I don't mean to needle you...but: When was the... - CLL Support

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I don't mean to needle you...but

Cllcanada profile image
CllcanadaTop Poster CURE Hero
11 Replies

When was the last time today you washed your hands with soap and hot water?

Once an hour... might be a good idea with CLL...

~chris

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Cllcanada profile image
Cllcanada
Top Poster CURE Hero
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11 Replies
PhilC profile image
PhilC

I think that is somewhat obsessive, by all means wash your hands before eating, after going to the toilet but not every hour. Constant washing with soap & water will remove the natural oils in the skin and make you more likely to develope sores, not a good idea with CLL.

stunned profile image
stunned

I wash my hands before and after cooking, before eating, after using the toilet, but for the rest of the day i use hand sanitiser.

I agree with Phil C re obsessive and damaging to the skin.

A good standard of personal hygiene should be second nature to everyone but more so to those with any immune compromised illness.

Cllcanada profile image
CllcanadaTop Poster CURE Hero

Handwashing...

cdc.gov/handwashing/when-ho...

Note that hand sanitizers are not effective against some bacteria...

Sharing a family iPad? wash your hands...

tuaw.com/2010/10/15/report-...

macexperience.com/2013/01/1...

anaturallearner profile image
anaturallearner

I find that perhaps not every hour but close to every hour averaged over the day ends up being fairly routine and natural for our lifestyle. I try to get out into the garden in the morning and again in the afternoon, so wash my hands when coming inside, or they get washed outside after handling potting mix or planting seedlings, handling manure or mulch, etc. Washing the dishes, cleaning the benches and general housework usually means my hands get washed again too. Add the 'must do' hand washes and that's a lot of hand-washing everyday.

What annoys me is how quickly automatic taps turn off in public facilities: I need another lot of water to wash the soap from my hands, one lot is never enough. Most people don't take the time to wash and rinse thoroughly.

We use both soap and detergent (depends on what sink we're at) and if our skin starts drying out we add a moisturizer once a day. Sorbolene cream can be used instead of soap. Mostly our skin stays okay, though that depends on what we're doing in the garden (laying pavers or working with concrete isn't great for our skin).

Cllcanada profile image
CllcanadaTop Poster CURE Hero

Well said...B! Great to see your post... I worry...

Please don't call my suggestions obsessive PhilC... 16 years with CLL, I'm telling you

what works for me... and hundreds of other CLL patients I know...

In that time, I haven't been sick a day other than, CLL/Richter's and chemo induced heart failure...

Lanoline hand creams work great...

~chris

AussieNeil profile image
AussieNeilAdministrator

Rather than using a time based keeping hands clean routine, an event based routine is obviously preferable. Unfortunately remaining mindful of when you should wash your hands and remembering to keep them away from eyes, nose and mouth is not always easy, nor is it always easy to find a convenient place where you can was your hands. In those situations, regularly washing your hands through the day may be a safer option.

As others have observed, particular activities (including frequent washing) and therefore certain professions can be rough on your hands. I'm allergic to bath soap, so need to use sorbolene cream for body washing. I wondered how I'd go with frequent alcohol gel hand washing when out, being particularly mindful of how alcohol strips our skin of protective oils, but it's generally not a problem. The inconvenience of more frequent washing is certainly far better than my terrible first year of living with a severely compromised immune system until I learnt how to minimise my risk of infection. I do not want to re-experience the body and mind numbing fatigue from fighting off or recovering from illnesses along with the associated malaise.

Those with CLL that retain a reasonably robust immune system should count their blessings and hope that they never get to the stage where they need to become what appears to others as being obsessive about maintaining good health...

Neil

MsLockYourPosts profile image
MsLockYourPostsPassed Volunteer

Ah! Still have the irritating green bar! I've found that if I hit return a few times I can usually get below it. A former colleague once went on a rant about people washing their hands after using the toilet, but not before. When I thought about it I realized she was right, especially if you experience frequent bladder infections.

stunned profile image
stunned

surely the point here is that we all have our own personal hygiene routines that suit us and our life styles taking into account our CLL.

There is no wrong or right number of times to wash your hands per day as it depends what you are doing. As long as we understand the risks, take the necessary precautions and do whatever we need to do to prevent infections, then we have all done enough.

Whether we use soap or other cleansing products is again down to the individual.

My family and friends call me a cleaning freak because I am very meticulous about cleanliness of my home, my working environment, my car and even my garden shed is spotless.

As I live alone I don't share my phone, computer or netbook with anyone but do still wipe the keyboards regularly.

As CLL is such a diverse illness that affects people in different ways then so to are the ways in which those with CLL manage their illness including personal hygiene.

No one should impose their regime on others.

Cllcanada profile image
CllcanadaTop Poster CURE Hero

Stunned... it is called Hyperbole...

'It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.'

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyp...

Just trying to remind CLL patients that hand hygene is important...

No imposition... :-)

stunned profile image
stunned

Then perhaps the post should have been entitled

" Just trying to remind CLL patients that hand hygiene is important"

Sometimes plain simple language gets the message across far easier than Hyperbole, as it doesn't work on everyone, and I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence.

Its the weekend, the sun is shining and I am off to do some gardening, armed with gloves and wellingtons :-)

buckinhard profile image
buckinhard

I wash my hands many times during the day because of my outdoor and indoor activities. I carry Purell in my vehicles and in my purses, and always use the sanitizing towels at the markets for shopping carts. I remember when the news reported shopping carts were number one on the list of dirty items now since the sanitizing towels came out, the carts are the least dirty. The new top dirty items include salt/ pepper shakers, condiments bottles and menus at restaurants.

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