TJM Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I have been hesitant to bring up this topic because I dont want to be considered a fear monger. On the other hand it is a genuine concern I have and I doubt I am the only one. I will be starting my first round of Chemo in about 3 weeks. I am not real concerned about catching something now because I am healing well from the surgery and my immune system should be fully functional. But once the Chemo starts that will all change. I have been thru this as a caregiver a little over 10 years ago. My oldest son was diagnosed with idiopathic aplastic Anemia...which basically means he had 100% loss of bone marrow function. His bone marrow was producing zero new blood cells for 10 weeks and even when his treatment started to work all of his blood work was low for over 6 months. He responded to the treatment to perfection and is fully cured (thank God). So I remember our drill during that time because the biggest fear was catching...well....anything. So before we brought him home we disinfected the house, went to one plate, one spoon, one knife and one glass for each of the 4 of us stayed away from fresh food (crazy...not) had strict controls on visitors, wore masks and had hand sanitizers in every room. I guess my real question is how much of this should I plan on doing to protect myself? I'm smart enough to know, at least right now, that I should be more concerned about the normal brew of various flu bugs that are going around...but I do think this new virus is more dangerous because, well, it's new so no one yet has immunity and I think it could spread fast. I have my flu shot and pneumonia vaccine up to date. Again. Not trying to spread fear here, but on the other hand I have about 3 weeks to come up with a plan. Anyone one given this any thought? BTW..went to the office yesterday.I was there about 3 hours and was not doing any real work. Just updating the owner on the plan and talking with co-workers. It was nice but it did tire me out more than I expected. I'm definitely not ready to work yet and expect the Chemo to keep me out one that starts. Peace Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 No Tom, you are not crazy. I ordered a dress from Amazon for my LungForce event, saw the “Made in China” label then literally thought twice about trying it on. You’re concerns are totally valid. Before starting chemo I saw the Integrative Oncologist who recommended a number of immune boosting supplements: 4 grams of Curcumin, 4 grams of Omega 3, 4 grams of Turkey Tail, Reishi and Stamets 7 (mushrooms). My counts got knocked down a day or two following chemo but were better and recovered faster than expected. The advice I got was hydrate, rest when tired, try and walk a mile a day, live your life, stay away from children, church and Walmart, wash your hands frequently, use hand sanitizer. Nutrition, nutrition & nutrition. You might want to check out The Cancer Fighting Cookbook by Rebecca Katz which is an excellent chemo resource. My Mom did seven rounds of chemo and basically said to heck with that advice, she gallivanted all over Jersey, not missing a single good flea market or church. The medical team will watch your counts like a hawk, let them do the worrying. Learn to love broccoli, start loading up the Netflix account. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 I’m not getting any treatment. I still. wore a mask and completely disinfected my seat on the flights I took yesterday. Can’t hurt to be diligent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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