flu shot

Posted , 10 users are following.

Hello All

The flu is hitting hard in my state as well as others

Realitively healthy adults as well as a few children have passed away,and I C U s are full of poor sufferers.

The strain was not covered in this years flu shot, but they say if 

had it ,it seems to not be as terrible.

 i never get the flu shot, and my internist(not my rheumi)said actually since my immune system is compromised from pred, ( and. now methotrexate) probably wouldnt have built up immunity anyway.

I am being to second guess this, and wonder what the community thinks.

I will ask my  rheumi tomorrow as well.

Never got the flu, even without the shots over the years, but have never been on these meds...

Hand washing like crazy, and trying to stay out of crowds..

Thanks, 

Gina

1 like, 32 replies

32 Replies

Next
  • Posted

    Hi gina30088

    Preds do compromise your immune system so you have no immunity. When i was on pred, even though i had flu shots i still got colds and flu. Do as you are doing stay in as much as possible, keep away from crowds and if you do go out cover your nose and mouth with a scarf and wear gloves to protect your hands from being in contact with door handles and germs...also hand washing or using antibacterial .....my best wishes to you gina30088

    • Posted

      I thought I was the only one scared of picking up germs from door handles etc. I hate using public loos even in good department stores because often their loos aren't as well maintained as they should be.

    • Posted

      I’ve got antiviral foam from Boots (in the UK). I’m not sure how well it works, but it can’t be too bad as I’ve never caught colds/flu when I’ve used it, although I avoid opening doors/holding onto rails with my bare hands. It’s a shame other people can’t be more careful. Straight out of the loo to the outside door without going anywhere near soap and water!
    • Posted

      The antibacterial stuff gives me very sorry hands so is this kinder on the skin?
    • Posted

      It's alcohol free and very mild. According to the bottle, it "kills 99.9% of viruses and harmful bacteria" and "is kind to sensitive skin". It's made by Boots.

    • Posted

      Is it to use as a hand wash or afterwards or do you use it just before you go out. I must admit I think I'm getting a bit neurotic about germs but I do seem constantly I'll with colds or fever.

    • Posted

      You just need a couple of squirts applied onto dry hands. Apparently it's active for up to six hours, but I squirt/hand wash more frequently than that.

      The instructions on the bottle:

      Apply 1 to 2 pumps onto dry hands and rub well together until dry. Repeat as necessary. Do not rinse off.

      It gives me peace of mind, although of course you can't avoid the bugs you inhale when someone coughs, sneezes or breathes over you, but I feel it's something, as we have to touch so many surfaces and objects when we're out and about.

       

    • Posted

      Hi porgi

      You shouldn't feel paranoid about germs and handwashing etc., i was at the doctors today for B12 jab and they have signs everywhere to use the antibacterial gel supplied before signing in on the computer screen and after signing in also after being in the consultation room. Also leaflets of how to protect yourself. Our immune sytems are/were not up to scratch initially or we would not have succumbed to PMR in the first place. The preds then compromise the immune system even more, so it is wise and makes good sense to protect ourselves and in turn we are protecting others in the process especially those with chronic illnesses, the aged and very young among us .....my best wishes to you porgi.....

    • Posted

      I@ve got this now Claire so will use it when I'm out. Noticed when I went to our local hospital a couple of weeks ago that they don't have hand gell  dispensers to use as you go in and out of the different outpatient clinics nor do they have them as you go in and out of the main entrance door. Years ago when we lived in England they had them. So I'm shocked that they still don't have them here. When I lived in the North of England I was admitted to hospital and there was one at every bed with a notice to the patient saying 'If you see any staff not using this before they examine you please ask them to' which I thought was great.

    • Posted

      Porgi, even our public libraries installed gel dispensers years ago.  As workers we used to complain when they bought the scented kind because we'd get headaches...rolleyes

    • Posted

      I’m surprised they don’t have the gel dispensers around your local hospital. Which country is that? I work in a hospital in England and they’re everywhere.
  • Posted

    I always get the flu shot and my rheumy is recommending it. The flu is also spread by airborne particles breathed out by persons coming down with the flu and not yet showing symptoms. Avoiding crowds is a great help because we all breathe the same air. Since I take Vit D3 I have not had a cold in 2 years on pred even though my husband had colds.

    (Retired nurse anesthetist)

  • Posted

    Excellent tip about keeping hands clean.  First of all we stop ourselves from transferring germs but more importantly for our own selves is we invariably touch our faces from time to time, and if our hands are contaminated that's when we might be infecting ourselves.  Never rub your eyes, for example.  Might as well be giving yourself an injection of cold or flu viruses!

    When travelling pack some alcohol wipes and wipe down surfaces - like the drop down tray on the airplane, remote controls, light switches, etc, in hotel rooms, and so forth - anything commonly touched by people.  I've done this lately and always hand a couple of the packets, with explanation, to my seatmate, generally a stranger as I've travelled alone the last couple of times, and they've actually used them!

    • Posted

      I can't touch the alcohol wipes I'm allergic to them and my skin peels. I will be getting some antiviral hand foam though. I'm nephrotic about touching my hands to my eyes. Luckily I wear glasses which help to stop me but what do you do about pets? We've a dog and I go round a fairly large garden gathering up her poo in the proper bags but I have a bag on each hand and once I've scooped with one bag carefully put it in the other before I tie it off even so after putting them in the rubbish bin I go in straightaway and was my hands. We go through a lot of bags. Also put a post on to Eileen asking what the different abbreviations for inflammation markers mean. Can you tell me as well please

    • Posted

      The trouble is, antibacterial wipes/gel have no effect with viruses or Norovirus. The only protection you have with Norovirus is handwashing with soap and water. My mum caught Norovirus from the screen/magazines/safety card (well known to be contaminated with bugs) on a plane as she was handed her tray of food, couldn’t get out of her seat to wash her hands (people and food trolley in the way) and hoped the hand gel she had would give her a degree of protection. Sadly not, and it wasn’t long before she and several other people on the same flight were isolated on the cruise ship she’d boarded. She discovered that the same plane had transported passengers home from a Norovirus infected cruise ship. 
    • Posted

      I have heard that unless the hand cleanser contains alcohol it is ineffective.  That's why I use alcohol wipes, the same ones that would be used to disinfect your skin if you were getting a needle or blood taken.  But how does some one like Porgi deal with this situation if alcohol cannot be used?

    • Posted

      It’s difficult. Handwashing is the most effective protection, but not always practical when out and about. The non-alcohol antiviral foam is effective against both bacteria and viruses. 
    • Posted

      Soap and water deal with most things - and much of the advertising hype on the gels is OTT. 
    • Posted

      But how practical is it to carry a bucket of soapy water around with you, plus clean towels, when what you want to do is disinfect things like seat trays, light switches and tv remotes?  Of course washing our hands with soapy water is best, but then we recontaminate ourselves the moment we touch these other objects. 
    • Posted

      I don't use gels.  I use disinfecting alcohol swabs.

    • Posted

      What I'm trying to say is that alcohol is not 100% effective. You need both really.

    • Posted

      Or we could just stay home and never go anywhere!
    • Posted

      Claire: alcohol wipes DO kill viruses and bacteria- however C -diff (clostridium difficile) is one bacteria which is not killed by alcohol gels- soap and water is best. The other non alcohol chemical that works is zepherine - not sure of spelling.  These are used in hospitals.
    • Posted

      I was thinking of products stating that they are antibacterial.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.