Interested in constructive opinions on this question.
I habitually cough like a (insert politically correct description here) after light exercise.
Once we are let out, I am going to terrify at least half the people that I meet.
Should the short of breath amongst us, and the various support groups, be thinking of some sort of visual signal that communicates something like Busted Lungs but not Covid - honest'.
Maybe thumbs up deely-boppers or perhaps something more subtle.
It may sound frivolous at this stage but us coughers need a way of functioning after lockdown without being asked to leave the restaurant..
I have already experienced that look of terror, not from coughing, but just by being very short of breath, at the hospital just prior to shielding. It does make you feel, at the time, like a Leper.
I think we will all be wearing masks or advised to in order to prevent everyone coughing out potential virus droplets. I think most of us on here will be in the same boat. Hopefully it will also help to keep people at arms length 😃
Hi there Casagodfrey, very good point. I have had leper treatment in the past due to lung condition & ongoing cough. I was even sacked from my job due to the risk of the cough spreading germs. I have already bought masks for when I can go out again and our newspaper has an ad this morning for packs that work out at 75p each but the paper ones do not fit flat on the cheeks we have been adviced to buy the washable material ones as they fit more snuggly and are reusable. Have a nice day.
It's funny now but I remember a couple of years ago- when my cough was really bad and uncontrollable- I went to A& E and any one that came in and sat by me soon moved away when I started coughing. I definitely felt like a leper x
A week or so before the lockdown, we ventured to a small farm shop / cafe for a spot of lunch. We were in the queue and a friend from long ago was standing behind us. We had a nice chat as the queue moved very slowly. Suddenly, she burst out coughing. She put her hand up and announced to everyone within earshot, 'Nobody panic! I've not been to China! I've just got a cough and I've had it for years!!!' We fell about laughing and said then that we both needed to have tee shirts printed with that slogan. The laughing made me cough - and cough - and cough! Yes, we both felt like lepers in the end, but at least there were two of us. Of course, the situation soon became so much more serious that it was no longer a joking matter and the tee shirt idea was abandoned.
I know so well the feeling of needing to apologise/explain to people about the cough. In days gone by I've had unsolicited pats on the back and glasses of water galore from total strangers while my husband has carried on without any reaction as he is so used to it. It's kind of people to try and help, but rarely necessary and it draws even more attention to me.
I have a dread of coughing in public just now, not that I go further than my garden. One of our neighbours, early on in the lockdown, said to my husband, 'Is your wife better now? We often hear her coughing.' I think it was kindly meant, but resulted in my husband justifying the cough with, 'She's always got a cough. She's got COPD. She's not infectious.' Now I'm afraid to cough in the garden for fear that other neighbours will think I'm spreading COVID 19.
Sometimes I seriously think I'd like the tee shirt or some recognisable sign to point out to people, but would I really want to make that statement? And should I have to?
No, when I'm allowed out again I'll just ring my little bell and shout 'Unclean! Unclean!'. At least they'll move out of my way in the shops. Lol!
Your experience with your cough is exactly like mine! My husband and daughter sit looking unconcerned as kind people rush with water, tissues etc. I have said, before we'd even heard of covid, I need a card to flash when it happens. Now I'll have to add "Not covid"
I have bronchiectasis and often cough. I said to my consultant once,” Its so anti social I was on the train and I started coughing and the person next to me moved away.”The consultant said,” I would call that a benefit“.
I agree, I have been trying to think of something myself. For years I have been saying 'sorry this is just my asthma cough and not infectious'.
I stopped going almost everywhere 2 or 3 weeks before lockdown because I felt embarrassed when I coughed. Since then I have been taking my temperature every morning and take a photo of it on my phone in case anyone comments when I cough. It does really worry me now, I would love to go to a garden centre or other shops as they reopen but I am concerned that I will cough. I go for a walk in the park most days but I always stay away from busier places mainly because of my normal cough. It makes me feel very isolated as I live alone and go days without seeing anyone. My neighbours know I have asthma so I don't worry about coughing in the garden which is fortunate. Without my garden I would feel trapped, not because of the fear of catching coronavirus but because of my asthma.
I have thought about making some sort of badge or card to show if I needed to but I don't think I want anything too obvious to draw uneccessary attention to myself. Something with an official logo would be useful and I would be prepared to buy one if it was available. I'm very interested in what everyone thinks. I am so pleased to see this post and realise that it's not just me who feels embarrassed by coughing.
I don't wear glasses but I can empathize with people who say their glasses steam up when they go in from the cold. My nose does the same. Well, not steaming up but starts to run. Now I have the dilemma of whether to walk around the shop sniffing or get out a tissue and wipe my nose. Either way I fear the angry mob with pitchforks. And that's before I start coughing...
Wearing a face mask will be difficult. Once on they should stay in place, not moved or fiddled with. With a productive cough I normally keep a nappy sack in my pocket or bag and a large supply of tissues. Catch, bag and bin when home. Impossible with a mask in place.
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