I Saw a Friend Today at the Market We Hugged Then She Said....

If I were the one throwing up, I would not have hugged you. If I had just been puked on, I would not have hugged you. But, if you were a friend that I regularly hugged in greeting and I had not been throwing up or thrown up on, I would have hugged you. I don't think I would have thought twice about it.

I would have been a little irritated too....but....the chances of you picking up a virus are a lot greater from everything else you toched at the store!

I would let it go.

We are all human and make mistakes, cut her some slack, she was probably just excited to see you and didn't think about it because after all, her kids were sick, not her!

That made me laugh because my FIL came with to my sons game after we all had strep and my husband was still sick. I don't even think he told him. I told him we were all sick and I hugged him from behind then he came back and played a dice game with the kids. I would have never touched those dice if I were him. The Dr. says what's catchable is the runny noses and coughing.

Gosh, I guess I'll be the only one to say it -- I think you're overreacting.

Hi C.,

Chances are, you picked up more germs at the grocery store than you did hugging your friend.

Life is short. People die unexpectedly. Hug as many people as you can. Tell the people in your life that are important just how much you love them and what they bring to your life. Enjoy and appreciate the fact that your friend was so happy to see you that she was compelled to hug you. Do you know there are people in this world who go for days and days, sometimes weeks and years without the touch of another human being?

Consider yourself blessed that your friend hugged you! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

No, it wouldn't bother me. You probably won't get sick from a hug.

I kinda laughed out loud when I read this... I guess because I am the total opposite and would never get uptight about something so silly. Had she kissed your face, then said "oh I was throwing up all morning", then sure, an issue to consider. But really? You cannot keep yourself or your family in a bubble. There are more germs on the cart you were pushing in the market than there was on or near your friend.

Eh, I don't even think I would have thought about it. You're more likely to get a bug from the grocery cart, the money you handled, etc. than from hugging your friend with a sick kid. :-)

You have just as much chance of getting the flu by touching the grocery cart and door handles, food items on the shelves, etc., as you do by getting a hug from your friend. She didn't slobber all over you, she gave you a hug. You'll be just fine :)

OMG. I never realized how crazy people can get about germs. First of all. Germs are everywhere. You can't avoid them. Did you know people are most contagious the 24hours BEFORE they know they are sick? The odds of you getting sick from that hug are small. Maybe we should outlaw any and all touching because you never know who is getting sick. I am being crazy here to make a point. This is not something to be upset about. If you do get sick, how do you know it was from the friend who hugged you or from the gas nozzle when you put gas in your car? The immune system is a wonderful thing, but not using it likely weakens it. You have heard the expression - use it or loose it. It applies to the immune system as well. Please relax!

C.:

You are stressing over nothing. Seriously - if a bug jumped on you from the hug - then girl - it's a strong strain.

Make sure you keep doing what you are doing - washing hands, etc. to keep yourself and your family from getting sick.

YOU WILL BE FINE!!! It's mind over matter - you focus on this and you will get sick.

Sounds like SHE NEEDED the hug.

Ummmmm, no, it wouldn't bother me.
You can pick up germs anywhere.
To me that quick hug is no different then touching anything in that market.

I think she probably just got excited that she saw you and forgot about her daughter being sick---she made a mistake. I am sure it wasn't intentional.

Let it go.

M

If you're going to get it, you're going to get it. Whether it be from your friend that hugged you or that can of beans you picked up off the shelf that some 'infected' person sneezed on. Germs are all around us and our immune systems are amazing things.

She probably didn't even think anything of it until it was too late. Did the hug happen fairly quickly upon seeing each other? I usually hug my friends almost instinctually when I see them. By then, it may be too late to take it back. Just go home and wash your hands and drink some OJ!

you were at the market so i assume you were touching stuff like the shopping cart etc......now if she gave you a big smooch on the lips and talked to you inches from your face, then i'd say you have a reason to be pissed

Be happy you have a friend. You could catch anything anywhere.

You can't live in a box and your kids come in contact with so much at school anyway, there really is no hiding from it so hug your friend back the next time you have sick kids, you will both help the other build their immunities ;-)

Chances are you and your children come in contact with people everyday that are contagious but not yet sick. I do appreciate you wanting to stay well this cold and flu season but you probably aren't going to catch anything from your friend because she gave you a hug. You are more likely going to get it from the cashier at the grocery store that just handed you back your points card when you went grocery shopping earlier today.

Remember, she wasn't sick. Her daughter was the sick one, right?

Sure, I'd be a tad paranoid too, but then I'd remind myself....... she wasn't sick, and I'd let it go.

I wouldn't have hugged u if I were her but if I were you, I would let it go & not let it bother me. There are tons of ways to get sick other than getting a hug from a friend.

I wish we could all just stop hugging eachother period! Hate that custom.

People do not think! UGH! I know its probably instinctive for many to offer that quick hug or the handshake or pat on the back....but when you have been in direct contact with ill people..caring for them..geeze!

My niece was born 9.5 weeks early this fall..2 pounds, 1 ounce. She has done remarkably well...never needed a vent at all, no medical emergencies whatsoever, went home at about 5 weeks old...but has beein in quarantine at home until just this week when she went on her first outing (besides Dr appts). She finally hit 10 pounds! 5 X her birthweight! But the reason she was kept away (and limited visitors..and lots of antibacterial everything...I am to be her godmother and I have only seen her a few times..I do home childcare so I am exposed to a germ FARM! and its not worth risking exposure to her! So I stay away so far).

People just need to think and I guess be more self aware. Don't LET those hugs happen, etc. I don't even use the pen the waitstaff at places offer for signing credit slips...who knows who handled it??!! I use my own..always. I changed alot of my own personal practices when the H1N1 threats were everywhere..and I am a bit of a germophobe anyways. Not crazy..but cautious.

As soon as you touch the shopping cart, a door knob or any kind of fixture outside your home, you're encountering germs. Hugging doesn't really exchange germs cause it's usually hands touching clothing - not much skin contact at all. I think I'd react with an "aghhh, I hope I don't get it!" in my head for a second, but then I'd be ok.

If we could all keep our hands away from our faces during cold/flu season, we'd be healthier - that's how the germs get to our mucus membranes. But it's SO hard to do.

ewwww! My mom told me that if you leave out a cut onion, it will attract the virus. We also have not been sick this winter.

How much sleep did your friend get the night before, how worried is she about her daughter ? I'm guessing she was just really overtired and simply didn't think. She saw you and needed a hug.

eww, I hate when people do things like that. I babysit for a few little ones and have a just barely 3 month old and the one mom had the nerve to drop her kiddo off sick, and not just kinda sick, snot running down his face, coughing sick. And he's only 3 so he's to young to constantly blow his own nose and wash his hands after. As if my newborn needs those germs.

I sometimes don't understand what people are thinking.

Oh yes, my former good friend did this to me too but I actually got SICK & I MEAN sick! For 3 days I did nothing but throw up all day & all night. I was about to get my hubby to take me to the hospital it was so bad. I thought it was food poisoning b/c we ate at a fast food place out of town while we helped her move. I was over at her house the day before the move & she said that her son & mom had been sick but were 'over it' so since they both seemed really okay & fine, I didn't think nothing of it but she never said what kinda sick it was. I never touched her son or mom & it was only after I told her I got really bad sick that she said, "OH, you must've gotten that stomach flu my son & mom had a couple days ago..." I thought...okay you just now telling me this...She went on to say that b/c she, herself, didn't get sick nor her infant then she thought it was fine. Boy do people these days just never think about other people. I feel that your friend should've said something before hugging definitly. I think you should've gone home, took your clothes off & immediately showered to hopefully get any 'sick' off you. You may not have thought about that but I'd definitly start taking precautions, drink lots of orange juice or if you don't like juice, vitamin C should hopefully help. If you or anyone at home start feeling like you're getting sick, I'd definitly do your best to avoid spreading it to others outside the home but it sounds like you already are cautious about that. If you get sick, you should mention it to your friend, she at least should know she gave it to someone in your family by hugging & maybe she'll know to be more cautious next time. That stomach flu is brutal, at least it was for me. If anyone DOES get sick & throwing up, I'd keep some soda crackers (Saltines) & sprite in the house which should help w/any nausea/vomiting but just nibble a tiny bit at a time, that's about all you may be able to keep down (you or anyone in the home). I hope y'all don't get sick!! Your friend should've been more cautious & considerate. Good luck!!!

Some people just don't think. I wouldn't have hugged you and I would have been a little ticked had that happened to me. I had someone text me and ask if my daughter could babysit later that day so they could step out for a couple of hours. Turns out, the kids were all throwing up all night and they 'needed' to get out of the house. (UGH!!) I had my daughter change her clothes as soon as she got home and take a shower so we all wouldn't be in contact with the germs. I have 5 kids... that was really irritating.

I think you'll be fine.
Although it's called stomach flu, throwing up/diarrhea is not influenza.
More likely it's rota-virus and that's not passed with a hug and it's not airborne.
Shaking hands is something I don't care for. Last time I went to the doctors with a cough and a runny nose, I was amazed after I was coughing and blowing my nose that the Dr wanted to shake my hand.
I just waved him off and said it was better not to.

Stomach bugs are usually fecal-oral transmitted. So youd should be happy she hugged you instead of shaking your hand! :-).

I know exactly how you feel. When I was in the hospital after having my first, a woman came to visit us and while she was holding our brand new son, told us that her kids were home throwing up, had strep throat and fevers over 103. Oh, I was so, so,so mad!

@ Jaimee K. WOW!!! That's amazing that those parents were willing to risk your daughter (and in turn, your whole family) getting sick so they could have a break. I would have been steamed!

None of us like to be sick, it's not fun for us or our kids. And doubly unfun when we are both sick. It would have bothered me a little if she had hugged me then said, "Oh by the way we have a the pukey monster at home." I would have gotten out my handy hand sanitizer, when you well enough away from her, and changed clothes when I got home. But, as most of mentioned, germs are everywhere and we can't escape them. I try to be prepared with hand sanitizer and santizing wipes.

I am with you C.. It would bother me too. It always bothers me. We saw a friend the other day (on an outing),played with her daughter for over 3 hrs, as we were leaving she said grrr I have to go to the doctor now. I said why, she said because her daughter has strep. I almost died. I told her i would have appreciated if she had told me and not expose my kids to strep.

I'd be upset too but she probably was tired and was so happy to see you that she just reacted without thinking. She's probably sitting at home thinking opps I hope my friend doesn't get sick. Being a mom has left me very scattered brain at times. Forgive and change clothes and shower and hopefully you didn't catch it.

I don't think it would bother me so much if I was healthy... You are going to pick up germs pretty much everywhere. BUT... I think it was rude of her. I know that for a while I was living with my uncle, and his medication for leukemia destroyed his immune system. It could be deadly for him if someone came home and he caught a germ from them. She shouldn't have to sequester herself in her home or anything like that, but she should try to be aware that not everyone wants the germs.

I like your headliner because it really made me want to read your post. That's a great writer's technique. Yes, I would be annoyed but she probably didn't think about what she was doing.

Its possible she showered and changed before heading to the store - something I've done when caring for my sick son - then, I would think nothing of hugging someone and saying "my son is home with the flu". There have been times when I wasn't fresh/clean and had to run to the store for meds, and I would've put my arm out to keep arm-distance and said "I'm med shopping for my son".

I think it would bother me if it was one of my (self-proclaimed) uber-germaphobe friends who won't even let my son touch their son's shirt after playing with rocks (until he's washed his hands). But I probably would have assumed the best and not thought anything more.

You could tuck away some comments in your memory, should something similar ever happen again . . . like, "Excuse me while I lysol myself after our hug"?

OMG. That would drive me nuts too!!!! Why do people do that??? The nerve! Just because her kid is sick and she isn't yet doesn't mean that virus isn't lingering on her waiting to be passed to someone else...sorry, but sometimes people are so ignorant!!

people just do not think that is why she did not say anything. I do not think she should have been at the market either.

YES - this would totally bother me.

I don't think you're over reacting. Although I wouldn't mention it to her, it would probably annoy me. When I know I'm sick, I wave people off. I really don't like shaking hands especially in the winter when everyone has SOMETHING going on in their house. Everyone I know right now has had either a sinus infection, strep or some kind of virus in their house in the last month. No, I don't need you to hug me if you KNOW your kid is sick - thanks!

i wouldn't love it but you can catch anything anywhere. i'm in the same boat with the kiddos and i staying healthy but i wouldn't go blaming my sister when she hugged me the other day and the nieces had colds. she's a friend forgive her :) hope you stay well.

Take a shower, wash your clothes & spray disinfectant.Were you wearing latex gloves out in public your hands are the most germiest so don't touch anything till they get washed,wear a mask.
No I don't give hugs nor kisses when i'm sick or little ones are sick it's something that is imbeaded in my memory.If I do get a hug from someone else OK i'm not going to worry myself sick over it.