Please, a request to anyone with a cold who wants to go out and celebrate the holidays: Please DON'T!
I have a compromised immune system and met some friends for brunch last weekend. One of whom, the one sitting next to me, had a cold and said she had had it for a few days. 36 hours later I started feeling like I had a cold too.
Because she didn't want to stay home and take care of herself, now I have a cold and may or may not be able to celebrate the holidays with my family. Never mind all the other people she has exposed to her cold. She went to work every day except one that she took off. She went to all her family get together's including school sporting events where she was in big crowds.
Where I used to work, there was one guy who always came to school when he was sick. Finally I said something to my boss who said something to him. When one person has a cold for a few days, I have one for at least two weeks.
So, if you have a cold and want to join in the holiday celebrations, please give the biggest gift you can to others, just stay home and don't risk sharing your germs.
All of us chronically ill people with compromised immune systems thank you.
Showing posts with label immune system. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immune system. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Germ Exposure and Common Sense
I had a great craft fair on Saturday. I had a table at a busy craft fair and had some great sales. Between sales I chatted with the women in the booth next to me. Both our booths were set up so that we squeezed behind them on the same side. They had several friends stop by and chat with them for a bit.
One woman pushed right up front to talk to them behind their booth, with her cold and told them loudly that she had a bad cold and then about one of her chemo patients who had also stopped by the booth earlier in the day. She sneezed a couple of times while there as well.
I was appalled that she was out at a craft show with her cold. She had shoved into the booth with her germs and sneezed on people. And she was a chemo nurse and treated patients while sick.
And she sneezed on me. With my compromised immune system.
I know, I know that I am the one with the compromised immune system that is way more susceptible to germs than the average person. I know that I am also the one who goes out in public and increases my risk of being exposed to germs. But I do expect that most people will have the common courtesy and common sense of staying home when they have a cold.
I used to work with a guy who would come to work when he was sick. And he didn't seem to care if he shared his germs. I finally complained about him because if I got a cold I would be sick for two weeks.
Yesterday I was supposed to go to a friend's funeral but I woke up feeling like I was coming down with a cold. That meant for me I had to stay home to rest and hope I don't get really sick. Grrr. And I missed the funeral.
Where is the common sense in the world these days? Keep your germs at home please.
One woman pushed right up front to talk to them behind their booth, with her cold and told them loudly that she had a bad cold and then about one of her chemo patients who had also stopped by the booth earlier in the day. She sneezed a couple of times while there as well.
I was appalled that she was out at a craft show with her cold. She had shoved into the booth with her germs and sneezed on people. And she was a chemo nurse and treated patients while sick.
And she sneezed on me. With my compromised immune system.
I know, I know that I am the one with the compromised immune system that is way more susceptible to germs than the average person. I know that I am also the one who goes out in public and increases my risk of being exposed to germs. But I do expect that most people will have the common courtesy and common sense of staying home when they have a cold.
I used to work with a guy who would come to work when he was sick. And he didn't seem to care if he shared his germs. I finally complained about him because if I got a cold I would be sick for two weeks.
Yesterday I was supposed to go to a friend's funeral but I woke up feeling like I was coming down with a cold. That meant for me I had to stay home to rest and hope I don't get really sick. Grrr. And I missed the funeral.
Where is the common sense in the world these days? Keep your germs at home please.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
I Don't Heal
Part of one of the many 'joys' in my life is that my body heals very slowly. When you have RA or other auto-immune disease your treatment often includes a immune suppressor, such as Methotrexate. I get a weekly injection of it (courtesy of my husband). It suppresses my immune system so am very vulnerable to germs and heal slowly. A cold doesn't go away in a few days, it can take a few weeks and can result in ear infections and other 'fun' ailments.
A few examples: I have this stupid ass wart on my foot that the doctor froze off September 1. Of course it turned into a big blister but is it healed yet? No. Its only 49 days later and its not healed. It still has a scab covering an open area on the top of my foot. I was supposed to have a follow up today but I cancelled it because there is no point. 49 days, that would be 7 weeks in normal speak, and I am not healed.
I had a periodontal deep cleaning almost three weeks ago. I went for a follow up last week and it was barely healed. And I had an area that was starting to cause new problems that the dentist had to lean up.
My husband had a cold last week which he nicely shared with me. I am still sick. I have been skipping my methotrexate shots in hope that I will heal faster but it doesn't seem to have made a difference.
This also can make a difference with any 'fun' medical 'misadventure'. Recovery can be slow.
Today I feel like crap still. I really would like to go to the gym and burn off some flab after traveling and eating badly for two weeks. But I am still not sure. I feel okay for a bit and then not as well. I debate - do I stay in bed or do I pretend I am healthy and go to the gym?
I had a periodontal deep cleaning almost three weeks ago. I went for a follow up last week and it was barely healed. And I had an area that was starting to cause new problems that the dentist had to lean up.
My husband had a cold last week which he nicely shared with me. I am still sick. I have been skipping my methotrexate shots in hope that I will heal faster but it doesn't seem to have made a difference.
This also can make a difference with any 'fun' medical 'misadventure'. Recovery can be slow.
Today I feel like crap still. I really would like to go to the gym and burn off some flab after traveling and eating badly for two weeks. But I am still not sure. I feel okay for a bit and then not as well. I debate - do I stay in bed or do I pretend I am healthy and go to the gym?
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
When is a cold not just a cold?
When your immune system is compromised. That is when. What did you think I would say? The flu? Well that too.
In the middle of all this moving chaos (we hope to sign lots of papers tomorrow and are staying in a hotel for 3 nights in transition), I have a cold. Not a very good cold either. I feel like crap. Last week I had the flu. Before that I thought I had an ear infection.
Chronologically its this: On Dec 11, I went to the doctor because I thought I had an ear infection. The doctor said they weren't sure it was an ear infection but because of my medical history (my favorite phrase - NOT), they gave me antibiotics. I felt better after a few days but never completely well.
Then on December 23, I woke up with the flu. The kind of flu where EVERY joint in your body hurts and you are running a temperature for two days. I stayed in bed and took my temperature and pretended I was getting better.
Finally on January 2, I developed a scratchy throat which turned into all kinds of congestion and a nose that runs like a spigot. And here it is on the 6th and I am still not better. This isn't good.
Tomorrow is buy-and-sell-a-house-day. If I could, I would stay in bed and watch bad Lifetime Movies and not go anywhere. But since we are in a hotel and I have to sign lots of things, I will pretend I am healthy.
Friday is get up at the crack of dawn, check out of the hotel, stop and grab breakfast on the way (before the sun rises at 7 am) and head to our new house. Then after the movers get there and we give them a tour of what goes where, I will drive down to our old neighborhood and pick up the cats around 9 am and come back so I can watch everyone else do lots of stuff and be decorative. I hope my husband puts our bed back together so I can sleep - after the movers leave and the cable guy does his thing).
Finally Saturday I can begin to try to take care of myself. Maybe. A normal person wouldn't be sick this long. Its just my immune system and health crap that doesn't heal up anymore.
I'm not whining. I said I wouldn't use my blog as a place to whine. I am just trying to cope. And if I go to a doctor, I am sure they are gong to tell me to do things like drink fluids, take OTC medications, and get lots of rest. Things I don't have time to do until we move.
Don't you wish you were as healthy as me?
In the middle of all this moving chaos (we hope to sign lots of papers tomorrow and are staying in a hotel for 3 nights in transition), I have a cold. Not a very good cold either. I feel like crap. Last week I had the flu. Before that I thought I had an ear infection.
Chronologically its this: On Dec 11, I went to the doctor because I thought I had an ear infection. The doctor said they weren't sure it was an ear infection but because of my medical history (my favorite phrase - NOT), they gave me antibiotics. I felt better after a few days but never completely well.
Then on December 23, I woke up with the flu. The kind of flu where EVERY joint in your body hurts and you are running a temperature for two days. I stayed in bed and took my temperature and pretended I was getting better.
Finally on January 2, I developed a scratchy throat which turned into all kinds of congestion and a nose that runs like a spigot. And here it is on the 6th and I am still not better. This isn't good.
Tomorrow is buy-and-sell-a-house-day. If I could, I would stay in bed and watch bad Lifetime Movies and not go anywhere. But since we are in a hotel and I have to sign lots of things, I will pretend I am healthy.
Friday is get up at the crack of dawn, check out of the hotel, stop and grab breakfast on the way (before the sun rises at 7 am) and head to our new house. Then after the movers get there and we give them a tour of what goes where, I will drive down to our old neighborhood and pick up the cats around 9 am and come back so I can watch everyone else do lots of stuff and be decorative. I hope my husband puts our bed back together so I can sleep - after the movers leave and the cable guy does his thing).
Finally Saturday I can begin to try to take care of myself. Maybe. A normal person wouldn't be sick this long. Its just my immune system and health crap that doesn't heal up anymore.
I'm not whining. I said I wouldn't use my blog as a place to whine. I am just trying to cope. And if I go to a doctor, I am sure they are gong to tell me to do things like drink fluids, take OTC medications, and get lots of rest. Things I don't have time to do until we move.
Don't you wish you were as healthy as me?
Monday, December 14, 2015
Is this the future of cancer?
Last August, former President Carter announced he had stage IV cancer with metastases to his liver and brain. Then a short four months later, he announced he was cancer free. I was very skeptical of this news. How did he go from Stage IV to cancer free in such a short period of time? This is not what one would expect with cancer.
I don't consider myself to be scared of the word 'cancer'. I realize it has been a fatal disease which has scared humans for centuries. I don't subscribe to the stereotype that the once you are diagnosed with cancer, there is no hope for you. In fact, I don't even know how to be an adult without cancer.
But to go from stage IV to cancer free in four months? That's pretty darn amazing. And what I find most exciting is that it is not some kind of miracle.
It is part luck that President Carter's liver metastases were resectable (meaning they could be easily removed through surgery). He had surgery and they were gone. His brain metastases were easily treated with radiation. They were very small but now detectable which is how they found them before they got to be very problematic. New advancements allowed them to be detected at 2mm. (2mm is equal to 0.079" or less than 1/10th of an inch.)
He was also treated with immunotherapy and will continue to receive it. Immunotherapy is by definition: "treatment that uses your body's own immune system to help fight cancer." So this is new science. I like that. I can live with that.
Overall, I find this very exciting. Stage IV cancer used to be only a death sentence. Once cancer had spread to the brain, crossing into the Central Nervous System, there was not much that could be done. But now it seems to have been halted in its progress.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. President Carter was partly lucky and partly benefited from scientific advancements. We also have no way of knowing when and if his cancer will return. But to see such a reversal of cancer so quickly is pretty incredible.
I don't consider myself to be scared of the word 'cancer'. I realize it has been a fatal disease which has scared humans for centuries. I don't subscribe to the stereotype that the once you are diagnosed with cancer, there is no hope for you. In fact, I don't even know how to be an adult without cancer.
But to go from stage IV to cancer free in four months? That's pretty darn amazing. And what I find most exciting is that it is not some kind of miracle.
It is part luck that President Carter's liver metastases were resectable (meaning they could be easily removed through surgery). He had surgery and they were gone. His brain metastases were easily treated with radiation. They were very small but now detectable which is how they found them before they got to be very problematic. New advancements allowed them to be detected at 2mm. (2mm is equal to 0.079" or less than 1/10th of an inch.)
He was also treated with immunotherapy and will continue to receive it. Immunotherapy is by definition: "treatment that uses your body's own immune system to help fight cancer." So this is new science. I like that. I can live with that.
Overall, I find this very exciting. Stage IV cancer used to be only a death sentence. Once cancer had spread to the brain, crossing into the Central Nervous System, there was not much that could be done. But now it seems to have been halted in its progress.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. President Carter was partly lucky and partly benefited from scientific advancements. We also have no way of knowing when and if his cancer will return. But to see such a reversal of cancer so quickly is pretty incredible.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Wash Your Hands
What is the single most important easy thing you can do to improve your health? Wash your hands. Often.
Now that I have rheumatoid arthritis and am on immune suppressing drugs that make me much more susceptible to colds and infections, I am becoming a germaphobe. I will not alter my lifestyle and avoid crowds, malls, movie theaters, and other groups of people. Nor do I believe in those stupid hand sanitizers which help create super bugs which are resistant to treatment.
But I do believe in hand washing. When I go to the gym, I wash my hands before I work out and I wash my hands as soon as I am done with my work out. And I try to remember to wash my hands when I come home from being out. As well as when cooking, before eating, etc.
Friday at the gym I was speaking with a woman as she was washing her hands after working out. She said that since she started washing her hands regularly, she has had fewer colds herself.
It amazes me how many people do not wash their hands, even after using the bathroom. I am particularly disgusted by people who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom and then use the gym or eat in a restaurant or other places. Speaking of restaurants, menus are disgustingly germ covered.
You can try all kinds of arguments with me about washing your hands and how it might dry out your skins or any other silly reason. The real reason for washing your hands is to clean germs (and dirt) off of them so you don't carry them around with you and on to other places. You can always put lotion on your hands if you are concerned about dry skin.
I was quite pleased to read this article about hospitals do to prevent infections and the top item on the list was hand washing.
If you get home at the end of the day and can't remember washing your hands, do yourself a favor and wash them.
Now that I have rheumatoid arthritis and am on immune suppressing drugs that make me much more susceptible to colds and infections, I am becoming a germaphobe. I will not alter my lifestyle and avoid crowds, malls, movie theaters, and other groups of people. Nor do I believe in those stupid hand sanitizers which help create super bugs which are resistant to treatment.
But I do believe in hand washing. When I go to the gym, I wash my hands before I work out and I wash my hands as soon as I am done with my work out. And I try to remember to wash my hands when I come home from being out. As well as when cooking, before eating, etc.
Friday at the gym I was speaking with a woman as she was washing her hands after working out. She said that since she started washing her hands regularly, she has had fewer colds herself.
It amazes me how many people do not wash their hands, even after using the bathroom. I am particularly disgusted by people who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom and then use the gym or eat in a restaurant or other places. Speaking of restaurants, menus are disgustingly germ covered.
You can try all kinds of arguments with me about washing your hands and how it might dry out your skins or any other silly reason. The real reason for washing your hands is to clean germs (and dirt) off of them so you don't carry them around with you and on to other places. You can always put lotion on your hands if you are concerned about dry skin.
I was quite pleased to read this article about hospitals do to prevent infections and the top item on the list was hand washing.
If you get home at the end of the day and can't remember washing your hands, do yourself a favor and wash them.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Once again, home with a cold
I never used to get colds. Now I get them, and much worse than before, all the time. A friend pointed out that this is the second for me this year. She might have missed one as well. That's being sick too often.
But my colds are just a side effect of RA treatment. Rheumatoid is an autoimmune disease which means your immune system attacks you. It is treated by suppressing your immune system, which makes you more susceptible dumbass colds.
Last weekend I went to visit my brother and he had a cold. I was really tired when I got home but wasn't sick. Tuesday I felt fine. My husband came home with a cold Tuesday night, slept 11 hours and felt fine on Wednesday morning. I felt fine on Wednesday so I had my methotrexate injection.
Thursday morning when I went to work, I felt iffy, which turned into really crappy by 11am and horrible by noon when I went home. My husband cooked dinner Thursday night. I pretended I felt better Friday and ran a couple errands but mostly stayed home, Yesterday I assumed I was better and ran another couple of errands and did some other stuff around the house.
This morning is another story. I can't talk. My brother told me I sound like the voice of something or other that I cant remember because I feel so crappy. I asked my husband not to make fun of my voice, again. He has fun with this with most colds. He also informed me that Ishould need to stay in bed today.
So now I am living on triaminc syrup, herbal tea, and chocolate ice cream until I get better. I have decided that chocolate ice cream has healing qualities.
I really just want torun away and join the circus be healthy so I can do things that are more fun that watching bad tv, knitting and sitting on the couch with the cat. Not that I don't like the cat, watching TV or knitting, but there are lots of other things I wouldn't mind doing instead.
But my colds are just a side effect of RA treatment. Rheumatoid is an autoimmune disease which means your immune system attacks you. It is treated by suppressing your immune system, which makes you more susceptible dumbass colds.
Thursday morning when I went to work, I felt iffy, which turned into really crappy by 11am and horrible by noon when I went home. My husband cooked dinner Thursday night. I pretended I felt better Friday and ran a couple errands but mostly stayed home, Yesterday I assumed I was better and ran another couple of errands and did some other stuff around the house.
This morning is another story. I can't talk. My brother told me I sound like the voice of something or other that I cant remember because I feel so crappy. I asked my husband not to make fun of my voice, again. He has fun with this with most colds. He also informed me that I
So now I am living on triaminc syrup, herbal tea, and chocolate ice cream until I get better. I have decided that chocolate ice cream has healing qualities.
I really just want to
Thursday, August 14, 2014
A day off
Today I have given myself a day off. Actually, don't tell anyone, but I have a cold. Well its not really a 'cold'. I just don't feel well, run down, tired, but no congestion. And I have been fighting it since Monday night.
Due to being Mrs CIS (Compromised Immune System), I don't bounce back from little germs like I used to. Actually I don't bounce at all...
I just plan on being better for vacation which starts Sunday (and to all you burglars, we have a house sitter). I can't be sick on vacation. That's a rule. I might also not blog very much while we are gone...
But I must be healthy while we are away..
Anyway, I also be home this afternoon while I get a new windshield for the new car. A big crack appeared while I was stuck in traffic Tuesday afternoon. They get a five hour window from 12-5.... I'll be home with my germs. But at least I have a good excuse for sitting around all afternoon.
Cancer people should get an exemption from all the regular crap in life....
Due to being Mrs CIS (Compromised Immune System), I don't bounce back from little germs like I used to. Actually I don't bounce at all...
I just plan on being better for vacation which starts Sunday (and to all you burglars, we have a house sitter). I can't be sick on vacation. That's a rule. I might also not blog very much while we are gone...
But I must be healthy while we are away..
Anyway, I also be home this afternoon while I get a new windshield for the new car. A big crack appeared while I was stuck in traffic Tuesday afternoon. They get a five hour window from 12-5.... I'll be home with my germs. But at least I have a good excuse for sitting around all afternoon.
Cancer people should get an exemption from all the regular crap in life....
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Immune systems and all that.
I guess I have a crappy immune system.... Or that's what they tell me. Nothing to do with cancer but that pesky chemo crap probably did something to my immune system during treatment. Now I have RA and the methotrexate definitely has messed up my immune system. Someone else's sniffles can make me sick for weeks.
But I usually just ignore my immune system and do what I feel like. Call me a rule breaker if you want.
When I was in chemo, they (the proverbial 'them') said I should avoid crowds and not to go to the mall, movie theaters etc. I didn't go to the mall or movie theaters. But I did work for the local community ed program in the office of a local high school. I am sure there are barely any germs in a high school. Just a few thousand teenagers. I wasn't concerned. I worked with a paranoid germaphobe and let her be concerned for me.
This week I took my immune system compromised body through two airports (twice - there and back again (as Bilbo would say)) and sat in meeting rooms with other immune systems. I was probably exposed to about 10,000 other people, give or take 5,000. And I even rode the subway to minimize exposure.
Now that I am home, I feel tired and my back hurts (that's nothing new there).
I might have a sore throat but I am sure that is just be allergies. I'll may get to the the gym later. In the meantime I am doing many loads of laundry.
But I usually just ignore my immune system and do what I feel like. Call me a rule breaker if you want.
When I was in chemo, they (the proverbial 'them') said I should avoid crowds and not to go to the mall, movie theaters etc. I didn't go to the mall or movie theaters. But I did work for the local community ed program in the office of a local high school. I am sure there are barely any germs in a high school. Just a few thousand teenagers. I wasn't concerned. I worked with a paranoid germaphobe and let her be concerned for me.
This week I took my immune system compromised body through two airports (twice - there and back again (as Bilbo would say)) and sat in meeting rooms with other immune systems. I was probably exposed to about 10,000 other people, give or take 5,000. And I even rode the subway to minimize exposure.
Now that I am home, I feel tired and my back hurts (that's nothing new there).
I might have a sore throat but I am sure that is just be allergies. I'll may get to the the gym later. In the meantime I am doing many loads of laundry.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
I assume it was only Chinese take out.
Yesterday morning I woke up feeling fine. I went to work and felt fine. At lunch, a co-worker and I decided to have Chinese food delivered. Partly because our lunch choices were lame (me) or non existent (her) and partly because they would bring it to us instead of us going to pick it up. We get take out every couple of weeks from the same place and we get two days worth of food for one day's price due to the portion size.
We both ordered the same thing pretty much - a lunch special of pork lo mein but we had different appetizers. I ate the mushrooms, she picked her's out as she doesn't like them. After lunch, my head started to spin and I couldn't focus. She felt fine. I ended up going home from work early and took a three hour nap. I slept solidly.
My husband came home and couldn't find me. He thought I had gone to run an errand or something. Finally he looked up stairs and found me asleep.I slept through the phone ringing, him calling me, the cat walking on me. I was out like the proverbial light as they say.
We had soup and sandwiches for dinner. He had 2/3 and I had 1/3. It helped the nauseous feeling I had. I slept all night as well and could barely drag myself out of bed this morning.
Why is she blogging about this? Why am I reading this (you are asking yourself)? As I left work among comments about bad food, someone said the fateful words 'or are you coming down with something?' That is the problem. Compromised immune systems and all that.
Yesterday was Wednesday (in case you forgot) and that is methotrexate injection day around here (and methotrexate is what suppresses my immune system). A few months ago, I had a stomach flu thing that laid me up for 9 days. I was told after I should skip methotrexate if I am sick at all.
So yesterday I thought about it and decided I am going to pretend I am a normal person and do the injection and assume it was a minor Chinese food mix up and not something that can do me in for more than a week.
If I am whining about not feeling well for the next week or so you can feel free to comment and say "I told you so" but sometimes its nice to pretend our ailments do not keep us down and a bad bit of Chinese takeout is all it is. Sometimes we do live in the shadow of our ailments as they interfere with all the little things in life. It was only Chinese take out.
We both ordered the same thing pretty much - a lunch special of pork lo mein but we had different appetizers. I ate the mushrooms, she picked her's out as she doesn't like them. After lunch, my head started to spin and I couldn't focus. She felt fine. I ended up going home from work early and took a three hour nap. I slept solidly.
My husband came home and couldn't find me. He thought I had gone to run an errand or something. Finally he looked up stairs and found me asleep.I slept through the phone ringing, him calling me, the cat walking on me. I was out like the proverbial light as they say.
We had soup and sandwiches for dinner. He had 2/3 and I had 1/3. It helped the nauseous feeling I had. I slept all night as well and could barely drag myself out of bed this morning.
Why is she blogging about this? Why am I reading this (you are asking yourself)? As I left work among comments about bad food, someone said the fateful words 'or are you coming down with something?' That is the problem. Compromised immune systems and all that.
Yesterday was Wednesday (in case you forgot) and that is methotrexate injection day around here (and methotrexate is what suppresses my immune system). A few months ago, I had a stomach flu thing that laid me up for 9 days. I was told after I should skip methotrexate if I am sick at all.
So yesterday I thought about it and decided I am going to pretend I am a normal person and do the injection and assume it was a minor Chinese food mix up and not something that can do me in for more than a week.
If I am whining about not feeling well for the next week or so you can feel free to comment and say "I told you so" but sometimes its nice to pretend our ailments do not keep us down and a bad bit of Chinese takeout is all it is. Sometimes we do live in the shadow of our ailments as they interfere with all the little things in life. It was only Chinese take out.
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