Parents VENT: Gymnastics the Germ Playground

[cadybearsmommy]

I know I can't be the only germaphobe that feels this way! DD has asthma and she gets sick so easily this time of year. Many of the germs she gets seem to come from gymnastics. Last year she got pneumonia from a simple cold that was going around at the gym and was very sick. A couple of months ago she told me a girl on her team had strep, the next week she had strep. Last week several on her team had a cold, this week she got a cold which (thanks to asthma) has quickly escalated to bronchitis. So she's missed practice all week and has a meet next weekend. She's frustrated. I understand how she feels but I'm more worried about getting her better I'll pull her from the meet next weekend if necessary.

I know sometimes you can't help the spread of germs. Often times kids are contagious before they show symptoms (I'm sure dd was contagious before she showed symptoms of strep as well). But there are a couple of moms on our team that constantly send their kids to practice sick. I've even heard one particular mom in the lobby saying "DD's probably not going to have a good practice. She's been up with a fever all night and doesn't feel good." It's that kind of stuff that bugs me. I do everything I can to keep dd healthy, I give her a multivitamin every day and high doses of daily vitamin c this time of year. But it's hard to keep her healthy with such constant exposure to germs. I know she gets exposed to germs at school and other places too it's just that gymnastics seems to up the chances of getting sick.

Thanks for letting me vent! I'm tempted to bubble wrap her until winter is over! Lol!

 

[sce]

This totally irritates me too. If you know they are sick, keep them home so they get better ad don't expose everyone else.

 

[MILgymFAM]

That really stinks. My girls' gym has had someone sick every single practice for months, usually more than one person. Luckily they haven't picked anything up. I've sent my girls to practice with multiple types of 'not feeling well' over the years, but never a contagious type. Those are the days you do everyone else a solid and stay home. In that way though, gym is no different than school or work where the misguided policies tend to praise those who are never absent. It's an organizational issue imo.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

That really stinks. My girls' gym has had someone sick every single practice for months, usually more than one person. Luckily they haven't picked anything up. I've sent my girls to practice with multiple types of 'not feeling well' over the years, but never a contagious type. Those are the days you do everyone else a solid and stay home. In that way though, gym is no different than school or work where the misguided policies tend to praise those who are never absent. It's an organizational issue imo.

Agreed! I can't stand the awards for perfect attendance at school either!

 

[flipnastic]

Shoot, I get it! My dd has asthma also, and the stress that comes with it is unbelievable. Last year was her first year of being controlled, but she has started having frequent flares again...almost weekly, and each I getting worse. She also catches croup soooo easily and when that is mixed with asthma, it's scary as crap...turning blue, hospitalizations, ambulance rides, etc. every time I hear a croup cough my anxiety kicks in. I heard a kid with a croup cough last night in the viewing area and had a freak out

I hope your little girl kicks it quickly!

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Shoot, I get it! My dd has asthma also, and the stress that comes with it is unbelievable. Last year was her first year of being controlled, but she has started having frequent flares again...almost weekly, and each I getting worse. She also catches croup soooo easily and when that is mixed with asthma, it's scary as crap...turning blue, hospitalizations, ambulance rides, etc. every time I hear a croup cough my anxiety kicks in. I heard a kid with a croup cough last night in the viewing area and had a freak out

I totally understand. Respiratory illness scare me so much. My mom passed away from pneumonia so there are some deep rooted fears there. So I completely understand the anxiety.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Tis the season of various creeping cruds. Problem is the kids are usually contagious before being symptomatic. We her immuno supplements.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

It's such a tossup though. i know at our gym the girls get drilled to not miss practice, particularly before a meet. Makes sense. It does mean that a lot of the girls do show up feeling a little under the weather..!
I cringe a little (especially if it is right before an important meet!!) when i see obviously sick girls coming in, spreading their "joy"... To not only the other gymnasts but us coaches as well. We do have to touch them when we spot....
My personal philosophy is that buliding up resistance is good. I (and my gymmie) certainly don't end up with everything that is going around at gym. But what we end up with, we end up with. However, we don't have any health risks so...
It is the same in all activities, FWIW. I know several times there has been outbreaks of various crud at my other DDs dance studio (swine flu included) and I have watched (and helped) wiping down of ballet barres and other "public surfaces" during particularly bad ones. We have a schedule for wiping down mats etc at gym, but in all honesty most of the spreading is face-to-face, not using a contaminated mat, so...

 

[Randomactsofcheer]

I completely understand your feelings! DD has epilepsy and the last two times she was sick she ended up in the hospital due to having cluster seizures. I really wish people would keep their kids home when they are sick. A few weeks ago, I overheard one parent talk about keeping her kid home from school because she had been vomiting all night but still brought her to practice. I feel bad for the children. Their children should be resting, not participating in a 4 hour practice!

Thankfully, DD's school does not put a large emphasis on "perfect attendance" like her old school. Her old school had horrible outbreaks of the flu and measles (yes, measles- they also had a low vaccination rate).

 

[skschlag]

I do know that some people send their kids places really sick. And that is wrong. If a kiddo has a fever or is actively vomiting, they should be at home, if not for others, for them. 24 hours from the last vomit or fever. But I have been on the flip side of that, with parents confronting me about my ds being "sick"

One incident was when when he threw up at practice. Now, he was acting fine, doing everything, and ran into the bathroom to throw up, came out, and was fine. Should he have gone home?

And when he gets any kind of allergy, minor cold (which I don't think kids need to stay home for), etc, he gets croup. And he will cough for weeks. Should he stay home until the cough is gone? He is fine and will tell you he feels fine. Just sounds awful. How long should he stay home? Because he can cough horribly for a month at a time.

And to add to incident 1....he has migraines. All the parent knew was that he had thrown up. She was yelling about her kid getting sick. Migraines are not contagious, but he throws up at the end of one. I leave it up to him to decide when he can/can't practice during one. He has varying degrees of them.

It just isn't always cut and dry. I hate when obviously sick kiddos are at practice, but many times, it is hard to see what is "sick". the kiddo who has few symptoms yet might be more contagious than the one who is coughing and at the end of a cold.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I do know that some people send their kids places really sick. And that is wrong. If a kiddo has a fever or is actively vomiting, they should be at home, if not for others, for them. 24 hours from the last vomit or fever. But I have been on the flip side of that, with parents confronting me about my ds being "sick"

One incident was when when he threw up at practice. Now, he was acting fine, doing everything, and ran into the bathroom to throw up, came out, and was fine. Should he have gone home?

And when he gets any kind of allergy, minor cold (which I don't think kids need to stay home for), etc, he gets croup. And he will cough for weeks. Should he stay home until the cough is gone? He is fine and will tell you he feels fine. Just sounds awful. How long should he stay home? Because he can cough horribly for a month at a time.

And to add to incident 1....he has migraines. All the parent knew was that he had thrown up. She was yelling about her kid getting sick. Migraines are not contagious, but he throws up at the end of one. I leave it up to him to decide when he can/can't practice during one. He has varying degrees of them.

It just isn't always cut and dry. I hate when obviously sick kiddos are at practice, but many times, it is hard to see what is "sick". the kiddo who has few symptoms yet might be more contagious than the one who is coughing and at the end of a cold.

I feel for you. I completely understand that colds, lingering cough etc aren't always reasons to stay home. And I know kids are often contagious before they have symptoms. I admit the throwing up might have made me worry. But if you explained the migraine situation and the coach was ok with it that would be enough to put my mind at ease. Although I've had migraines and I can't imagine doing gymnastics with one would be very fun. Lol.

It's the ones that blatantly just don't care that bother me. The ones that will be very open in saying their kid ran a fever all night but they gave them Tylenol and brought them to the meet, practice, etc. Not only is it not safe or good for their own kid, it also puts other kids at risk for getting sick.

A previous poster mentioned the benefits of building up resistance and I can see that for a perfectly healthy kid. But ever since mine was so sick with pneumonia last year that she almost ended up hospitalized, building up her resistance is the last thing on my mind. I try my best with vitamins and supplements and it helps but in her case it's not always enough.

I just ask for consideration from those who know their kids are sick and/or contagious. Bc an illness that might put their kids out of practice for 2 days can put my kid out for two weeks. Not to mention putting a kid with a bad head cold or the flu on the beam can be downright dangerous.

 

[2gymkids]

Yep. It's annoying. We definitely have parents who send their kids in sick- I've especially heard it coming from the developmental group this year, and they hang all over my DD's group....and DD has literally not been well for more than a week or two at a time since October. Very frustrating. Although, the coaches could help out a little by telling the girls to wash their hands on the way up for their snack break.

 

[raenndrops]

I know I can't be the only germaphobe that feels this way! DD has asthma and she gets sick so easily this time of year. Many of the germs she gets seem to come from gymnastics. Last year she got pneumonia from a simple cold that was going around at the gym and was very sick. A couple of months ago she told me a girl on her team had strep, the next week she had strep. Last week several on her team had a cold, this week she got a cold which (thanks to asthma) has quickly escalated to bronchitis. So she's missed practice all week and has a meet next weekend. She's frustrated. I understand how she feels but I'm more worried about getting her better I'll pull her from the meet next weekend if necessary.

I know sometimes you can't help the spread of germs. Often times kids are contagious before they show symptoms (I'm sure dd was contagious before she showed symptoms of strep as well). But there are a couple of moms on our team that constantly send their kids to practice sick. I've even heard one particular mom in the lobby saying "DD's probably not going to have a good practice. She's been up with a fever all night and doesn't feel good." It's that kind of stuff that bugs me. I do everything I can to keep dd healthy, I give her a multivitamin every day and high doses of daily vitamin c this time of year. But it's hard to keep her healthy with such constant exposure to germs. I know she gets exposed to germs at school and other places too it's just that gymnastics seems to up the chances of getting sick.

Thanks for letting me vent! I'm tempted to bubble wrap her until winter is over! Lol!

This is something I understand completely.
You need to protect your daughter. I know this will sound crazy, but I think you should send her to practice with a surgical mask. If she has issues with the mask, tell her that she only has to wear it when she is near others (not when she is on bars, beam, vault, or floor... as long as she is alone.... until she gets off). Let the coaches know you can't take chances with her health.
One of the coaches we compete against has a compromised immune system and she wears one to all the meets.
People may think you are being dramatic, but you can tell them that YOUR DD's health is VERY important to YOU.
Heck, if you go to the ER and have certain symptoms, they make you put on a mask.

 

[Randomactsofcheer]

This is something I understand completely.
You need to protect your daughter. I know this will sound crazy, but I think you should send her to practice with a surgical mask. If she has issues with the mask, tell her that she only has to wear it when she is near others (not when she is on bars, beam, vault, or floor... as long as she is alone.... until she gets off). Let the coaches know you can't take chances with her health.
One of the coaches we compete against has a compromised immune system and she wears one to all the meets.
People may think you are being dramatic, but you can tell them that YOUR DD's health is VERY important to YOU.
Heck, if you go to the ER and have certain symptoms, they make you put on a mask.

I don't think wearing a mask is crazy, especially during cold and flu season. We had to fly out of town for memorial services in December two years in a row and I made DD wear a mask in the airport, plane, and memorial service. I also had DD wear a mask to school for a week when a nasty stomach bug was going around. I doubt she wore it all day, but it made me feel better! After DD was hospitalized, her coach at the gym and her teacher at school sent out emails asking to please keep sick children at home. The coach even said that if a child seems ill at practice, they will be asked to wait in the office until a parent picks them up. It doesn't eliminate the children who are contagious but not yet showing symptoms, but it made me feel more comfortable sending my DD to practice.

 

[raenndrops]

I don't think wearing a mask is crazy, especially during cold and flu season. We had to fly out of town for memorial services in December two years in a row and I made DD wear a mask in the airport, plane, and memorial service. I also had DD wear a mask to school for a week when a nasty stomach bug was going around. I doubt she wore it all day, but it made me feel better! After DD was hospitalized, her coach at the gym and her teacher at school sent out emails asking to please keep sick children at home. The coach even said that if a child seems ill at practice, they will be asked to wait in the office until a parent picks them up. It doesn't eliminate the children who are contagious but not yet showing symptoms, but it made me feel more comfortable sending my DD to practice.

YOU get it... But some people might think it sounds crazy. I agree that it isnt... Of course, as a toddler, I was hospitalized (in ICU) twice in 6 months for pneumonia that started as a cold for someone else. My pediatrician gave my mom a little mask for me (crazy in the early 70s), but she tried to use it when I was around people. I was 2 - lol.

 

[profmom]

Even better than a mask is teaching your children how to avoid germs. Do they practice proper hand-washing protocol? Skip the antibacterial crap and teach them simply to get their hands sudsy and scrub for 30 seconds in warm water. Also teach them to keep their hands away from their mouths and eyes at all times, and to use tissues and dispose of them properly. Give them some lip balm so they're not inclined to pick at their lips if they are chapped, and encourage them to keep nails and cuticles well tended so that they're not tempted to bite their nails. This won't help if someone sneezes on them, but a lot of these illnesses are spread by contact, not through the air. If the viruses and bacteria don't get into the body, they can't infect it.

(I have a sneaking suspicion that part of the effectiveness of masks is that they prevent people from touching their mouths directly with their hands.)

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Can someone who works in the health industry put their bit in on the medical masks... I was under the impression they are to prevent you from infecting others with bodily fluids and that most pantheons are small enough to fit through the holes in the fibres anyway.

 

[mommyof1]

(I have a sneaking suspicion that part of the effectiveness of masks is that they prevent people from touching their mouths directly with their hands.)

I have been threatening to paint my kid's nails with that bitter nail polish to keep her from sticking her fingers in her mouth. Maybe I will put a mask on her instead. There is a tummy bug circulating in her group at the gym, and I'm still not over the cold she recently shared with me. Sigh.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Can someone who works in the health industry put their bit in on the medical masks... I was under the impression they are to prevent you from infecting others with bodily fluids and that most pantheons are small enough to fit through the holes in the fibres anyway.

Too late to edit auto correct... pathogen

 

[Seeker]

Can someone who works in the health industry put their bit in on the medical masks... I was under the impression they are to prevent you from infecting others with bodily fluids and that most pantheons are small enough to fit through the holes in the fibres anyway.

If you're wearing the mask to keep your germs off other people (if you have the flu, a cough, etc), I am sure that is true. What was being discussed though is wearing it as a preventive measure to keep other people's germs off of you, so a bit different scenario.