Holiday Obligations when Sick

[pensmama87]

If you thought you had the flu, but hadn’t been formally diagnosed, would you avoid holiday celebrations to avoid spreading the disease or go anyway as long as you felt well enough on the day of?

If your spouse has been sick with what he or she thought was the flu, and suggested not going to family holiday celebrations to avoid spreading it, would you believe him or her, or insist on a formal evaluation by a doctor before declining an invitation? Assume that your spouse is not in the habit of lying about such things to avoid getting out of doing things he or she doesn’t want to do.

(For the record, my answers are “I wouldn’t go” and “I’d believe my spouse.”)

And yes, I’m dealing with this situation right now as the sick spouse, and it’s driving me batty.

 

[grasscutter]

I’m with you. I would trust my spouse and thank him for his concern about spreading a (potential) contagious illness.

I get irritated when people show up for things when they are clearly sick or reasonably assume they might be.

Don’t get me started on people who are clearly sick and act like they expect some kind of medal for showing up to work and making everyone else sick.

 

[SnowAngels]

If you thought you had the flu, but hadn’t been formally diagnosed, would you avoid holiday celebrations to avoid spreading the disease or go anyway as long as you felt well enough on the day of?

If your spouse has been sick with what he or she thought was the flu, and suggested not going to family holiday celebrations to avoid spreading it, would you believe him or her, or insist on a formal evaluation by a doctor before declining an invitation? Assume that your spouse is not in the habit of lying about such things to avoid getting out of doing things he or she doesn’t want to do.

(For the record, my answers are “I wouldn’t go” and “I’d believe my spouse.”)

And yes, I’m dealing with this situation right now as the sick spouse, and it’s driving me batty.

Yes. If I were sick and my main desire was to lay in bed and sleep, then I wouldn’t go anywhere, no matter what a doctor said. I would not insist on going to the doctor to check what they had. It is a bit unclear to me, was the spouse sick in the past, or are they currently sick? If they are currently sick, they are the best judge of whether they are well enough to go anywhere. If they have recovered from a sickness, there is no reason not to go. Overall, (though I’m not married) I’d believe my spouse. All good relationships are built on trust. Hope this helps! God bless!

 

[The_Old_Maid]

I would say that if you feel sick, send your regrets and don’t go. You don’t want to make anyone else sick. Also, any wheezing, hacking, or bright red Rudolph nose would draw attention to you anyway if you tried to hide it (or worse, throwing up).

But do try to make another time to visit the people you’ll be missing. Many people have the New Year’s days off and you may feel better then.

Merry Christmas, and feel better soon.

 

[pensmama87]

I am currently sick. I am starting to recover, and may feel “up to” visiting tomorrow (today I was able to do a bit of laundry and actually fix food for the kids instead of relying solely on microwaving leftovers), but per CDC guidelines on the flu you’re still contagious for 24 hours after your fever ends, and I still have one as of right now (as do both our kids.)

Nobody we’re supposed to see tomorrow is immuno-compromised, but I still feel like it’s not good manners to show up sick anywhere. My husband feels like it would be worse not to go. He also doesn’t believe that I actually have the flu, which I am more than a little miffed about. I have all the symptoms, he’s read my thermometer, and yet he’s acting like I’m being a big baby when I am hardly ever sick at all (and I probably “power through” things like colds more than I should. I am not good about resting up when I need it.)

All of the relatives we are supposed to see tomorrow we will also see later in the week when we should all be in the clear, and again at New Year’s.

 

[Allegra]

If I was sick, I would not go. If my husband was sick, I would encourage him not to go, but if it’s a question of the rest of the family going or not, I would probably try to put in an appearance and wash my hands thoroughly before leaving.

 

[catholicmamajoy]

I think I shall be posting this link whenever someone inquires as to whether they should go to Mass or attend a social activity when sick, recently sick, or feeling like they are probably sick.

patheos.com/blogs/rebeccafrech/2014/12/please-dont-go-to-mass-this-christmas.html

 

[pensmama87]

Well, we’re not going today. Both kids and I are sick, DH still seems fine (he’s a germaphobe anyway, and really turns it up when anybody in the house is sick - which I envy because while I try to keep things clean, there’s not much I can do when a young child sneezes right in my face). Although I don’t feel so achy, I am coughing a lot so I’m glad we’re not going, because I’d definitely be spreading germs and drawing a lot of attention to myself.

DH’s parents were very understanding when he called them last night to tell them, even though he hemmed and hawed around it for a while and decided to play martyr a bit (oh no, please don’t go to any trouble to save us food, we’ll just suffer here by ourselves, blah blah…)

I thought about telling him to just go if he wanted to so bad, but I also knew he’d take me up on it and probably not come home tonight, either, “because what’s the point, we’re not doing anything.” I don’t want him to suffer, but I’m also still not doing so hot caring for the kids. If it was just me sick, I’d love it if he took the kids and went today so I could rest, but there’s not going to be much resting if it’s just me and the kids, if the past few days have been any indication.

 

[pensmama87]

Thank you for taking the time to update. I am sorry that your Christmas Eve will be spent at home and with an illness. May you feel the arms of the Holy Family wrapped around you, as that very first Christmas Eve they were also alone and without the comforts of family and loved ones nearby.

Hoping that the love of the Christ child finds it way into your heats this Christmas, and that you are all on the mend soon, Merry Christmas.

Thanks Monicad! Merry Christmas.