What do you do when...

[Ade494]

I know I'm probably worrying about this more than I should, but what do you do when you cough during a session? I recently had some trouble with my asthma which caused me to cough sometimes. When I cough during a session I either remove a hand and cough into my upper arm or shoulder. Or, I leave both hands on and cough into shoulder. Either way, I do cover my mouth, but it made me think, "does my client think I just coughed into the air when I really put my mouth toward my shoulder" or "do they think I covered my mouth with my hand and then touched them when really I coughed into the crook of my elbow or higher." I don't want them to think I'm coughing on them or on my hand and rubbing germs all over them, but think it would be really distracting detract from the massage to cough and run to wash my hands.

 

[Strive 4 Success]

You could keep hand sanitizer in your room for these types of special occasions.

 

[tonalc2]

I agree, it's an awkward situation. I sometimes get a dry spot in my throat that makes me want to cough. I don't let myself cough during massage, an my eyes start to water in response. After an uncomfortable few minutes, the feeling passes. The challenges of our job are unique, aren't they?

If it's a little cough, I wouldn't worry about it. If it's a loud, startling cough, I would say, "Sorry, my asthma sometimes makes me cough. Let me quickly sanitize my hands."

 

[iojhyt675]

Hmmm... I never thought of what a client would think when a MT has a cough. Sometimes I get a little tickle in my throat, but I do my best not to go into full cough mode. I just turn my head and try to clear my throat instead of cough. If I am so ill I am coughing a lot, I cancel appointments and reschedule.

I sneeze more than cough during a session, turning my head and excusing myself. Luckily 99% of my sneezes are dry so I dont need to wipe my nose. I have found a trick which cancels out 90% of my sneezes during a session. When I feel a sneeze coming on I open my mouth as wide as I can until the sneeze goes away. It doesnt always work, but most of the time it does.

 

[Linkin Park is my Heart]

There have been a few times when I had sinus drainage and it caused sudden coughing fits...I tried, but no amount of eye watering would keep it from coming on....and I let the client know I needed to excuse myself to have a coughing fit. Also, when I know that I am sinus-y and have been coughing, I will let the client know before we start that I might have to excuse myself to cough or blow my nose or something.

I don't feel too horrible if I need to do that. I always make up the few minutes I am absent. We are just human beings working with human beings. They understand.

 

[Sikenflossy]

What do you do when...

I leave both hands on and cough into shoulder. Either way, I do cover my mouth,

This is what I was taught to do in school.

I keep a glass of water in the room. Sometimes if you can take a drink to moisten your throat the need to cough will do away. If I know I'm sinusy and prone to getting a tickle then I will keep hard candy or lozenges in the room also.

I also keep hand sanitizer in the room in case I need to freshen up my hands.

Angie

 

[HangingChad]

There have been a few times when I had sinus drainage and it caused sudden coughing fits...I tried, but no amount of eye watering would keep it from coming on.

Oh. I hope my post didn't come across like I think other Massage Therapists should restrain from coughing. That's one of the crazy things I do. Highly uncomfortable, and not recommended for others.

Moogie gave some great tips about having water & lozenges available. Also, I agree with AKB. We are human. Our clients generally really care about us, and want us to take care of ourselves.

P.S. I only get the dry throat if I'm dehydrated. If I drink plenty of water, it's not an issue for me. I realize that's very different from coughing impulses related to sinus trouble, asthma or colds.

 

[Juliet]

Oh. I hope my post didn't come across like I think other Massage Therapists should restrain from coughing. That's one of the crazy things I do. Highly uncomfortable, and not recommended for others.

I didn't really take it that way, just that the first time I had a coughing fit come on I really did try that approach....eyes watering and everything....then I realized it just wasn't going to work and I had to choke out that I needed to leave the room. Most of the time I will try that approach because sometimes it does pass. But I've also learned that a peppermint and bringing the water into the room helps too.

I don't know what it's like to have the asthma coughing though....it doesn't seem like the tricks that work for sinus would work for asthma.

 

[? Surfer ? Sarah]

I'm good at coughing into my shoulder without removing hands, but I do pick one hand off during a cough so the client can have a sense that I did do something to cover. I have a sink right in the room, so after a cough I run the water for a second so it sounds like I'm washing my hands! I'm not - I didn't cough on my hands - but it gives the full impression of covered mouth (it *was* covered), clean hands, but hands stay warm. Obviously this works only w/water ensuite.

 

[MAR2009]

Thanks for everyone's response!

 

[dwbaldeagle]

I was taught by an early in my career mentor to slip the neck of my shirt up over my face and cough or sneeze into the inside of my shirt. I always sanitize my hands afterwards even though they aren't involved in the actual sneeze or cough. On occassion the result of the sneeze/cough is a somewhat "yuck!" inside my shirt and on my chest, but if you get a sudden onset urge to do either and can't control it, better inside your shirt on your own body than on your client (or anyone in public for that matter, I do this whenever I'm not on my own turf). It's very easy to contain this way.