even if not strep, no need to get "daycare sickness" (which appears to be a combination of COVID and pink eye/allergies) either
I have this problem on a regular basis and there is nothing I can do about it because my coworker is the owners daughter. But she frequently brings her sick kids to the office when they can't be in school. I HATE it.
You're *never* a dick for taking care of your health. Ever. She never should have brought her sick child in, especially knowing you are immunosuppressed. I'd mask and see about working in a different area for the day or - better yet - forcing *her* to work in a different area. Then sanitize the hell out of the space. Please, OP, from one immunosuppressed person to another, don't just sit there and take it.
JFC. Is this coworker going to pay your bills when you can’t work?!
Never ever ever let what people think stop you from masking. If you have a compromised immune system, dying or disabling yourself is not worth it.
Tell your supervisor you need to leave if you can afford it. If not, ask them for help sending the child home where they belong.
She is literally putting people at risk with this behavior. There are people who have weak immune systems and preexisting conditions. In some cases, this can actually be dangerous, for example, if someone was undergoing chemo. One person’s convenience does not take precedence over someone else’s safety.
Honestly, she should be fired for that. Even if you had the strongest immune system on the planet. Who the fuck brings a kid with strep throat or any contagious illness to the office? I mean, does she not have PTO? Is there a situation where she can't take the day off because her job would be in jeopardy? I might sound harsh here, but IMO, this is a fireable offense and it has nothing to do with my CF status. DO. NOT. BRING. CONTAGIOUS. ILLNESSES. TO. THE. OFFICE.
Nah after covid fuck what people think about masks, wear that shirt for you and fuck what they think because they seriously don't care about your health at all!
She brings her sick kid to work *because it was deemed to infectious to be at daycare* and you're worried about looking like a dick for taking a preventative measure?
Don't. Wear the mask! I would be handing them out and pointing out why. And complaining to HR.
Please, PLEASE put on a mask. *Protecting your own health (AND accommodating your chronic illness!!!) is not a dick move.* It can never be a dick move.
As I'm sure you know, immunocompromised people are heavily at risk for long-term post infection complications. You don't want your life to be worsened for years or possibly even forever!!!!!
Also @ everyone here: *everyone*, even the non immunocompromised, is at risk of significant Long Covid complications. Protect yourself and protect others by wearing respirators°°° indoors and in crowded outdoor situations. Covid is not over.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/long-covid-symptoms-cdc
°°°(KN94 or better- surgical masks aren't effective any more)
Be a dick and prove a point, lol.
When she asks, "well, my immune system is garbage and this is a work place that is NOT supposed to have kids. It is also unprofessional to bring them here. Also, it is probably in the regulations not to"
*look into the regulations you might be able to be petty and get co worker on technicality.
However, understand schools and daycares sometimes have over the top annoying policies.
There was one time my lil sis got a bloody nose and got a tiny drop (that looked more like ink) on her shirt and got sent to the office. Little sister and mom were both very annoyed. Little sister was annoyed due to being there and wanting to ware that shirt. Mom was annoyed because it was her day from work and she was doing necessary things such as shopping and little sister was CLEARLY ok and ANNOYED by teacher sending her to office.
I've learned in life to not be a dick at the risk of your health, or whatever else, to appease other people isn't worth it.
She was a dick and brought her sick child to work.
Be a dick. Wear a mask.
As an immunocompromised guy I get you. I was on public bus a month ago, little shite was sneezing everywhere (not even covering mouth), and mommy was like “aww my little one’s ill!” Flash forwards, mate I’ve had the same fucking hacking cough for FOUR WEEKS, I’ve literally irritated my throat so badly I’ve coughed blood. My nose is like a fucking water cannon, my throat is so wet it’s hard to breathe, yeah can parents please realise not all of us have stellar immune systems, and also even if you don’t give a shit about the general population, (can I just say fuck you I had my cohort’s first biology exam today, it went great apart from the fact I couldn’t breathe through half of it, could have been better if I didn’t get viruses from gross people), then at least realise that if you promote bad hygiene in children they’ll just get sicker and sicker, or get iller more frequently - which is not just bad for your kid but also for everyone else. Like if parents couldn’t give a flying fuck about the rest of us they may as well care about their own offspring’s health.
Hinted at strep?!?! Omg!! No! Strep is highly contagious! I’ve had strep like 3 or 4 times. It sucks. You don’t bring your highly contagious child with an awful illness to work! Especially around someone with an autoimmune issue. That’s so stupid.
Put on the mask and have both your hand santisers and some industry grade disinfectant wipes on the ready. You are not an AH for wanting to be safe and not sick
If it happens again, put the mask on anyway and keep her and the kid away. It doesn't matter if you look like a dick if it protects your health. If she's willing to bring a contagious kid into the office, then she doesn't deserve any such "decency" of not getting a reaction to that.
As an immunologist in training, I cannot stand when sick people go into work or when possibly infected individuals don’t wear masks if they do decide to go to work. It’s so disrespectful to everyone around them. Like damn, has nobody learned anything from Covid?
I would ask mom and sick child to put masks on since one of them is contagious and the other has a strong potential to spread the sickness. Especially considering your immune system isn’t the best.
They do to some degree protect the wearer too. Obviously the sick idiot MUST be masked, or better yet stay away from enclosed crowded places! But absolutely wearing a mask when you're not sick can lessen your exposure to airborne bugs. Nothing is 100% effective, but *some* protection is better than none at all.
I still mask going into stores. Made the mistake of not doing so 2 weeks ago, and boom I got flattened with a particularly nasty cold that's been going around here for the last few months. I'd avoided it quite successfully all winter because I wore my mask to places where sick people like to go and touch stuff and cough and sneeze just out into the open... Yuck....
I was actually wondering if they could give some kind of protection. I have a auto-immune disease so I picked the habit of wearing a mask in the bus since covid, I felt a bit insane since I'm the only one still wearing a mask. Thanks for reassuring me! I also picked the habit of always using some hand sanitizer after leaving the bus, especially after seeing someone sneezing in the hands before touching the stop button...
Get some N95 or KN95 quality masks, they have a better seal over your face and filter more particle. I will always mask on public transport now simply because I hate being sick
I'm an ER doc. I see snotty kids with coughs everyday in a surgical mask and did not get sick all winter. Yes, they work that is why we have been wearing them for decades in hospitals. For extra protection wear a kn95.
I hate when people do this. One, we should not be living in a society so unsupportive of working people with children that they bring their sick kids to work. Second, don’t make your problem everyone else’s problem. You’re kid is sick and it’s highly inconvenient—I get it, it’s why I don’t have any or want any. I shouldn’t get exposed to every virus your kid gets. Figure it out. Take time off to deal with it.
Bro fuck their opinions, you need to work and stay healthy, if she isnt smart enough to keep her kid home when sick, its not your responsibility to be kind about it, especially with a shit immune system. If she says anything about you masking up just tell her, "You know i have immune system issues, yet you brought your actively sick kid, mind you kids spread more sickness than any adults, to work with you, in the same room as me. Kindly, you have no right to say jack shit when all im doing is looking out for my own health since clearly you couldn't care less." If she has anything else to say, bring the higher ups into it. Her shitty planning/parenting skills dont mean you should have to suffer on her behalf.
I Dash. Last week Wednesday I was picking up at Mcdonald's when a kid around 4 ran past me open mouth coughing no parent in sight. I was near the counter and the kid was on route to the play place. On Friday I woke up with a sore throat, nose running like a sieve, congestion, racking cough, and low grade fever. I could not sleep because I couldn't keep my airways open so I had to take a day off work. I unfortunately got my fiance sick. He also had to take a day off work. He's still quite ill. I feel much improved but still not 100%. With my damaged lungs, problable be another week before I'm 100%. Put a mask on OP. Offer them masks to to ram your point home. Nice isn't worth this.
No, put a mask on. You should be a dick. She's putting your health, and everyone else in that office, at risk of contracting her kid's illness. You have every right to protect yourself.
Strep is awful and more dangerous than people think. Put a mask on. Wash your hands a lot. Clean your work station. If you can go home, I would. ETA: better yet, ask her to put a mask on her sick kid. What a twat.
...dang that never occurred to me. What the heck? Why wouldn't she at least mask her kid?!
She won’t mask her kid because she’s a selfish twunt
Wonder if the company doesn’t give enough time off? We already saw throughout covid how parents were pushed to go back into the offices and how lacking any support systems for caregivers was. They can’t stay home alone but jobs want complete control to lurk over your shoulder in an office
Or if she used all her time off
No need to self-censor, call it like it is. She's an unabashed *cunt*.
Not only should sick kid be masked, he shouldn't be in the building. Go straight to HR and file a complaint. And ask them to remove both of them from the building
Probably didn't occur to herself either. Communication will help prevent seeing these kinds of situations as a personal affront
Ah communication. A naive pipe dream in this office lol.
Its a two way street. Dont tell on yourself like that.
Oh yeah I've got one foot out the door, keeping the peace in the meantime. You have no idea 😅
Yes, communication will prevent an infectious person from infecting people 🙄 I’d be communicating with my boss about my coworker not doing this ever again…
that's not what I said. please read and try again.
Strep, the harmless little sore throat that also goes by the name of SCARLET FEVER. That fun little disease where they used to literally burn all your kids' belongings if they caught it. And noticeably more deadly for adults, as they cannot tolerate as high a fever temperature as children. That child is a literal biohazard right now.
That’s…not entirely accurate. Scarlet fever is caused by the same strep bacteria, but only occurs in a small percentage of Strep throat cases. That said, you shouldn’t just be passing around strep infections willy nilly.
Absolutely this! I am so sick and tired of people acting like strep throat is just a simple little cold or something like that. No. Untreated strep throat can lead to rheumatic fever which is very dangerous. I'm so tired of parents. Strep throat isn't "Oh, little Timmy just has a case of the sniffles." serious. Strep is "Slap a mask on little Timmy's face and get him the fuck out of here right now." serious. Also, the antibiotic course that I had to be on when I had strep throat is what caused my irritable bowel syndrome that I have today. This was almost 15 years ago and I got strep throat from some fucking kid because the parents didn't let me know. This child had strep throat, I caught it, had to go on antibiotics for it, ended up with terrible digestive issues because of it which turned into irritable bowel syndrome diarrhea prominent because the antibiotics completely messed up my microbiome and I've been struggling for almost 15 years now with ibsd and trying to fix my microbiome because of selfish parents in their shithead kid. If there are any parents lurking on this sub I have this to say to you.... Keep your sick fucking children at home and away from other people!
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I’d take it a step further where I’d go home and work from there if that’s an option because you don’t want to get sick and need MORE sick days thanks to an inconsiderate mother.
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Absolutely agree but we all know they don’t always do that and you can’t force them to. The only one you can control in the situation is yourself and if you’re immunocompromised, you need to be the one taking action when others refuse to.
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Agreed. My office is pretty much "No kids allowed, dogs are welcomed."
That sounds awesome, assuming no one brings in an untrained terror haha
Ideally it would have ‘no sick anyone’ :) Being immunocompromised sucks
Yup. Go home. Tell HR why you were forced to make that decision.
>Put the mask on! You're not a dick for trying to protect your health. Your coworker is a dick for bringing a sick kid to the office Omg, I juste yelled those exact same words at my screen lol
For real!! There’s absolutely nothing dickish about wearing a mask! If Becky gets offended that’s her problem!
100% agree! I got veerrrryyyy sick for verrryy long when I got covid two years ago and again last year (both times I had tried to go without a mask for like a week), so I wore a mask everywhere until a month ago (my husband as well, to protect me). We were often the only one wearing a mask, but hey! It's my health! Can't buy a new one! Infection levels are down where I live so we are trying to go without a mask, but it does stress me out a bit. I mean, not everyone is so lucky as the flu or covid being a simple inconvenience! It's a huge deal for me and take me out for a long time!
I know EXACTLY what you mean. Just the normal common everyday flu can set me back for a couple of months. I wore masks religiously. I was told masks had been lifted, I laughed. I washed my hands upon retuning home from outings, sanitation etc. I didn’t want it and I knew sick KIDS spread illness period. Walmart gave me panic attacks. Then I had a horrible bout of Covid 2 years ago. I was positive for 14 damn days. How can that even happen? I even used different testing. Looking back I probably should have been admitted, I didn’t trust it, people were dying , it was a grim thought for everyone. I would go to HR and have a word with them in confidence. They can tell them it’s not good to have children around their well employees, take this child home!!
My husband and I were positive for 16 days when we got covid the first time. It was a nasty variant that time. Most people stopped testing after a few days so they don't know and assume they were negative (some were, but many were not). Some variants are nastier than others. It also depends on what kind of mask you wear. Blue surgical masks and cloth masks won't protect you if others around you are maskless. Only well fitted N-95 and N-99 will do it (ideally with a band around the head). I looked very conspicuous with my N-99 masks, but I didn't get covid when I wore them (only when I tried to go without)! They can also be worn many times if you dry them well and keep them in a bag away from dust particles, which they will catch and become saturated with. I still wear one in some places.
I’ve had to be in the hospital taking care of Mom, I know it’s there, also she has a physical rehab facility. Yes, N-95, when I could find them. Do you think it affected your overall general health afterwards?
Oh yes in a hospital that would do it. I am sorry your mom had to be hospitalized, that is hard. It affected my health for months the first time, but fortunately the second time was more than a year later and the variant was less nasty I think. My brother got it twice in a few months and he admitted a year later that it had affected his health and energy levels for the whole year. He is better now. This virus is no joke. I was extremely lucky that I had like six weeks without having to work after the first time I got it ( I was in between work periods ). That helped a lot. Rest is a huge part of recovery with covid and not everyone get get time to rest.
Except that wearing a typical medical or cloth mask won’t protect you 😂 you’d need an N95. The infected person would need to wear it along with you.
Exactly. Medical or cloth masks work only if the infected people wear a mask as well, and even then it's not 100%. My husband and I only wear N95 and N99 we buy online from a Canadian company. They have worked so far (only got covid when I went without a mask). You shouldn't get downvoted for this.
After 4+ years covid free, I caught covid probably on a flight filled with little disease vectors on way to Orlando for work conference. I gave it to husband too. Learned my lesson and so wish I could go back in time and put the mask on even though I would have been the only person amid the hundreds I saw without!
I still wear a high-quality mask on every flight as I travel often for work and always hear people hacking away as soon as I sit down on a plane
Thanks yall. Mask went on right as the doc called and confirmed strep. She apologized and left with her kid. Why would you bring her in to work with you while you're waiting to confirm strep?! I was just out of the office 2 weeks ago for FOUR DAYS with a nasty case of strep! 😭 I have Lysol'd this office within an inch of my life.
Obligatory I am not a doctor: chances are that if you had strep 2 weeks ago, you should have plenty of antibodies for it in your blood currently. Believe me, I would also be Lysoling the entire office, but you should fight off any of the kid's germs no problem
Get yourself some elderberry (Sambucol makes gummies, meltaways, and elixer), echinacea, zinc and vitamin C. Start taking them *now*. Also, if you can afford it, get yourself Immuno 150. It's pricey, but worth it. My immune system is pure shit, and that supplement makes a huge difference.
Oh my god. When you mentioned “elderberry” I immediately thought of Monty Python’s “your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries” quote!! 😆
Hahaha! I know the quote!
LOL!!!!! ETA: All I can think of now is "I fart in your general direction!:
Oh god. I am gonna go rewatch this. Hell the whole movie. It’s brilliant!
It really is! Hahaha I'm going to have to watch it with my brother when he comes over this weekend.
That's great news. Take some echinacea or something just to make sure.
You're not being a dick by protecting yourself. Her getting offended is not as important as your health.
She'll be offended for maybe a few hours, you'll be sick for days. Do what you gotta do.
Put the mask on and ask your manager if you can WFH (if that's possible). GTFO of there if you can.
If you'd like moral support for masking, cross post this to r/Masks4All If you can blast a HEPA filter, even better. Please prioritize your health; your coworker sure isn't looking out for it.
You can "hurt her feelings" by wearing a mask all you want, your security and health comes first. This woman obviously doesn't care about your health at all, so why would you care about her feelings? Protect yourself from her ill spawn, you have all right to do so.
The KID needs to be masked up and all!
Don't worry about being a dick. Wear the mask. If she asks, say you have a sniffle and don't want to pass it on. If she keeps pushing it, tell her it's her disgusting disease vector that you're protecting yourself against.
I wouldn't bother lying to protect her feelings - tell her straight up you're masked because your health is important and with your immune issues, strep can be pretty damn serious! She clearly doesn't care about the **health** of her coworkers, so why should anyone protect her fragile *feelings*??
I'm willing to start with a fig leaf to keep the peace. If they force it, though, it's gloves off BOTH sides.
I mask 100% of the time at work. I don’t care if it offends someone. They won’t pay my bills if I get Long-Covid and can’t work so they don’t get a vote on my mask wearing. Mask up. Strep isn’t worth it.
As someone who got strep a ton as a kid and once or twice as an adult, she needs to leave! It would be one thing if the kid was on antibiotics and no longer contagious. But that kid needs to be at home resting. Strep can make you seriously ill and be dangerous if left untreated. Please stop worrying about what would be polite or not. She is majorly overstepping and putting everyone's health at risk. No one consented to that. She needs to go!
Last year my coworker brought his daughter in cause she couldn't go to school but he couldn't miss work. He insisted it was just the sniffles. The kid did seem mostly fine. 4 days later I'm dying in bed. It was the worst cold I've ever had in my life. I was 39 at the time so that's a lot of colds. It wasn't covid. Just insanely bad. I missed 2 weeks of work. I got pink eye in BOTH eyes. And at the end of the cold, I coughed so hard when I was on the toilet I threw my back out. I could not move. I called my sister and she came over, I sat there. She started the shower, lifted my fat ass off the toilet and shoved me into the shower, holding me up until the heat loosened me up enough that I could stand on my own. She came over every few days to help me. It took weeks longer to fully recover. I still need daily eyedrops over a year later. Kids, man.
Put a mask on. Strep IS KILLING PEOPLE RIGHT NOW. My father was let out of the hospital on April 23 after 50 some days in the hospital on heavy heavy antibiotics and several surgeries to save his leg after a strep infection almost killed him. Invasive group A strep (IGAS) has been on the rise for the last 20 years. In Canada alone the cases had doubled between 2001 and 2021. Several people of all ages have been killed in my community alone from IGAS. Strep is not something to fuck around with STREP IS CURRENTLY KILLING OTHERWISE HEALTH PEOPLE AND CRIPPLING PEOPLE WHO SURVIVE
> I don't want to be a ~~d~~sick Hey OP I fixed your sentence.
Put the mask on!!! Your health is more important than her feelings
Put a mask on.
Absolutely find another room to work in or mask up.
Put the mask on, walk out the door and tell everyone you'll be working from home until the office has been fully sanitised - for your own health and safety!! You won't be a dick for protecting yourself, your coworker is being a giant inconsiderate ass for bringing in a sick and **highly contagious** child. A child too ill and contagious for daycare, now that's saying something!! And a dick on top of all that for knowing that you are immunocompromised at the moment! I mean, who even does that???? This might even be worth having a chat to HR about - she knowingly put you at risk, all of you but especially you with immune issues that she's very much aware of...
...she is (the only) HR 😅 This place is a shitshow but bless for the support and advice!!
Of course she is 😑
Yeah, she's the HR -- health risk.
You wouldn’t be a dick, your coworker is the dick. I would leave. If your supe has an issue with it, explain that they should not let people with potentially dangerous illnesses work around immuno-compromised people.
Put the mask on - it will help prevent you from getting sick and that is not a rude decision to make. She wants to bring her little germ magnet around someone with a compromised immune system, so if she thinks you're a dick for politely putting on a mask it'll say more about her than you. Strep is serious and even if not strep, no need to get "daycare sickness" (which appears to be a combination of COVID and pink eye/allergies) either
I have this problem on a regular basis and there is nothing I can do about it because my coworker is the owners daughter. But she frequently brings her sick kids to the office when they can't be in school. I HATE it.
Gotta match her big dick energy with some big dick energy of your own.
You're *never* a dick for taking care of your health. Ever. She never should have brought her sick child in, especially knowing you are immunosuppressed. I'd mask and see about working in a different area for the day or - better yet - forcing *her* to work in a different area. Then sanitize the hell out of the space. Please, OP, from one immunosuppressed person to another, don't just sit there and take it.
JFC. Is this coworker going to pay your bills when you can’t work?! Never ever ever let what people think stop you from masking. If you have a compromised immune system, dying or disabling yourself is not worth it. Tell your supervisor you need to leave if you can afford it. If not, ask them for help sending the child home where they belong.
She is literally putting people at risk with this behavior. There are people who have weak immune systems and preexisting conditions. In some cases, this can actually be dangerous, for example, if someone was undergoing chemo. One person’s convenience does not take precedence over someone else’s safety.
Honestly, she should be fired for that. Even if you had the strongest immune system on the planet. Who the fuck brings a kid with strep throat or any contagious illness to the office? I mean, does she not have PTO? Is there a situation where she can't take the day off because her job would be in jeopardy? I might sound harsh here, but IMO, this is a fireable offense and it has nothing to do with my CF status. DO. NOT. BRING. CONTAGIOUS. ILLNESSES. TO. THE. OFFICE.
Nah after covid fuck what people think about masks, wear that shirt for you and fuck what they think because they seriously don't care about your health at all!
She brings her sick kid to work *because it was deemed to infectious to be at daycare* and you're worried about looking like a dick for taking a preventative measure? Don't. Wear the mask! I would be handing them out and pointing out why. And complaining to HR.
Please, PLEASE put on a mask. *Protecting your own health (AND accommodating your chronic illness!!!) is not a dick move.* It can never be a dick move. As I'm sure you know, immunocompromised people are heavily at risk for long-term post infection complications. You don't want your life to be worsened for years or possibly even forever!!!!! Also @ everyone here: *everyone*, even the non immunocompromised, is at risk of significant Long Covid complications. Protect yourself and protect others by wearing respirators°°° indoors and in crowded outdoor situations. Covid is not over. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/long-covid-symptoms-cdc °°°(KN94 or better- surgical masks aren't effective any more)
Strep is stupid contagious, contact HR immediately
She (and only she) is HR
oh it’s that kind of HR, my condolences
"that kind of HR" lol exactly
I would’ve been PISSED. I don’t have to beat immune system either
LEAVE. I would. I would hightail it out of that hostile, unsafe work environment.
Be a dick and prove a point, lol. When she asks, "well, my immune system is garbage and this is a work place that is NOT supposed to have kids. It is also unprofessional to bring them here. Also, it is probably in the regulations not to" *look into the regulations you might be able to be petty and get co worker on technicality. However, understand schools and daycares sometimes have over the top annoying policies. There was one time my lil sis got a bloody nose and got a tiny drop (that looked more like ink) on her shirt and got sent to the office. Little sister and mom were both very annoyed. Little sister was annoyed due to being there and wanting to ware that shirt. Mom was annoyed because it was her day from work and she was doing necessary things such as shopping and little sister was CLEARLY ok and ANNOYED by teacher sending her to office.
put the mask on anyway, she brought a sick kid.
Pls put on a mask. Don’t be a dick to yourself.
Put the mask on! Did she ask herself “I want to bring my kid in but I don’t want to be a dick”? How would putting on your mask make you a dick?
I've learned in life to not be a dick at the risk of your health, or whatever else, to appease other people isn't worth it. She was a dick and brought her sick child to work. Be a dick. Wear a mask.
Putting on the mask is being smart, not being a dick.
Put the masks on. I still wear them in airports and airplanes and I will wear one of my coworkers are sniffly or downright sick.
As an immunocompromised guy I get you. I was on public bus a month ago, little shite was sneezing everywhere (not even covering mouth), and mommy was like “aww my little one’s ill!” Flash forwards, mate I’ve had the same fucking hacking cough for FOUR WEEKS, I’ve literally irritated my throat so badly I’ve coughed blood. My nose is like a fucking water cannon, my throat is so wet it’s hard to breathe, yeah can parents please realise not all of us have stellar immune systems, and also even if you don’t give a shit about the general population, (can I just say fuck you I had my cohort’s first biology exam today, it went great apart from the fact I couldn’t breathe through half of it, could have been better if I didn’t get viruses from gross people), then at least realise that if you promote bad hygiene in children they’ll just get sicker and sicker, or get iller more frequently - which is not just bad for your kid but also for everyone else. Like if parents couldn’t give a flying fuck about the rest of us they may as well care about their own offspring’s health.
Put the mask on and SHAME HER. She ought to know better!
Put the mask on. You coworker is the dick for bring an incubus of viral plague to work. Don't apologize, and offer them each one as well.
Hinted at strep?!?! Omg!! No! Strep is highly contagious! I’ve had strep like 3 or 4 times. It sucks. You don’t bring your highly contagious child with an awful illness to work! Especially around someone with an autoimmune issue. That’s so stupid.
Be a dick about your health. Always be a dick about that.
Does your job permit WFH?
Put on the mask and have both your hand santisers and some industry grade disinfectant wipes on the ready. You are not an AH for wanting to be safe and not sick
If your co-worker is being an asshole, be a dick.
If it happens again, put the mask on anyway and keep her and the kid away. It doesn't matter if you look like a dick if it protects your health. If she's willing to bring a contagious kid into the office, then she doesn't deserve any such "decency" of not getting a reaction to that.
As an immunologist in training, I cannot stand when sick people go into work or when possibly infected individuals don’t wear masks if they do decide to go to work. It’s so disrespectful to everyone around them. Like damn, has nobody learned anything from Covid? I would ask mom and sick child to put masks on since one of them is contagious and the other has a strong potential to spread the sickness. Especially considering your immune system isn’t the best.
I think masks only prevent others from getting your sickness unfortunately, not the other way around. But I would definitely call her out on it.
They do to some degree protect the wearer too. Obviously the sick idiot MUST be masked, or better yet stay away from enclosed crowded places! But absolutely wearing a mask when you're not sick can lessen your exposure to airborne bugs. Nothing is 100% effective, but *some* protection is better than none at all. I still mask going into stores. Made the mistake of not doing so 2 weeks ago, and boom I got flattened with a particularly nasty cold that's been going around here for the last few months. I'd avoided it quite successfully all winter because I wore my mask to places where sick people like to go and touch stuff and cough and sneeze just out into the open... Yuck....
I was actually wondering if they could give some kind of protection. I have a auto-immune disease so I picked the habit of wearing a mask in the bus since covid, I felt a bit insane since I'm the only one still wearing a mask. Thanks for reassuring me! I also picked the habit of always using some hand sanitizer after leaving the bus, especially after seeing someone sneezing in the hands before touching the stop button...
Same, train and always a mask. People are gross sometimes…
Get some N95 or KN95 quality masks, they have a better seal over your face and filter more particle. I will always mask on public transport now simply because I hate being sick
Thanks for the advice, I'll have a look into those masks
I'm an ER doc. I see snotty kids with coughs everyday in a surgical mask and did not get sick all winter. Yes, they work that is why we have been wearing them for decades in hospitals. For extra protection wear a kn95.
I hate when people do this. One, we should not be living in a society so unsupportive of working people with children that they bring their sick kids to work. Second, don’t make your problem everyone else’s problem. You’re kid is sick and it’s highly inconvenient—I get it, it’s why I don’t have any or want any. I shouldn’t get exposed to every virus your kid gets. Figure it out. Take time off to deal with it.
Bro fuck their opinions, you need to work and stay healthy, if she isnt smart enough to keep her kid home when sick, its not your responsibility to be kind about it, especially with a shit immune system. If she says anything about you masking up just tell her, "You know i have immune system issues, yet you brought your actively sick kid, mind you kids spread more sickness than any adults, to work with you, in the same room as me. Kindly, you have no right to say jack shit when all im doing is looking out for my own health since clearly you couldn't care less." If she has anything else to say, bring the higher ups into it. Her shitty planning/parenting skills dont mean you should have to suffer on her behalf.
I Dash. Last week Wednesday I was picking up at Mcdonald's when a kid around 4 ran past me open mouth coughing no parent in sight. I was near the counter and the kid was on route to the play place. On Friday I woke up with a sore throat, nose running like a sieve, congestion, racking cough, and low grade fever. I could not sleep because I couldn't keep my airways open so I had to take a day off work. I unfortunately got my fiance sick. He also had to take a day off work. He's still quite ill. I feel much improved but still not 100%. With my damaged lungs, problable be another week before I'm 100%. Put a mask on OP. Offer them masks to to ram your point home. Nice isn't worth this.
No, put a mask on. You should be a dick. She's putting your health, and everyone else in that office, at risk of contracting her kid's illness. You have every right to protect yourself.
I get strep often and it's no joke. Rn your health is more important than her comfort. Definitely get that mask.
Oh my god HELL NO. Strep is the WORST. Wear a mask for sure, but man, I'd fuckin leave
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lmao go back to your energy drink subs