Commuting - How do you deal with getting sick?

I want to know how people deal with getting sick and still commute. I'm not talking about getting the flu where you have to throw up all the time. I'm talking a cold and a sore throat. How do you deal with that if you have to commute every day?

I'm dealing with that right now...I should be back and running by Monday. Quite simply, I drive.

One reason why I'm getting back to commuting (and why I just got a 'bent) is so that I don't get sick as often (which isn't often now). Of course, I have an advantage over many people, I don't work inside where I get exposed to all of the sick people. I spend almost all of my time at work outside..... which is why I don't get sick as often as most.


Where I'm located, there is no public transportation, so I'll drive but if I'm sick enough to need to drive... I'll probably stay home.

By the way, if you want to get rid of your cold faster, get your pH to 7.4 and you'll be golden in no time, assuming of course you have a virus. A few google searches and you'll understand what i'm talking about. It makes sense now that i'm sick as i've let that slip...i went back to my dairy and red meat routine.

I rarely get sick, but I do have allergies and so of course biking exposes me to plenty of pollen, dust, and everything else that agitates my nose. I have to keep a bunch of tissues in my bike bag and on a bad day, blow my nose every 5-10 minutes to keep my breathing clear enough. It's not terribly enjoyable but a part of me does like the ability to overcome the simple adversities.

I want to know how people deal with getting sick and still commute. I'm not talking about getting the flu where you have to throw up all the time. I'm talking a cold and a sore throat. How do you deal with that if you have to commute every day?

That's what sick time is for, to prevent spreading diseases at work. I have compassion for all my co-workers and try to avoid going into work if I am a contagious disease vector.

If I feel too sick too ride, I stay home because I am probably too sick to be at work (this does not apply to injuries). I understand everyone doesn't have sick leave, but if you have it that is what it is for. This 'I have to be at work at all costs' notion is for the birds.

Wrap my neck and chest up more, lots of fluids/hot drinks. Depending on if you've managed to stop it getting worse, it's all good just take it easier and rest lots. If not, stop riding and do the same - your body needs to rest.
I have sick days but it's almost as if we're frowned upon for using them, which I don't like - though I'm not afraid of using them when necessary.

HTFU. :P

hahahaha, not really. I bundle up more and use lots of throat lozenges, but if I`m really hurting I don`t bother going in.

Riding while I am getting sick does absolutely no good for me. I have found that I recover faster when I stop ridding while getting sick and until after the cold is at its worst. Once I start getting better I get back in the saddle and riding helps me improve quickly. Also helps clear out the gunk from my throat.

My job is physically demanding, so if I'm too sick to ride to work, I'm probably too sick to work. I'm usually better in two or three days, tops.

Take a sick day (or three if you can)...or ride the bus if you don't have a car.

Like a lot of the other posters, if I'm too sick to ride, I'm too sick to work. My rule of thumb is that if it's in the gut or I have a fever, I should be in bed. But if it's just a cough or congestion, I've found that a gentle ride is just the thing for it.

I simply refuse to get sick. I can't afford to miss work and I only have the bike for getting there, so sick isn't an option.

too sick to ride = too sick to work.

I have had the experience of 'pushing it', only to find out that the entire first row of my class disappears with sickness for three days. It's not nice to go to work sick if you are working in close proximity to a lot of people

I forgot to mention that I work from home when sick.
So too sick to ride <> too sick to work. However too sick to ride <> go into work.
Then again I do have plenty of sick days and tend to rarely get sick.

I dunno how i'd handle that. Good thing i never get sick.

I only really get sick when I haven't been riding. During the two years that I rode daily, I didn't get sick at all. Before that, I always got 2 or 3 colds a year. I drove for a week back in December and spent the next two weeks working from home with a bad cold. I have driven for the last 3 weeks delivering my son with a broken ankle to school, and I've gotten a scratchy throat a couple of times, but nothing that would have stopped me from riding if I could.

I have not been sick in a very long time. If I do I will leave earlier, ride slow, and take it easy. Would have to be very serious to take a sick day.

If I'm too sick to ride, I am too sick to work.

If I ever need a ride, I know people I can get one from, or I could take the bus.

Last time I got sick, I could barely walk.

My rule for riding, whether commuting or training, is that if it is a head cold (sinus, sneezing, etc.) I still ride. If it is in my chest/lungs, I don't. That's conventional wisdom that I have seen from many sources. The last thing you want is to turn a chest cold into Bronchitis, Pneumonia, etc.

Sore throat is usually the first sign of a cold for me and don't try to fight it. I have the option of working from home, so I call in 'sick' and work from bed/couch, rest as much as possible, and log the hours instead of the time off. I try to get back to it in a couple days, but make sure to go easy until I'm back up to 100%. After 1-2 days easy, I push myself with a hard ride to 'sweat out' anything lingering.

I want to know how people deal with getting sick and still commute. I'm not talking about getting the flu where you have to throw up all the time. I'm talking a cold and a sore throat. How do you deal with that if you have to commute every day?

A bit too generic. Depends on how long the commute is, weather conditions, etc. I think the general rule is: too sick to commute = too sick to work.

I want to know how people deal with getting sick and still commute. I'm not talking about getting the flu where you have to throw up all the time. I'm talking a cold and a sore throat. How do you deal with that if you have to commute every day?
If I'm well enough to go to work, I'm usually well enough to ride slowly. But there's always mass transit. Plus I try to get more rest when I get home.

Bottom line is, you don't have to ride all the time. Riding your bike should not be a job, but it should be fun whenever possible. As a result, you'll ride more anyway.

:beer:

I had to quit riding last winter because of a knee injury. I don't have a car so I walked or bused to work and walked or got a ride home. I even took a cab home a few times, but that cost $10 a pop. (I work second shift so the buses aren't running that late.) I had to miss quite a bit of work because for a while I couldn't even walk. But I can honestly say that not having a car made no difference. I was glad to find out that I can get around without my bike if I have to, but I hope I never have to again!

IMO it's a good idea to have a backup plan in case there's ever a time when you can't ride, or even if you crack a rim or something as you're pulling out of the driveway.

If I feel too sick too ride, I stay home because I am probably too sick to be at work (this does not apply to injuries).

+1

Yeah, I like to use mass transit when I get too sick to ride. I also agree that if I have a slight cough or congestion, the ride helps it go away.

I agree. Years ago I was surprised to find that just "getting out and doing it" would often clear up a borderline condition. For me, the trick is recognizing which side of the line I'm on. If it needs babying, I hit the sheets; if it needs working out, I hit the road.

But the short answer for me is: Metrobus.

Note that I also agree with the idea that the more you're out "in it," the less likely you are to "get it."

Yes, I should add that if I'm starting to get sick, the best thing I can do to get rid of it is to get out and ride. That will usually clear up an impending cold.

Bah I just went through this with a bad cold. Luckily my worst days I didn't have to work (I would have called in sick for sure). I don't have a car and it all happened with very gross weather of snow/slush etc. One day I asked a co-worker for a ride into work, the other days (it didn't last long) I just made sure my mouth was covered and I found taking cough syrup ride before my ride and having a Halls on the go made me feel okay. The only other thing I did was aggressively combat the illness with healthy stuff and getting good sleeps thanks to Tylenol cold nightimes :) I think I will really look at Vancouver's Car Co-OP network so I can get a car when I am sick or the weather is out of control. http://www.cooperativeauto.net/