How often do you get sick? More or less often than

MammaNurse2Be · Aug 4, 2011

Thank you everyone!

:)

Lifeofanurse · Aug 8, 2011

This really concerned me. I worked part time at a pharmacy while I was finishing my prereq and waiting for school to start and I got sick CONSTANTLY.

It is absolutely disgusting that people come in w/ contagious illnesses and proceed to wander around touching things and just basically killing time til their Rx's are ready...things that they wouldn't go to work with. Wouldn't send their kids to daycare with...but it's perfectly fine to let little johnny touch, chew on and lick (yes LICK) every toy down the toy aisle. BLECH!

Anyway not all the clorox wipes in town would clean all the germs in that store.

That was actually one of the reasons I left that job. I didn't like getting sick all the time, bringing all those germs home to my family, getting THEM sick...just an endless cycle.

I'm happy to report that hospitals are much cleaner than Pharmacy's. They actually clean things. They sequester those w/ contagious illness's and protect healthcare workers by implementing precautions.

I haven't been sick since school began. Sure I had a minor ache or pain, a cold. I did get a little bit of an upper respiratory bug for a day or two...but I also didn't want to miss school so off to the Dr. I go the minute I know it's sticking around ...

I do wash my hands all the time. I make an effort to clean my equipment often, between patients, before I enter the hospital and before I leave for the day. I leave my 'hospital' shoes in the trunk of my car. I don't mess around. I know what kind of stuff is going around hospitals so I minimize my exposure as much as possible.

It's working!

cogath · Aug 8, 2011

I am so grateful that I haven't gotten severely ill during school or work so far. This has been my biggest fear. Mono was going around last year and some students missed a week or more of class. I can't image recovering after missing so much. Thankfully I have been very healthy. The last illness I had that really knocked me out was actually the week school ended. I slept a few days straight besides work and then got a bug. This has happened a few times. I figure when I'm constantly busy will school my system is on hyper-drive and is ready to battle whatever comes its way. Then, when I finally get to rest, my body lets its defenses down and that's when I get sick. That's my theory anyway.

allnurses Guide · Aug 8, 2011

Knock wood (Nope, not evidence based. oh well ) but I have not had a serious bout with anything since I started nursing school - just a bad cold/cough once that made people nervous to be around me, but I didn't feel that bad.

I take vitamin C and wash my hands often, make sleep a priority second only to getting my school work done.

Please do NOT use the scented hand sanitizers. It makes your patients sick to their stomachs and a lot of your classmates as well. No nursing student should be using strong scents in the classroom or clinical setting. Ever.

kaiasunshine · Aug 8, 2011

I work in a long-term care facility and get sick less often than I did before I started working there...but I do tend to eat better now. Sleep is always big for me so I usually sleep 8-9 hours a night, plus I eat lots of fruit and veg and try to stay away from animal products, take vitamin C daily with a calcium supplement and try to get enough sun. I'm also taking up kayaking this week, and enjoy cross-country skiing!

I generally get two head colds a year, as well as strep throat and an ear infection 1x a year each. However this year I've been doing other things to nip it in the bud- when I get a cold or flu I take upwards of 6000mg of Vitamin C per day and that either prevents it or seriously shortens it, and (this is hilarious) if I start to feel an ear infection coming on, I stick a clove of raw garlic in my ear for a few hours. It sounds and looks really bizarre but it works for me, believe it or not! I don't put it in far of course, less far than an ear plug, but it does the trick! This year has honestly been a much healthier year for me :)

allnurses Guide · Aug 9, 2011

A clove of garlic in the ear?! That is one I have not heard before! :laugh:

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Aug 9, 2011

I seldom get sick--possably a cold Q 3 hears. Yet, I noted when I did my peds rotation, I developed a sore throat post-clinical (I took all precautions + hand washing). My throat would mend by the next weekly rotation and the process restarted. Because of this, I decided to avoid specializing in peds.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Aug 9, 2011

I like Emergen C. I used to get sick at least once/semester while in nursing school, but since I finished I haven't been sick! *knocks on wood*

chicagoing, ADN, RN · Aug 9, 2011

I dont get sick often but when I do, it is pretty knock down drag out sickness

Same here!

I exercise (both strength & cardio) a minimum of 4x a week. I try to keep healthy with the diet, but like any other human, I am human!

One thing I can improve on is getting more sleep.

I am not overly particular about avoiding germs, but I will not lick my fingers (I don't eat wings!) and always wash my hands upon returning home.

CrazierThanYou · Aug 14, 2011

I have a teaching degree although I have never worked as a teacher. But when I was doing my student teaching, I stayed sick the entire year. In clinicals, I haven't gotten sick so far, 3 semesters in. I'm off to knock on some wood!

pdxmomazon · Aug 14, 2011

Lack of sleep is what gets me sick. I'm trying to strike a balance between school work, family time, and SLEEP!

I've done two IV vitamin pushes this summer (Meyer's cocktails) to boost my immune system and in the winter I take Elderberry syrup (it has anti-viral properties) If I feel a sore throat coming on I rinse my throat with salt water several times a day and that has worked really well. I've also been known to do the hot feet/cold sock treatment when I feel a cold coming on to get my lymphatic system going. I just started my program in June, and I'm terrified of getting sick during this crazy 18 month ride!

jenniferclare · Aug 14, 2011

. I figure when I'm constantly busy will school my system is on hyper-drive and is ready to battle whatever comes its way. Then, when I finally get to rest, my body lets its defenses down and that's when I get sick. That's my theory anyway.

Yep, same here. I've yet to get so sick that I have to miss any class or clinical, but man, at least part of spring break and christmas break are spent in bed with my own private pharmacy. It hits me hard once I finally come down from the heightened level of stress during class!