Author Topic: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped  (Read 12060 times)

psychomoustache

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When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« on: March 05, 2013, 08:36:43 AM »
So this month I started with my bike all in good shape, ready for these milder pre-spring days - and voila, sinusitis. Grrrr. Feeing wiped out, the chills, and generally yucky. I'm sure that MMM himself, and the Mrs., probably never get sick. I hate watching the gas tank shrink to take my poor tired butt all over our tiny teeny town.

So how do you guys deal with sickness setback? I'm ok today, but still not 100%, so I'm compromising by walking more, not biking (which feels a bit easier)

Bleh. That's my final answer.

martynthewolf

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2013, 08:42:37 AM »
I can empathise with you, after an amazing start last month, I went and got flu, so I've spent a ton on medication to alleviate symptoms and I've had to drive to work in the car now that I'm starting to recover. Maybe I still need to man up a bit.

I've taken some solace in the fact that I've paid off almost £400 of debt this month though.

Kenoryn

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2013, 10:13:00 AM »
You were going to work while you had the flu?

Mrs MM

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2013, 10:43:56 AM »
I had strep throat while MMM was galavanting about spending thousands of dollars in Seattle.  ;)  My first strep test was negative, so I had to put up with it until my second strep test came back positive.  So, I was really sick for almost the entire week he was gone.  I'm prone to strep - not sure why.  I usually get it at least once a year (I've had it twice this year).

So, I drove more last week than I have in a long time.  What I learned is that driving is a pain in the ass.  The only place I went was to the school to drop my son off and pick him up, a trip to the doctor's office, and a trip to the pharmacy.

Here are the issues I found with driving (although I was thankful to have a car as I was so sick that even walking was difficult):

- Finding a parking spot at the school is ridiculous.  A lot of kids walk/bike so that helps, but you really have to get there early to get a good spot.  When I bike, I can bike right to the pick up area with ease.

- Driving to the doctor's office is slower than biking.  When I bike, I can take a short cut through a park.  When I drive, I have to go around and there are more red lights and left turns.

- There was a long car line up to pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy via the drive through window.  Even though I was exhausted, I walked in as I hate to sit in lineups and it went very quickly.

- The car is cold - with short trips like this, you get to your destination before the car warms up and then you sit there shivering the whole time.  When you bike, you start warming up right away from the exercise (plus you just dress more appropriately, I think).

martynthewolf

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2013, 01:31:23 AM »
You were going to work while you had the flu?

Haha no, I sure wasn't, bad wording on my part I guess. I meant now that I'm pretty much over it I'm using the car more until I'm fully fit.

psychomoustache

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2013, 03:50:33 AM »
Thanks for your thoughts - you make me laugh Mrs MMM - 'cause even though you can't freakin' WALK, you are complaining about your CAR. Now -is that like reverse complainypants or something?
My mom used to get strep every year too - now that I remember - she would be in bed a week and we'd have babysitters. There must be some people more susceptible to that.
Hope you're feeling better - I am - homeopathy works for me (most of the time) and inhalations with essential oils. I am BACK on the BIKE (fist pump here)

Self-employed-swami

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2013, 04:44:48 AM »
Drive-through Pharmacy??? We don't have those here, so I've been that sicker-than-a-dog people standing around the drug store, waiting for a prescription more than once.

I am having surgery on my left hand today, so I am going to be unable to drive for a while, which corresponds nicely to us only having one vehicle for a while.

I hope everyone recovers quickly from their ailments.

boy_bye

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2013, 05:39:45 AM »
This has been a hard couple of months for health! First I dislocated my shoulder in January -- oww! -- and ended up at urgent care, the ortho's office, and physical therapy once a week. With $25-$40 co-pays on these visits, plus a $1000 deductible threshold I have to meet to get insurance to pay for anything, this has been a spendy experience.

Then, about 3 weeks ago, I started having dizzy spells. Again, ended up in urgent care and at the doctors' office. More prescriptions. And it's a really awful feeling, like I can't trust my body to know what's going on around me and respond the way I'm used to it doing. No bike rides possible. Not much walking, either, though I do it anyway and just sit down and rest when I start to feel faint.

I'm really hoping that the antibiotic I started taking yesterday resolves it, because I have a lot that I want to do in the next few months, and vertigo is not conducive with getting all that done. Fingers crossed!

The good part is that I have the money to pay these medical bills, and I have insurance, and I'm not totally debilitated, so that's what I'm trying to focus on. I also have a wonderful husband who has been doing all the cooking and who is really understanding when I have rough days. I am super lucky in all that, and looking forward to getting back to normal ASAP.

Mrs. MM, your strep experience reminds me of one winter when I got strep like 5 times. I finally realized that the guy I was dating at the time was a symptomless carrier of strep, and kept infecting me. Is it possible that Mr MM or Lil MM are carriers? If so you might be able to stop getting strep all the time if they get treated.

Mrs MM

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2013, 09:33:01 AM »
Mrs. MM, your strep experience reminds me of one winter when I got strep like 5 times. I finally realized that the guy I was dating at the time was a symptomless carrier of strep, and kept infecting me. Is it possible that Mr MM or Lil MM are carriers? If so you might be able to stop getting strep all the time if they get treated.

Yes!  I have a theory that my son might be one of those strep carriers.  He licks me all the time, after all.  How do they get treated?  I was under the impression that they were carriers but there wasn't anything you could do about it.

BlueMR2

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2013, 10:10:36 AM »
You were going to work while you had the flu?

A lot of people do.  Down here in the US of A, not everyone has sick days...  Not a fan of spreading disease, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do to keep a job...

Besides, if you're going to be sick somewhere, might as well go be sick at work where you're in pain anyways.  ;-) 

We don't have sick days at my place of work, but we're building a telecommuting culture so hopefully I can just work from home when I'm sick in the future. 

Paul der Krake

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2013, 10:25:01 AM »
I am blessed with an iron-clad immune system and haven't missed a day's work in years. When I do miss one it means the system broke down spectacularly and I am either lying in a hospital bed or so sick that I cannot lace my own shoes (hellooooo shingles).

Regardless, it's best not to beat yourself up over this. Unless you get sick regularly, in the long run those will hardly register in the ever-increasing curve of your net worth... Get better, learn from the mistakes (if any), move on.

There is a lot of good advice packed in this article for athletes of all levels:
http://www.trifuel.com/training/triathlon-training/rest-days-learn-how-to-read-your-body-before-taking-one

psychomoustache

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2013, 10:33:21 AM »
Goodness madgeylou I hope you are better !

Yeah, I have to work with the flu myself - even though France is generous with sick days, when you're self-employed, you WORK. The last time I called in sick was 2009 - stomach flu - I REALLY couldn't work. Otherwise, I am sort of zoned out and feverish but at Work all the Same.

EMP

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2013, 10:42:24 AM »
I feel your pain.  My recent bout with the flu cost me ~$500 between two doctors visits and prescriptions.  Not to mention the week's worth of work that didn't get done. 

Normally I would have toughed it out at home without seeing the doctor, but I'm pregnant and the tiniest bit paranoid. 

The really unfair part was that I got better just in time for my deductible to reset. 

boy_bye

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2013, 10:54:05 AM »
Mrs. MM, your strep experience reminds me of one winter when I got strep like 5 times. I finally realized that the guy I was dating at the time was a symptomless carrier of strep, and kept infecting me. Is it possible that Mr MM or Lil MM are carriers? If so you might be able to stop getting strep all the time if they get treated.

Yes!  I have a theory that my son might be one of those strep carriers.  He licks me all the time, after all.  How do they get treated?  I was under the impression that they were carriers but there wasn't anything you could do about it.

looks like a course of clindamycin works? i don't know too much about it, though ...

http://stg.jfponline.com/pdf%2F5710%2F5710JFP_ClinicalInq1.pdf

and thank you psychomoustache! i am feelling pretty normal today -- hoping that my problem really is just an ear infection and that these antibiotics can kick it out of my head!
« Last Edit: March 06, 2013, 10:56:08 AM by madgeylou »

TheDude

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #14 on: March 06, 2013, 11:02:22 AM »
Great thread, I have had sore throat for the last week and a cold for the last three days. I was think it was strep but now I am not sure. It actually feels pretty great in the cold air of the morning commute. I refuse to give up my ride for some damn cold.

Self-employed-swami

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #15 on: March 07, 2013, 01:38:47 AM »
Madgeylou, have you investigated begnign positional vertigo? It is treated with some specific repetitive exercises that you can do at home, and not medication. Dr google might have the prescription for that.

Good luck!

BPA

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #16 on: March 07, 2013, 04:44:08 AM »
When I am sick I take the bus or a taxi wherever I need to go instead of walking or riding my bike, but most times I just stay at home until I'm better.  I have a fund of bus tickets for just such times.

Hope everyone is feeling better and that your wrist heals quickly, SES.

Self-employed-swami

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #17 on: March 07, 2013, 06:57:23 AM »
Thanks BPA.

rtrnow

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #18 on: March 07, 2013, 07:20:54 AM »
Mrs. MM, your strep experience reminds me of one winter when I got strep like 5 times. I finally realized that the guy I was dating at the time was a symptomless carrier of strep, and kept infecting me. Is it possible that Mr MM or Lil MM are carriers? If so you might be able to stop getting strep all the time if they get treated.

Yes!  I have a theory that my son might be one of those strep carriers.  He licks me all the time, after all.  How do they get treated?  I was under the impression that they were carriers but there wasn't anything you could do about it.

I too tend to get strep almost every year, sometimes twice. My doc said it was at least partly caused by my tonsils and if the occurrence became any more often then I should have them removed. At least I've gotten really good at see the symptoms and my doc is usually willing to just call in a prescription since he know's it's pretty usually for me.

sheepstache

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2013, 07:55:31 AM »
Mrs. MM, your strep experience reminds me of one winter when I got strep like 5 times. I finally realized that the guy I was dating at the time was a symptomless carrier of strep, and kept infecting me. Is it possible that Mr MM or Lil MM are carriers? If so you might be able to stop getting strep all the time if they get treated.

Yes!  I have a theory that my son might be one of those strep carriers.  He licks me all the time, after all.  How do they get treated?  I was under the impression that they were carriers but there wasn't anything you could do about it.

I too tend to get strep almost every year, sometimes twice. My doc said it was at least partly caused by my tonsils and if the occurrence became any more often then I should have them removed. At least I've gotten really good at see the symptoms and my doc is usually willing to just call in a prescription since he know's it's pretty usually for me.

I've wondered if one strep infection makes you more prone to them in the future?  I had it once as a kid but then picked it up abroad a few years ago.  And ended up with rheumatic-frikkin'-fever.  (Yes, yes, all my friends suggested I treat it with laudanum while recover on my fainting couch and whatever other victorian jokes they could think of.)  I had a preventative course once a month for a year after that but then got it like three times in the next two years.  I did consider my spouse might be a carrier but this year has been fine so far.  That's good info in case I do look into it more.

Mrs. MM did you really have to wait for a positive test?  My nurse practitioner said the tests rarely come back positive--because you can be suffering from an infection but the bacteria from the skin of the throat that they test clears up after the first couple days.  So they do the test anyway but give me the medication right away just based on the self-reported symptoms.  It's great that your doctor doesn't want to hand out antibiotics willy-nilly but maybe you should be more insistent.

GuitarStv

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #20 on: March 07, 2013, 08:01:37 AM »
When I'm sick, I take sick days.  If I'm well enough to go to work, I'm well enough to bike.  If I'm not well enough to bike, I'm not well enough to go to work.

martynthewolf

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #21 on: March 07, 2013, 09:57:41 AM »
When I'm sick, I take sick days.  If I'm well enough to go to work, I'm well enough to bike.  If I'm not well enough to bike, I'm not well enough to go to work.

That sounds like a fantastic way to put it. I hate it when people roll up to work who should really be at home. I'll never understand the mentality of people that come to work ill. I really don't want to catch their illness and im sure neither do any of the other 9 developers in my office. Some people in particular see it as a badge of honor that they managed to get into work and sit at the computer doing nothing but infecting everyone else.

Self-employed-swami

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #22 on: March 07, 2013, 12:51:44 PM »
Or, depending on the employer, people taking sick days could be frowned upon, which means people go to work, unless they cant physically get out of bed.  I worked a place like that once, and it sucked.

boy_bye

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #23 on: March 07, 2013, 01:36:03 PM »
Or, depending on the employer, people taking sick days could be frowned upon, which means people go to work, unless they cant physically get out of bed.  I worked a place like that once, and it sucked.

or, you could just be like me, and perfectly functional except for 10 minute intervals where the world is swimming around me.

seriously, if i took a sick day every time i didn't feel well enough to bike to work, i would not have a job right now.

anotherAlias

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #24 on: March 07, 2013, 01:50:15 PM »
 
Or, depending on the employer, people taking sick days could be frowned upon, which means people go to work, unless they cant physically get out of bed.  I worked a place like that once, and it sucked.

Or you could get chronic sinus infections...not contagious but still miserable for a good 2-3 weeks at a time.  For me it's simply not practical to stay home unless I have a fever.

boy_bye

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #25 on: March 07, 2013, 01:54:48 PM »
Madgeylou, have you investigated begnign positional vertigo? It is treated with some specific repetitive exercises that you can do at home, and not medication. Dr google might have the prescription for that.

Good luck!

meant to say thanks for this. i haven't been officially diagnosed with anything, but i did stumble across BPPV a few days ago, which led me to this PDF. i started doing the exercise on the left the day before yesterday. it's supposed to help a lot within about 30 sessions (3x a day, 10 days), so we shall see.

Self-employed-swami

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #26 on: March 07, 2013, 07:54:55 PM »
meant to say thanks for this. i haven't been officially diagnosed with anything, but i did stumble across BPPV a few days ago, which led me to this PDF. i started doing the exercise on the left the day before yesterday. it's supposed to help a lot within about 30 sessions (3x a day, 10 days), so we shall see.

Good luck!

I dont usually recommend that people self-diagnose from the internet, but in this case, since you've seen a doctor already, and this is drug-free, I don't see the harm in giving the exercises a go, since they couldn't make anything worse.

I hope something helps anyway.

CanuckExpat

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #27 on: March 07, 2013, 11:25:50 PM »
When I'm sick, I take sick days.  If I'm well enough to go to work, I'm well enough to bike.  If I'm not well enough to bike, I'm not well enough to go to work.
I know this doesn't work for everyone, but I wanted to +1 this.
There are good days, bad days, and days I don't bike..

jnik

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #28 on: March 08, 2013, 10:45:45 AM »
Madgeylou, have you investigated begnign positional vertigo? It is treated with some specific repetitive exercises that you can do at home, and not medication. Dr google might have the prescription for that.
Epley maneuver is the magic phrase to be looking for.

Self-employed-swami

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #29 on: March 08, 2013, 10:52:04 AM »
Thanks for clarifying that for me:)

Dee18

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Re: When you get sick, and your mustache is clipped
« Reply #30 on: March 08, 2013, 11:27:21 AM »
Don't know if this will help, but I used to get one sore throat after another (some strep, some not--usually contracted from school age child) until I started gargling with Listerine every morning and night.  I know that's only anecdotal evidence, but it's worked for me.  A retired dr. suggested it.