How Sick is Too Sick?

[kfergos]

This isn't just idle curiosity -- last winter I rode with a sinus infection, and every time I get a cold, I always have an internal debate over whether I am too sick to ride to work or not. (It's a huge hassle if I don't ride; we only have one car, and my dh and I work in opposite directions, so somebody has to end up driving for over an hour each way.)

So, what's too sick for you?

[Aggie_Ama]

Fever or in my chest. I get sinus infections during allergy season so they only get me down if I ignore them too much.

[Blueberry]

Once it's in my chest, I won't ride. I also won't ride with any kind of tummy bug. I wouldn't think there are that many days that someone would feel too badly to ride (absent injury, etc), that one should be in the office (and thereby sharing germs):)

CA

[Aggie_Ama]

Listening to the number of sneezes, coughs, etc in my office I don't think many stay home when sick. Heck I am coughing from a lingering cold and here.:p

[Bicibellacey]

I guess if you did decide to ride on a "I have the cold" day... bundle up and give yourself time to ride slow. Your body is naturally trying to heal itself and needs all the energies it can muster to do so. These energies also aid in heating the body and digesting food. If your feeling ill, get up little early, drink warm and honey-d tea to soothe yourself, eat so you digest early enough (oatmeal is healthy for sick days), and put an extra layer over any exposed skin. especially the chest, cover and warm the most.
I think the most benefit overall of any combo is give yourself time to move like a snail and your body may not even know its out of bed yet :)

trickery :)

And pack a little get well bag for work include:
-teas (get well, throat coat, echinacea, ect.)
-Honey packs to sooth the throat
-emergen-c Immune Defence packs
- healthy foods to stimulate vital nutrients to do their job and attack any unwanted viruses
- water water water
- a healthy soup for lunch (soup packs nutrients if its the right one)
- stay away from dairy all day!
- and my personal favorite, Kombucha, mango flavor, the live cultures attack the ickies. (find your fav flavor):)

[indigoiis]

My feeling is, if I am too sick to ride (like, I really don't feel well, and therefore, will feel even worse riding,) then I'm too sick to go into work.

If I go to work sick, it's not fair to my co-workers.

Take a sick day and pamper yourself!

[malkin]

If everyone rode bikes to work and stayed home when too sick to ride, I bet we'd all be better off. We're still not sure about how to keep sick kids out of school though, so the staff have to show up...

[Biciclista]

We're discussing commuting, right? If i'm well enough to go to work, I'm well enough to ride. Lots of time riding actually HELPS lesson MY headaches. I'm seldom sick though.

[Veronica]

If everyone rode bikes to work and stayed home when too sick to ride, I bet we'd all be better off. We're still not sure about how to keep sick kids out of school though, so the staff have to show up...

My district actually has an attendance contest. The school with the best attendance gets a "traveling" trophy.

Currently we have the elementary trophy. Every time my principal praises the students in her announcements I cringe. I finally e mailed her asking her to include that if they are really sick, they should stay home. She's pretty cool, so she has added that to her spiel.

It's too bad that our funding is tied to daily attendance.

Veronica

[malkin]

My agency also gives awards to staff members who take the fewest sick days. To me this is the same as blaming people for their illnesses.

[Geonz]

If I'm too sick to ride, I'm too sick to work... if I'll feel worse after a ride, I'm too sick to ride.

Those snot rockets help a lot when things need to get flushed out :)

If they're gonna push attendance, they should also push, push, push things like handwashing and "doing it in your sleeve (http://www.coughsafe.com/media.html)" :-) (yes, video safe to see at work :) )

[malkin]

What a great video!!
I sent the link to the nurse for my agency; maybe we'll all start doing it in our sleeves!

[shootingstar]

If I am running a fever (which so far in life, is rare) or have a hacking cough where I must take a cough suppressant (because I can't sleep or it's just painful coughing too much), then no cycling at all.

Where we live, there's alot of choice of cycling at our doorstep, so I could cycle slowly and safely for 5-10 kms. on flat areas with a cold/sore throat.

[Aggie_Ama]

I don't know I often feel fine to go to work but not ride. Right now I have bronchitis, it makes sleeping not fun but otherwise I am alright but do not feel like exerting myself. My commute is 28 miles with two significant hills and many rollers so that is one thing, a few miles I could do. Of course I am not prohibited from working out (per doc) but need to keep myself a little more rested. He is concerned about the cool weather more than the exertion and the discomfort the weather will put on my inflamed bronchi.

[kfergos]

Turns out I have the true flu. Friday I had a fever of 103.8 F. I don't anticipate touching my bike -- or going to work for that matter -- until next Monday.

[Blueberry]

Feel better soon! And yes - I agree - no biking or working. Go easy on yourself once it's over - you may be weak for a little while afterwards.

CA

[pardes]

A gargantuan sinus headache laid me low today and kept me from the bike and work.

[Chicken Little]

I won't ride with a fever. Too much increase in metabolic demand. Not a good idea. As a matter of fact, I think any adult with a fever needs to stay home, asleep.

Stomach flu riding? Uh, right.

[Aggie_Ama]

Hope you are better. I can't do fever as an adult. I get very disoriented and have anxiety attacks. I had a cold a few weeks ago and I could hardly drive myself home. Turns out my fever was 101.9, which is high for me. By the time I got home I was crying uncontrollably until I found the Tylenol and crashed.

[kfergos]

Wow, that was the sickest I've been in a long time! It wasn't a stomach flu -- no vomiting, etc., thank goodness -- but it was pretty much every other symptom I could imagine. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck and I spent a full 10 days in bed, miserable and exhausted. Now I feel like I'm getting over a horrific cold, which is a major improvement! :rolleyes:

I rode in to work yesterday and today; my legs felt like I hadn't been on a bike in two months. My legs feel all weak and exhausted when I ride, but I hope as I get better my legs will perk back up too. Even so, I'm happy to be back in the saddle after 12 long days off.

[Aggie_Ama]

Glad you are back in the saddle! Yeah the real flu is serious business not many people who say they have the flu have anything more than the stomach flu. I am sure you will get stronger as you fully recover.