Wearing a mask

[MrsGeee]

Does anyone wear a surgical mask to prevent pneumonia or airborne infections, and do you think that they are helpful in preventing illness.

[Lillian12]

Surgical masks are worn to protect you from others and others from you .They may add some protection but not 100 % . If you have a sneeze or a cough into it while wearing it you would have to change as any droplets would be caught in the mask and you would then be breathing in again . So removing it too sneeze or cough into a tissue would be advisable hope that helps but these are definitley not sterile items xx

[Caspiana]

Hello MrsGeee .

We Japanese have a surgical mask culture. From about November all the way into late spring they are rampant, especially in the city. I stay away from crowds at all costs, but sometimes I can't avoid them. Crowded commuter trains are rife with everything you can imagine. People feel more protected wearing masks, and also wish to not spread their cold if they have one. How much it really helps, I am not sure. Maybe it just makes everyone feel better. I wear a mask when absolutely necessary, like when I am waiting for my appointment in a crowded waiting room at the hospital, an aeroplane or a busy train. There are certainly people who have a cold and we are all in close proximity. If I go in to see my doctor without a mask, he will remind me to have one on at the hospital. 😧 To be honest, I find masks very uncomfortable. I struggle to breathe without them so, with them on I feel like I am literally suffocating.

I find washing my hands a lot with soap, and carrying anti bacterial spray helps me to stay as healthy as I can especially during the flu season. At home, I never share towels and use disinfectant on table tops, door handles and light switches. Maybe a bit over the top, but I'd rather do that then get an infection, for as you know they can be fatal for us with compromised respiratory systems.

I hope you are having a lovely Friday so far.

Sending best wishes.

Cas xx 🌹

[Hacienda]

Hi, After two hospital addmissions in quick succession, and contacting a bad bug in hospital, I decided that I would wear a mask when in places of risk, waiting rooms in GP's and Hospitals the worst places. I am on the Active Transplant List for Double Lung. When I decided to wear a Mask, it was impossible to buy any at the pharmacy, The Doctor did not prescribe them, I had retrieved two from hospital, but they don't last, I had to use Amazon to Purchase them, 200 in a box. I always have 2 Masks in my handbag, in the waiting room at hospital someone was coughing and spluttering, I did feel sorry for them. I Put my mask on immediately. I wouldn't go anywhere without them. So Yes, I do believe they protect...along with Meds of course. Good Luck MrsGeee. Carolina XXX

[Hidden]

I wear a mask when doing any jobs in the house, like hoovering, which i cant do very often, and if i use antibacterial wipes on surfaces i wear a mask. I put a scarf round my nose and mouth if i go out amongst people, in the doctors etc, because here you dont see people wearing masks, which is a shame because im sure it would stop infections spreading if they did. I avoid crowds, buses, etc as much as i can, and have my groceries delivered so dont have to go in shops. You would be wise to cover nose and mouth if amongst people, or are using chemicals to clean with.

[Badbessie]

I personally am in two minds if masks in reality do prevent infections. At times the droplets are so small that the mask would need to be sealed at the edges. My other concern is that the inside of the mask catches moisture even the best ones. The perfect environment to breed bacteria. I do try to avoid people with infections but feel at times that to avoid everything I would never leave the house. So I take a middle of the road attitude avoid where I can but in reality I do not let prevent me having social contact.

[andyrrc]

I tend to use a mask but for other reasons. My usage depends on the amount of dust in the air but I would think they do have some protective effects from airborne bugs as well

[watergazer]

Good question- I've been thinking about wearing one on a plane as I always seem to get ill after a journey on one

[Badbessie in reply to watergazer]

Yes I would agree with that. Since they stopped smoking on aircraft research as shown that the air quality as gone down, It would appear that they nolonger run the systems as hard as they once did which allows microbes to build up.

[Robin77]

After a recent severe exacerbation, my doctor suggested using masks on public transport. However, the light surgical masks are OK for dust particles and bacteria but not great for blocking viral particles, which are smaller. I don't know much about technical standards but there are different grades of mask which block finer particles. I'm now using a stronger paper mask which also has a small built in carbon filter. Type used at my doctor's hospital. With people coughing all around me on trains I feel a lot safer, even if protection is not 100%. There are tests for masks which show what size of particles and what percentage of bacteria etc are filtered out, in theory.

[Jacmidlands]

If you want the highest protection use a mask with a HEPA rating. The higher the better. They can be bought online.

[Robin77 in reply to Jacmidlands]

If you know a good brand to recommend, could you please PM me?

[Jacmidlands in reply to Robin77]

nacpatients.org.uk/face_masks

Sorry, just read this since I've been away for the weekend. This article goes a lot of info re face masks for those of us suffering from aspergillosis. I use a cheap mask for cleaning around the house and a hepa 100 for gardening. I'll try to find where I bought them from but they are more expensive.

Jac

[Robin77 in reply to Jacmidlands]

Thank you, very helpful article!

[Mooskie]

I always wear a mask on airplanes, crowded auditoriums, etc.

[Robin77 in reply to Mooskie]

That's what I plan to do too from now on! At first I thought people would stare but in fact they don't.

[bayleyray-uk]

Hi MrsMeee,

I don't wear one to specifically help prevent illness. But after my hubby has recently had a couple of cancer operations in a London hospital and I found I was having some heavy duty asthma attacks when I visited him, not every visit but enough to be puzzled why I was having to use my portable nebuliser nearly every trip. Hubby came home and was slowly recovering when he got a infection and had to be admitted to our local hospital, he did not quite get to a ward (they were very busy) so had to stay on the holding bays by A&E and as soon as he was settled in a bed so the my first attack started. I had several more attacks during the next two visits and my daughter asked the nurses if I could have a mask hey presto the attacks stopped it turns out that I am probably allergic to the stuff they use to clean and disinfect the beds and mattresses. So I have now bought some masks and have decided to wear one when I go shopping as well as a barrier. My daughter says they make me look very fetching when I wear it along with my glasses and nose cannula for my oxygen while I'm being wheeled around in my wheelchair.

I think you might need a more heavy duty mask with those little filters over the nose area for a stronger protection but I haven't tried them yet. If you do let us know how you get on.

Sue