Germs

I've always been a near germaphobe--especially about the stomach flu. But, since I've been on Enbrel I'm even afraid of catching the common cold!

Enbrel comes with a brochure that clearly advises to avoid people with contagious illness--even simple cold viruses. Well, that's almost impossible--right now half the people in our family have a cold!

But, here's the worst problem. My mom (90) gets sick a few times a year--this time she has a "flu" - she has a temp of 100.4 (F) and feels lousy. Of course, I and my daughter (who's a nurse) are the only people available right now. So, my mom calls me and asks me to take her to the ER. Luckily my daughter was willing to take her so I didn't have to be exposed to whatever germ it is she has. In August I caught strep throat visiting her in the hospital and had to go off Enbrel for 3 weeks.

I just feel so awful not willing to take care of my mom, but if I get sick, I'm useless, too! I tried to explain to my sister how I'm supposed to avoid sick people, and she just seems to think I'm being wimpy or selfish.

I know some people on here have said they never catch anything, but even being careful last winter I caught two colds that both lasted 5 weeks and strep throat in August. Oh, and some infected hair follicles on my legs. Before I was on Enbrel I rarely caught a cold, and if I did it only lasted a couple days. My immune system worked extremely well.

I'm not sure what's safe and how to tell people I don't want to catch anything without seeming like a total ass about it!

My mom supposedly only has a bad cold. The tests for influenza are negative. She does have asthma, so the doctor gave her a prednisone burst--20mg x 3 days, 10mg x 3, etc.

I'm so glad it isn't severe and she doesn't need to be hospitalized. I'm appreciative that our daughter is a nurse and always willing to step in and care for my mom. My mom has 14 granddaughters (a few of whom live nearby) but our Jamie is the only one who ever comes to my mom's rescue! :-)

I need to stay well so I can help our other daughter move this coming week--something I'm not looking forward to at all!

I try avoid sickness when I can, but it isn't always an option. My son is 5 and brings home lots of things. My hubs is a pharmacist... let's not get into what he brings home! So, I am sick sometimes. Even little "bugs" take it's tole. I don't want to miss out on activities with my family for fear of getting sick. So sometimes I just go and hope for the best. BUT before playdates I will call and make sure everyone is well before we go. My friends understand and will give me a heads up when anyone is sick.

That being said, I would not take my sick mother to the hospital if someone else could do it. I agree with you on that one!

I agree... I am pretty new to PsA, but I would guess that the only way to alter our disease progress would be to suppress our immune system. Am I right? Having the flu and a flare...OMG! People are yuck. I don't want to be disgusting, (queasy? stop reading here) but I saw a man blow his nose into his hand, without a tissue, wipe it on his pants and press the button for the elevator. I see moms wipe their kid's nose and then grab their bottle. Other really nasty things - cell phones, purse, and computer keyboard.

Only have time for a quick reply but so glad to hear your Mom is doing well! That really could have been awful. I definitely want to weigh in on this conversation soon as well.

I caved and went to check on my mom around suppertime. Nobody else was available! Jamie had left her sleeping on the sofa at 2:00, and she had fallen asleep almost immediately after she laid down. Jamie had bought her a deli sandwich, but she was nauseous so she hadn't eaten it, and she didn't drink anything, either! Jamie said her color looked ashen, just how people look when they're having a heart attack. I couldn't ignore her. When I walked in her house, I could hear her snoring--that was a relief because I was worried, what if I'd find her dead???? (I sort of have a fear that I'm going to be the one to find her dead someday!) I peeked in at her and she started coughing in her sleep--her cough is AWFUL! I decided to tie a dishtowel around my face to hopefully stop her germs from getting me. When I woke her up, I thought she'd have a heart attack seeing this masked person in her house!!!! Haha, how ironic would that be???

Anyway, I gave her the 20mg of prednisone and her asthma inhaler. She ate a little piece of her sandwich and drank some water. I couldn't stay long, but I felt a lot better knowing she seemed OK other than the cough. Ever since she got the pacemaker a few months ago, she's not the same tough old lady. It's really been hard on her.

As far as me, if I don't catch the nasty cough everyone seems to have now, it'll be a miracle! Almost all of our grandchildren have or had it, and now Dave has it!!!! Here I go, debating whether I should take my Enbrel this weekend! I'm helping our daughter move across the country--we're driving to GA/SC starting Tues. or Wed., and I'm flying home on Jan. 6th. I DON'T want to be sick during the move....heaven knows it's challenging enough without fighting a bug, too!!!!