True confessions of a germaphobe.

 

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photo quickmeme.com

I can’t begin to tell you how true this is for me.  This time of year sees me going waaay out of my way to avoid someone with a runny nose or cough.  I had a cashier this morning who had a stuffy nose and it was all I could do not to toss my money in her general direction and say, “Keep the change, I’m good”.  For someone who’s out and about as much as I am, avoiding the contaminated isn’t easy…they’re everywhere.  

I see sick people...

I see sick people…

Drug stores are a hotbed of anxiety for me.  I need them so I can buy my stuff..but where do sick people go to buy over the counter drugs and pick up prescriptions?  THE DRUG STORE.

Grocery stores are the same thing. If I’ve seen one sick toddler or baby wiping their snotty little faces all over the cart, I’ve seen a hundred this fall.  And yes, I use the cart wipes.  Like you had to ask.

And we’re not immune here at our house.  We had a two week run where a rotten head cold ran through both kids and then Mark.  But wait…who picked up the damp, sodden tissues, handed out cough drops and DayQuil, wiped the sneeze spray from the bathroom mirrors and faucets?  Me.  Big Al.  And who didn’t get sick?  That’s right.  This girl.

I’ve been living on ColdEeze and chewable vitamin C tabs for weeks.  A couple of times, including last night, I’ve had a bit of an itchy throat, popping ears, that almost warm feeling that is the harbinger of doom for me…unmistakable warning signs of an upcoming cold.  I popped a ColdEeze (they should be sponsoring me by now) and within a couple of hours, I’m back to myself.

My Preciousssss

My Preciousssss

I’m also amazed I still have skin on my hands after all of the bleaching, Clorox Wipes and constant hand washing.  Railings, remotes, car keys, phones, fridge and sinks, cupboard door handles, light switches, laptops…if it sits still long enough, it’s getting wiped down.

I dread, dread, dread the thought of getting sick.  With two kids, a house, two blogs, errands, appointments, school runs…even one day off my feet throws a huge wrench into the works.  Mark is gone from dawn to dark this time of year and while the kids would try to help…it would be a cluster.  On good, healthy days I’m exhausted at the end of the day.  Sick days?  Oy.

Now the news on TV, you guys.  Let’s talk about this for a minute and what it does to someone like me.  Ebola, Endovirus D68.  Sweet baby Jesus with his hair on fire…my anxiety goes thru the roof, my OCD goes into overdrive and I start checking and double checking my stockpiles.  Water, paper goods, antibiotics, OTC’s, dry goods, canned goods, prescriptions….I’m about one CDC report away from buying plastic sheeting and duct tape to hermetically seal us in our house.

Earlier this week when a Liberian man died of Ebola in Texas (much to close to my sister and her family), I may have done some panic shopping.  I ran out to the Dollar Tree to grab one that Hallee needed and I ended up with a cart full of OTC’s, alcohol, tissues, etc.  Boy..you want to see a busy, long line disintegrate around you?  Fill your cart with these items when pandemics are in the news.  If I had so much as coughed, half the people in that store would have run out shrieking.  I got some looks, y’all.   2014-10-10 18.26.15

I had a little buyers remorse leaving the store.  Hahahaha…that’s a lie.  Stockpile ALL THE THINGS.

My germ concerns come pretty naturally to me.  My mother was a charge nurse in an ER most of my life and my father is the deputy director of the Office of Emergency Management down in NJ.  I got lectured on germs, hygiene, safety and preparedness most of my life.  It may have rubbed off a bit.  Thanks, Mom & Dad.

Is it normal to have a secret “Prepper” board on Pinterest?  It is, right?  Right?

 

 

 

Allyson Sorenson

About Allyson Sorenson

Bangor mom. BDN blogger. Volvo lover. Coffee drinker.