Germ and Infection Avoidance

Anecdotal Advice gleaned from threads posted by The PiA’s Own Discussion Forum Users.

The views expressed are published as member to member advice based on personal experiences and do not form part of the PiA's official literature!

Barb from BC
I have tended in past to not take proper precautions about people, I get too involved in activities that involve a lot of lovely, drippy nosed little children and I allow myself to get overworked and run down.

Gillie
One suggestion -have you thought of asking your GP for a 10 day course of antibiotics to keep at home? That's how folk like John and me get by without letting a break-through infection take hold.

Kelly
I no longer work with children and I no longer work in groups. My students know and accept that they will cancel their lessons if anyone in their family is ill. I don't go to the malls and I do not usually do the grocery shopping for my family. I do not visit anyone in hospital. My husband takes the kids to the doctors. If I have to go there, they take me out of the waiting room ASAP as do all my docs. When I am in a gathering where I might be expected to shake hands, I take a clean kleenex and wad it up and hold onto it. Very few people offer to shake hands with someone waving a kleenex, and if they do all I have to do is look diminuitively at it and the issue is solved. Those who know me well know not to shake my hand or kiss my cheek, but to pat my shoulder. I always carry my own pens so that I never have to use a public one.

Lois
I do my shopping late at night,..less people,less germs. I always carry a purse size pack of wipes for the shopping cart handle and I always pay by check,money is too dirty. I always carry a bottle of Purel (Dettol?) in my purse and use it every time I open or close strange doors.I avoid like the plague being around sick people and I never shake hands. I love your kleenex idea Kelly and will use it from now on.

John
After hand washing in public toilets, I dry them with paper towels rather than the hot air blowers. Pushing the flush and lifting the seat with my foot saves me touching them with my hands. Getting up and changing seats/carriages when anyone in my vicinity sneezes or coughs on the bus/train makes me feel safer.

Kelly
Never eat off someone else's plate or eat their leftovers.
When I am out with my friends and we are going to share a dessert I always get to take the first serving before anyone else touches it.
I carry lysol (dettol?) (and hand wipes/gel) in my car and briefcase. I regularly spray down my work area.
I avoid cafeterias.
We don't share towels in the family. And we always dry hands with small paper towels.
I run the toothbrushes and containers through the dishwasher (one of my son's nurses came up with that one).

Jackie
…in our household we boil our toothbrushes.
Also, the girls have always been taught that in a public restroom, never, ever, EVER touch the faucet after you use the restroom. I once read a study that more urine was found in a public restroom on the faucet then anywhere else!!!! eeeewwwww. So, after flushing the potty with their feet and then grabbing a papertowel to turn on the faucet , they dry their hands and then turn off the faucet with a papertowel and then open the door with a papertowel. I really hate public restrooms...but this helps some

Lois
More Hints, Soak your toothbrushes every week in a mild bleach solution.Use lysol wipes on your door handles and light switches weekly.

John
An essential tip i forgot, try to keep the phone clean, specially if it's a shared phone at the office. I always wipe the handpiece with a disinfectant wipe at the start of the day. god only knows what lives on most phones!!

Andy
I've been completely vegetarian for 10 years this year and hardly ever have any problems with digestion.
That's in total contrast to the first two decades of my life when I was constantly malabsorbing and suffered from almost permanent diarrhoea.
Could be a complete coincidence I know, but I think that the bacteria inherently present in all meat could pose a greater risk to immuno-deficient individuals.
I think that the principles of basic food hygiene should always apply to us, not necessarily any more so than 'normal' people but we certainly would never want to take risks i.e. eat food from dodgier take-aways or cut corners with sell by dates etc.

Gillie
Re hygiene, having been taught my cookery by a domestic-science trained mother, woe betide me if my kitchen wasn't scrupulously clean - and that becomes a habit you don't even think about! I suppose it all helps.

Paul
I’ve been a vegetarian ever since I had a long spell in hospital from food poisoning (caused by eating meat!)
One suggestion that is sometimes overlooked – if you’re on antibiotics for any length of time it’s worth considering taking acidophilus to prevent any stomach problems.

Andy
Overall I do feel that food hygiene (in fact, hygiene in general) is more important for us. What I think this means is that we don't have to be over-cautious but simply make sure we do follow food preparation and handling guidelines pretty much to the letter.
As should everyone, in fact. But whereas "normal" people might be able to get away with cutting corners and taking chances, we simply might not be so lucky in that respect.
It's the same if I ever accidentally cut my finger for example - some people might just suck the finger until it stops bleeding and then carry on as normal. If I'm at home when this happens then I would normally clean off the wound with an antiseptic swab as soon as possible and apply a plaster to keep it covered for the first couple of days.
Might be overkill, who knows - better safe than sorry I say.
And I hardy ever drink tap water - always either bottled or filtered.

Ann
Talking of hygiene, I am very careful to wash my hands, especially when I get home having been out. Doors, taps and shopping trolly/basket handles etc carry loads of germs. I always make sure that I wash my hands before eating (I sound like one of those people paranoid about washing their hands!).

Julie
Hygiene includes things like making sure you have a filtered vacuum cleaner, cover your sheets, pillows and mattresses, wash your hands frequently, brush teeth often and rinse toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide, always wash new clothes before wearing them and keep your environment as free of smoke and dust as possible.

Andy
….use a water filter? Switching to mineral and filtered water was another dietary habit I changed 10 years ago so you might want to explore that as well.
Remember that if you order mineral water in a restaurant to not take the ice which will be made from normal tap water.

Professional View
“I only have one concern about this, whilst not dangerous, the comment about bottled mineral water & filtered water, and that ice is made from ordinary tap water. Obviously if a patient is travelling abroad the advice is to drink only bottled water & ice made from same, but in the UK bottled water has (to the best of my knowledge) no fewer germs than tap water, it may have slightly different mineral constituents, but not fewer germs. Likewise, filtering UK tap water does not remove germs, it may remove chlorine etc, but, again to the best of my knowledge, it doesn't remove any germs. Patients could go to a lot of expense for no gain if they swapped over to bottled water after reading that. The obvious thing would be to boil all water before drinking it, if they were truly that bothered, although again, unless abroad, we don't advise patients that this is necessary in UK.”

Barb
I was telling the nurse at my iv treatment yesterday about this discussion and the ways and means of avoiding infections. She said "the best thing you can do when you go anywhere in public is stick your hands in your pockets and keep them there." We laughed about that but then I was thinking she really had a point. We went to a trade fair yestday and while I was wandering about I made a point of keeping my hands in my pockets. Took at little getting used to - I like to touch stuff - but it was an easy way to avoid the germs that linger from other people

John
Another one i forgot to mention was the dangers of hand-driers in public loos.
when you think about them the problem's obvious. they just take all the air in the whole place and blow it straight into your face!! did the designers ever think about this??

John
……….the other thing my consultant said is "not to confuse the 'flu with a cold! it's the fast onset, can't even get out of bed stuff, and you'll know it if you get it!!!". She also said that you can minimise the chance of getting ‘flu and other such viruses, by scrupulously keeping your hands clean, and trying really hard NOT to touch your mouth or nose with them!!! this takes a bit of self-control, but i reckon that keeping a box of kleenex everywhere i sit down, and just keep on washing those hands and it'll be well worth it!!!

Malcolm
……I asked the same question about ‘flu last monday and i was told not to worry about it , that made me feel so much better ( not!! ). My immunologist is not around for a few weeks so i couldn't ask her but “well done”, you answered my question,
As well as not touching your nose and mouth don't forget to not touch your eyes either.
I was just down the shops to get some bits and pieces and everyone seems to be coughing all around me so i feel like locking myself indoors till June!

do you think we’re overly paranoid???

This advice was looked at by a specialist immunology nurse who found it to be “rather over-the-top and a tad excessive”, but decide for yourselves!

Thank You Janet!!