Hello all.
I had my first dose of Humira Monday. So far so good.
My question is for those who are on biologics. How do you ward off colds?
My biggest fear starting Humira was getting sick. Everyone around me is coughing I’ve been extra diligent in hand washing. But any other tips on how to stay healthy in the cesspool of germs we all seem to live in
Christie
I just started enbrel five weeks ago. And in that time, my son had a cold, one family that I babysit for had sinus infections then the flu, one girl has had the sniffles, you get the basic picture. Oh, and my son, with the cold, sleeps in my bed half the night totally wrapped around me and rarely uses any precautions.
What am I doing? Slightly better hand washing, a touch more Purell. I got sniffly at the beginning of the week, and used my neti pot to clear out my sinuses.
I’m actually feeling a bit more confident after my exposure of the last few weeks.
I have been on biologics for the last 7 years. I got sick more prior to starting biologics when my PsA was out of control. I have not even had a cold this year (did I just say that out loud?) but I no longer work and my kids are grown. I do use prell when I am out and about esp if I am in a doctor's office or the hospital. I also keep my hands away form my face (eyes included) until I have washed my hands well. Eating well and exercise are also part of a good defense.
I've never done anything differently, and I've been on biologics for 12 years. Some years I get sick more, some years less. In general, nothing is different pre / post biologics than when I was on other types of meds.
I have also been on biologics for years and I haven't got more sickness than before. I also do without a spleen and had Hodgkins Disease (lymphoma) and that is supposed to make me more likely to get an infection, but I really haven't. Granted, I am not around many children or other people. I worked in a child care center for 7 years a long time ago, and I was sick all the time then. I have my flu shot yearly, my pneumonia shot, and a whooping cough shot. I have had a few bladder infections, but not for a long time. I take my Humira, methotrexate, folic acid, vitamin D, simvastatin, and a martini, and get along fine. (comparatively fine, anyway). I think the drug companies overplay that illness thing and scare people, I never knew anybody who got sick a lot. Except maybe those with bone marrow transplants!
I've slept on the couch for the last 7 nights as my partner has a horrible head cold that just won't quit. Avoiding people who are contagious is my first line of defense. After that, Michael's advice about not touching your face, mouth or eyes with your hands is my course of action. And I wash, wash wash my hands.
I take normal precautions (hand washing and sanitizing, avoid touching face, etc) and I’ve not picked up anything in the year I’ve been on Enbrel. Biologics only suppress a small part of the immune system, not the whole thing!
Great question and great tips!
I think I do much of that already myself but am now about to be going on biologics and had wondered about the same thing. I had wondered if I should stay away from sick people when on biologics...or is that overkill.
Everyone is different, and there is only one way to find out. I have a feeling a lot of people change their lives drastically for no good reason. I've read about a lot of people that stay away from sick people, but I have never heard of anyone getting sick a lot. I think Seenie is right, the biologics only effect a small part of the immune system. Take precautions that are normal and usual. Overkill is a good word.
My sisters and I got together one beautiful summer day. I gave them both pedicures out on the porch in the beautiful sunshine. I found out later I should have been more careful but did not realize it at the time. One sister had just gotten a typhoid shot for an upcoming trip and I probably shouldn't have been quite so intimate with her as Typhoid is a live virus that people shed. The other sister had just gotten back from Morocco and was having symptoms that the doctors were following but had not ruled malaria yet. I asked my GP after the fact and she said next time not to be quite so "hands on". I was fine, haven't even had a cold in years. The sister with malaria symptoms was shortly diagnosed with stage 4 cancer not malaria. She had a terrible UTI and a clot from her knee to her pelvis which lead tio the diagnosis of cancer. She has failed chemo, surgery and radiation. She is now in Switzerland getting natural treatment and praying for a cure. Keep her in your prayers. It is breaking my heart and I now know there are things worse than PsA. (sorry! I did not mean to hijack a thread!)
I'm sorry about your sisters; I only have one left and started with three. I wish her good luck and health.
Those circumstances are extreme. I don't get a shingles shot because it is a live virus. And I have had shingles and it is not something anyone wants!
I haven't even had a cold for longer than I remember.