I don’t consider myself a germophobe by any means. But I do try to be careful and take special precautions this time of year, during cold and flu season.
Does anyone else have reservations about going out in public this time of year? I sure do. I’m always careful to wash my hands frequently and I do get a flu shot most years and I try to avoid crowds at all costs. My husband rolls his eyes at me when I go to the grocery store because you can bet that yes, I AM going to stop at the cart sanitizing wipe stand. He never does. I wipe the handle of the cart, the seat (where mothers are known to put snotty-nosed babies with leaky diapers), and then I wipe my hands with a fresh wipe.
When I was in the ER two weeks ago, I had about an hour and 15 minute wait. For this hospital, that’s not really all that long of a wait unless you’re in excruciating pain from a kidney stone. I looked around the waiting room, and there were some sick, sick folks. Some looked like they might not make it. Many were lying down covered up with their coats. Many were pale and coughing and sneezing. Several had plastic emesis pans by their sides. I wanted to just sorta put myself into a germ-free bubble.
The nurse who called me to the back after my hour and 15 minute wait apologized profusely and told me they had just been absolutely slammed with flu cases. He told me of all his many years as a nurse, it was definitely the worse flu season he had ever seen. My doctor told me the next night that it has been a bad flu season. I was told that most of the people getting sick from the flu had taken the flu shot but it’s only about 15% effective this year. Bummer.
The past few times I’ve been out, I haven’t seen any wipes in the grocery store I most often use. The whole station is gone. What? It makes no sense why they would do away with the disinfectant stations during the peak of cold and flu season? And then I went to Walmart and their station was gone too??? I guess my husband will really roll his eyes when I bring my own cart disinfectant wipes to the grocery store next trip. But that’s what I plan to do ’cause I sure don’t plan on getting the flu on top of a kidney stone. Someone would have to shoot me.
Gail ♥
Moonlight Reflections 
I use hand sanitizerall the time or I am washing my hands as if I had OCD. No offense to those with OCD. I sometimes clean my cart handle but never thought if the seat where a leaky diaper could have been. Oh, that is a must wipe are for me now.
🙂
I was glad to find the wipes back in the store today. They had moved them to a different area.
My whole family was sick with colds for Christmas from Colorado to Arizona. Stay safe and keep sanitizing!
I hope they all feel better soon!
I am a germophobe and proud of it! I too, wipe down my shopping carts, however, as you said, many stores are doing away with the wipes or just not filling them. Ughhh… Over the past 6-7 weeks I have had 5 colds- I just can’t seem to shake them this year. One was so bad, along with flu-like symptoms, even though I got a flu shot, that I ended up with a sinus infection. I’m still trying to get rid of the cough. I always wipe my work phone and desk down with wipes everyday as well. It helps. Happy New year and stay healthy.. 🤧😷🙋🎉🥂
Thanks for visiting the blog and commenting! I hope you’re on the road to recovery and feel back to normal soon!
I TOTALLY agree with you….and YES by all means pack some wipes for the store. A flu shot is recommended but I personally have never had one. From what I read, they don’t even know what they are vaccinating against. Its hard to trust any sort of injections anymore, especially since they have a possible link between childhood vaccinations and autism. Off subject but Its just like the fluoride they put in our water and toothpaste. Again, I had to research that and found that fluoride blocks our pineal gland and ‘dumbs us down’. I’m rambling….anyway….grab some wipes and clean those nasty germs off the cart. The last place a persons hands are before they grab a cart is one their steering wheel (gross) where they have sneezed, coughed, blew their nose and had their nasty hands (sometimes after eating or other gross things). Also the carts have been outdoors where bird have perched on them after walking around the parking lot. The trail of bacteria is ENDLESS. 🙂
I’m very leery of injections too but scared of influenza as I know it can be a killer. Last year the vaccine was a good match. This year it’s not. I was glad though that my store had wipes again today. They had moved to a different area!
Hope you’re feeling better from the kidney stones! I use those wipes myself to stay germ free! Do what you have to do because we don’t want the flu!!
Thank. I STILL have the kidney stone. I was told the average time it takes to pass one is six weeks! I had no idea!!!
Oh my goodness Gail! I pray you pass it quickly and easily without pain soon! xoxo
Thanks for the prayers Yvonne!