I am so new to this. Here’s my question. I have been told by my doctor to stay away from someone sick. My sister called my mom to see if she could watch her grand daughter which has strep. She’s been on antibiotics for one day. I asked her if she has been fever free for 24 hours and she got mad and hung up.
Am I being too cautious? Is it safe to be around someone after being on antibotics for just 24 hours?
You didn’t mention meds or history of getting sick easily.
For the unfortunate few, they are on a biologic, it even a DMARD and find that they are suddenly not just sick more frequently, but much worse. We’re talking about pneumonia, hospitalizations, etc. That’s very few people.
Some people will take extra precautions such as hand washing and whatnot, and find that they are okay.
Most will find that they are fine. I was diagnosed when my son was not quite 1, and started on the first DMARD within the year. We’ve been through all sorts of really fun illnesses over there years, while definitely sharing germs. I rarely get anything from my kids. My husband is far more likely to get sick. The only illness that ever knocked me back was fifths disease. Apparently it’s my specialty getting childhood illnesses as an adult. I had chicken pox when I was 19.
Sorry, I went off on a tangent. The point is that you don’t need to go to great lengths to avoid getting sick. Hand washing should be sufficient for the vast majority of people.
As Stoney says, it does depend on meds etc. I am careful about illnesses known to have a particularly bad interaction with my meds (humira) such as chickenpox.
My daughter and I have also had bad experiences with influenza, so we are careful of that too. Garden variety colds and infections though, I don’t elworry about.
I’d even go so far as to say my reduced immune response via Humira to Dengue may have kept me out of hospital the second time I contracted it.
Having said all of that though, you have a right to keep yourself safe. I could not count on my hands and toes the number of times my sister would not let us visit her daughter, who is a couple of years older than mine, with no auto (or other immune) issues, when we might have a sniffle.
Frustrating? Yes! Hang up the phone, No.
When I started the DMARDs (and the steroids), I was told by the nurse not to go near anyone with a cold, cough, sore throat or other infection if I didn’t need to. And I think that’s sensible enough. Luckily I live on my own, and so don’t have the problem of someone else bringing a bug into the house. You can’t hibernate, but you can be careful. And I must admit to using those antibacterial hand gels like there’s no tomorrow when I’m out and about. No idea if they work as well as we’re told, but they don’t do any harm! As for family issues, they’re normally the ones to tell me to stay away if they are ill. As one said to me “you can’t blow your nose because your hands are too bad, so why walk into a cold?”
strange isn’t it. you go to hospital & they give you med’s & tell you to avoid infections & infectious people. then they say but go to your doctors once a month for bloodtests to check that your meds are not doing your liver in etc. so you end up sitting in a doctors waiting room, with people coughing & sneezing all over you! i have trouble getting my limited brain around that. i wouldn’t worry too much about your sisters child. but i think i would explain & tell your sister not to be so touchy. families eh!
You commented that the antibacterial use does no harm. Actually, it does. You have bacteria on your skin that help protect you from worse stuff. Antibacterials kill off the good stuff too. Good old fashion hand washing with a non antibacterial soap and keeping your hands away from your face is the way to go.
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That’s true. But I mostly keep it handy for self-service check-outs and things like that, where it’s easy to pick things up but no washbasin handy!
gaylegrindle,
I would have asked the same questions, and I have asked similar questions to my own family and friends. You have to protect yourself because others don’t tend to understand that your immune system is not at peak performance.
My team of doctors have all told me to not be around someone ill or with any type of infection. When my son gets sick, I suit up with gloves and mask. Also, I wipe my carts down at the store and if I hear someone cough or sneeze-- I head the other way. Once I’m in my car, I wipe down with wet ones. I try to do all my errands on certain days (for laundry purposes) because I make it a habit to not sit around in clothes that I have been out in public stores and stuff in.
I was already a germaphobic because I worked with middle schoolers, so basically I follow the same precautions I did during cold and flu season with them.
Wow, I hate it when people don’t try to understand the other’s point of view about sickness…it reminds me of how mad people have gotten at my daughters when they don’t allow sick people around their babies. Ugh, rude!
I don’t think you have to worry too much about catching all sorts of stuff…but, I’m only on Enbrel. I think your immune system is more weakened if you take a biologic and DMARD together. I caught strep once since being on Enbrel. As soon as I had the fever, my doctor put me on penicillin for 10 days. I went off Enbrel for a couple of weeks. Nothing major–no more sick than I would have been had I never taken a biologic.
Nothing wrong with being cautious–who likes to be sick, especially when you feel cruddy all the time from PsA??? 
I get every cold and flu bug I pass by it seems! I have been on Remicade for years off and on, and really notice I am sick a lot.
Yes I am the same I have been hospitalized 3 times in 3 years wirh major infections and I can’t go anywhere near anyone who has got a cold or flu because I will catch it. I am currently on Cosentyx but was previously on Enbrel
It’s funny how the immune system works, isn’t it? I got sick with everything before the biologics! Since I started taking them, I’ve had a few infections, but been much better.
Interestingly, the better controlled my PsA, the less I get sick, regardless of the meds (with the only exception prednisone…)
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