I can't believe it! I am one of those lucky people that hardly ever gets a cold! If I get one cold every two years, it's a lot for me...well, I've got this HUGE 4 tiered cake to make this weekend for this HUGE party, and the cake is big enough to serve about 200 people and I GOT SICK!!! I have had what I thought was a common cold, along with a sore throat last Friday ( 10 days ago!!!). I was riding it out, thinking, well, I've got to give it 7-10 days to run it's course. Well, 10 days later, the sore throat is worse than ever, and my congestion is still full force. I finally went to the doctor today and he cringed when he looked down my throat. He said he was going to test me for strep. or better yet, MONO! YIKES! I have SO much to do for this cake this weekend, I don't have time to be sick!!! I am on antibiotics, so theoretically, I should NOT be contagous 48 hours from now...but I'm so worried I'll be passing my germs while I'm making this cake! I have lots of surgical masks and gloves around ( I'm a nurse) so I will most definitely wear a mask and gloves when preparing the cake. That SHOULD take care of the possibility of spreading anything I may have...but I'm FEELING so cruddy, I don't know how I'm going to do it all! I'm just crossing my fingers that the antibiotics kick in and I feel like a new person in the next day or so. What lousy timing, huh? ...sigh...I'm depressed.

I am so sorry you are feeling so horribly! I hope those drugs kick in quickly and you wake up tomorrow feeling much better.

Sorry to hear that sns...feel better soon... prayers to help you through it...

That stinks, I'm really sorry If you get a lot of rest, and load up on the meds I bet you'll be feeling better before you know it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!! Please get well!

You poor thing!!!! my heart goes out to you on this one, It's always a fear of mine when taking wedding cake orders, I once HAD to let someone down I just physically could not do it I had a slipped disc a few days before the wedding.....I was mortified....luckily she was not a Bridezilla and understood...I do hope you feel better soon.

Denise

Please don't yell at me but I have two thoughts and you're not going to like either.

Would you want to eat a cake that someone as sick as you are prepared? I wouldn't, no matter the precautions being taken. Can you refer your customer to another baker who can pick up the order? I know that stinks for you, but your customer will most likely appreciate the nod toward his/her health.

Way more importantly, if it's mono you cannot be doing a cake!!! You're a nurse - you know how serious mono can be and that it only gets worse if you don't park your tush in bed and get rest!

All this is said nicely and not in a scolding tone - I had mono and thought I could work through it. I couldn't even make it to the toilet to pee without taking a five minute break in the hallway. Please, please, please take good care of yourself.

Christy

Mono knocks your socks off. Take it slow and easy. You'll need some time to recover. Call the customer NOW so they can make other arrangements for the cake, better yet, recommend a baker. GO to BED. Recover, get well. Rather a healthy you than a cake (with Mono germs?) and you sicker than ever.

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for your well wishes, all. I personally don't think I have mono...I've had it before when I was in my teens, and believe me, I couldn't keep my head up for 5 minutes! I'm hoping ( O.K....that sounds strange) for strep. throat!...lol...at least the antibiotics will kick in and I'll be better in a couple of days before I have to start making anything. I've got to be honest, if I wind up not being able to do this cake, I'll just cry. I'm making a LOT of $$ to do this! Of course, I would NEVER do anything to make other people sick...I'm not THAT selfish a person. Let's just all pray and cross our fingers it's strep. and I'll be cured by antibiotics in 48 hours!

P.S.- Hey all, why am I not getting notified in my e-mail when I have a response to my forum posts? I checked my forum info. to see that everything is checked off to make sure I recieve notification that I have resposese to my posts, but I'm still not getting notified! Any ideas why this is happening?

I don't think making a cake while being sick is such a big deal if you take precautions not to spread the germs. Good judgement should prevail. For that matter, how do you know that the people that make the cakes in bakeries aren't sick while they do it? I bet they don't take a day off if they have a cold and a big order to do!!!

Thanks, Canoewoman. I agree with you! Who KNOWS what germs people have when they prepare our foods! I will at least be wearing a surgical mask and gloves, which I'm sure no one else would consider doing! Even if I feel better, I'm STILL going to wear the mask and gloves! I'm a nurse, for pete's sake...I would never do anything to make others sick. I think I'm more upset that I'M going to feel so bad it will be really difficult for me to do all that work! I also dont' want to let the customer down. I actually did all her invitations, reply cards and place seating cards for thsi party! I've been working hard for MONTHS and want to do this cake so badly for ehr to "complete" this whole deal.

So sorry you are feeling stinky! I can tell you from experience that if you are extremely careful-wear gloves, change them often, mask, lots of clorox clean-up, paper towels-no dishtowels to dry anything, etc you should be fine. But it means being a bit psycho and watching everything you touch and using the clorox like crazy. I had to finish a cake while dh and ds were sick with a nasty, nasty bug and cleaned like I had OCD before, during and after making everything and it turned out fine.

Thanks, dodibug! I'll take your advice!

I sure hope you feel better after your antibiotics kick in. I know how it feels. I had a big cake order this summer, My luau cake ( in photos). I had planned this cake, practiced with fondant, an everything for weeks. I was sooo excited, especially after it was all done. It was for a bridal shower. Then I have to go in the hospital for surgery, DH has to deliver the cake, and tell me how much they loved it. Second hand compliments are just not the same, are they?

I truly hope you feel better soooooooooooon, with all of us wishing you well and thinking about you,surely you will have a speedy recovery but make sure you get plenty of rest and liquids,have a great evening

If you feel up to doing it then I don't see why you shouldn't~ I'd go back to the Doc & tell him to give you a shot (that's all that helps me when I'm that sick). After 48 hrs on meds your germs are no worse then any of ours

The 1st wedding & groom's cake I did I was sick. I got over come by all the powder sugar dust while making the icing (did the icing a week before the wedding) & developed bronchitius pretty bad. I could bearly move. I got through it only by the grace of God so you can too!

Hang in there~ Get some rest before you begin & you'll do fine! Get one of your friends to help you out... just another idea~ I hope you feel better soon~

Thanks,tcturtleshell. I appreciate the pep talk! I DO actually have a friend who volunteered to make my icings for me today and tomorrow, so that will be a BIG help. By tomorrow, I will actually be germ free ( at least the germs that are making me sick) because it will be 48 hrs. of antibiotics in my system. I figure, I can deal with how cruddy I feel as long as I'm not contagous! I LIVE with chronic pain on a daily basis anyway, so I know how to go on and do things when i'm not 100%.
I'll let you all know how I make out over the weekend! Fingers crossed! Still feeling pretty bad today...no improvement.

I hope you dont have mono too! I had mono last year, when I was 30! Who gets mono when they are 30?? Anyway during my research I found out that some people are mistakenly given antibiotics for mono, and in many people it causes a really itchy rash..so you might try to find out what you have soon so that doesnt happen to you! But since you did already have it, it probably isnt mono. But if you do have a virus, rather than a bacterial infection you COULD still be contagious since the antibiotics wont kill it. I would take precautions while preparing the cake. But I hope you do feel better soon, good luck with your cake!

I hope you get better real soon and can get your cake done with no problems. It is difficult enough to have a big order to do let alone trying to do it while you are sick. Get well soon and good luck on that cake, I will keep my fingers crossed and my prayers going.
Bradymom

. . my goodness, where is the 2nd post? does it get worse?

Oh, no, moralna ...it didn't get worse...lol...I'm still feeling as cruddy as yesterday, but it's still only less than 24 hours on antibiotics for me! Thanks for your concern...you are sweet. The mention of mono came out of my doctors mouth yesterday, but I seriously doubt that is it...I have HAD mono before. Though it is rare, you CAN get it again I understand...but I remember what that felt like, and I'm not that bad off! HOPEFULLY this is just a case of strep from working with kids all day, every day for the past couple of months! The special needs child I help in school sneezes all oveer the place and THEN covers his mouth!...lol...a skill I'm trying REALLY HARD to teach him to do correctly!LOL.

If you feel that you can do the cake in a healthful way for both you and the customer - then go for it. I am sure you are a professional and know what you are doing. But most importantly, take care of yourself; I understand that this cake is bringing some nice moolah, but your health is more important and worth so much more.

Hang in there! You can do it!!