My Mom lives in a retirement complex. It is a former teachers retirement home. They all have their each individual apartment but eat the meals together. So last week several of the residents started getting sick and they warned the others if they didn't feel good not to come to the dining room or other activities. Mom felt good so went although in the last 2 months her health has really gone down due to increasing COPD and terrible back, knee and hip pain. So todays hers started . She now is vomiting and has diarrhea. I have to go over there tomorrow and clean up a lot of stuff and bring home very soiled linens and bed clothes. But my big worry is Thanksgiving. My kids are coming here. If this bug is so virulent what happens if I bring it into my home and my little girls get it when they are in the safety of Grandmas house. But I guess kids have to take care of parents 'cause they took care of us and didn't think about the consequences. You all just pray that I can stay healthy for the much smaller Thanksgiving this is causing. My one brother, wife and son are not coming over now in fear of getting it and taking it to her elderly parents. But we are having our little ones 4 year birthday party. I will not spoil that.

Maybe you could just take the laundry straight to a laundrymat and wash it there. That way you keep the germs away from your house.

Just be sure to wash whatever clothes you wore to pickup the laundry in immediately upon returning home.

Good luck! Hope your Mom feels better soon.

Can you seal up the bag and keep it away from the family till AFTER the holiday? this way no one is exposed? The laundry mat is a great idea as well. Wash on the hottest setting possible, and make sure you add bleach! Bleach will kill antrax as my momma sez.

Keep YOUR hands spectacularly clean and dont touch your face. Make sure all the little ones wash before meals, and use soap AND hot water. kids are kids and they all have their own virus stuff going around, but that nursing home stuff can be quite nasty. I used to have special shoes to wear at work, and left them on the door stop when I worked on the ambulance. I didnt allow them in my house. Drag out the lysol and get spritzing.

I hope mom feels better quick.

Wash your hands ALOT! The Norwalk virus is very contagious and remains on surfaces a long time. Door nobs, telephone, counter tops etc.

Like Dej said, take your lysol with you and spray before you touch. I hope your Mommy feels better soon.

The administrative staff at the apartment say that this is acting like a 24 hour bug. But she called me late last night saying asking what it meant to be throwing up something red So in questioning her over the phone I was able to be pretty sure it wasn't blood but something dark. I told her if she was vomiting blood that she would never forget that smell. It is very distinctive. So wehn I got over there today the bed was A MESS! I think there was a lot of bile but no blood. She is so weak. i have never seen her like this. I am having to see that my Mom is not an immortal. She used a scooter but doesn't use it in her apartment. So I brought it into her bedroom and showed her that it fits well through the doors. So I got her to go in the bathroom, clean herself up a little, she is ferosioucly independent, clean PJs, changed all her linens and have been working for hours to get the stains out of all her linens. She has a nice quilt and a hand knit afghan that got the worst of it. My hands are chapped from all the times I have washed them!

Oh my goodness, Doyds. I feel so bad for you. I sure hope you don't catch it..

My best to your Mother and you take care of you..

I just finished washing the last thing and everything came clean!!!!!! I don't know how many presoaks and washings I did to get them clean but it's done.

I don't know who came up with the idea of putting a laundry room in the basement. They didn't have MS and four laundry loads.

make sure mom has good hydration. Leave bottles of water, and stuff at her bedside. maybe even some crackers to nibble on.

Im glad all the stuff is clean. poor mom! give her a group hug from us.