With other bugs does your whole household usually get it?

[BecomeStronger]

DS1 has just had the notification that he needs to isolate due to a positive contact at work, so uve been thinking about how/if we should try and keep apart from him to reduce the chances of everyone getting it, should he develop any symptoms (or be asymptomatic).

I'm a little concerned as DH has only just gone back to work after major surgery and is still fragile, plus he's in the higher risk age group.

Anyway, it's occured to me that we've quite often had bugs of one sort or another but it's not necessarily given that we'll all get it. DS2 had a nasty stomach bug last year but he was the only one and I had a horrible flu (possibly even covid) in Feb that no one else got.

Does everyone in your house get everything?

Nope. Dh has had flu a couple of times and the rest of us didn't get it. Kids have had stomach bugs that we didn't get

No. I thought one of the things that attracts you to your partner is complimentary immune systems so you don't get sick at the same time. We rarely seem to catch anything off each other.

My girls have had stomach bugs, flu, etc but I’ve never caught them. I hope to god I don’t give them this, if I have actually got it.

I love the idea of complimentary immune systems!

Nope 5 of us and it's rare that more than 1 or 2 would get something.

I was ill with all the Corona symptoms over Christmas. My 10 year old had two colds over that time. Everyone else was fine.

My husband had some mystery illness in March. I was worried enough to wake through the night to check on him and he was the only one to get it.

No. The whole family got noro once and when eldest was a baby the three of us got hand foot and mouth, that’s it. Usually at least a couple of us escape a virus.

No , we never seem to spread diseases / bugs here .

I'm reading a book on immunity atm. It's fascinating. They suggest that depression is our immune system forcing us to rest and stay away from others.

Yes. I have 4 young DC and they almost always get each other’s bugs (very young children are fairly rubbish at hygiene). It drives me mad as it drags out one illness for at least a month, and feels like by the time it’s finished they all get the next one. Usually either me or DH will catch it too.

No. I thought one of the things that attracts you to your partner is complimentary immune systems so you don't get sick at the same time

Love this idea.. going off to google now.

We don't seem to spread it totally among us all usually, there's 4 in our house and it's usually 2 of us who get it but rarely all.

I think only once or twice more than one person has caught a sickness or diarrhoea bug in the house although we all had a snotty cold last month but no one had any covid symptoms

@Pipandmum Never heard of this before but this makes so much sense! The last time we had norovirus, it was me, then the children and lastly my partner. None of us was sick on the same day. It took ages to run through us .

No we don't all get sick.
DH almost never gets sick bugs but usually gets colds.
A recent cold got 2 DC & DH - but not me.
Am pretty sure teen DS had noro last year & no one got it.
I had something like noro the year before - no one else got it.

DS and I pass things between us, but DH gets and keeps his own germs.

My DH and one of my kids get the runs immediately when any sort of bug appears in the house and then they don't get actually ill. They both have very fast digestive systems too / v skinny - I think their immune systems are ace. The rest of us not so much.

No, I don't recall ever all being sick together! There are 5 of us and worst case has been 3 of us being unwell together.

I am just getting over covid now and I think my dc might have had it (no testing as they didn't have the 'right' symptoms) but DH never got any symptoms. We slept in the same bed together!

Sometimes if it’s a cold we’ll all get it, but for stomach bugs etc I tend to go around wiping down the door handles and toilet seat every 5 mins because it’s the one thing that’s just not great if both parents catch and are then “out of action,” so normally that doesn’t spread around completely.

I tend to catch whatever my DS gets, he’s just all over me always including licking me if I don’t stay alert! DH tends not to catch much - he’s much more careful about hygiene than I am generally.

Probably 90% of the time we all catch the same thing. Usually only one of the three (one toddler) gets really bad symptoms and the other two are milder; the other 10% of the time at least one is immune. Except norovirus, when DS hadn't recovered and the two of us got sick about 15 minutes apart. Great holiday!

Very rarely actually, now I think about it. I remember one summer both kids had a really nasty virus at the same time that lasted almost 2 weeks. Just as they recovered I came down with it. Oh and chicken pox, DD got spotty exactly 21 days after DS. Sometimes pass on colds but not always. Usually it's just me poorly actually and the others avoid it!

I think that some of it depends on the age of your children, who’s doing the cleaning up, your general health and then luck.

Recently my daughter’s half-sister got sick with vomiting bug and passed it on to her Mum, my exH and my daughter. My daughter was with me when she started vomiting but I didn’t catch it. She’s old enough to be able to make it to the toilet or at least a bowl. I’m very careful about hygiene at home, cleaning the bathroom when she’s sick including taps, light switches and door knobs.

I’m a T1 diabetic so having a vomiting bug can land me in hospital if I can’t manage blood sugar levels so I’m really careful.

Spiders & Ladybirds are always popping up in my place!