How Much of a Germophobe are you?

[lovevacadays]

I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I definitely wash my hands alot. I carry hand sanitizer with me on or off a cruise. I use my knuckles when pressing elevator buttons both on a ship and in my office elevators. I don't touch handrails, etc. But, I rarely get the flu or a cold. A few months ago I felt like I was coming down with a cold and it was actually a shock to me since it's such a rare occasion

[lovevacadays]

A better ranking would be:

 

 

1. The 5 second rule is for wimps. I'll eat anything.

 

2. I wash my hands after using the bathroom--most of the time.

 

3. I always squat rather than sit on a public toilet.

 

4. I own stock in Purell and take my dividends in product.

 

5. I make Monk look like a slob.

 

Too funny! Thanks for the laugh:D

[SchoolNurseMom]

I have a few things to add...

 

Please do not "hover" on the toilet. Your splashing all over the seat is what makes it nasty in the first place. Idon't mind to sit where other's skin has been, but splashiing is different!:(

 

There was a joke I heard once about someone not being taught to wash their hands after using the restroom and the response was "no, I was taught not to pee on my hands";) I agree that it is a good idea to wash your hands afterwards, especially if you work in food industry, etc. But some people are just way to germaphobic in a bathroom. I am a nurse and would never consider using a towel to open the door then using my foot to hole the door open while I reach back to the trashcan to throw my towel away.

 

I also wonder about all of theses "upper respiratory infections". Didn't we call these a cold long years ago?:confused:

[ducklite]

I also wonder about all of theses "upper respiratory infections". Didn't we call these a cold long years ago?:confused:

 

You should know that most URI's are bacterial and colds are viral. As an asthmatic, the last thing I need is either. I expect EVERYONE to be as proactive about keeping their germs to themselves as I am.

[sail7seas]

I have a few things to add...

 

Please do not "hover" on the toilet. Your splashing all over the seat is what makes it nasty in the first place. Idon't mind to sit where other's skin has been, but splashiing is different!:(

 

There was a joke I heard once about someone not being taught to wash their hands after using the restroom and the response was "no, I was taught not to pee on my hands";) I agree that it is a good idea to wash your hands afterwards, especially if you work in food industry, etc. But some people are just way to germaphobic in a bathroom. I am a nurse and would never consider using a towel to open the door then using my foot to hole the door open while I reach back to the trashcan to throw my towel away.

 

I also wonder about all of theses "upper respiratory infections". Didn't we call these a cold long years ago?:confused:

 

 

When it turns into pneumonia and requires hospitalization, one would most likely call it more than a cold.

 

That did not happen to us but it did to several people with whom we traveled. We became so ill that URI lingered for going on two months until we fully shock it off. We have never suffered so much from a 'cold' in the many years we've gotten the sniffles.

 

It is not unusual for nasty infectious upper respiratory conditions to work their way through a ship..... same as Noro does in that closed environment loaded with lots of people in close contact.

 

I'm not hanging around to make a 'medical assessment' as to how sick the cougher/sneezer appears. I'm on the move and out of their general location.

[padise]

If there is a lot of coughing and sneezing without said 'cougher' taking any precautions to contain their germs, I am OUT OF THERE. Some of those upper respiratory infections I've gotten on the ships can be hard to shake.

 

this is the second time i have gotten this dry hacking cough while being on a cruise. now it is 4 weeks later and it is still there! going to doc's again today, it scares me to have to cough so much.

[ducklite]

I am a nurse and would never consider using a towel to open the door then using my foot to hole the door open while I reach back to the trashcan to throw my towel away.

 

I use the towel so I don't have to touch the handle after the many people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. And there are plenty of them.

[SamFritz]

this is the second time i have gotten this dry hacking cough while being on a cruise. now it is 4 weeks later and it is still there! going to doc's again today, it scares me to have to cough so much.

I came home from a cruise last winter with a dry cough that I couldn't shake. In April even went to my doctor about it, but nothing seemed to help. Then I stopped wearing the cologne that I bought in Cozumel and it cleared up in a few days. :o

[srlafleur]

Mostly, I don't even think about it and, mostly, I'm pretty healthy - a cold every now & then. I don't hover (though I will avoid an obviously gross toilet seat). I wash my hands after using the toilet. If it's convenient enough, I may even elbow the door open (if I think of it, and if the condition of the bathroom is pretty bad) But I don't obsess or sanitize everything in sight. I have hand sanitizer but I usually forget it or, at best, use it sporadically. If I'M sick, I will try to protect others from me.

Good gawd, I was sick often as a kid (but not sickly) - caught every cold going around, had diarrhea/vomiting every so often (probably food poisoning - no one ever used different cutting boards for meat and veggies, the macaroni salad sat out ever so long, and our lunch sandwiches were in our lockers, not refrigerated), and I'm absolutely certain that that has helped my adult immune system.

There certainly seem to be more & more kids with asthma, allergies, etc. since we've started raising a sanitized generation. (I believe there are studies that bear witness to that)

[cruzeluver]

I wash my hands thoroughly after restroom breaks and try to be aware of conditions around me, but I don't carry hand sanitizer and I cannot imagine cleaning or sanitizing my stateroom. Haven't had a cold, flu or infection of any kind in years.

[sail7seas]

Mostly, I don't even think about it and, mostly, I'm pretty healthy - a cold every now & then. I don't hover (though I will avoid an obviously gross toilet seat). I wash my hands after using the toilet. If it's convenient enough, I may even elbow the door open (if I think of it, and if the condition of the bathroom is pretty bad) But I don't obsess or sanitize everything in sight. I have hand sanitizer but I usually forget it or, at best, use it sporadically. If I'M sick, I will try to protect others from me.

Good gawd, I was sick often as a kid (but not sickly) - caught every cold going around, had diarrhea/vomiting every so often (probably food poisoning - no one ever used different cutting boards for meat and veggies, the macaroni salad sat out ever so long, and our lunch sandwiches were in our lockers, not refrigerated), and I'm absolutely certain that that has helped my adult immune system.

There certainly seem to be more & more kids with asthma, allergies, etc. since we've started raising a sanitized generation. (I believe there are studies that bear witness to that)

 

 

 

I strongly agree that kids shouldn't be in sterile environment growing up (exception, of course, being children with severe illness necessitating it) and exposure to some dirt and germs is how the adult body has a robust immune system. It's okay if they play in mud and have dirty hands sometimes.

[KirkNC]

Gosh, no wonder noro is so common, 75% basically do nothing :eek:. I am like Howie Mandell, a confirmed germophobe.

[cruisemom42]

At times I think that folks are just plain obsessed with germs. I worked in a hospital for over twenty years where we were taught to use common sense. We washed (scrubbed) our hands frequently. I do the same on a cruise. I use the hand sanitizer when I enter the dining rooms.

 

I also use handrails, public restrooms, elevator buttons, door knobs, and eat at the buffet. The last sick day I took was in 1982 and I wasn't sick, my wife was and we had two babies at home and I was needed.

 

So I chose #1--germs...shmerms!;)

 

I chose "germs sherms!" I wash my hands frequently for obvious reasons! (School Nurse) However, I have parents who stop by my clinic and ask me why I never get sick and then comment on how "sterile" they keep their homes. Sometimes I have to explain to them that by never being exposed to and fighting off germs, their children cannot develop a healthy immune system!:p

 

As a microbiologist, I am DEFINATLY #1. I also see a major difference w/DD1. She was a germophobe w/child #1 but now w/3.............(+ a cat & dog).

 

I find it very interesting that a hospital employee, school nurse, and microbiologist all agree on "germs schmerms" (and I agree and am also in the medical field*). But the media has done a great job of "educating" people about how scary a little contact with "germs" can be, and now everyone thinks they are experts.

 

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....

 

Edited to add: *Of course, this is true only for those without otherwise compromised immune systems.

Edited December 27, 2011 by cruisemom42

[Beyondthe7Seas]

I carry around the mini hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works with me everywhere I go!

[cruzeluver]

I strongly agree that kids shouldn't be in sterile environment growing up (exception, of course, being children with severe illness necessitating it) and exposure to some dirt and germs is how the adult body has a robust immune system. It's okay if they play in mud and have dirty hands sometimes.

 

I find it very interesting that a hospital employee, school nurse, and microbiologist all agree on "germs schmerms" (and I agree and am also in the medical field*). But the media has done a great job of "educating" people about how scary a little contact with "germs" can be, and now everyone thinks they are experts.

 

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....

 

Agree 100% with you both. What is going to happen to these kids that are raised by paranoid parents who won't let them touch or play with anything because it may have germs on it? Going to be some awfully sickly adults.

[esimon]

Life is too short to be Penny Parinoid -- soap and water are great -- a little sanitizer never hurt anyone -- too much sanitizer causes more problems -- and they don't work ask the medical profession

[bill_posters_is_innocent]

Indeed, sometimes they are not contagious 'sick'.......

 

But sometimes (often) they are. And sometimes they say it is allergies just to excuse themselves for being out and about with no thought for others. If they stayed in their cabin to recover for a day or two, being considerate to others, it wouldn't spread through the whole ship but few do that.

 

No way to know the difference and I'd just as soon be as far from them as possible. Some of those upper respiratory illnesses we have contracted on ships have been highly contagious and made us plenty sick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is the worst!!! I sometimes hand them a wad of kleenex hoping they'll will get the not so subtle hint to at least cover their face and mouth. I also hand them a plastic bag into which they can put their used tissues. Of course, I do it as sweetly as possible indicating I'm trying to help them be more comfortable. :rolleyes: Sorry they are sick but nice if they tried their best to not infect the whole plane with their misery.

 

 

 

sick or not, I have no wish to share other peoples body fluids (unless I'm kissing a nice lady ).

Why Oh Why cant people carry Hankies or tissues and USE them instead of spreading their spray over all and sundry ????.

Its not just on cruise ships, it seems to be everywhere.

When I was a child there used to be notices on public transport saying "Coughs and Sneezes spread Diseases". and most people had handkerchief.

It appears that in the last 60 years people have become less considerate of others.

[bill_posters_is_innocent]

When people get "that look" and start to edge away from me, I am proactive. I tell them that I have allergies and asthma, and I always sound like this. Usually they get a look of relief. Sometimes they still walk away. I figure that's their problem. Let them go hide from the big bad world in their cabin. I'm not about to because of a non-contagious medical condition that I can't control any more than I already do.

 

If you bother to look at me, you'll see I don't look ill. My nose isn't red or runny, my eyes are clear, I don't look sick, I have energy and don't act sick--because I'm not.

You could still use a handkerchief or tissue to catch your spray, that way you might not get "The Look"

[RJ2002]

We actually do 2 and 3. We try to avoid the public restrooms if at all possible. If we do use them, we of course wash our hands, and use a towel to open the door handle when leaving the restroom.

 

At all other times, we wash our hands frequently.

[blitznbobs]

I'm a doctor - wash my hands A LOT at work and as little as possible (ie after toilet) at home but don't use hand sanitizer I believe that it's usual incorrect use makes the issue worse. I v rarely get sick but ironically I had Noro this week

 

The avoidance of germs whilst preventing some short term illnesses can be part of the causative process of allergies/ auto immune processes.., I'd rather have the odd episode of d and v than a life long illness.

 

I grew up on a farm so dirt butties were part of the diet - I reckon I've got a pretty good immune system!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

My wife wipes down the cabin .....

[Jackytar]

As a kid I played outside in the dirt and on community playground swings exposed to weather, other kids, etc., etc. I've had the flu from time to time. I get a flu shot each year, but it's freely available at the base hospital so why not?

 

Yes, I wash my hands. No, I don't bother with hand sanitizer, or using paper towel to operate the doorknob - and besides, if you're that paranoid, how do you know the paper towel hasn't been contaminated? Best bring your own, right? Same for bumfluff; bring your own, because you don't know where the stuff on the ship's been.

 

Having been on ships at sea for extended periods of time, with 90% recirculated air belowdecks, I have a pretty good notion of just how easy it is for something to go around, and how little is actually needed to fend it off. There are folks who have seriously compromised immune systems and yes, they very properly take suitable precautions. But if you're a normal, healthy adult, there's no real reason to do more than wash your hands after using the heads and before going to meals.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I'm not germophobic at all. I use sanitizer when entering the MDR, but that's mostly because it's seen as the norm on a cruise ship. The only precaution I take is frequent hand washing, especially in the following situations.

1. After using the restroom.

2. Before going to eat.

3. When returning from ports.

4. After handling animals.

5. Anytime I get my hands dirty.

[donaldsc]

I am a zero as I believe that the more germs we roll in, the higher the level of antibodies we have in out bodies. The germophobes are always sick because they are germophobes. People like me are generally healthy. The last time I even had a fever or the flu was maybe 10 years ago.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

My wife wipes down the cabin .....

 

But does she wipe you down? Who knows how many germs you are carrying on you. LOL!!

 

DON

Edited February 7, 2014 by donaldsc