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getting sick

Old 06-01-14, 06:05 PM
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getting sick

hi all i'm a new member but lurked around for years i'm about to go car free and i was wondering what to do if you get sick like a chest cold or pneumonia and there is no bus stop close by,do you still ride or what do you do
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Old 06-01-14, 06:44 PM
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The options would depend on your personal situation.

You could:

Get a ride with a friend
Walk to a further away bus stop
Use carsharing if it is in your area
Taxi
Rent a car
Combine any of the above to get to a transit stop
Do a short bike ride to get to transit
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Old 06-01-14, 06:57 PM
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I very rarely experience sickness myself, but when I do get the rare cold or other issue I suffer through it and ride anyways, being careful to keep my fluid levels up and exertion to a minimum. If I'm too sick or injured to ride I'm in no condition to do my job anyways.
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Old 06-01-14, 07:00 PM
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If it was a cold or other minor illness, I would rest more but still ride if I had to. If it was more serious, I'd stay in bed and let my family take care of me, like I do for them.
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Old 06-01-14, 08:51 PM
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Generally, if I'm too sick to ride, I'm too sick to be at work. To get to the Dr. I might take a bus or a taxi.

Last time I tried riding while sick was well over a decade ago. Going down the slight incline of the street I lived on was horrible and when I turned the corner onto the level street, I knew I couldn't make it to work. So I struggled back home.
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Old 06-01-14, 09:22 PM
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Thanks for your replies i'm just trying to look ahead at worst case scenarios
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Old 06-01-14, 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
To get to the Dr. I might take a bus or a taxi.
I'm in the process of finding a new doctor. I'd love to see one within a short bus ride of my house. Unfortunately, most of the doctors have relocated to these weird medical ghettos out in the 'burbs. Even when the "campus" is on a bus line, the offices are a long walk from the bus stop.

There are a couple chiropractors downtown but no physicians.
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Old 06-01-14, 10:32 PM
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Originally Posted by angelcaro
hi all i'm a new member but lurked around for years i'm about to go car free and i was wondering what to do if you get sick like a chest cold or pneumonia and there is no bus stop close by,do you still ride or what do you do
Stay home.

If you've got pneumonia, there's no way you should be out and about. If you've got to pick up medication, take a cab.
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Old 06-01-14, 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Machka
Stay home.

If you've got pneumonia, there's no way you should be out and about. If you've got to pick up medication, take a cab.
This. Stay home unless it's a Dr's appointment or getting meds.

OP, if it's specifically commuting you're referring to, dragging my sick self to work will accomplish three things: I'll not get much anything done at work, my condition will likely get worse and as an additional bonus my colleagues have a good chance of catching the bug from me.

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Old 06-02-14, 10:55 AM
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Several different ways of looking at this:
1) If it is a cold or something, as others have said, if you are too sick to ride to work, you are too sick to go to work.
2) When I decided to go car light (my wife still has a car, but our jobs are such that sharing for the commute doesn't work) I looked at the things where I would need something other than the bicycle. I made sure that it was easy to get to a car rental place on public transit, and I have used that a few times, I have also made use of Zipcar, but overall, I have found that I need a car far less than I had imagined. In 5 years of being car light, I have rented cars perhaps 3 or 4 times, and I use zipcar perhaps once every few weeks. A couple of years ago, I fell, and broke some bones in my hand which made it difficult to ride a bike. I've also used taxis a few times. I got to work/back on public transit fine for a month.
3) I have found that by riding my bike every day, I do not get sick as often as I used to.
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Old 06-02-14, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by sauerwald
3) I have found that by riding my bike every day, I do not get sick as often as I used to.
That's a very good point. I have found the same thing. There are also public health studies that show many health benefits of daily exercise. The health benefits are partially offset by the fact that you're more likely to get injured if you're riding a bike rather than sitting on a couch. But still, the bottom line is that overall health is better if one exercises every day, and not having a car practically guarantees more exercise.
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Old 06-02-14, 10:16 PM
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I usually get sick with a cold 1-2 times a year, and it really hasn't affected my ability to get places by bike. Long ago, I discovered that the symptoms tended to relax a bit while I was actually exercising, and this has been true while riding my bike. If it's cold, I'll make sure my face is wrapped up pretty well - no pneumonia yet (pretty impressive, given that I had it as a kid).

Just my experience, but I've found a Neti pot to be really effective at keeping colds from turning into bad chest colds (trust me, I was very skeptical at first). I've also found it to be effective for increasing my airflow during allergy season.
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Old 06-02-14, 10:34 PM
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If it's just a cold, allow a little extra time and ride anyway. If it's more than that, I agree with the others that you shouldn't be at work anyway. It's not like you're going to do anyone any good if you come into work sick as a dog with the flu. You won't get anything done anyway. Stay home and get better.
If you need to go to the doctor, take a cab. Yeah, cabs are expensive, but you can take a whooole lot of cab rides for the price of a car, so knock yourself out. If you're taking so many cab rides to and from the doctor that it costs as much as owning a car, you have bigger problems.

Actually, if there is any kind of cab or even black cap/limo service in your vicinity, that's a good "edge case" fall-back option. If you fall back on it two or three times a year, it might feel expensive on those few occasions, but it's still peanuts compared to the total cost (purchase price, registration, inspection, insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs, etc) of the absolute dirt cheapest car you could possibly get.
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Old 06-02-14, 10:56 PM
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I agree with others: if you're too sick to ride, you're too sick to be at work. That said, I'm a teacher, and I'm sick more often than most adults, and I often go to work anyway. If it's just a cold, I still ride to work, only more slowly. If I have a fever, all bets are off and I will not go, mainly for fear of infecting others. If I'm so sick that I have to get meds or go to the doctor, I walk to the clinic two blocks from my house. When I didn't have that convenient option, I relied on friends. Don't feel shy about asking for help; most people, if you ask, will not resent it at all if you say that you need their assistance.
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Old 06-03-14, 07:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Machka
Stay home.

If you've got pneumonia, there's no way you should be out and about. If you've got to pick up medication, take a cab.
That's another case of the key to car-free is planning. The closest pharmacy to me is across the street. Living in a place that is car-free-friendly is very important.
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Old 06-03-14, 02:38 PM
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We have a guaranteed ride home policy provided by our local transportation authority if you sign up to commute to work by bus, walk, or bike a certain number of times per week. It has to be a general emergency (like being ill or if you have a child at home that needs you right away). You may want to check with yours. At least you'd get home (wouldn't solve your sickness issue).
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Old 06-03-14, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Ridefreemc
We have a guaranteed ride home policy provided by our local transportation authority if you sign up to commute to work by bus, walk, or bike a certain number of times per week. It has to be a general emergency (like being ill or if you have a child at home that needs you right away). You may want to check with yours. At least you'd get home (wouldn't solve your sickness issue).
That sounds interesting. I'm positive we don't have a guarantee here. Under the guarantee, how do they get you home? How much does it cost?
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Old 06-03-14, 05:48 PM
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I'm not shy about ordering a cab if I need one. Last winter I worked one Sunday. I wasn't feel the best, so I took the bus. After several hours I noticed a fever coming on. A cab seemed like a good idea...
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Old 06-03-14, 08:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Roody
That sounds interesting. I'm positive we don't have a guarantee here. Under the guarantee, how do they get you home? How much does it cost?
If I remember correctly it is free and you can rely on it twice per year. You call a cab for the ride.
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Old 06-03-14, 10:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Ridefreemc
If I remember correctly it is free and you can rely on it twice per year. You call a cab for the ride.
Thanks. I'm going to suggest this to my transit folks.
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Old 06-04-14, 05:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Roody
Thanks. I'm going to suggest this to my transit folks.
Here are a few links (the first one is in my area called "Emergency Ride Home"). My guess is that it is part of their funding from the feds:

https://www.rideproweb.com/TBARTA/se...nticated=False

https://rideshare.511.org/rewards/guaranteed_home.aspx
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Old 06-04-14, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by angelcaro
hi all i'm a new member but lurked around for years i'm about to go car free and i was wondering what to do if you get sick like a chest cold or pneumonia and there is no bus stop close by,do you still ride or what do you do
Personally, I would never move to an area that is not close to a bus stop. There are alot of limitations to being bicycle dependant and you listed one of them. By the way, a chest could lead to something serious so be careful about them. As for pneumonia, I think people already answered that one.
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Old 06-05-14, 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Ridefreemc
We have a guaranteed ride home policy provided by our local transportation authority if you sign up to commute to work by bus, walk, or bike a certain number of times per week. It has to be a general emergency (like being ill or if you have a child at home that needs you right away). You may want to check with yours. At least you'd get home (wouldn't solve your sickness issue).
We have that too. Of course, the most likely problem I would face is if my bus broke down and stranded me 50 miles from home. I almost never bring my bike on the bus when I'm working here, as I would be stranded if the bus' bike rack were full.
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Old 06-05-14, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by enigmaT120
We have that too. Of course, the most likely problem I would face is if my bus broke down and stranded me 50 miles from home. I almost never bring my bike on the bus when I'm working here, as I would be stranded if the bus' bike rack were full.
I was on a city bus that broke down recently. There was a replacement bus there within ten minutes, since we weren't far from the garage.

I was also on an intercity bus that broke down on the highway. We had to wait more than an hour for a new bus.

Of course it was much less stressful than waiting in your car for a wrecker and worrying how you're going to pay for the car repairs.
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Old 06-06-14, 08:49 PM
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Does anyone notice this? The mere fact that you ride a lot means that you get sick a lot less. I know it does happen, but recently I feel so well.
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