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
lilian05079 gina30088
Posted
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
Porgi lilian05079
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.
ClaireJG lilian05079
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Porgi ClaireJG
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ClaireJG Porgi
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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.
Porgi ClaireJG
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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.
ClaireJG Porgi
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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.
lilian05079 Porgi
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.....
Porgi ClaireJG
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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.
Anhaga Porgi
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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...
ClaireJG Porgi
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karenjaninaz gina30088
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(Retired nurse anesthetist)
Anhaga gina30088
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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!
Porgi Anhaga
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
ClaireJG Anhaga
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Anhaga ClaireJG
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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?
ClaireJG Anhaga
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EileenH Anhaga
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Anhaga EileenH
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Anhaga EileenH
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I don't use gels. I use disinfecting alcohol swabs.
EileenH Anhaga
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What I'm trying to say is that alcohol is not 100% effective. You need both really.
Anhaga EileenH
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karenjaninaz ClaireJG
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EileenH Anhaga
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ClaireJG karenjaninaz
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