Too sick to commute?
 

I know many of you seem to be invincible-never falling ill, always riding to work-but for those of you who aren't: How sick are you before you don't commute?

I drove today but with a hacking cough and head congestion I didn't want to feel like crap arriving at work. I probably could have powered through like I did yesterday but since I feel worse today anyway I figured it wasn't worth it.

How often are you out of commision for illness (non crash related)?

Sniffles or stuffiness won't stop me, but a cold down in my chest will. If I'm hacking from there, I don't want to push it further into something worse.

If I feel like getting exercise will make me feel worse, then I don't commute. If I'm too sick to ride, then it would be irresponsible for me to go in to work and get everyone else sick too.

In general if I'm sick, getting on the bike and riding to work makes me feel much better.

In the last year, I was out sick 2 days in a row. They were in the week immediately following the only week I didn't ride to work. I'm sure they're related. I stopped riding for a week due to a scheduling problem, and by the 4th day of the week, I was coming down with a cold. The following Mon/Tue I was too sick to come to work. I was back on the bike Wed and the cold was gone soon after.

If I'm too sick to ride in, I'm too sick to be at work.

As a clinical microbiologist, research virologist, and biological engineer, allow me to offer some advice:
GO HOME.
If you've got a congested hacking cough, you don't need to be at work spreading the love for everyone else to come down with it. Even if you work in a private office, every doorknob, every faucet handle, every piece of paper and everything you touch is potentially infectious. Take a sick day, go home and recover over the weekend.


Almost never. I've got some kind of crazy immune system that knocks most things out in a day. My issue is migraines, and I get about 4 a year that are bad enough to keep me home for a day; and somehow they seem to hit me on the weekend. :mad:

Riding helps me burn off a slight fever or a head cold. If the fever lingers or the cold or sinus infection moves down into my chest, I'm off the bike until I heal up.

It happens to me a few times a year I guess.

+1

I seriously don't know when Americans began to think that getting sick and having to miss a day of work was a sin.

I get migraines, too... I have medication which gets rid of the migraine, but I'm still just wiped, usually the next day, too. And yeah, how come they always seem to happen on SATURDAY??? :mad:

When my cheap-*** boss took away sick days. I'm already getting paid less than what I'm worth, I can't afford very many days off work.

I've noticed this is true for me as well. Is there any medical reason why this works? Also, fwiw a bike ride helps clear up hangovers too :beer:

We don't even have sick days where I work. Everything is PTO. Vacation time, sick days, etc. The only exception that is made is for weather closures: The company offers 2 days/year for weather closures.

January isn't even over yet, and we've burned through both of those already.

I don't have sick leave for another 9 weeks, and missing a day would put a $250 ding in my paycheck right now.

Do you have any info or a link to a guide on how to disinfect office spaces? Seeing that its flu season, and I have the flu right now, this has been on my mind. I work in a building with a lot of HIV pos. people, some of whom are clients or friends who visit my office regularly. I'd rather not give the flu to someone with an already compromised immune system, and would like to make "de-germing" part of my weekly cleaning routine.

Thanks.

What you ought to do is encourage every time a coworker comes in sick, that they go up to the boss, cough an hack into their hands, offer to shake hands with him/her, and say: "You can depend on me to work no matter what condition I'm in!" :D

Same here. For me, that means I'm pretty dang sick.

I have found that I feel worse and recover slower if I don't ride.

I think it's the same effect as treating your cold with spicy soup. Liquify all that crap and get rid of it.

I found this at the library. It was very helpful. We have a lot of immune compromised clients, too. During illness season, we do a twice daily routine of wiping down the front desk, the pens clients use, the phones, computer keyboard, mouse, doorknobs, & restroom sink faucet with disinfectant. We also use hand sanitizer a lot.

I just got over the flu - I was in bed with a high fever Saturday through Wednesday. Thursday the fever was gone, and I...did *not* bike to work. Friday either. It just was not worth the risk of pissing off fate and developing pneumonia. I'll get back in the saddle on Monday.

I run for a local track team, the guidline we use is the Neck Test: If your symptoms are above the neck, it's OK to continue training; below the neck, stop until you're better.

Fever? No way until it breaks, then use neck test.

My doc suggested there is a neuroadaptation to regularly-incurring stress (like your arrival at a high-pressure work environment) that causes the brain to generate serotonin as a calming measure. After a while this starts to happen pre-emptively, before the stress is scheduled to begin. On the weekends, there's no stress to soak up all that serotonin, leading to a surge that can cause migraines.

(Yes I get them too, and no it's not caffeine withdrawal)

I'm just now getting over whatever the heck I had. I rode to work a few times and a couple time I felt great during the ride but like death later on in the day. And yeah as others have stated, if I'm too sick to ride, I'm too sick to work.

Thanks. It occurred to me after posting (doh!) that I can call the city and/or provincial Health offices next week, I'm sure they have guidelines for these things. This is a low-traffic office, shouldn't be that hard to reasonably de-bug.

patc: Two of the best things to keep around the office for sanitizing are disposable bleach wipes (store brand is just as good as Clorox brand) and a waterless, alcohol based hand sanitizer (like Purell.) Wipe down desktops, pens, clipboards, etc. and get a spray sanitizer like Lysol for your keyboard (don't drench it or you'll wreck it; just a misting is enough.)

ahpook: Thanks for the advice on migraine issues. I never knew that, and I may look into some way of dealing with the stress chemicals. Maybe I need to get back to weightlifting, and do it early on Saturday morning? Might that help?

Could be any number of triggers with the migraines.

I used to get them every Tuesday evening (that was my 'Sunday') because I would go to Louie's in Ballard and get the duck. It turned out that back then (at least) the duck was loaded with MSG. So, I would trigger the migraine just as my weekend was ending. It was considered very suspicious at work!

I also used to get migraines as a result of sleeping later in the day on weekends. I would suspect that would tie in well with the neuro-adaptation to stress, or rather, lack of motivation for the serotonin to get up to speed.

Keeping a diary of the migraines may help. Miserable little things :( . Getting back on topic somewhat--there's no way I would be able to ride in to work with a migraine, especially if it was one of the fortification episodes.

East Hill

Usually I get knocked out for a day or two during the flu season. The miserable body aches hit me shortly after lunch on Wednesday. I decided to leave early and take the following day off. The commute home was no fun, but I took it real easy and got plenty of rest when I got home. The day after I recovered I drove to work to prevent any further body stress (did not enjoy the car experience one bit!). That got me through to the weekend, so I should be fine getting back in the saddle on Monday.

On another note, I have been immune to the common cold, surviving three family colds as well as a bunch of sniffles around the office. The daily dose of fresh air and fitness level must help on the "cold front." The flu is a different animal though. :mad:

Right now I am fighting both bronchitis & sinusitis at the same time. If it was warm enough to commute by bike I wouldn't, not with bronchitis. I am using an inhaler to open up my lungs & a anti-biotic & decongestant/exptorant.