winterbadger | (no subject)

I hate to put this this way, but I will not be welcoming visits from people from out of town from now on unless they have been passed by the World Health Organization.

In the spring of 2010, some of my family (who I love very much) came to visit and gave me a flu virus that had me flat on my back for two weeks, causing me to miss a trip I had planned to the Netherlands (my first travel outside English-speaking countries). All but one of the hotels I had booked refused to refund the fees I had paid in advance, and I never got compensation from the airline for my tickets.

In December just past, a friend of a friend visited from out of town (from Singapore, in fact), and we spent the evening in his hotel room playing a wargame. I noticed he was sneezing and coughing. Within a few days I contracted what has to be one of the worst colds I have ever had, which stayed with me for nearly a month and has now, according to my GP, turned into a case of post-infection bronchitis. I am now coughing CONSTANTLY, with no relief from either the meds the doc gave me or basic cough home remedies. This will make the sixth week I have had this infection, and while the symptoms have changed, being sick for SIX WEEKS sucks. I was able to go in to the office most of the time I just had the cold (after taking a few days off in hopes that that would mean I wasn't infectious any more). But with this horrendous cough, next week I'm going to have to start negative leave or take time off without pay (unless I want to skip rest and recuperation by going in to work sick and thus prolong this thing even further).

So, anyone planning to visit from out of town, please understand if I refuse to touch you or share any enclosed spaces with you unless you have a doctor's note stating that you are in perfect health.