<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>sakasuka</b></i>
the more i think about this the more i feel badly for your niece. how old is she? she's probably too young to realize the ramifications of being around another CFer in terms of cross-contamination. she may have bacteria for the rest of her life that she has to battle from being next to you on a plane. sound extreme? examine the CFF's standard of care for patients who spend a few minutes with each other in a waiting room.
don't you feel badly about exposing your niece to your bacteria? especially knowing that she might not fully understand the long term consequences? if i were you that would weight heavily on my heart...</end quote></div>
So, how would one explain the <b>FACT </b>that there are quite a number of us <b>OLD </b>CFers, here, who were diagnosed young, sat in waiting rooms with other CFers, set in hospital rooms with other CFers (there wasn't internet back then, so we went and visited each other in our rooms), lived through the period <b>BEFORE </b>the 'rules' (aren't they really guidelines?) about cross contamination were established, and YET we have lived to deal with it? Do we feel badly about exposing <b>ANYBODY </b>to our bacteria. We don't know who's immune system is suppressed and sucseptible to our set of germs/bacteria. Do we wear a mask everywhere we go? Are we to be 'bubble boys' and girls? What about our wonderful doctor's office? Do we really think that the piece of flimsy paper that they have covering only a small percentage of the exam table will actually in any way protect us from previous patients germs? Do they wipe them down with sterilizing solution between patients? <i>I think not! </i>
Kelli - I say, do what your heart tells you to do. If your neice gets sick, it doesn't mean she got it from you! Billions of people have flown on airplanes, billions of people have not gotten sick from flying on airplanes.
IMHO - most disclaimers and guidelines are there to protect someone's collective asses from lawsuits, to make it your responsibility should you choose to use. (Isn't this why drug companies have that extremely tiny print propaganda page that describes what might happen to you if you use their product.)
If the CF center didn't tell you, stay 3 feet away from other CFers, then they would probably be liable should you violate that 3 foot 'rule' (Like actually give somebody a hug), and come down with something. So when you get thrown into that CF overcrowded waiting room - <b>you </b>have to ensure <b>you </b>don't get closer than 3 feet. But what is this 3 feet thing anyway - how far do the droplets fly when a person sneezes?
To further my (not so) humble opinion [as others are also so fond of doing and should be permitted to do so!] - "Take a risk - Live your life to the best of your abilities!"
(Did it just get hot in my kitchen? Turn up the gas baby, we're grillin' now! )
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.coughsafe.com/media.html">If and when you have to sneeze, </a>
Do you do it on your sleeve?
Do you hack into a rag?
Do you cough into a bag?
Do you spew your germs around?
Do they settle to the ground?
Do they fly across the air?
Do I inhale them, then and there?
Or do they lie in wait for touch
And then infect me all to much?
Should I stay inside my room,
To just await my certain doom?
Or can I walk this earth with care,
And live my life without dispair?
I would not, could not, will not wait;
For death is just a certain date,
A date for which I'll show up late!
As such I can - I choose my fate!
dkb - 2/27/2007 Warped, no?