I wash my hands frequently throughout the day for the simple reason that I hate being sick.
I have bottles of liquid hand wash and thick hand towels next to every tap in the house. When I’m preparing meals, I scrub my hands thoroughly before touching any ingredients.
I don’t have germophobia. I am just very conscious that some kinds of germs cause terrible illnesses and good personal hygiene reduces the risk that I’ll catch something nasty and end up in bed — or worse. Unfortunately, not everyone is as conscientious as I am about thorough hand washing. And I know from experience that the consequences are life threatening.
It’s almost ten years since I became very ill with endocarditis — an inflammation of the inner lining the heart. I initially had thought I had food poisoning and contacted the Department of Health who inspected the premises of the cafe where I had eaten. The seals on the refrigerators did need replacing, but there was no evidence of bacterias that would have caused my illness.
By the time I received that information from the health department, my condition had deteriorated. Whatever was attacking my body had left me lethargic and short of breath. Fluid built up around my heart and I had severe chest pain. Breathing was painful and I was exhausted. It was the worst time of year to need medical treatment — the Christmas break. I had spent two weeks waiting for the results of blood tests by which time I was convinced I was dying. I had written last instructions to my sons and my affairs were in order.
The cause of endocarditis is germs. Germs that entered my body, most likely by eating or drinking. Once inside my body, these nasty germs travelled through my bloodstream and into my heart, where they multiplied and caused inflammation. An echocardiogram confirmed that my heart had been damaged by the illness. The cardiologist told me that I was very lucky — another of his patients — a 15-year-old girl — had required a heart transplant following heart damage caused by endocarditis.
https://vimeo.com/147915487
I am not a convert to good hygiene. It’s been a routine habit for my entire life. It’s a habit formed when I was a toddler. I can still hear my own mother’s voice in my head asking if I’d washed my hands properly. And soap and a scrubbing brush being easily accessible at home — there were no excuses not to wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water – not just a quick flick under some running water. To help my grandkids form good hand washing habits, I bought these great toddler sized scrub brushes. Brightly coloured and cute buggy characters that are shaped to fit their little hands makes hand washing fun. It makes good sense to me to keep them clean and healthy. Use these tips to teach kids to wash hands thoroughly:
- Sing a simple song that goes for at least 15 seconds – the recommended time needed to clean hands – The Wiggles have one
- Lather soap to make a lot of foam – it’s fun
- Make a game of finding the germs – where are those little germs? Are they on top, underneath, in the crevices, or under fingernails?
I help my grandchildren incorporate hand washing into our daily routine by washing before meals, after outdoor play, after running errands and after toilet visits or nappy changes. We do love to get out in the garden, and all those dirty chores, need an extra scrub. Enjoy life. Don’t avoid the dirt – wash it off after the fun has been had.
*A pathogen or infectious agent is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.
[product id=”21657″]