Germ control and shaking hands

[CFkitty]

Since my last hospitalization and IV course (3 meds, 12 hours of infusion plus 6 sessions of RT per day), I've become really careful about catching infections from people. As a result, I have decided not to shake hands anymore, and not to hug anyone who I know is sick or might be sick.
I don't know how to tell people that I am working on germ control. When they extend their arm to shake my hand, I try to nicely say that I have been sick and don't want to contract anything new. Some people I know are fine with it. Others - including a particular family member who smokes and is chronically sick, and who has passed respiratory infections to me - ignore it and tell me I am being ridiculous.
And at my last doctor appt, a med student was assisting and extended his unwashed, un-Purelled hand to me, right after shaking hands with someone right else outside my exam room door. I put my arm over my chest protectively and said that I don't shake hands due to infection control concerns.
I wanted ideas on how to politely but firmly tell people - doctors, family, friends, strangers - that I don't shake hands or have close physical contact (as in less than 12 inches of breathing space) because I don't want to catch anything? At least in waiting rooms, if I cough, people start to move away, lol. I just don't know what to do everywhere else.
Thoughts?

 

[Ratatosk]

DS is the one with CF. I use a lot of hand sanitizer. I haven't come up with a way to avoid shaking hands other than looking stand-offish. As for sick people, we've let it be known that we will leave an event if someone shows up sick.

 

[saveferris2009]

I go to a church where holding hands or shaking hands several times during mass is common practice.

I simply tell people that I'm sick and I don't want to get them sick. 9 times out of 10, people say "oh thank you! hope you feel better" and that's that. I sometimes have a few people who say "oh I don't mind" and then I have to reply "well, I have to protect myself as well. I'm immunocompromised."

I go in and out of doing this - I mainly just don't like to hold hands/shake hands. I do it at work, though.

Having bacteria on your hands doesn't make you sick. If you never touched something that would go in your mouth, eyes or nose, you would never be exposed to the bacteria. If you wash your hands for 20 seconds before eating or prepping nebs, don't pick your nose, and avoid scratching your eyes at all times, you will be fine.

Easier said than done. But i'm exposed to a ton of germs all day during my job (yes, I know, I'm crazy) and I haven't had a cold in the past 3 years (knock wood) because I follow these practices. Hands don't go to your lungs unless you put them in your nose/mouth/eyes.

 

[kayers3]

Umm, you can tell people you are a germaphobe and do not touch people. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> (Note: I'm not actually calling you one, but that might be a successful way to approach that issue)

 

[musclemania70]

Stop touching your face. That is one excellent guideline. It would help a lot of people to know that's where most of their infections start! A lot of people don't know that!

 

[CFkitty]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>saveferris2009</b></i> Having bacteria on your hands doesn't make you sick. If you never touched something that would go in your mouth, eyes or nose, you would never be exposed to the bacteria. If you wash your hands for 20 seconds before eating or prepping nebs, don't pick your nose, and avoid scratching your eyes at all times, you will be fine. Easier said than done. But i'm exposed to a ton of germs all day during my job (yes, I know, I'm crazy) and I haven't had a cold in the past 3 years (knock wood) because I follow these practices. Hands don't go to your lungs unless you put them in your nose/mouth/eyes.</end quote>
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>musclemania70</b></i> Stop touching your face. That is one excellent guideline. It would help a lot of people to know that's where most of their infections start! A lot of people don't know that!</end quote>
I know how infections are passed. I have to touch my face when I cough - to cover it. Also, being in hugging contact can (and has) put me in contagion distance with people who are/have been sick (and not told me). If someone who is sick breathes on me (or coughs near me), the bacteria can be passed right to me.
It would be great to be able to go three years without a "cold", but my three strains of PA, my Staph Aureus, and my MRSA enjoy being active way too much. Any cold or virus that I pick up can and will send my colonized bacterial infections into flareup mode.
Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[TexasTapdog]

I know your looking for ways to tell people 'back off', but I've learned that in this society it is not easy to do. Thus I've tought myself to 'seperate' my hands and uses. I shake instead of hug, when someone comes in for a hug(who isn't family so they don't know about the cf) I simply hold my hand out to shake and its worked so far(years in the count). On that note, I use my right hand to shake since that is the norm and my left hand for my personal. i.e. coughing, and meds I use the left hand, while the right hand is reserved for shaking, doors, anything the 'public' touches and I don't use my right hand to touch me. Its a work around, it helps avoid being outcast by people that don't understand. Just my 2 cents, hope it may help.
Also if your right hand is busy and you have to get an elevator button or push open a door remember that elbows are better than fingers, 'cause I've yet to meet anyone who can lick their elbow.