If You Are Sick

[LoneStar]

Just spent the night in a packed 8 person room with a gentleman who was very ill and coughing all night without a mask or covering his mouth. As former healthcare provider and clinical microbiologist my guess is that one or two of our roommates are likely to get ill. I carry masks and used one. I know it is an expense but it would be helpful if you are coughing up a lung that you wear a mask and/or get a private room. The gentleman in question was not receptive to the mask offer. Certainly not my intention to offend but as we all know there is no air circulation in most bunk rooms.

 

[CalgaryLynn]

That kind of thing irritates me to no end! Same with on planes. I am the one who will hand a snot filled, coughing passenger on our public transportation a Kleenex when they are coughing in everyone's face. I even went to my doctor's office once and sitting in a waiting room, a young man was coughing to the extreme and not one of the reception staff offered him a Kleenex. I did!

 

[dreaming]

I know how you are feeling. I caught a cold for two weeks from a pilgrim snotting, sneezing and blowing in the top bunk next to me. It was a donativo albergue with the beds close together and I was in a bottom bunk next to him. I booked private rooms when I got sick. This is one reason why I avoid donativos. There is a limit to caring and sharing.

 

[SabsP]

I know how you are feeling. I caught a cold for two weeks from a pilgrim snotting, sneezing and blowing in the top bunk next to me. It was a donativo albergue with the beds close together and I was in a bottom bunk next to him. I booked private rooms when I got sick. This is one reason why I avoid donativos. There is a limit to caring and sharing.

Could also happen in non donativos!

 

[Simperegrina]

I know how you are feeling. I caught a cold for two weeks from a pilgrim snotting, sneezing and blowing in the top bunk next to me. It was a donativo albergue with the beds close together and I was in a bottom bunk next to him. I booked private rooms when I got sick. This is one reason why I avoid donativos. There is a limit to caring and sharing.

What’s the difference between a donativo and another type of albergue with shared dorms?

 

[trecile]

What’s the difference between a donativo and another type of albergue with shared dorms?

In the case of being exposed to someone's illness there's really no difference.

 

[Simperegrina]

In the case of being exposed to someone's illness there's really no difference.

Quite so

 

[dreaming]

Of course it could but I find the donativos more crowded.

 

[Simperegrina]

Of course it could but I find the donativos more crowded.

Umm. Citation needed.

 

[davejsy]

I had similar experiences, but the reality is that there is very little you can do about it. You can hope the person coughing would be considerate, but you can't really make them. To them it might not be anything out of the ordinary, whilst to us it could be totally unacceptable. They might even be aware of it and feel guilty, but not all people can afford to get a private room.

I agree that there is certainly no more risk in a Donativo v any other types of Albergue, and to be fair you are probably far more likely to pick something up on your journey to or from the Camino if it involves planes/buses.

It's one of those situations where the Camino gives you the option of compassion and tolerance versus the opposite.

 

[isobelmtl]

Just spent the night in a packed 8 person room with a gentleman who was very ill and coughing all night without a mask or covering his mouth. As former healthcare provider and clinical microbiologist my guess is that one or two of our roommates are likely to get ill. I carry masks and used one. I know it is an expense but it would be helpful if you are coughing up a lung that you wear a mask and/or get a private room. The gentleman in question was not receptive to the mask offer. Certainly not my intention to offend but as we all know there is no air circulation in most bunk rooms.

I just came back from a stint as hospitalera in Ponferrada. I was working in a donativo. Over 2 weeks we had 2 people who were clearly sick and we isolated them in the smallest room we had ( 4 bunk room) part of the protocol there was to accompany the sick person on the day of entry and get a medical certificate from a medical centre. They stayed longer than the usual one night and isolation procedure was maintained. Of course these people were using bathrooms and common kitchen but we felt it eliminated some risk of contagion.

 

[mgnswaus]

There are conditions like bronchiectasis which require the lungs to be cleared. It is not infectious and is even more irritating to the sufferers, who do not present as being sick in any other way, than it is to others suffering listening to the coughing.

 

[aK_os]

As some who has asthma I have to point out, that not everyone who is heavily coughing is necessarily sick in a way to make you sick too. I had a very unpleasant discussion with one guy who said very nastily i was sick, and i shouldnt use albergue. he was super aggresive and disrespectful. i also dont like to speak about my asthma in front of 20-30 people. thats my private thing. and yet i felt i had to mention it, he still kept on his tyrade. "funny" thing - his wife was coughing through whole night, me- not a single caugh, as i tend to cough less, once i am in bed and resting - thats just me and my asthma. generaly: yes it is not nice if someone is sick, but a) you do not know what is the reason behind it; b) there is nothing you can do about it c)some people dont even know they are sick and contagious, as they dont have heavy symptoms yet, but can alraedy transmit it. thats part of lodging with masses. PS: i also got sick last year - got it from some lady who was in same room one night, and for few nights i got a privados untill i was better.

 

[lt56ny]

Of course it could but I find the donativos more crowded.

I have stayed in at least 30-35 donativos minimum on many different caminos and there are just as many municipal and private albergues that pack people in as much as any donativo. If you reference this study done by the National Institute of Health flu particles can travel to 6 feet and cough and sneeze particles and germs up to 26 feet. I doubt you are going to find many albergues with beds that far apart.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7462404/#:~:text=Large%20respiratory%20droplets%20containing%20pathogens,sneezes%20(23%E2%80%9325).

 

[David Tallan]

Of course it could but I find the donativos more crowded.

Like this donativo?


I've seen crowded fixed-fee albergues, I think, more often than crowded donativos.

 

[steppingpono]

Just spent the night in a packed 8 person room with a gentleman who was very ill and coughing all night without a mask or covering his mouth. As former healthcare provider and clinical microbiologist my guess is that one or two of our roommates are likely to get ill. I carry masks and used one. I know it is an expense but it would be helpful if you are coughing up a lung that you wear a mask and/or get a private room. The gentleman in question was not receptive to the mask offer. Certainly not my intention to offend but as we all know there is no air circulation in most bunk rooms.

 

[steppingpono]

Fair point
8 people overnight In a room - different countries of origins - different viruses - different immunities- spreading the bugs.
Be kind be considerate - everyone wants to finish their Camino.

 

[hikentravel1234]

There are conditions like bronchiectasis which require the lungs to be cleared. It is not infectious and is even more irritating to the sufferers, who do not present as being sick in any other way, than it is to others suffering listening to the coughing.

True, but only a small percentage would be people with bronchitis, especially because people with bronchiectasis often don't have enough lung capacity to walk on the Camino.

 

[SabsP]

True, but only a small percentage would be people with bronchitis, especially because people with bronchiectasis often don't have enough lung capacity to walk on the Camino.

Together with the people suffering from allergies due to house dust mite! They also cough. This is neither contagious!

 

[hikentravel1234]

Together with the people suffering from allergies due to house dust mite! They also cough. This is neither contagious!

True!!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I caught a cold for two weeks from a pilgrim snotting, sneezing and blowing in the top bunk next to me.

It's very easy to blame someone for your cold, when it could have been caught somewhere else entirely.

 

[Texas Walker]

If you're coughing and congested, get to the pharmacy and ask for something to break up the mucus. They have stuff and it's over the counter so you don't have to go to the hospital if it's just mucus. (I did look up the stuff my walking partner got and it's not antibiotic or anything, but it did a wonderful job on the mucous, probably prevented him getting pneumonia.)

 

[dreaming]

It's very easy to blame someone for your cold, when it could have been caught somewhere else entirely.

Sure however I could have caught it easily from him let alone all the other pilgrims he most likely infected with his droplets.
I do understand that he may not have been able to afford a private room and that is the risk one takes in sharing.

 

[witsendwv]

As some who has asthma I have to point out, that not everyone who is heavily coughing is necessarily sick in a way to make you sick too. I had a very unpleasant discussion with one guy who said very nastily i was sick, and i shouldnt use albergue. he was super aggresive and disrespectful. i also dont like to speak about my asthma in front of 20-30 people. thats my private thing. and yet i felt i had to mention it, he still kept on his tyrade. "funny" thing - his wife was coughing through whole night, me- not a single caugh, as i tend to cough less, once i am in bed and resting - thats just me and my asthma. generaly: yes it is not nice if someone is sick, but a) you do not know what is the reason behind it; b) there is nothing you can do about it c)some people dont even know they are sick and contagious, as they dont have heavy symptoms yet, but can alraedy transmit it. thats part of lodging with masses. PS: i also got sick last year - got it from some lady who was in same room one night, and for few nights i got a privados untill i was better.

My son has asthma that is triggered every autumn- he coughs constantly for about a month and sometimes very hard. Like you when he is in bed and resting the coughing does decrease. His pulmonologist told us that we don't cough in our sleep- this is why people who are caught sleeping during a house fire die of smoke inhalation.

 

[steppingpono]

If you're coughing and congested, get to the pharmacy and ask for something to break up the mucus. They have stuff and it's over the counter so you don't have to go to the hospital if it's just mucus. (I did look up the stuff my walking partner got and it's not antibiotic or anything, but it did a wonderful job on the mucous, probably prevented him getting pneumonia.)

The Farmacias are excellent- pop in no matter what you might need. The staff are well qualified and helpful. And lucky for me most of them speak English.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Just spent the night in a packed 8 person room with a gentleman who was very ill and coughing all night without a mask or covering his mouth. As former healthcare provider and clinical microbiologist my guess is that one or two of our roommates are likely to get ill. I carry masks and used one. I know it is an expense but it would be helpful if you are coughing up a lung that you wear a mask and/or get a private room. The gentleman in question was not receptive to the mask offer. Certainly not my intention to offend but as we all know there is no air circulation in most bunk rooms.

This irritates me - because I have not been able to walk since Puente La Reina because one of my pilgrims, who is a nurse by the way, showed up sick and didn’t tell anybody and wrote the taxi with us to SJPP. She did not wear a mask. As a result, I got sick and two of my pilgrims got sick and have not been able to walk many of the stages. One other person is fighting it off as we speak.

If you’re sick, get a private room and at the least wear a mask!