Everyone is sick, why?

I live in NYC and on my train home tonight i noticed that i am not alone.

I have been sick now for 4 days with a bad cough and runny nose and all the familiar sick signs. I was out of work for 2 days, monday and tuesday and wanted to go back today even though i am not feeling any better than the previous days. When i got to work, i was taken back by how many co-workers were also out sick, more than half. Then getting out of work i wanted to meet up with a couple of friends so i called each one up. After calling 8 people and finding out ALL were sick i had no other choice but to start heading home.

On the train it was more of the same. As though a conductor was cueing the orchestra, the symphony coughed and sneezed and sniffled and blew into their tissues. Not one dead moment of silence, all the time at least 2 people were playing their "instruments."

Now on to the bumps.

3 years ago a teacher of mine went on about why he was absent for 4 days claiming he had a huge, for lack of a better word, pimple. He said the first day he woke up he noticed this pimple, which was on his ass(that sucks), and tried to squeeze it just like any other he has had in the past, but this one was diffrent. Dispite his best efforts the bump grew bigger. The next day was more of the same as he tried again, now a larger bump, to squeeze and put ointment on it...but with out any luck.
By the third day the thing grew to the size of a racket ball. The huge size of it made the skin around it and on it more painfull than anything he had felt. He couldn't sit, he couldn't stand, he couldn't carry out his life, so he headed to the hospital. Upon seeing his docter, he insured it was a bug bite of some sort and cut it open and drained that sucked, ounces came out. He was givin medication and told to keep draining it. He stayed out for one more day to tend to the wound and returned the following day to tell his story.

Now here i am 3 years later at my girl friends apartment and what do you know, on her left arm a bump, just as discribed, my girlfriend being who she is, said screw docters, took a pin and poped that sucker her self.

Right now i have a largebump, egg size, on my tummy and geez oh man it hurts. I am sick still with this shooting pain even if my shirt rests on it, which it always does. I will being going to the docters to get it cleared up in the morning.

Is any one else having any of the above?

I mean i know its the change of seasons but, everyone get sick in the exact same week!? I can see the same time of year, or even the same month, but all of us have become sick almost on the same day.
And i live in NYC as i said previously, its not the f'in amazon out here, how did i get bit as well as my girl friend who was also sick at the time the bump showed up.

What could it be?

Originally posted by UnitedSatesofFreemasons
I live in NYC and on my train home tonight i noticed that i am not alone.

I have been sick now for 4 days with a bad cough and runny nose and all the familiar sick signs. I was out of work for 2 days, monday and tuesday and wanted to go back today even though i am not feeling any better than the previous days. When i got to work, i was taken back by how many co-workers were also out sick, more than half. Then getting out of work i wanted to meet up with a couple of friends so i called each one up. After calling 8 people and finding out ALL were sick i had no other choice but to start heading home.

On the train it was more of the same. As though a conductor was cueing the orchestra, the symphony coughed and sneezed and sniffled and blew into their tissues. Not one dead moment of silence, all the time at least 2 people were playing their "instruments."

Don't you think you might have answered your own question. See, there's these little animicule things (nowadays we call them "germs"). When people in tight quarters cough and sneeze and stuff they spread these "germs" around to others. When these "germs" get into people's sinuses they start to multiply. When they start to multiply people get sick. Welcome to the world of 21st century medicine.

The bumps sound like MRSA to me, which is very serious. Get it checked ASAP. As for the couching and sneezing everywhere that could be reaction to seasonal changes with the sniffles which is quite common.

everyone is sick because they eat too much crappy food,they work too hard so they're allways exhausted,they don't do enough exersize and they go to work on public transport when they're sick,giving to to everyone else on the carriage

Funny you mention that, spoke with someone from NYC today who had a cold. Luckily the bugs don't travel over the phoneline.
As for being sick, I'm not a expert, but a subway, or any enclosed place, is prime for transferring bugs.
It's gettng cooler out, people probably aren't drinking water based beverages like they should to keep up their hydration, add in poor sanitation, mix in possible sleep depravation (you're on the internet) and put on a slight boil.
Sounds like prime bug locations for me. Did you get sick last year to?

It is most probable because of the cotaminated food and water and the industrial pollutants and the pollution caused by the traffic, causing all this.

reply to post by Phage


You got it in one Phage!

It's incredibly humorous to think that even changes in season warrant some form of conspiracy tag. I can only shake my head and grin smugly.

Didn't a hurricane / tropical storm pass by you guys in NY recently?

I know down here in Louisiana, we get a HUGE increase in upper respiratory infections and MRSA infections after a storm. I've personally had 2 small bumps become abscesses (MRSA infections) in the past 3 years. They are painful and should be treated quickly. lancing it yourself may not get all the infection out and if cystitis forms from MRSA, it resembles flesh eating bacteria.

A friend lost the skin on 1/3 of his arm from that happening. Not fun!

Big storms that travel long distances bring things into your atmosphere that your body is not used to dealing with. Add to that any physical stress level increases from storm preps, aftermath which reduces the immune system's strength, and it's a perfect recipe for lots of illness.

Add to that the enormous amount of people living in a relatively small area, as in NYC, and you get even more people sick and staying sick as once they fight, it they catch it all over again.

Take some time to get well, get rid of that abscess, and take steps to boost your immune system, so you don't get caught in the "sick-cycle"!!

Well, to those who more or less mocked the OP, I've got to say that I'm kinda surprised. Down here in Baltimore, I'd say approximately one-third to half the people I know have been sick in the last week or two...all with pretty much the same symptoms, although some people have pretty severe congestion and coughing. I personally have had a fever that frequently comes and goes (almost more like hot flashes), a pretty bad sinus infection (my right ear keeps shutting down on me), and a runny nose. It's been rather difficult getting to sleep and I've also had a loss of appetite. Whatever type of bug this is must be REALLY easily passed, and onset of symptoms is very fast. That being said, it's certainly not the worst cold I've had, but it definitely is lingering, and I rarely get sick.

If these symptoms sound familiar to any of ya, let me know...I'd be interested in hearing how far the bug has spread geographically and if it's manifested itself the same way across the populace.

Originally posted by ThoughtMachine
pretty severe congestion and coughing. I personally have had a fever that frequently comes and goes (almost more like hot flashes), a pretty bad sinus infection (my right ear keeps shutting down on me), and a runny nose. It's been rather difficult getting to sleep and I've also had a loss of appetite.

Exact same stuff that's been happening in Louisiana. 3 yrs ago we called it the Katrina Crud. But this time it was Gustav in my area (stupid me evacuated to end up right in the path of the eye of the storm, duh!)

I expect the same from Texas as the illness sets in after Ike.

I'm asking this out of curiosity, and 'cause I sincerly cannot remember, but isn't there usually one of these threads posted about this time of year?

reply to post by Phage


I think we are all well aware of how germs spread, thank you. All the Op says is that he sees an unusual amount of people being sick at the same time.

Your sarcasm is way out of place and uncalled for.

This is the time of year for fall allergies. The ragweed is fiercely blooming down here in the South.

I took my grandson to a local quickie medical center and to my surprise it was more crowded than I've ever seen it. When we finally got out of the office we used a hand sanitizer immediately. I didn't want to touch anything or even breath deeply while there.

I'm going to get my flu shot this morning at my doctors office. Will be interesting to see if that is crowded also.

Have noticed a large number of people wiping their noses and coughing at the grocery store. Makes me wish I had a body condom and respirator. I have COPD and usually end up in hospital if I get a respiratory illness.

Stay well friends and wash hands often.

Well it's the start of October, everyone gets sick round here.

Us student types call it 'Freshers Flu'. All these new people crowded into college/University eventually causes everyone to be sniffling, coughing and generally exploding all over the place.

Originally posted by enigmania

Your sarcasm is way out of place and uncalled for.

Oh. Well. I beg your pardon.

The OP asks "What could it be?" I provided the probable explanation for a large number of people being sick. Because I really don't think there is any conspiracy involved, I should have not replied?

Trying to explain why numerous people get ill at the same time without sarcasm would sound patronizing, since as you say, "I think we are all well aware of how germs spread". Sarcasm is usually less offensive (and usually funnier) than patronization. I chose sarcasm.

If you like I could do patronizing.

Jeah, but I think he knows about germs and stuff, maybe he means that there could be some strange virus circulating, he did have some sort of cyste.

I just felt you were giving him a bit of a hard time.

No hard feelings, I hope.

[edit on 2/10/08 by enigmania]

I just got back from the ER and it is MRSA. Apprently New York is having an Historic Spike in patients being sick with MRSA. They cut it open and stuffed it with strips and i have medication including oxy's, which i hate. I wonder why the huge amount of people getting this, it isn;t that easy to contract, you need very close contact like a raser being shared or open wound. And yeah, MRSA is fatal. So thank you for all of thoughs in here that gave me the bullsh*t explanation of "It's Fall." And a true thank you to thoughs of you out there that called this one on the money. ATS- Conspiracy Discussion/ Medical advise haha

There has been an abundance of staff infections that are "bumps" and mock the look of a spider bite.

3 men at my work have had them in their "crack" area, and by daughter had one on her arm last year and a few weeks ago my other daughter had one on her cheek.

The ER doctor said she is lancing approximately four of the "staff" infections a day and they can be dangerous if they spread to the rest of the body. As a matter of fact two different types of antibiotics were needed, one for the inner source or ball of stuff and one for that which manifested on the outer skin on her face.

The look around the whole can be black.

Here see, the guy has a potentially lethal disease, and your sarcasm could've made him think it was nothing.

Good job, you must be very proud.

We have something going around here in Oklahoma similar to what you described minus the bumps. I subsitute teach on occasion at the high school I graduated from and wouldn't you know, the last time I substituted I had kids in two classes that were sick. I wound up being sick for three weeks with terrible head and chest congestion. It's only been in the last five days that I've finally gotten over it. I still have a little congestion in my chest but at least it doesn't feel like I have a 10 lb. weight sitting on it.

As a previous poster mentioned, confined spaces are the best places to contract an illness. Schools, daycares, offices etc. are breeding grounds for this junk. Stay home until your better so you don't keep passing the germs around.

Hope you feel better soon.