virus factories

We have babysat for one set of grandchildren or the other 17 out of the last 24 days. The 2 and 4 year olds are overnighting tonight. That will mean 18 out of 25. I tend to look at their runny noses differently than I used to! I am sure they are all breeding viruses by the dozen. One was vomiting last week, and I thought, "...Uh, when was that one last here?????" When they sneeze all over me, I think, "Uh oh...." :ohmy:

Roberta,

I caught a cold a few weeks ago. It did drop my counts to 19,000. They upped my nplate. However, a week later they were at 365,000, so do not panic. It could be like me where they drop but rebound very quickly.

Roberta,

Try not to worry. Having a virus might decrease your counts temporarily but wouldn't necessarily cause another bout of ITP.

I work with kids 3 to 8yrs old. They are sick all the time, but I've never had a problem with platelet drops from run of the mill colds or stomach bugs.

My first bout of ITP seemed to be triggered by the flu, but I did not catch it at work.

The rule of thumb is: wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands
Always wash your hands.

If you are concerned then either don't babysit when their noses are running or wear a mask.

When I had the real flu about 11 years ago my count went UP not down, but I really don't recommend that as a treatment to increase counts

Just food for thought - last time you were at the grocery store you most likely walked down an aisle where someone had just sneezed and "it" was still in the air. Something like 40,000 droplets a sneeze. So it's your grandkids or the grocery store or the department store or the mall or anywhere you go.

Oh, I know. You can't avoid viruses. And I would not want to tell anyone not to come over. I won't say it doesn't make me nervous when the kids are all snotty. If I didn't see them when they were snotty, I would never see them for months.

It is my opinion that what "got" me was a horrible virus --that featured very high fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea--that swept through my son Matt's family in one week. Each one in turn got it. They were going to visit us in San Antonio where we had rented a house for the month of March. So they came down and my daughter-in-law was still feeling rocky, but all seemed well for two days, then the youngest boy relapsed and vomited all over the place. So we drove home and a few days after that I started getting headaches I could not get rid of, and I never have headaches. I didn't feel very well but I had a lot to do, so I ignored it. Then two days later-- platelets gone.

My doctor said it was the right time frame but that I did not have the symptoms they did. But couldn't one person react differently?

I taught school for over 16 years and generally got sick about once a year. But I had seniors, not little guys. At least seniors don't sneeze all over you.

I've never had drops from being sick either, except for the cold prior to diagnosis. If I did, I didn't know about it.

I don't think my count goes down with a cold Sandi but then I usually don't do a cold I do a sinus infection instead. As you said, if it does then I don't know about it.

My children will not come over if their children are sick and for that I am thankful and appreciate their thoughtfulness!

I get colds that evolve into sinus infections or bronchitis and last for two months. Cold season is coming! Changes in weather do me in every time. :huh:

Sandi I'm the same way, but it seems I go right into an infection - my MD always wants me to way the 10 days to see if it will go away, but I know I need an antibiotic or it won't go away. So sometimes I wait the 10 days and sometimes less. Also I don't think he likes my antibiotic allergies - so far he keeps putting me on same one instead of looking in the book to see what else I could take

Knocking on wood --- I've been doing good the past few years by starting on generic Claritin in February 2x a day and not stopping it until the end of September. This year I may just keep taking it but drop to 1x a day.

I used to get a sinus infection every time I took an antihistamine for a cold. When I quit taking antihistamines, and just let my runny nose keep everything flushed out, I no longer got sinus infections.
Sample size of one, yet again!
That has all changed since I developed seasonal allergies. Then it's Claritan all the way.

Maybe I should try Claritan. I've been using Alka Seltzer Cold & Sinus forever.

I get generic Claritin at Costco - how it's worked for me the past couple years I'm swearing by it [for me].

Rob I never used antihistamine for a cold - wait I did, red Sudafed, but the allergist told me not to use it because it could block me up more.

I do like plain old Mucinex without anything added to it, just the guiafenesin.

I do use Neil Med sinus irrigation - not a neti pot, do not like them one iota, if I want to drown in salt water I'd rather a beach along with it!! - but really irrigating makes me worse.

Never tried Alka Seltzer Cold & Sinus Sandi - probably because I associate Alka Seltzer with aspirin.

I'm always stuffy, so maybe Claritan would help. I've tried so many over the years but quit trying to find one to use daily that works because I have so many other meds/issues to deal with. I like Mucinex too but it makes me crazy. I use Neil Med on bad stuffy days - like that one!

Melinda - Sudafed is a decongestant, not an antihistamine. Because it is a precursor to manufacture methamphetamine, it is highly regulated in most states. It is also a vasoconstrictor, and highly stimulating. I used to take it, but it made me too jittery.

Sandi - Alka seltzer plus Cold/Sinus used to be just sudafed plus aspirin and bubbles, but they replaced the sudafed (pseudophedrine) with phenylephrine, and it is not nearly as effective.

Have you tried the steroidal nasal sprays (Flonase, Nasonex, Rhinocort, Omnaris, Veramyst, Nasacort, ...)? I find them helpful occasionally when I get hooked on regular nasal sprays, which I use frequently because of my CPAP.

Oh, yeah...I have been using Flonase for years. Doesn't do much. I actually saw an ENT a few years ago and he said the only way to fix it was to have three surgical procedures done. Deviated septum, enlarged turbinates, and I forget the other one. There is only a 60% chance they will be successful and are painful to recover from, so I didn't go for it.

I found Alka Seltzer Cold & Sinus to work pretty well on bad days. It's the only OTC sinus med that I found improvement with.

I also have sleep apnea which complicates things since it's hard to use the C-PAP when you can't breathe through your nose. I have the full face mask, but it really dries me out more.