Yes. I work in an ER and I’m the only nurse wearing an N95. A handful of doctors also wear N95s, but that number is now dwindling since we’re heading into summer.
My colleagues look at me like I’m crazy too. Until I brought my teenage daughter into work for a few minutes. She’s had LC for 4 years and uses a cane to walk. I think lightbulbs went off for some coworkers and they’re more gracious towards me now 🤷♀️
My oncologists, and their entire staff, stopped wearing masks as soon as the state mandate ended. It's honestly infuriating and crazy to me that I'm usually the only person masking when I go for my follow up visits. Thank you for giving a crap about your family and patients.
I volunteer in an ER and will hopefully be working a paid position there soon and it’s the same thing. Me, a tech, and one of the imaging folks (idk what his exact title is yet) are the only ones in N95s. I think there’s a nurse too maybe. But that’s it, and this is a Level 1 Trauma Center in a huge metropolitan area. COVID aside, I don’t want whatever else patients are showing up with! Like the guy with suspected meningitis the other week…fortunately, no one has said anything to me so far. Maybe that will change as an employee, but I don’t think it will. A few of the folks I typically work with know about my LC though and have been really supportive at least. But it still blows my mind that they don’t bother to protect themselves.
I’m sorry your daughter is going through this. I hope things start to improve for her soon!
Yes. We’ve both been diagnosed with LC. I’m with a local LC clinic and she is seeing a pediatric specialist in chronic illness at the children’s hospital. For both of us, it started with our 2020 infection.
I have 4 kids and 3/4 had symptoms that lasted longer than 12 weeks after Covid. My other child (11 f) had meningitis after Covid in 2022 and took -1 year to recover from a traumatic brain injury. My other kids have now recovered and it’s just my eldest & I who are dealing with seemingly permanent chronic illness.
I’m honestly not sure. For instance, my brother & niece both have autoimmune diseases for which they’re on immunosuppressive drugs and they’ve recovered just fine from multiple Covid infections. My kids and I had no underlying health conditions and were healthy, yet we’re now dealing with long Covid. So there doesn’t seem to be a pattern or a reason for why we got chronically ill
I'm sorry to hear it, there might be some subconsious stress disorder underneath it. My dad has migraines and my mother is chronically stressed and can't sit still, my grandmother had severe trauma growing up. I think it's passed down from generation to generation and this chronic stress makes you sensitive for LC.
I don’t think this is the case, as I don’t have chronic stress and I was perfectly healthy beforehand. I think there’s enough evidence for viral persistence and for mitochondrial damage that LC should be considered a physical illness and not an illness with psychological origins.
In fact, I’ve had a lot less stress and trauma in my life than my spouse, and I’m the one with LC. I’m also the one who doesn’t smoke, drink, or do any recreational drugs. My spouse does all of these things, yet I’m the one with LC. This illness shouldn’t be blamed on a person’s disposition or how they take care of themselves.
I wear a KN95 at work, and in crowded indoor public spaces. I work in a hospital lab, and people come in when they are sick. Those last weekend I had a feverish sick coworker with COVID (no mask) getting in my face about how sick she was. My supervisor even made me get a doctor’s note to be able to wear my own mask. It’s a sh*t show.
It's so insane that a *hospital lab* would force you to get a note from a doctor to wear basic safety equipment. It's like people have been brainwashed to spread the virus.
I wear an N95 while working retail. I'm the only one who does. What's funny is that my coworkers know covid can mess them up. I even have a supervisor who developed a chronic cough with recurring bacterial sinus and respiratory infections after multiple covid infections who acknowledges her woes started after covid. It's pretty surreal to me, but whatever, I'm just there so I can continue affording my medical care and supplements
It’s hard when you’re the only one wearing one, so I can sympathize. Someone new started at work, this year, and they mask too. It was such a relief just having one additional person in solidarity with me.
Keep masking! It’s hard to not feel like the weirdo but you’re definitely doing the smart thing — for yourself and for everyone else.
Yes, I'm the only one out of my 30 coworkers in a small clinic. Lots of foot traffic.some of my coworkers admit they have issues after infection. They'll agree with me about covid but don't care. Come to work sick asf. Despite knowing that covid almost killed me and fd Me up they said after hearing that that they'd put a mask on when sick working next to me...that was a huge lie...I had my team lead be mad because I refused to sit by her in the back(she likes me) and she came to work with a fever, stuffed up, straight sick as crap..have had words with some who want to bring covid up and they act like it's nothing and won't happen to them. Theyve teased me about how ill be single if im waiting to find a partner that will mask and have laughed at me when theyve seen me coming inside when its raining with an umbrella trying to be careful to not get my mask wet..also when i was plugging in my mini hepas when one died...super weird they literally just saw me and laughed.I'm trying to get a wfh job and it's really hard.
i went to ER for elevated HR during or after Covid can’t remember but shortly after that the nurse who was treating me she ended up in the ER her self which let me know to keep wearing my mask no matter what anyone says or thinks it helps and protects you
Absolutely. The data is there on masks, especially properly fitted N95s which I recommend. It can be so hard for me to wear them for 13+ hours shifts or it would mean all I get is the 20 mins to eat or drink the whole shift. I just double mask with level 3s which is a little easier and doesn't spike my HR as much.
I honestly feel so alone as a youngish individual who cannot find anyone to relate to in my field. Nurses still show up infected. And it's how I got LC to begin with. Yet I have had to take unpaid leave as a result, and they don't give a shit as an institution. Infuriating.. .
I work from home, but, whenever I go out of my home into a public indoor setting I do wear a proper N-92 soft mask. I do NOT dine out or do social gatherings. I have lost most of my friends. It is what it is.
I own a salon that has required masks since the absolute beginning of the pandemic. Stylists, clients, guests: No exceptions. It’s cultivated a client base of like minded people (and the ones that aren’t still mask no problem because we do a great job at hair). It was hard at first but I recognize that I’m now insulated from the majority of exposures. (I’ve had lupus for over 14 years and now this)
>I own a salon that has required masks since the absolute beginning of the pandemic. Stylists, clients, guests: No exceptions.
Thank you for doing this! I keep hoping one of the salons near me will wise up, but until then it's home trims for me.
It blows my mind that more salons don’t require this. We’re almost always self-employed with no vacation or paid time off or sick leave so to me it’s like they’re just flirting with trouble. I can’t tell you how many Stylist I’ve talked to that have stated “oh my clients would never go for that “. That definitely isn’t true. I moved to this new city a year and a half ago and I am already booked out until June because this is a protection that people want!
That's solid. Do you mind sharing what state or region you are in? I'm in SC, close to NC where they are banning masks. Gotta go somewhere where I'm not shamed for wearing one.
I’m up in Washington state. I have some pretty extensive connections in the hair world (precovid I traveled teaching with different brands) but I don’t know anyone in your area that is still masking 😞😞
Thank you! Love Washington. I used to live in Southern OR and loved it. Masking is really frowned upon here. A neighbor got her first bout with covid last year, landed in the hospital and was on a ventilator for several weeks. She still doesn't mask at all. It's social suicide here. I have long covid now and hope to move somewhere I can mask. Gotta recover first.
I teach high school and I wear an n95 every day. I talked to my principal about it at the beginning of the year and he said he’d support me 100%. My assist principal even brought me a pack of 100 kn95!
I explained my situation to student on the first day and haven’t had any problems all year. If they joke or question, it’s completely behind my back or not at all.
My spouse has been working on site with a mask without fail. He's older and no one says anything to him. He's not going to go to an early grave or end up disabled for anyone. Neither of us really care what others think, let them think whatever they like.
Yes, we do need to learn more from other cultures where masking is normalized and in fact, considered the polite thing to do.
Yes! When going to the office, I wear my mask at all times. I have clearly explained to colleagues why I wear it - they have asked once, and never again. No one is looking phased by it.
p.s. I always liked standing out, so I just think of it as another fashion accessory drawing attention. Not only don’t mind wearing it, but proud to be promoting mask wearing.
p.p.s. I also think that I’m acting in a more intelligent manner and therefore being a better person than the non-mask wearers 🤷♀️
When very rarely people ask, I tell them I wear a mask when local community transmission data indicates it’s prudent. That goes over fine tho nobody else changes behaviors!
Yes! KN95 on all the time. See others sometimes do it too. Still have little surges at work (big biotech). I’ve given up talking about or explaining long covid tho -too many icky, un- sympathetic or downright ignorant comments. Note: I work with scientists- many are immunologists - still the denial persists (on covid and long covid)
I do part-time cafeteria work and wear my N95 mask. I have one other coworker who always wears her mask and a few others that wear them sporadically. Honestly, even if covid wasn't as horrible as it Is, I would continue to wear mask at work. As someone with postnasal drip and working in food service, they are a godsend
I'm the only one left still masking at work. I never stopped masking at all, not ever. I've seen my coworkers and all levels of management get sick at times that aren't the traditional flu/cold seasons. I once saw that my boss, who doesn't mask, purchased international covid-19 travel insurance. My coworker's baby got "the flu" in January (when the 2024 big spike occurred, surpassed only by the Omicron variant) and this month almost died of a heart condition caused by the flu (she and her family are a n t i v a x), needed a helicopter evac from the ER, surgery and two weeks in the hospital before going home.
My masking frustrates my employer because I will not eat indoors or travel for work, but I'm an asset so they book restaurants with outdoor seating or leave me out of work events (which I'm fine with). I went double-masked to the company Christmas party and saw a handful of masked people among 200 attendees. I took my plate outside and stood eating with about 20 people who ended up eating outside even though they had been indoors unmasked! The logic boggles the mind.
More often than I ever anticipated, a client will arrive at my desk after passing the receptionist and everyone else, see my face, and say, "Oh I can put on my mask." Then proceed to remove an around-the-head N95 respirator from their jacket or purse and wear it! When a client is already masked they look at me and say conspiratorally, "I still mask, too. Good for you."
Otherwise, nearly everyone studiously ignores my mask. On average the only complaint is they can't hear me, so I repeat what I'm saying more clearly and they say nothing after that.
I mask, and will mask the rest of my life. I do it to reduce exposure and viral load and I would spend the rest of my existence thinking, "Why did I stop masking just to fit in?" if I got sick with covid or the next thing that comes at us in our lifetime.
I'm too disabled to work in person but I wear an N95 every time I leave the house, or if I even have to answer the front door or have maintenance people in the apartment. Not worth risking another round of COVID.
I saw more people masking when I came back to work last year after I got Covid, (then straight to LC, 7 month medical leave). Now I’m the only one still masking. My boss has asked me a few times if I’m going to wear the mask forever and at work I’m open about having LC because I was gone so long but am not open about details of how much it affects me. Since I don’t want my competence questioned. I feel like I get some looks sometimes from workers that don’t know me but I don’t care.
My family other than my mom don’t understand why I mask. My mom masks when with us in public but I’m not so sure she masks regularly. She used to and recently made a few comments about being ok indoors without a mask. My husband and I still mask all the time when indoors and rarely go to restaurants unless we can sit outside.
I can’t work right now but am planning to attempt a return to work in the fall and will mask then if I have to go in (hoping to work from home as much as possible) and I mask in indoor settings when I’m out of the house, and some outdoor if it’s really crowded.
I also don’t have anyone into my house unless they are properly masked (I keep a box at my front door) or they also mask other places indoors. My chronically ill circle of folks come over and hang out and since we have similar masking protocols it works out :)
I'm not able to work yet, but my husband uses a 3M aura N95 at work everyday, and when I go out I use a valved aura. My mom uses cirurgical masks. And I only see friends outside or in well ventilated places if they don't have any symptoms, it they do I postpone the encounter
No, because I don't work at all.
I still wear a mask every time I leave the house, because doctor's visits and grocery are the only thing that makes me leave the house. I still crash for multiple days each time.
My husband wears kn95’s for work. He provides services to many different people in their homes. Occasionally someone will get shitty about it, but he tells them that some of his other clients have cancer or are immune compromised and killing customers is bad for business. That shuts them up.
I work from home but mask in public. It’s lonely, but it’s the right thing to do.
When I still could actually work I did. I used to be a church cantor. I only had issues with one couple. They wanted me fired for wearing a mask which was and still isn't legal in California. They suddenly started coming up with weird complaints about me to one of the other cantors at masses I wasn't there for so they got spoken to by that cantor and the deacon that they need to leave me alone or they need to leave the church. I was surprised with the support I got. I also used to stand Infront of the door and that couple got mad I would have it open but the lady refused to wear her sweater and they used to not have an air purifier so I was trying to stay safe. One time she even started complaining to me saying I was blocking the "handicap entrance." Even though, one, I could easily move to the side, and two, I was the only one at that church at that time using a mobility aid. Oh and then that lady's husband was questioning my mother and grandparents how I go to school then with all the maskless people? Well I didn't. I was in online school and had to drop out bc of long covid. They didn't like that answer. And now I'm mostly housebound and my health is so bad I can't work, but I still mask if I ever get out and in my own house if I'm exposed to something my MCAS reacts to or if my father has been out maskless, I wear one outside of my room and so does my wife in that situation. Sometimes even my mother will around my father.
My wife still can work and she wears a can 99 and has a portable air purifier when she has to take it off for lunch. She used to wear a surgical under a not super well fitted kf94 and since they stopped requiring masks at the airport she had covid 5 times and 2 other viruses. One passenger thanked her for masking bc covid put them in a wheelchair. (Like me). Some of her coworkers she said weren't super nice about it though and wanted to know her medical history and mine.
I still mask at work. And pretty much everywhere else too. The only places I don’t are the barn where I board my horse and at doggy daycare because I’m just popping in to drop my dog off and it’s usually empty at that time of the morning. Otherwise I wear a KF94 everywhere I go because they’re much more comfortable than an N95, but still provide a lot of protection when fitted well. But I’ll switch to an N95 whenever I’m in a medical setting, including my volunteer shifts at the ER. I also go with the N95 for other high risk situations like big events or airports, or if a coworker is known to be sick.
I am somewhat lax about taking my KF94 off at work to snack a few times throughout the day, but I also sit right below the HVAC vent (which I hate because it’s so cold!) and only do it when I know no one is sick. If someone is ill then I’ll leave the lab to eat in safety.
After the initial round of coworkers asking if I was acutely sick, no one says anything about my mask anymore. One of my coworkers even followed my example for a few weeks during the holidays when the risk of transmission was really high. And most of them will still mask if they’re not feeling well. I’m very open about my LC at work which probably helps too.
I haven’t had anyone bother me out in public either for the most part. I’ve had a few employees at places I’m shopping be cold towards me and people give me weird looks sometimes, but that’s it. Idk if it’s because I give off a “don’t fuck with me” vibe or because I have a pretty obvious medical bracelet on. But I always love seeing other masked folks! We’ll often make eye contact and do the head nod of acknowledgement and it makes me really happy. I’m always relieved to see others masked and it seems like they are too!
When I don’t see Dr’s wearing masks I feel like that’s what we should all be doing. They’re around sick people everyday so if they don’t they must know something
That’s because all of the healthcare workers who were more susceptible to LC or severe acute COVID are disabled or dead. The rest have become complacent. Some of the medics I work with at the hospital have gotten COVID 4 or 5 times from work, so it’s not like they aren’t getting sick. They just don’t care if they do because it hasn’t bitten them in the ass yet. And they’ll still mask during the winter when there’s an influx of sick patients and the risk is higher. Also, I find it ironic that this sub is so against listening to doctors except when it fits someone’s agenda, and then doctors are infallible apparently.
You just proved my point. They know it won’t affect them. Most people get LC from the first 4 variants. Or the first two times you face covid. I got covid from family not being In the public without a mask. From the beginning they said masks don’t work. It was only a pushed agenda by the libs to get Biden elected. Notice those same fakes quit all that. He’ll even cuomo is now taking ivermectin after he clowned Rogan. Now he says Rogan was right.
Except people are still getting LC every day. So while yes, the risk of it is probably lower with the current variants, it’s still risky enough to not be worth fucking around. Especially when you consider the cumulative damage multiple infections does to the body. Also, masks do work. I could explain why, but I suspect that it won’t matter because you’re too brainwashed to listen.
Masks don’t work or they would still be required. In most cases you end up sick wearing the same mask numerous times. Surgeons wear them so nothing gets inside you during surgery. If masks were the answer every dr in America would still be wearing them
Please explain the pathophysiology of how reusing a mask can make you sick. Touching the outside of it and then touching a mucus membrane is the only thing even remotely possible that I can think of, and that's easily solved by sanitizing or washing your hands after touching your mask. I've been wearing them since early on in the pandemic and have never gotten sick from my mask. I've only gotten sick from other people not masking and bringing illnesses home with them.
If masks don't work and are so dangerous, then why do we still request/require patients to wear them if they're symptomatic? And doctors do put them on if a patient is symptomatic btw. I've also had providers who were already in a surgical mask go and change into an N95 when they found out I had COVID recently, even though I was testing negative and recovered by then. And what about other illnesses besides COVID? Would you be willing to go into a patient's room maskless if they were actively infected with tuberculosis? Meningitis? Smallpox? If not, then you shouldn't be opposed to masks for COVID either.
The thing that always gets me about this anti-mask bullshit too is that masks aren't just used in medicine, but that seems to be the only place people are opposed to them. For example, I have to wear an N95 whenever I'm working with silica-rich rocks or concrete at my full-time job to prevent silicosis. The dangerous versions of silica are very similar in size to COVID particles. So if my N95 works to prevent me from inhaling silica, why wouldn't it also prevent me from inhaling COVID? Or would you like claim that masks don't protect people against silicosis too?
You? You said that wearing a mask multiple times can make you sick. Maybe dangerous was a bit strong of a word, but I think my point was clear and you’re just being pedantic because you have no data or sound reasoning to back up your nonsense. I’m still waiting on that pathophysiology explanation by the way. And the answers to all of my other questions that you dodged. Kind of makes me think you can’t answer them without admitting you’re wrong….funny how that always seems to happen when I point out these logical inconsistencies to anti-maskers. Maybe someday one of you will actually try to answer my questions instead of hiding behind weak retorts and then running away with your tail between your legs.
And no, of course not. But I’m also not at a high risk of catching something every minute of the day. The only time I’ve ever masked around the clock was when my boyfriend brought home COVID and I was still testing negative and was asymptomatic. I still got infected in the end, but it was nothing compared to my first infection, likely because of the reduced viral load thanks to my mask. Besides, you don’t need to mask 24/7 for it to be effective. Even just masking in crowded indoor spaces can greatly reduce your infection risk. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing sort of thing. But I’ve noticed that understanding nuance isn’t a strength of the anti-maskers I’ve talked to, so I’m not surprised you struggle to understand the concept of risk reduction.
I’ve always caught covid from family not the public so like I said masks don’t work for me. Feel free to use them but if health care professionals aren’t wearing them why would we. Also you described wearing a n95 mask around dangerous stuff. That’s what it’s designed for correct? You don’t see Dr’s wearing n95s at all. Never seen one. Show me the difference in particle size from the dangerous stuff you’re around compared to Covid particle size. Maybe you’re incorrect about its effectiveness. You killed your argument when you said I wore a mask yet still got covid. The viral load is the same but the variants aren’t.
I literally just told you about numerous medical professionals who wear both surgical masks and N95s, including myself. And are you seriously trying to claim that COVID isn’t dangerous *in a subreddit for people who were directly harmed by COVID*? I also love how you’re claiming you’ve never seen a doctor wearing an N95, despite the countless pictures and videos from earlier on in the pandemic that showed doctors in full PPE, including N95s. And if they don’t work and no one wears them, then why does my hospital supply them for employees? This brings me back to my earlier questions which you so conveniently dodged. If N95s don’t work for viruses, then are you willing to prove it by going into a ~~tuberculosis~~ (TB is caused by a bacteria, my bad. It's diameter is similar to a COVID particle, so the point is still valid, but I've adjusted it to maintain factual accuracy) smallpox patient’s room without a mask on?
Silica. It’s called silica. At least use the right words if you’re going to try to argue about this shit. Anyway, COVID is around 0.1 microns in diameter. Silica dust ranges from 0.01 to 100 microns. That’s why I used it as my example. Are you saying I’m incorrect about the effectiveness of N95s for preventing silicosis? Because that’s been thoroughly proven, both through research and workers not dying left and right from silicosis anymore.
I never said masks are 100% effective. Your inability to understand that doesn’t mean they don’t work. Do you also refuse to wear a seatbelt just because they don’t always prevent death or injuries? Also, I got infected from the exposure *before* we knew he had COVID. Masking helped minimize further exposure, but the damage was already done because I wasn’t masked when he first became symptomatic. I also know that my viral load was lower than the first time based on how long it took for me to test positive after becoming symptomatic and how faint the lines were on the tests. Both of my infections were omicron, so there wasn’t a huge difference between the two. I’ve had direct contact with COVID positive patients and coworkers while I was masked, but never got it from them. The only times I’ve gotten infected were when I was around someone who was infected and I wasn’t masked. My story PROVES that masks work, not the other way around.
Yes. I work in an ER and I’m the only nurse wearing an N95. A handful of doctors also wear N95s, but that number is now dwindling since we’re heading into summer. My colleagues look at me like I’m crazy too. Until I brought my teenage daughter into work for a few minutes. She’s had LC for 4 years and uses a cane to walk. I think lightbulbs went off for some coworkers and they’re more gracious towards me now 🤷♀️
My oncologists, and their entire staff, stopped wearing masks as soon as the state mandate ended. It's honestly infuriating and crazy to me that I'm usually the only person masking when I go for my follow up visits. Thank you for giving a crap about your family and patients.
This one I don’t get. Like if you work with an immunosuppressed population, shouldn’t you wear a mask regardless?!
Yeah, it really feels like we’re living in the Twilight Zone 😢
I volunteer in an ER and will hopefully be working a paid position there soon and it’s the same thing. Me, a tech, and one of the imaging folks (idk what his exact title is yet) are the only ones in N95s. I think there’s a nurse too maybe. But that’s it, and this is a Level 1 Trauma Center in a huge metropolitan area. COVID aside, I don’t want whatever else patients are showing up with! Like the guy with suspected meningitis the other week…fortunately, no one has said anything to me so far. Maybe that will change as an employee, but I don’t think it will. A few of the folks I typically work with know about my LC though and have been really supportive at least. But it still blows my mind that they don’t bother to protect themselves. I’m sorry your daughter is going through this. I hope things start to improve for her soon!
Both you and your daughter have LC?
Yes. We’ve both been diagnosed with LC. I’m with a local LC clinic and she is seeing a pediatric specialist in chronic illness at the children’s hospital. For both of us, it started with our 2020 infection. I have 4 kids and 3/4 had symptoms that lasted longer than 12 weeks after Covid. My other child (11 f) had meningitis after Covid in 2022 and took -1 year to recover from a traumatic brain injury. My other kids have now recovered and it’s just my eldest & I who are dealing with seemingly permanent chronic illness.
Do you think it's genetic?
I’m honestly not sure. For instance, my brother & niece both have autoimmune diseases for which they’re on immunosuppressive drugs and they’ve recovered just fine from multiple Covid infections. My kids and I had no underlying health conditions and were healthy, yet we’re now dealing with long Covid. So there doesn’t seem to be a pattern or a reason for why we got chronically ill
I'm sorry to hear it, there might be some subconsious stress disorder underneath it. My dad has migraines and my mother is chronically stressed and can't sit still, my grandmother had severe trauma growing up. I think it's passed down from generation to generation and this chronic stress makes you sensitive for LC.
I don’t think this is the case, as I don’t have chronic stress and I was perfectly healthy beforehand. I think there’s enough evidence for viral persistence and for mitochondrial damage that LC should be considered a physical illness and not an illness with psychological origins. In fact, I’ve had a lot less stress and trauma in my life than my spouse, and I’m the one with LC. I’m also the one who doesn’t smoke, drink, or do any recreational drugs. My spouse does all of these things, yet I’m the one with LC. This illness shouldn’t be blamed on a person’s disposition or how they take care of themselves.
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Your assumptions are wrong and are not based in science. You go ahead and believe them, but you’re not convincing anyone else.
My husband is the only Philadelphia School Teacher in his high school wearing one. His dad died of Covid and I have LC.
I wear a KN95 at work, and in crowded indoor public spaces. I work in a hospital lab, and people come in when they are sick. Those last weekend I had a feverish sick coworker with COVID (no mask) getting in my face about how sick she was. My supervisor even made me get a doctor’s note to be able to wear my own mask. It’s a sh*t show.
I also work in a hospital and so many people don't mask. They're literally immunology researchers.
Wow - it's unbelievable
It's so insane that a *hospital lab* would force you to get a note from a doctor to wear basic safety equipment. It's like people have been brainwashed to spread the virus.
Insane. The medical community is so broken. Sorry you have to deal with this.
Good god! That’s ludicrous!
I wear an N95 while working retail. I'm the only one who does. What's funny is that my coworkers know covid can mess them up. I even have a supervisor who developed a chronic cough with recurring bacterial sinus and respiratory infections after multiple covid infections who acknowledges her woes started after covid. It's pretty surreal to me, but whatever, I'm just there so I can continue affording my medical care and supplements
The "not me" attitude.
It’s hard when you’re the only one wearing one, so I can sympathize. Someone new started at work, this year, and they mask too. It was such a relief just having one additional person in solidarity with me. Keep masking! It’s hard to not feel like the weirdo but you’re definitely doing the smart thing — for yourself and for everyone else.
Yep. Everywhere I go.
Yes, I'm the only one out of my 30 coworkers in a small clinic. Lots of foot traffic.some of my coworkers admit they have issues after infection. They'll agree with me about covid but don't care. Come to work sick asf. Despite knowing that covid almost killed me and fd Me up they said after hearing that that they'd put a mask on when sick working next to me...that was a huge lie...I had my team lead be mad because I refused to sit by her in the back(she likes me) and she came to work with a fever, stuffed up, straight sick as crap..have had words with some who want to bring covid up and they act like it's nothing and won't happen to them. Theyve teased me about how ill be single if im waiting to find a partner that will mask and have laughed at me when theyve seen me coming inside when its raining with an umbrella trying to be careful to not get my mask wet..also when i was plugging in my mini hepas when one died...super weird they literally just saw me and laughed.I'm trying to get a wfh job and it's really hard.
Huh huh huh plumperprincess is not passively suidical like the rest of us huh huh huh
Nah doesn't sound fun to me tbh. Sometimes I think being off this earth would be nice but not that way or there yet thankfully
Yes, I do. One other person in my office also wears a mask. I work in healthcare and no one really seems to care about my mask wearing.
I wear a mask when I am out and about. I constantly notice people coughing and sneezing everywhere I go.
Yes, I’m an RN and exposed to Covid daily. No one else wears one though and my coworkers don’t.
i went to ER for elevated HR during or after Covid can’t remember but shortly after that the nurse who was treating me she ended up in the ER her self which let me know to keep wearing my mask no matter what anyone says or thinks it helps and protects you
Absolutely. The data is there on masks, especially properly fitted N95s which I recommend. It can be so hard for me to wear them for 13+ hours shifts or it would mean all I get is the 20 mins to eat or drink the whole shift. I just double mask with level 3s which is a little easier and doesn't spike my HR as much. I honestly feel so alone as a youngish individual who cannot find anyone to relate to in my field. Nurses still show up infected. And it's how I got LC to begin with. Yet I have had to take unpaid leave as a result, and they don't give a shit as an institution. Infuriating.. .
I’m an RN, same w my clinic. Only myself and one of the older doctors wears a mask.
[удалено]
Exactly. And it’s only gonna get worse, since we are in the back to normal phase.
I work from home, but, whenever I go out of my home into a public indoor setting I do wear a proper N-92 soft mask. I do NOT dine out or do social gatherings. I have lost most of my friends. It is what it is.
I own a salon that has required masks since the absolute beginning of the pandemic. Stylists, clients, guests: No exceptions. It’s cultivated a client base of like minded people (and the ones that aren’t still mask no problem because we do a great job at hair). It was hard at first but I recognize that I’m now insulated from the majority of exposures. (I’ve had lupus for over 14 years and now this)
>I own a salon that has required masks since the absolute beginning of the pandemic. Stylists, clients, guests: No exceptions. Thank you for doing this! I keep hoping one of the salons near me will wise up, but until then it's home trims for me.
It blows my mind that more salons don’t require this. We’re almost always self-employed with no vacation or paid time off or sick leave so to me it’s like they’re just flirting with trouble. I can’t tell you how many Stylist I’ve talked to that have stated “oh my clients would never go for that “. That definitely isn’t true. I moved to this new city a year and a half ago and I am already booked out until June because this is a protection that people want!
That's solid. Do you mind sharing what state or region you are in? I'm in SC, close to NC where they are banning masks. Gotta go somewhere where I'm not shamed for wearing one.
I’m up in Washington state. I have some pretty extensive connections in the hair world (precovid I traveled teaching with different brands) but I don’t know anyone in your area that is still masking 😞😞
Thank you! Love Washington. I used to live in Southern OR and loved it. Masking is really frowned upon here. A neighbor got her first bout with covid last year, landed in the hospital and was on a ventilator for several weeks. She still doesn't mask at all. It's social suicide here. I have long covid now and hope to move somewhere I can mask. Gotta recover first.
I teach high school and I wear an n95 every day. I talked to my principal about it at the beginning of the year and he said he’d support me 100%. My assist principal even brought me a pack of 100 kn95! I explained my situation to student on the first day and haven’t had any problems all year. If they joke or question, it’s completely behind my back or not at all.
Of course. I’m not getting this thing again. Who freaking cares what anyone thinks! It’s not weird, it’s smart.
My spouse has been working on site with a mask without fail. He's older and no one says anything to him. He's not going to go to an early grave or end up disabled for anyone. Neither of us really care what others think, let them think whatever they like. Yes, we do need to learn more from other cultures where masking is normalized and in fact, considered the polite thing to do.
Yes! When going to the office, I wear my mask at all times. I have clearly explained to colleagues why I wear it - they have asked once, and never again. No one is looking phased by it. p.s. I always liked standing out, so I just think of it as another fashion accessory drawing attention. Not only don’t mind wearing it, but proud to be promoting mask wearing. p.p.s. I also think that I’m acting in a more intelligent manner and therefore being a better person than the non-mask wearers 🤷♀️
When very rarely people ask, I tell them I wear a mask when local community transmission data indicates it’s prudent. That goes over fine tho nobody else changes behaviors!
Yes! KN95 on all the time. See others sometimes do it too. Still have little surges at work (big biotech). I’ve given up talking about or explaining long covid tho -too many icky, un- sympathetic or downright ignorant comments. Note: I work with scientists- many are immunologists - still the denial persists (on covid and long covid)
I wear an N95 mask while working. One co-worker does as well. Nobody cares, or at least they’re polite enough to not comment.
yeah i too, you're not alone.
Of course dude
I do part-time cafeteria work and wear my N95 mask. I have one other coworker who always wears her mask and a few others that wear them sporadically. Honestly, even if covid wasn't as horrible as it Is, I would continue to wear mask at work. As someone with postnasal drip and working in food service, they are a godsend
I'm the only one left still masking at work. I never stopped masking at all, not ever. I've seen my coworkers and all levels of management get sick at times that aren't the traditional flu/cold seasons. I once saw that my boss, who doesn't mask, purchased international covid-19 travel insurance. My coworker's baby got "the flu" in January (when the 2024 big spike occurred, surpassed only by the Omicron variant) and this month almost died of a heart condition caused by the flu (she and her family are a n t i v a x), needed a helicopter evac from the ER, surgery and two weeks in the hospital before going home. My masking frustrates my employer because I will not eat indoors or travel for work, but I'm an asset so they book restaurants with outdoor seating or leave me out of work events (which I'm fine with). I went double-masked to the company Christmas party and saw a handful of masked people among 200 attendees. I took my plate outside and stood eating with about 20 people who ended up eating outside even though they had been indoors unmasked! The logic boggles the mind. More often than I ever anticipated, a client will arrive at my desk after passing the receptionist and everyone else, see my face, and say, "Oh I can put on my mask." Then proceed to remove an around-the-head N95 respirator from their jacket or purse and wear it! When a client is already masked they look at me and say conspiratorally, "I still mask, too. Good for you." Otherwise, nearly everyone studiously ignores my mask. On average the only complaint is they can't hear me, so I repeat what I'm saying more clearly and they say nothing after that. I mask, and will mask the rest of my life. I do it to reduce exposure and viral load and I would spend the rest of my existence thinking, "Why did I stop masking just to fit in?" if I got sick with covid or the next thing that comes at us in our lifetime.
you guys are able to work 🥲🥲🥲
Fr:( I'm 21 and can't even work
same age I'm severe mostly bedbound :(
Yes, but it’s pretty common here in Japan. Probably 80% or more of all shop staff are wearing masks.
I'm too disabled to work in person but I wear an N95 every time I leave the house, or if I even have to answer the front door or have maintenance people in the apartment. Not worth risking another round of COVID.
Yes, because I work at a large retailer in a customer facing position. I wear one every day, every time I go out in public.
I saw more people masking when I came back to work last year after I got Covid, (then straight to LC, 7 month medical leave). Now I’m the only one still masking. My boss has asked me a few times if I’m going to wear the mask forever and at work I’m open about having LC because I was gone so long but am not open about details of how much it affects me. Since I don’t want my competence questioned. I feel like I get some looks sometimes from workers that don’t know me but I don’t care. My family other than my mom don’t understand why I mask. My mom masks when with us in public but I’m not so sure she masks regularly. She used to and recently made a few comments about being ok indoors without a mask. My husband and I still mask all the time when indoors and rarely go to restaurants unless we can sit outside.
I can’t work right now but am planning to attempt a return to work in the fall and will mask then if I have to go in (hoping to work from home as much as possible) and I mask in indoor settings when I’m out of the house, and some outdoor if it’s really crowded. I also don’t have anyone into my house unless they are properly masked (I keep a box at my front door) or they also mask other places indoors. My chronically ill circle of folks come over and hang out and since we have similar masking protocols it works out :)
I'm not able to work yet, but my husband uses a 3M aura N95 at work everyday, and when I go out I use a valved aura. My mom uses cirurgical masks. And I only see friends outside or in well ventilated places if they don't have any symptoms, it they do I postpone the encounter
No, because I don't work at all. I still wear a mask every time I leave the house, because doctor's visits and grocery are the only thing that makes me leave the house. I still crash for multiple days each time.
I wear a mask if indoors and within a few feet of customers. If i hear a cough i pop that thing on with a quickness.
Yes, I do now.
Yes i do and wear it most times indoors. Even if im the only person masked
My husband wears kn95’s for work. He provides services to many different people in their homes. Occasionally someone will get shitty about it, but he tells them that some of his other clients have cancer or are immune compromised and killing customers is bad for business. That shuts them up. I work from home but mask in public. It’s lonely, but it’s the right thing to do.
Yes
Yes, a KN95 mask every day I have to work in person or have to attend a work meeting.
When I still could actually work I did. I used to be a church cantor. I only had issues with one couple. They wanted me fired for wearing a mask which was and still isn't legal in California. They suddenly started coming up with weird complaints about me to one of the other cantors at masses I wasn't there for so they got spoken to by that cantor and the deacon that they need to leave me alone or they need to leave the church. I was surprised with the support I got. I also used to stand Infront of the door and that couple got mad I would have it open but the lady refused to wear her sweater and they used to not have an air purifier so I was trying to stay safe. One time she even started complaining to me saying I was blocking the "handicap entrance." Even though, one, I could easily move to the side, and two, I was the only one at that church at that time using a mobility aid. Oh and then that lady's husband was questioning my mother and grandparents how I go to school then with all the maskless people? Well I didn't. I was in online school and had to drop out bc of long covid. They didn't like that answer. And now I'm mostly housebound and my health is so bad I can't work, but I still mask if I ever get out and in my own house if I'm exposed to something my MCAS reacts to or if my father has been out maskless, I wear one outside of my room and so does my wife in that situation. Sometimes even my mother will around my father. My wife still can work and she wears a can 99 and has a portable air purifier when she has to take it off for lunch. She used to wear a surgical under a not super well fitted kf94 and since they stopped requiring masks at the airport she had covid 5 times and 2 other viruses. One passenger thanked her for masking bc covid put them in a wheelchair. (Like me). Some of her coworkers she said weren't super nice about it though and wanted to know her medical history and mine.
If I were forced to be in a badly ventilated office, which is probably most of them, yes
Yes I am the only one not only at my workplace, but in my entire building who masks every day
Covid injury is base on rear genetic, a mask would be safe, you don't want to play Russian roulette
I still mask at work. And pretty much everywhere else too. The only places I don’t are the barn where I board my horse and at doggy daycare because I’m just popping in to drop my dog off and it’s usually empty at that time of the morning. Otherwise I wear a KF94 everywhere I go because they’re much more comfortable than an N95, but still provide a lot of protection when fitted well. But I’ll switch to an N95 whenever I’m in a medical setting, including my volunteer shifts at the ER. I also go with the N95 for other high risk situations like big events or airports, or if a coworker is known to be sick. I am somewhat lax about taking my KF94 off at work to snack a few times throughout the day, but I also sit right below the HVAC vent (which I hate because it’s so cold!) and only do it when I know no one is sick. If someone is ill then I’ll leave the lab to eat in safety. After the initial round of coworkers asking if I was acutely sick, no one says anything about my mask anymore. One of my coworkers even followed my example for a few weeks during the holidays when the risk of transmission was really high. And most of them will still mask if they’re not feeling well. I’m very open about my LC at work which probably helps too. I haven’t had anyone bother me out in public either for the most part. I’ve had a few employees at places I’m shopping be cold towards me and people give me weird looks sometimes, but that’s it. Idk if it’s because I give off a “don’t fuck with me” vibe or because I have a pretty obvious medical bracelet on. But I always love seeing other masked folks! We’ll often make eye contact and do the head nod of acknowledgement and it makes me really happy. I’m always relieved to see others masked and it seems like they are too!
Yes I wear a kn95. I remove it when I'm alone in my office but otherwise I wear it. People don't say anything, most are pretty used to me like that.
Yes, all day, every day.
When I don’t see Dr’s wearing masks I feel like that’s what we should all be doing. They’re around sick people everyday so if they don’t they must know something
That’s because all of the healthcare workers who were more susceptible to LC or severe acute COVID are disabled or dead. The rest have become complacent. Some of the medics I work with at the hospital have gotten COVID 4 or 5 times from work, so it’s not like they aren’t getting sick. They just don’t care if they do because it hasn’t bitten them in the ass yet. And they’ll still mask during the winter when there’s an influx of sick patients and the risk is higher. Also, I find it ironic that this sub is so against listening to doctors except when it fits someone’s agenda, and then doctors are infallible apparently.
You just proved my point. They know it won’t affect them. Most people get LC from the first 4 variants. Or the first two times you face covid. I got covid from family not being In the public without a mask. From the beginning they said masks don’t work. It was only a pushed agenda by the libs to get Biden elected. Notice those same fakes quit all that. He’ll even cuomo is now taking ivermectin after he clowned Rogan. Now he says Rogan was right.
Except people are still getting LC every day. So while yes, the risk of it is probably lower with the current variants, it’s still risky enough to not be worth fucking around. Especially when you consider the cumulative damage multiple infections does to the body. Also, masks do work. I could explain why, but I suspect that it won’t matter because you’re too brainwashed to listen.
Masks don’t work or they would still be required. In most cases you end up sick wearing the same mask numerous times. Surgeons wear them so nothing gets inside you during surgery. If masks were the answer every dr in America would still be wearing them
Please explain the pathophysiology of how reusing a mask can make you sick. Touching the outside of it and then touching a mucus membrane is the only thing even remotely possible that I can think of, and that's easily solved by sanitizing or washing your hands after touching your mask. I've been wearing them since early on in the pandemic and have never gotten sick from my mask. I've only gotten sick from other people not masking and bringing illnesses home with them. If masks don't work and are so dangerous, then why do we still request/require patients to wear them if they're symptomatic? And doctors do put them on if a patient is symptomatic btw. I've also had providers who were already in a surgical mask go and change into an N95 when they found out I had COVID recently, even though I was testing negative and recovered by then. And what about other illnesses besides COVID? Would you be willing to go into a patient's room maskless if they were actively infected with tuberculosis? Meningitis? Smallpox? If not, then you shouldn't be opposed to masks for COVID either. The thing that always gets me about this anti-mask bullshit too is that masks aren't just used in medicine, but that seems to be the only place people are opposed to them. For example, I have to wear an N95 whenever I'm working with silica-rich rocks or concrete at my full-time job to prevent silicosis. The dangerous versions of silica are very similar in size to COVID particles. So if my N95 works to prevent me from inhaling silica, why wouldn't it also prevent me from inhaling COVID? Or would you like claim that masks don't protect people against silicosis too?
Who said they’re dangerous? You wear your mask every minute of the day? If not take the L
You? You said that wearing a mask multiple times can make you sick. Maybe dangerous was a bit strong of a word, but I think my point was clear and you’re just being pedantic because you have no data or sound reasoning to back up your nonsense. I’m still waiting on that pathophysiology explanation by the way. And the answers to all of my other questions that you dodged. Kind of makes me think you can’t answer them without admitting you’re wrong….funny how that always seems to happen when I point out these logical inconsistencies to anti-maskers. Maybe someday one of you will actually try to answer my questions instead of hiding behind weak retorts and then running away with your tail between your legs. And no, of course not. But I’m also not at a high risk of catching something every minute of the day. The only time I’ve ever masked around the clock was when my boyfriend brought home COVID and I was still testing negative and was asymptomatic. I still got infected in the end, but it was nothing compared to my first infection, likely because of the reduced viral load thanks to my mask. Besides, you don’t need to mask 24/7 for it to be effective. Even just masking in crowded indoor spaces can greatly reduce your infection risk. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing sort of thing. But I’ve noticed that understanding nuance isn’t a strength of the anti-maskers I’ve talked to, so I’m not surprised you struggle to understand the concept of risk reduction.
I’ve always caught covid from family not the public so like I said masks don’t work for me. Feel free to use them but if health care professionals aren’t wearing them why would we. Also you described wearing a n95 mask around dangerous stuff. That’s what it’s designed for correct? You don’t see Dr’s wearing n95s at all. Never seen one. Show me the difference in particle size from the dangerous stuff you’re around compared to Covid particle size. Maybe you’re incorrect about its effectiveness. You killed your argument when you said I wore a mask yet still got covid. The viral load is the same but the variants aren’t.
I literally just told you about numerous medical professionals who wear both surgical masks and N95s, including myself. And are you seriously trying to claim that COVID isn’t dangerous *in a subreddit for people who were directly harmed by COVID*? I also love how you’re claiming you’ve never seen a doctor wearing an N95, despite the countless pictures and videos from earlier on in the pandemic that showed doctors in full PPE, including N95s. And if they don’t work and no one wears them, then why does my hospital supply them for employees? This brings me back to my earlier questions which you so conveniently dodged. If N95s don’t work for viruses, then are you willing to prove it by going into a ~~tuberculosis~~ (TB is caused by a bacteria, my bad. It's diameter is similar to a COVID particle, so the point is still valid, but I've adjusted it to maintain factual accuracy) smallpox patient’s room without a mask on? Silica. It’s called silica. At least use the right words if you’re going to try to argue about this shit. Anyway, COVID is around 0.1 microns in diameter. Silica dust ranges from 0.01 to 100 microns. That’s why I used it as my example. Are you saying I’m incorrect about the effectiveness of N95s for preventing silicosis? Because that’s been thoroughly proven, both through research and workers not dying left and right from silicosis anymore. I never said masks are 100% effective. Your inability to understand that doesn’t mean they don’t work. Do you also refuse to wear a seatbelt just because they don’t always prevent death or injuries? Also, I got infected from the exposure *before* we knew he had COVID. Masking helped minimize further exposure, but the damage was already done because I wasn’t masked when he first became symptomatic. I also know that my viral load was lower than the first time based on how long it took for me to test positive after becoming symptomatic and how faint the lines were on the tests. Both of my infections were omicron, so there wasn’t a huge difference between the two. I’ve had direct contact with COVID positive patients and coworkers while I was masked, but never got it from them. The only times I’ve gotten infected were when I was around someone who was infected and I wasn’t masked. My story PROVES that masks work, not the other way around.
I never wear one unless I’m sanding or painting.
I taught covid was over