We have quit shaking hands with others to avoid Flu

[Sunny]

For months at a time I have psoriasis on the palms of my hands that cracks and bleeds, so I avoid shaking hands then. While I’m sure people don’t want to get my blood on them when they are that bad, it hurts like the dickens too. To this day I still feel like a chump as I’ve never really found a way to say “I don’t shake hands because of ...” very well. For whatever reason, either my delivery or the opposite party’s surprise the rational is often lost unless I hold up my palm.

On shopping cart handles and gym equipment...I suppose washing them off is better than nothing but those antibacterial wipes or sprays are not doing much unless they are keeping the surface wet for the 3-4+ minutes needed to be really effective. This time of year it is easy enough to keep your gloves on at the store at least.

 

[Alan]

OP here, TromboneAl, that's a good idea! Maybe all us old geezers here on this Forum could band together and start a movement to ban handshaking. We just need a catchy motto and a Facebook/Twitter account.

How about a campaign similar to one I remember back in the old days.

“Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, handshakes kill the older geezers.

Please cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and don’t shake hands if you are unwell or during flu season”

 

[harllee]

How about a campaign similar to one I remember back in the old days.

“Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, handshakes kill the older geezers.

Please cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and don’t shake hands if you are unwell or during flu season”

Alan, I love it! How about bumper stickers that say "Don't shake hands--save a Geezer"

 

[audreyh1]

The history of the handshake dates back to the 5th century B.C. in Greece. It was a symbol of peace, showing that neither person was carrying a weapon. ... Some say that the shaking gesture of the handshake started in Medieval Europe. Knights would shake the hand of others in an attempt to shake loose any hidden weapons.

Maybe we can adopt the supposedly Native American “How” with raised open right palm instead.

 

[braumeister]

All it would take is a national program and/or a respected leader

Perhaps we could import one?

 

[TromboneAl]

... don’t shake hands if you are unwell or during flu season”

I'd want the campaign to suggest totally doing away with handshaking, even when healthy.

As a logical person, I'd want a campaign that said that handshaking originated as a means to show that someone is not carrying weapons, and is no longer relevant. If handshaking were eliminated, x% of colds would be prevented.

However, most people wouldn't respond to that, so the PSAs would have to be clever and go viral. Something like this (ineffective) campaign:

 

[Plantman]

Perhaps we can bring back bows and curtseys. Wouldn't that be neat?

 

[braumeister]

Military salutes.

 

[Nemo2]

Namaste and hat tipping......(as long as you wash both your hands and your hat, that is).

 

[braumeister]

hat tipping

I'm getting this vision of a guy wearing a ball cap backwards and trying to tip it. Not a pretty picture.

 

[Nemo2]

I'm getting this vision of a guy wearing a ball cap backwards and trying to tip it.

Substitute Tugging the Forelock?

 

[Alan]

Just got back from the pub with my BIL. Shook hands 4 times, let’s hope the beer acts as an anesthetic.

On the bright side, you get a raffle ticket for each drink you buy and we won. Yay! 4 free drinks for next week if I live that long.

 

[Scratchy]

OP here, we love our Church and really miss it when we don't go but we do sometimes stay home during the worst of flu season. Our Church has lots of small children running around. Sometimes we go into Church late and sit somewhere in the back in the corner away from children. We have also been known to get up and move if someone is coughing near us. We also usually skip the communion, we have explained our issue to the pastor and he certainly understands.

We go out in public now less than we use to due to our concern about the flu. But we are very social people and we don't want to become hermits. I don't know what we will do if the new corona virus hits our area--I guess we will just stay home and have groceries delivered to the porch.

I was at a holiday party where a friend (actually a physician) was coughing, sneezing, and sniffling terribly. I stayed as far away from him as possible and left early. His company was not worth the risk of my missing work and having to worry about infecting those close to me and it amazes me that he evidently thought it was. Ditto for anyone with an infectious illness who decides to go to work, school, or social events. There are so many people who are immunocompromised or have conditions where catching a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness could be life threatening. Exposing such people to your illness is selfish or at best thoughtless, IMO.

I try to avoid handshaking. I find that a little bow when I first meet someone often preempts the awkwardness of declining a handshake. I'm Asian, so perhaps it's easier for me to pull this off

 

[TromboneAl]

Maybe he had an allergy??

 

[Ally]

Two yrs ago, I got the flu, even though I had the flu shot and took tamiflu. I went from stage three kidney disease to nearly needing dialysis as a result. I've very slowly been improving, but I avoid handshakes and contact as much as I can this time of year. The irony is that I got it from my 6 yr old grandson. I was caring for him while he had the flu, because my daughter had the flu. I thought I had nothing to worry about with the flu shot.

 

[harllee]

Two yrs ago, I got the flu, even though I had the flu shot and took tamiflu. I went from stage three kidney disease to nearly needing dialysis as a result. I've very slowly been improving, but I avoid handshakes and contact as much as I can this time of year. The irony is that I got it from my 6 yr old grandson. I was caring for him while he had the flu, because my daughter had the flu. I thought I had nothing to worry about with the flu shot.

Ally thanks for your input. OP here, I don't think some people take the flu seriously enough. I was sick with the flu for a month but fully recovered. On the other had DH has permanent hearing problems that was caused by last year's flu. I hope you continue to improve.

 

[Retired Expat]

DH and I had a bad case of the flu last year even tough we had taken the flu vaccine and Tamiflu. I am a healthy 68 year old and was still very sick for about a month (had a lot of chest pain--doctor thought I probably had pneumonia). DH is also age 68 but has a compromised immune system due to taking Humira for psoriatic arthritis and was much sicker than me--he temporarily lost his hearing, sense of smell and taste--his hearing is permantly damaged by the flu. We are doing everything possible to avoid the flu this year--we had the vaccine in October, try to avoid sick people (but how do you know they are sick since you can be infectious before you show symptoms?), we wash hands constantly, use hand sanitizer, try to avoid touching surfaces, use the Neill Med Nettie pot every time we have been in public, etc. One thing the doctor suggested is to never shake hands with others. We have been doing this consistently (sometimes we offer the elbow bump but not the fist bump). Sometimes we get strange looks from others but when we explain the flu issue most people say that is a great idea. We are trying to get a no handshake policy implemented in our Church.

Anyone else quit shaking hands because of the flu?

I won’t give up shaking hands unless I give up turning door knobs, or grabbing bannisters, pushing elevator buttons etc. far more likely, I have been told to catch something that way then from the few hands I shake each day. What I do however is use an alcohol gel after shaking hands or touching things, and generally every 30 m8nutes when out of the house. Wash my hands often. Most importantly use my sleeve or hankerchief to rub my eyes or around my face but never with my bare hands unless washed or disinfected.

Of course if I am sick I politely excuse myself from shaking hands out of deference to others. But I am lucky as I live mostly in the Southern Hemisphere when it is Cold and Flu season in the Northern regions. And vice versa.....That really helps!

Haven’t had a cold or flu in 6 years now.

 

[Ally]

Ally thanks for your input. OP here, I don't think some people take the flu seriously enough. I was sick with the flu for a month but fully recovered. On the other had DH has permanent hearing problems that was caused by last year's flu. I hope you continue to improve.

Thanks. I hope your husband improves. I forgot to mention a 15 yr old daughter of friends got the flu last Christmas. She wasn’t vaccinated. She spent a couple of weeks in the hospital due to very high temps causing repeated seizures. The doctors told her mom it was touch and go as far as possible brain damage. Thankfully, she is recovered and is back at school, still 3rd in her class. It’s shocking to me what flu can do.

 

[Mdlerth]

I once caught a fever from a supermodel in a hot tub

Still, I bet DH would forget all about the flu if a beautiful young woman rushed up to him and gave him a big hug and kiss. LOL

This happens all the time... in dreams and sitcoms.

In real life, not so much.

 

[Elizrogers]

Most grocery stores now have those anti-bacterial wipes at the door. I always take a couple and wipe the handle and my hands, but even so make sure not to put my fingers in my mouth or take any free samples. Always wash immediately upon arriving home and before I plan to eat anything. I wash a lot more now than when I was younger and epidemics were seldom heard of. I even wash after getting the mail. At church, being a woman, I try to have my purse in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, so when I meet someone, I don't have a free hand to shake with. So, I just sort of nod, make eye contact, and say "nice to meet you.". Most people don't even put out a hand, since they can see mine are full. I am allergic to the flu shot and have not had one in 30 years, so am overly careful not to get in people's faces or around anyone coughing, sneezing or blowing noses. Even if they say it's only allergies. I have been lucky not to catch the flu in the last 30 years, but have had a couple of good colds that scared me.

 

[skipro33]

I don't think giving up hand shaking is gonna make any difference at all. Every public surface you touch, from the gas pump to the touch pad to pay for just about anything these days, you are constantly touching stuff that other folks have touched a dozen times in the past hour. Eat out much? Think about that server, touching everything from your plate, silverware, glasses, money, etc. along with every other table for hours and never washes their hands. How many people in the back touched your plate? Dishwasher, cook, etc. And what about those menus? Ugh!! Fact is; if you are going out in public, you are going to touch a whole lot of stuff a whole lot of people touched just before you did. I do my best to keep my hands in my pockets when out. I use the handicap door openers, instead of the manual door openers. I keep tissues loose in my pockets and use those when I do need to touch any surface, then toss or put in the other pocket.

 

[harllee]

I don't think giving up hand shaking is gonna make any difference at all. Every public surface you touch, from the gas pump to the touch pad to pay for just about anything these days, you are constantly touching stuff that other folks have touched a dozen times in the past hour. Eat out much? Think about that server, touching everything from your plate, silverware, glasses, money, etc. along with every other table for hours and never washes their hands. How many people in the back touched your plate? Dishwasher, cook, etc. And what about those menus? Ugh!! Fact is; if you are going out in public, you are going to touch a whole lot of stuff a whole lot of people touched just before you did. I do my best to keep my hands in my pockets when out. I use the handicap door openers, instead of the manual door openers. I keep tissues loose in my pockets and use those when I do need to touch any surface, then toss or put in the other pocket.

Op here--DH and I both are trying not to touch any surfaces when we are out and if we do have to touch something we immediately wash hands or use hand sanitizer. We have found that many things like elevator buttons can be pushed using our elbows. We too carry disposable tissues for things like door handles. I try not to touch handrails. I am wearing disposable gloves at the fitness center. As for eating out we have reduced the number pf places we eat out during flu season--we eat mainly at a private club where we hope the conditions are more clean. Menus are an issue--if we have to touch one we immediately us hand sanitizer. We wipe off silverware. Not much we can do about the food served. We are trying to not touch money--it is very nasty. We also try not to touch pay pads--use a tissue for that.

The other thing our doctor recommended we do is use a NellMed nasal wash (sort of like a Nettie Pot but it is a squeeze bottle). Every time we are out in public we use the nasal wash as soon as we get home. We also rinse out our eyes with drops and of course wash our hands very good.

Just reading what I wrote sound very paranoid but we were so sick last year we are afraid we would not recover if we caught the flu again this year.

 

[skipro33]

Just reading what I wrote sound very paranoid but we were so sick last year we are afraid we would not recover if we caught the flu again this year.

Not paranoid at all. You need to look out for yourselves first and with your history of not tolerating flu well, prevention is the smart thing to do.



My DIL got me this shirt for Christmas this year. It was either that or a Plague Doctor outfit on Amazon.

 

[W2R]

At the restaurant and gym we usually go to, we haven't noticed anybody doing anything unusual. Yesterday I did see one guy wiping off the seated elliptical handles before riding it, but that's about it; not terribly unusual to see someone doing that, even before the coronavirus situation, and nobody else was wiping equipment off before using it at our gym yesterday.

Maybe people are staying home instead of trying not to touch things? It didn't seem very crowded. The Louisiana Department of Health website says that so far there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana and the risk to the general public is low.

I had "the Mother of all head colds" for two or three weeks in December, but have been feeling great since then. I haven't been trying not to touch things that other have touched, and haven't been trying to stay away from other people. I probably should at some point but maybe not yet.

 

[mystang52]

My 2nd reply on this thread as it hits so close to home for me. I avoid hand shaking, and I do my best to not touch handrails, elevator buttons (I use knuckle or napkin as I usually have one on me), etc. I play Duplicate Bridge 2-3 times a week and I always wear gloves. Yes, I know there are ample times I likely inadvertently touch things I don't want to. I don't believe or expect that I am avoiding all germs.
But if my precautions limit my exposure by even 50%, that improves my odds of not catching something. I don't plan to live in a bubble, so I'm not expecting a 100% sterile environment. I do think, though, that I'm doing some personal good by my efforts.