# I pit the stomach flu and my uncooperative husband **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 28, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000 "2004-12-28T21:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000/21 "2004-12-29T13:06:08Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Your motherly instincts are to be commended, but leaving a 14 year old and a ten year old home alone with the flu for 8 hours or so is hardly a high risk proposition in real world terms if you really, really, needed to go to work. I thought of this too. On the other hand, why take any chances that the kids may take a turn for the worse, or hell, just need to feel like their parents care about how sick they are? DH’s first responsibility is to be there for his kids. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000/22 "2004-12-29T14:09:24Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Yes, because flu isn’t a term that means “general illness.” It refers specifically to influenza which is a respiratory ailment. Though as I said it can sometimes rarely cause side effects like diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. So some forms of the flu are difficult to distinguish from gastroenteritis. As so I find myself agreeing with you on one medical point of fact and violently disagreeing with you on another in another thread . . . Ain’t irony grand . . . ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000/23 "2004-12-29T14:10:25Z")
P.S. I hope the family’s feeling better this morning, **Suse**! ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000/24 "2004-12-29T14:28:28Z")
Part of the problem with calling it ‘stomach flu’ is that people now associate the word ‘flu’ with the stomach flu and not the respiratory illness. I had to explain to a co-worker that getting the flu shot did not protect him from the stomach flu. He was complaining that he got the flu shot every year and yet he still got sick with stomach flu, so he was telling other people not to get the shot, because it didn’t work. My brother in law is the same way about taking care of his kids. He just doesn’t see it as his responsibility. If my sister wants to go out by herself and he has no plans, he will still get a grandmother to watch the kids for him. He goes out whenever he wants. Drives me nuts to see it but it is really my sister’s problem to speak up about. My husband has talked to him several times in a non-confrontational way but it doesn’t seem to matter at all to him. This same couple last week let their daughter come to a family party when she had been vomiting the day before. Then the son comes to grandma’s house with the same bug (my mother takes care of sister’s kids and my son one day a week) and my sister cannot pick him up for a few hours, and of course their dad would never consider leaving work himself to get his sick child. If your kids are sick, keep them home! It was one thing when it was just your kids transmitting it to each other, but I would rather not have them give it to my 5 month old baby, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000/25 "2004-12-29T14:36:46Z")
Sorry for the bad advice I gave earlier. I wasn’t really trying to kill off the GrandParents :rolleyes: I’m just not acquainted with that many ‘elderly’ grandparents. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-stomach-flu-and-my-uncooperative-husband/282000.md?page=1)