I’m Sick! Can I still come in for my massage?
I hope this message finds you all well and healthy! It’s snowing but I’m feeling motivated to do something productive other than laundry, so why not blog? I’ve been getting this question a lot lately so let’s talk about it. “I’m sick! Can I still come in for my massage?”
As you may know, there are a TON of sick people in Colorado right now. There’s respiratory illness going around and around again, the stomach flu is going through, as well as the regular flu. There are a shortage of beds at the hospitals here in Colorado, causing people to be sent to other states to be taken care of.
Stay above the wellness line
I’ve been sick this year, you’ve been sick, everyone I know has been sick at least once, and we need to be doing everything we can to be proactive about our health and staying above the wellness line rather than chasing it after we’ve fallen ill.
I’m using Young Livings Super C, Inner Defense, and Life 9 Probiotic supplements, as well as the amazingly beneficial antioxidant and anti inflammatory, Ningxia Red juice. The Thieves line had a whole host of products, including Thieves essential oil, hand purifier, and Thieves cough drops to help stay above the wellness line.
And, I’m asking people who are below the line to stay home. We need to protect those around us as well.
Here are a few clues that you shouldn’t come in for your massage…in fact stay home and away from everyone else! Get well! Keep others well!
- If you have a fever. Fevers are created in the body to fight infection. Infections are contraindicated for massage. The moving of the circulatory systems through massage, can cause the infection to spread into other areas of your body.
- If your fever has been coming and going, or has not been gone for AT LEAST 24 hours, you are still contagious.
- If you are coughing, sneezing or having to blow and wipe your nose frequently. I am usually touching your entire body, including your hands and face. So if you’re hands aren’t clean you’re spreading your germs to me and into the air in the massage room.
- If you have body aches or extreme fatigue associated with illness stay home, though you probably won’t want to be touched anyway.
- Do you really feel bad? Most of us know when we should stay home. We just want the OK from someone else to rid us of our guilt. I get it! And why do we feel guilty when we’re sick anyway? Our silly society has made it so at a risk of self care and care for others too. When you’re sick, your body is saying, “REST PLEASE! Take care of me please! Pay attention to me please!”
- The flu typically comes on fast and is contagious for 5-7 days so if you’re not at that 5-7 day mark, you’re probably still contagious.
- Colds come on slower, taking a few days to develop and are usually only contagious the first day or two.
- Treat others as you would yourself. If you were locked in a small room with someone who felt as bad as you do, would you wish they had stayed home?
Why I can’t work while sick like some can.
Being a massage therapist, touching people all day, I can’t just come to work with my nose running, coughing and with a fever and hope those around me won’t get sick because we’re separated by cubicle walls as barriers. I also can’t even tolerate the thought of touching people when I’m sick. It’s an energetic thing and makes me nauseous to consider giving the energy I need to heal away to someone else.
I love you, and I love that you want your massage and don’t want to cost me money, but when I get sick, it’s not just one hour of pay I lose. It’s days worth of pay until I can feel better enough to touch people again!
So, please stay home, get well and reschedule soon when we can both enjoy the experience.
Carrie Bohlmann – Owner/Massage therapist – Body Heal Thyself Massage Therapy