Debt Dumpers - 2018

[Ngwira]

Wow, sad to hear this. BOG is our favorite MK restaurant, but that will probably be a deal breaker for us with 6 adults as we're up in the air about doing DDP on our next trip.

I decided to come in to work today- I just got here. I haven't had a fever since my first dose of Tamiflu at 9:30 yesterday morning and woke up feeling better this morning than I did yesterday. I sent my paralegal a text and told her I was coming in and shutting my door and for everyone to just stay away from me, even though I feel totally fine. I don't know if I had some sort of 24 hour viral thing or if I was trying to get the flu and the tamiflu just cut out the legs from under it before it could even really get started. Either way, I am thankful and now hopeful that DH doesn't get it! I told him if he felt congested at all or started coughing he needed to go get Tamiflu ASAP as I'm sure they'll give it to him once he tells them he's been exposed. It's his work conference we're traveling to next week so we definitely don't need him getting sick!

Is coughing a sign of the flu? I thought fever, body aches and chills were?

 

[DisneyMandC]

Is coughing a sign of the flu? I thought fever, body aches and chills were?

Can be one of them. One of my other coworkers who had it about a month ago said he had a slight cough, but his girlfriend had a really bad cough. Both had strain A. While my flu tests were negative, I did have a 100 degree fever, which I didn't even realize because I felt fine, along with the cough. I do have asthma though so I feel like most of my illnesses end up manifesting in a cough that requires me to go on prednisone and up my inhaler usage.

 

[Ngwira]

Can be one of them. One of my other coworkers who had it about a month ago said he had a slight cough, but his girlfriend had a really bad cough. Both had strain A. While my flu tests were negative, I did have a 100 degree fever, which I didn't even realize because I felt fine, along with the cough. I do have asthma though so I feel like most of my illnesses end up manifesting in a cough that requires me to go on prednisone and up my inhaler usage.

Oh wow, my kids have a cough and they had a fever a few nights ago. They seem to be getting better, though. I may take them to urgent care, just in case. They had the flu shot last September.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Oh wow, my kids have a cough and they had a fever a few nights ago. They seem to be getting better, though. I may take them to urgent care, just in case. They had the flu shot last September.

Yeah, I don't know if maybe it's some new viral thing going around or what? The weather in my area has also gone from 33 degrees this past Saturday to 75 degrees the rest of the week, which I feel like is not helping anyone's lungs. I've already been receiving pollen alerts from my weather app.

 

[DLgal]

Is coughing a sign of the flu? I thought fever, body aches and chills were?

The cough was my son's first symptom when he had the flu last month. All the other symptoms came on over the next 24 hours.

The flu virus invades your lungs, so very often the first symptom is a cough in response to the immune system attack in the lungs and the resulting fluid/mucous/inflammation from that initial attack.

 

[Ngwira]

The cough was my son's first symptom when he had the flu last month. All the other symptoms came on over the next 24 hours.

What other symptoms? You guys are freaking me out . We may go to urgent care tonight to get them screened...

 

[DLgal]

What other symptoms? You guys are freaking me out . We may go to urgent care tonight to get them screened...

In order that they came on:

Fever
Headache
Fatigue
Vomiting
Sore throat
Diarrhea

 

[DLgal]

My son did not have the flu shot. I did, and I got sick for exactly 24 hours with a violent cough, body aches, and headache, plus low grade fever. I was 100% fine the next day. My son was down hard for 7 days.

 

[DisneyMandC]

What other symptoms? You guys are freaking me out . We may go to urgent care tonight to get them screened...

I started with just a slight nagging cough Tuesday, which turned into a deeper cough yesterday morning and the fever. May be worth it to take them and see if they can get Tamiflu, just to try to protect all of you. It certainly seems to have knocked it right out of me.

 

[Ngwira]

In order that they came on:

Fever
Headache
Fatigue
Vomiting
Sore throat
Diarrhea

So my DD 8 had fever a few days ago. She now has a cough which is better and a sore throat. My DD 11 had a fever on Sunday, plus headache and chest congestion. They didn't sleep well last night so of course they were exhausted this morning. Ha ha.. I should stop playing "internet doctor" and get them checked out. They seem to be getting better and are in school today. I gave them children's daytime cold medicine.

 

[DLgal]

So my DD 8 had fever a few days ago. She now has a cough which is better and a sore throat. My DD 11 had a fever on Sunday, plus headache and chest congestion. They didn't sleep well last night so of course they were exhausted this morning. Ha ha.. I should stop playing "internet doctor" and get them checked out. They seem to be getting better and are in school today. I gave them children's daytime cold medicine.

If they are at school and fever free they don't need to go to the doctor. If their fever comes back and they become sicker, then take them.

 

[Ngwira]

If they are at school and fever free they don't need to go to the doctor. If their fever comes back and they become sicker, then take them.

Thanks and thanks for not judging me for medicating them and sending them to school . Working moms get enough judgment. Sometimes we have no choice as we can't just call out . Having said that, I would NEVER send them to school with a fever.

 

[Dentam]

Rough morning. Been up with sick kids (colds) since 3am. I meant it took 3 hours to wash .

Ah, that makes more sense now! Hope you and the kiddos are able to get some quality sleep tonight!

Picked up the keys to our house yesterday! Also booked our cruise for August!

I have a top-loading HE washer and it probably takes about 35-40 min to cycle through a large load.

Nice! Mine takes over an hour for a large load set at high soil level. I think it's close to an hour and a half. It's a front loading HE... I didn't have a choice since I rent. I'm just happy it's in the basement and I don't have to pay extra for it. The last place I lived was a house with laundry in the basement, but the landlord had the machines set up to take quarters.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Thanks and thanks for not judging me for medicating them and sending them to school . Working moms get enough judgment. Sometimes we have no choice as we can't just call out . Having said that, I would NEVER send them to school with a fever.

DH got home last night and was surprised that I stayed home all day. I responded "yes, honey, I had a fever... you can't go places when you have a fever because you're contagious for about 24 hours after your last temperature."

"Oh." - DH

Men.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

DH got home last night and was surprised that I stayed home all day. I responded "yes, honey, I had a fever... you can't go places when you have a fever because you're contagious for about 24 hours after your last temperature."

"Oh." - DH

Men.

With the flu, you are actually contagious for up to 7 days after the onset of symptoms. When I was sick a few weeks ago, I stayed home for the entire week since I didn't want to risk my coworkers getting ill too. I am just glad I can do my work from home, so I didn't actually have to take any sick time that week. I really have a new found appreciation for the flexibility that I have in my job. This morning, I had to take DD back to the pediatrician because they couldn't give her the rotavirus vaccine last week at her 4 month appointment due to her having diarrhea. Well, I took her in and didn't actually start work until 10am, but I will just work a bit extra tonight and tomorrow, so I don't need to take any PTO for it. My boss just wants to see that we are getting stuff done, but we have a huge amount of flexibility in when and how that happens.

 

[Ngwira]

So just talked to DD11 and she feels "great". Must've been just a cold. I'll monitor DD8 as she's prone to strep

 

[DisneyMandC]

With the flu, you are actually contagious for up to 7 days after the onset of symptoms. When I was sick a few weeks ago, I stayed home for the entire week since I didn't want to risk my coworkers getting ill too. I am just glad I can do my work from home, so I didn't actually have to take any sick time that week. I really have a new found appreciation for the flexibility that I have in my job. This morning, I had to take DD back to the pediatrician because they couldn't give her the rotavirus vaccine last week at her 4 month appointment due to her having diarrhea. Well, I took her in and didn't actually start work until 10am, but I will just work a bit extra tonight and tomorrow, so I don't need to take any PTO for it. My boss just wants to see that we are getting stuff done, but we have a huge amount of flexibility in when and how that happens.

I wish that was our policy. I can do some of my work from home, but the other part of my job requires in office work since I'm handling sensitive personal information that can't leave the office. But since I was negative on the tests and am totally normal today, I've just stayed in my office and lysoled anything I've touched when I've gone out.

 

[ChisJo]

MamaBelleRN...I for some reason cannot quote your question, but here goes.

My grocery tips....
I am a massive planner. I meal plan almost for a month straight. That way, when I think there isn't something to eat in the house, I remember that there actually is. At the beginning of the month, I go through the fridge, pantry and freezer and I select the oldest things and work with those. I then pair it with things at the store on sale or clearance. I rarely buy anything at full value. I only buy meat at Costco and I separate it. Except I do buy a quarter cow in the spring and this meat will be roughly $3.50/lb (every cut of meat), and it'll last us almost 8-12 months (but not exclusively eating beef...we eat lots of other stuff too). I find coupons tend to be for unhealthier items, so we actually rarely use those, but if one does come up that we would use, I still won't use it unless that item is on sale (and it will eventually go on sale). I buy my fruits and vegetables from an outlet store here, tends to be 30% off regular supermarket costs...OR I buy the discounted fruits and veggies at WalMart as we'd be using them the same day anyways. I also shop specific places for specific things. For example, I know at Costco, they have items that are staples in our house that are way cheaper than anywhere else. I rarely buy crap food. I'm not super healthy, but if my kids want a snack, we bake cookies or make popcorn or they eat fruit. We don't drink soda, kids get juice every now and then, but we water it down to last a little longer (and also because my kids don't need to drink straight juice). Go in to a grocery store with a list and a budget and try not to go more than once a week. Do not stray from that budget! One thing I started doing in January is going in with cash and no other cards. I can't go over my budget if I'm paying cash! We rarely eat out...our budget would be triple if we did. However, some times we do find a groupon we like and we buy one of those for eating out. Kids only get McDonalds when they've done something awesome (kid got mcd's a couple of weeks ago because he finally passed a level in swimming he's been struggling in). I plant a garden in the summer and I use those veggies all summer and throughout the fall and into the winter (we just finished our potatoes from last year!). About every 3 months, I have a big spend at Costco - but other than that, I can get through a week on $25-$50 worth of groceries for a family of 4. We have one in diapers, but we cloth diaper, so that's an expense I don't have to worry about. I make a whole chicken at least once a month and then make broth. Every Sunday, I make a pot of soup. I also make enough food every night to have leftovers for work for the next day - I don't remember the last time I had to buy lunch. We also make our coffee in the morning and take it to go. The price of Starbucks is absolutely ridiculous. I also use apps for price matching if need be and to find the cheapest groceries (I don't know if these are location specific, but I use Flipp a lot!). If I see something about to spoil (eg: fruits), I will make jam and freeze, or I'll cut up the veggies and freeze and use those for future (like soups, stews, etc). We don't waste ANYTHING....and we have 2 kids 5 and under! I had to become super frugal when I was on maternity leave a few years ago as hubby was just starting out in his industry and it was really rough on us. I got creative really fast and it just seems to have stuck. However, there are months where I take for granted a higher income month and we get to enjoy some time, but those are becoming more and more infrequent because, you know, kids.....

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

With the flu, you are actually contagious for up to 7 days after the onset of symptoms. When I was sick a few weeks ago, I stayed home for the entire week since I didn't want to risk my coworkers getting ill too. I am just glad I can do my work from home, so I didn't actually have to take any sick time that week. I really have a new found appreciation for the flexibility that I have in my job. This morning, I had to take DD back to the pediatrician because they couldn't give her the rotavirus vaccine last week at her 4 month appointment due to her having diarrhea. Well, I took her in and didn't actually start work until 10am, but I will just work a bit extra tonight and tomorrow, so I don't need to take any PTO for it. My boss just wants to see that we are getting stuff done, but we have a huge amount of flexibility in when and how that happens.

Also people are contagious the day before symptoms appear. So people are spreading it even if they stay home at the first inkling that they're sick.

Yeah, I don't know if maybe it's some new viral thing going around or what? The weather in my area has also gone from 33 degrees this past Saturday to 75 degrees the rest of the week, which I feel like is not helping anyone's lungs. I've already been receiving pollen alerts from my weather app.

Me too! I was so happy to be able to open the windows for the past 2 days and get fresh air through the house because typically, it's not warm enough to do so until spring and then I can't due to high pollen levels. So for me, winter is the only time it really is fresh air. I was so disappointed to get the pollen alert email that Juniper pollen is out already.

Dh tends to get bronchitis with respiratory illnesses. We both saw the same doctor but dh was prescribed a steroid, an inhaler, and cough syrup with codeine. For me he ordered Tamiflu. I did get in to be seen much quicker which they say is important for the Tamiflu to work. Dh began feeling sick on his way home on a Friday but waited until Monday to see our doctor. Little did he know they have Sat am hours. Oh well.

Thanks and thanks for not judging me for medicating them and sending them to school . Working moms get enough judgment. Sometimes we have no choice as we can't just call out . Having said that, I would NEVER send them to school with a fever.

Amen.
Sadly, I did send ds21 with a fever in early elementary school. Loaded him with Motrin and told him to go to the nurse when it wears off and have them call Daddy to pick you up. I would have been fired to have another sick day, kids or not. After a while they don't want to hear it; they have a point system for sick days and it doesn't matter if you have a dr note or not, only FMLA makes an absence excusable. I think that was the year I had pink eye twice, & younger ds had pneumonia with high fever for 4 days. I was suspended for 3 days without pay which is bad enough but with 1 more call out I would have been fired. I'd be completely screwed to lose my job. Back then dh worked for private contractors and would often get laid off when work was slow in the winter so my job has always been the secure/stable one. My inlaws were retired but wouldn't babysit. My MIL once told dh when requesting sick child care that "she already raised her kids." Not that we were asking for a date night or dinner out or something petty (which we NEVER did simply because our kids were away from us so much due to work). I was just desperate for some back up to keep from losing my job. I didn't hear about that conversation until months later when he told his brother. I was shocked and told dh I don't care if I end up losing my job and we have to live in a cardboard box, I will never, ever ask her to babysit our kids again. Our youngest was 2.5 yrs old when I made that vow so they have no memories of being at that house without us.

People can flame away but sometimes you're between a rock and a hard place. Thank God those days are over.

 

[Dentam]

Also people are contagious the day before symptoms appear. So people are spreading it even if they stay home at the first inkling that they're sick.

Yeah, but you're generally not coughing and sneezing at that point so not spreading the germs as much or as far.