What to do if someone has a cold before you go on holiday

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I'm going on holiday next week, that I'm really looking forward to. But someone at work has caught a cold and is sniffing. She's not got many manners, so she's likely to sneeze or cough without putting her hand over her mouth.

The week before a vacation I always feel edgy around people if they have viruses. I can go shopping or get on and off buses and not catch a cold for months, but, for some reason, I've only got to look at someone with a confirmed cold and I seem to pick it up. Not only that, I pick it up and it turns into a flu-type cold where I'm too groggy to do anything. I do not want to spend my vacation feeling ill, as I've paid good money for it.

I will try to avoid the co-worker, but it's hard if you work with them. Will washing my hands every 5 minutes help me not catch it? I don't want posts banging on about foods to avoid and foods to eat to prevent a cold, because I eat healthily so that's all I'm going to say on the matter. I know people can't help getting colds but I wish people would be more considerate, like wash their hands and try to sneeze into a tissue to stop it spreading.

I'm hoping my immune system will get off it's lazy ass and fight this cold that my co-worker is spreading everywhere. I will try my hardest to avoid my co-worker this week, but like I said, it's not always easy at work. I'm hoping she'll call in sick for the rest of the week.

I wish I had your problems. Want to trade?

You could ask her to be more mindfull of her hygiene, but be aware that that might cause a fight. If you don't want to risk it then just be extra careful with your own hygiene. Wash or disinfect your hands more often than usual, don't touch doorhandles with your bare hands if you can avoid it (use the sleeves of your shirt instead or something.) Also, if you do feel signs of a cold coming, take action immediately. Rest more, drink warm stuff etc. and it'll probably go away faster.

That's not the only problem I have, also anxiety disorder makes small things seem worse. And being ill whilst on vacation isn't very nice, especially when you find it hard to function properly when you have a cold. I have sinus problems, so a cold inflames my sinuses, causing my face to swell up. I think that makes me iller than it should.

Someone told me to take ibuprofen if I feel the slightest symptom of a cold and it prevents it before it comes, so maybe I'll do that.

I did tell the co-worker jokingly not to give it to me because I am going on a vacation next week, and she just said, "well, if I give it to you then so be it".

I had the flu only a month ago, so I really do want a break from that sort of thing for at least a year.

I know you said no discussion about healthy foods but if you drink orange juice your cold will go away faster. You have to drink the whole carton. Not all at once of course.

That sort of healthy food advice is OK but I just mean when people list things about fibres and carbohydrates, like you have to strictly stick to a 100% sugar free diet to avoid getting a cold, which will probably just give me gas and diarrhoea. I eat fruit, vegetables, meat, yogurt and soup on a daily basis.
I will buy some fresh orange juice though, because that can be a treat as well as a remedy. I am not a fan of tea, although I do have hot chicken soup sometimes.

Going back to your OP. I have exactly the same concerns. Mine was made worse because I was on immune suppressant drugs for years, which didn't help my negative thoughts about it. I can only say the the amount of worrying I did about it didn't alter the fact of whether I got a cold or not (I usually didn't).
Even if these worries seem trivial to some people, it's still big in your mind... so it's still valid. It's not a competition.
I hope you can get by without worrying too much about it and have a great holiday. The odds are that you won't get a cold or flu.

Well, I might have a point, though.

Rules for being happy:

1. Don't sweat the small stuff.

2. It's all small stuff.

Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of lecturing.
serpentari made it look like you were, but it's serpentari who upset me, not you.

Washing your hands after you eat, say, would help.

Or after handling dirt (you clean buses). Wash your hands pretty often, come to think of it. During your breaks. But don't get obsessed about it.

Try to avoid the other person's sneezes and coughs.

I believe they have something in the pharmacy which lessens the duration and intensity of colds if you happen to get a cold (which you're not guaranteed to get).

Make sure you dress in layers when it's cold.

Other than removing greasy or sticky sauces, washing your hands after you eat doesn't do much. It's more appropriate to wash them before you eat.

Zinc lozenges are claimed, by their makers anyway, to reduce the duration and severity of a cold. My husband likes to take them. I take a supplement containing zinc, magnesium and calcium so I probably have enough zinc. They are available without a prescription.

Thank you, I will try these suggestions. When I clean buses I always wear gloves and I don't touch my face or put my fingers in my mouth. I have an instinct thing connected from my hands to my brain, which literally stops me from putting my hands or fingers anywhere near my mouth if my hands are dirty or haven't been washed since I last touched something that could be carrying germs.

My immune system had decided to take its own vacation when I most needed it and I picked up everything with some permanent effects. I'm gaining it back but I still look like a mess.

I don't know how long your trip is. If it's in a few days, you can just call in sick before you leave like you already ended up getting sick. If it's in a week or more then let yourself be sick and do what you can to recover in time. By the time you leave work you will already almost have recovered.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... t-20046403
https://symptoms.webmd.com/cold-flu-map ... -checklist