Hospital waiting room. Rude man. Wwyhd,?

[OneSharpGoose]

Up the hospital for routine rheumatology appointment today. I have a chronic cough due to asthma and emphysema. It's not contagious but I can't wear mask because it makes my breathing worse. Wait was very long during which a man loudly and totally obliviously to all around him carried out a loud and boring Zoom call . He went on and on and got louder and louder. Everyone knew it was a £500,000 deal as he mentioned that a lot! No one not even me said anything. He was called in to see consultant. Blissful quiet. I had been coughing all this while and used my inhaler twice.( To ensure people knew it wasn't a bug as well as to help my breathing ). Another man who had been sitting near loud meeting bloke moved and sat next to me . Every time I coughed he tutted. He tutted a third time then made huge fuss about moving away to sit on seat opposite but well away from me. I said nothing. He looked at me and said loudly he didn't like people coughing in public and I explained asthma and emphysema. He said "so you say" . I rolled my eyes and he said How do we know? I replied None taken. But it has upset me greatly and I got upset at my appointment. Consultant was lovely but I wasted a lot of her time crying when I should have said something to the rude man. He didn't say anything to shouty meeting bloke. Why be nasty to someone who is obviously unwell but not contagious! What would you have done?

The thing is, he didnt know that you were not contagious did he?

tbh I'd probably have done nothing more than you did but perhaps with an arsy tone to my voice because I'm a cow.
I'm sorry you felt upset by him.

As I left the waiting room to enter the consulting room I would have said to him: "I really hope that your appointment goes well... for your chronic rudeness... you appear to need a lot of help." But I am 45 and the older I get, the less I can hold my tongue...

Meant to say that he probably didn't say anything to the man because being noisy isn't contagious but he feared whatever was making you cough might be.

How awful of him! I’m sorry that happened to you. I wouldn’t have done anything either. What can you do? I certainly wouldn’t be up for a verbal argument with some nutcase. It would just make it more upsetting.

It’s 100% this man’s problem. Maybe he has some health anxiety or something but it doesn’t excuse his actions.

He didn’t know for a fact that you were not contagious and really nor could you be certain something else was going on but he could have been nicer about it and just moved away - I take it you were coughing into a hankie or similar ?

wtf did tutting man move to sit next to you if he was so worried about coughing? and his 'so you say', when you'd explained your condition ...very rude. You don't owe someone like that an explanation.

He was one of those men who likes to have a go at women but keeps his gob firmly shut with other men. There are a lot of them around unfortunately.

Yes I coughed into hanky always away from people and very much aware of hygiene. It's not the moving away it was the obvious show he made of moving ( you had to be there) and the rude reply. And yes I can be sure I'm not contagious. I've had this cough a while. You soon learn when you have an infection and when you don't. I would not be out if I was.

He was a dick, but he may be immunocompromised or in close contact with someone who is. He doesn't know you, he has now way of knowing if you're contagious or not, or lying or it.
He may be justifiably scared of getting something from you with anxiety causing him to be dickish.
Not saying he was right, but saying he may have his own issues bigger than being a dick for the sake of it.

Sexism.

Far easier to be rude to a woman, than a MAN, doing a £500,000 DEAL!!!

That said, I do not like to be near anyone coughing in public, and I think people with contagious coughs should wear a mask. The ordinary cold virus can make me quite ill.

That's no excuse for bad manners

And so what if she was? She was in a hospital waiting room and clearly not coughing for the fun of it. It might come as a bit of a shock to you that people do tend to go to the hospital when they’re sick, contagious or otherwise

So immunocompromised that you'd move NEARER to someone who'd been coughing all the time you'd been there, then sit there tutting before telling her off? As opposed to keeping away from her?

Perhaps he should avoid places where sick people hang out then, like hospitals for example.

He probably didn't say anything to loud bloke because he was just that; a man.
Some men are only shitty to women because they think we won't say anything. They're usually right.
But not about me.

Awww don't beat yourself up, you acted perfectly.
He's an arsehole.
You need to practice having a short reply on the tip of your tongue, I find "fuck off" works for me.
It's always on the tip of my tongue and you never know when it's going to pop out😉

He's an arse.
Once you said it was asthma and emphysema he should have apologised.
I sat in Respiratory clinic waiting room the other week surrounded by lots of coughing, everyone understood where we were and not an eye was batted.
When I've been given the side eye when coughing I say it's Asthma, not contagious and everyone I've said it to has been very nice.
I'm sick to death of listening to myself coughing too.

This this and this.
I would hVe been tempted to move closer to him and cough harder. I have no time for precious people.

This.

Your over reaction seems completely out of proportion with having to share a waiting room with someone who is anxious about infection though.

I bet hw wouldn't have said that to a man. He was a massive prick.

I wasn't the one who moved seats to sit next to me and I didn't tut when he was rude to me. I am recently diagnosed as end stage Emphysema so forgive me for being upset or over reacting as you put it as it has been a bit of a shock. If he was so anxious about Infection he could have worn a mask or moved to the vacant seats close to the open exit door. He did neither. So I believe the over reaction was on him but there you go .

I'm someone who unfortunately has to spend time in emergency rooms and doctor waiting rooms. I'm immunosuppressed and I'm so nervous when someone coughs.

But I bet you’re not rude about it when someone covers their mouth and is clearly in the same waiting room because they also have a health concern. Particularly as people with immunosupression also have health conditions that lead them to cough.

If he was so anxious about Infection he could have worn a mask or moved to the vacant seats close to the open exit door. He did neither. So I believe the over reaction was on him but there you go .

This, 100%.

I'm so sorry you had to encounter such rudeness when you've more than enough to deal with.