I just wondered how everybody keeps well after taking all these drugs that lower your immune system. I seem to pick up lots of bugs.

[Nantucket]

I am wondering if maybe I should be taking more vitamins, would love to hear how everyone copes, Carole

[allanah]

Hi Carole , I too get that problem, mine being tummy upsets and bad chests. I use hand gel and regular hand washing in a bid to reduce it. I also use the friendly bacteria yogurts. But stuck here today with the runs! I forgot to use my hand gel at the funeral during the week and paying for it now. People may not even know they have bugs when u r shaking hands!

The other thing that has actually worked is getting the yearly flu jab and one off pneumonia jab. My family all got awful flu this year and I only got a sniffle so they are a good protector.

Hope these help a little, I am not a great believer in vitamins personally as you shouldn't need them in most cases if you have a balanced diet I think. But that is just me personally xxxxxxx

[Ellinghamgroup]

Hi Carole, I am new to all this,but at my last appointment I was told that they no longer recommend the flu jab as it can cause flare ups. Sorry allanah don't mean to contradict it might be a new discovery, you could ask the question of your consultant. I was relieved as I don't agree with the flu jab as there are so many strains. In all of my research around RA it recommends that you talk to your consultant before taking any alternative medicines and vitamins as this could interfer with the meds you are on.

Six weeks ago I caught that awful bug that everyone had and am only just feeling myself again, I work in retail so it is really hard for me to avoid germs. I think I was so bad this time as they increased my MTX which hit my blood count so I think I just caught everything.

Hope this helps

Christine.

[helixhelix]

In general you shouldn't really have any more problems than anyone else, tho' obviously depends on your overall health etc etc. Although some of the drugs we take do work by suppressing the immune system one of the reasons that we have regular monitoring is to check that it's not too suppressed and that things like the white blood cells needed to fight infections don't drop too low. And sometimes (not always, depends on circumstances so check) if you do get an infection then they recommend a temporary halt in your drugs so your body can fight it off even better. But you do still have an immunity, and I've certainly not had any more colds and so on over last few years. If anything I've had less as I look after myself better, and eat well and make sure I get enough sleep. And lots of people on this site are teachers & nurses so spend lots of time surrounded by potential bugs. With some of the drugs they used to recommend that you don't eat unpasteurised food, but that warning seems to have been dropped now, so I happily tuck into runny cheese and haven't had a problem.

Hadn't heard that the flu jab recommendation has changed, but again that could vary depending on your overall state of health so if younger & fitter then maybe not necessary. I get it, as I've only once had real flu and it isn't an experience I want to repeat.

I really don't bother with vitamins, as personally prefer to spend my money on fresh food and nuts etc instead - except when my Vit D dropped and I was prescribed boosters. And yes, always check with your team as some of the alternative things such as echinae are really not good for us. But if you're getting lots of bugs then maybe you need to talk to GP about your general health? It's easy for us to blame everything on RA, but sometimes it could be something else. Polly

[Hidden]

Hi there, I generally do everything on my power to strengthen my immune system. Like eating LOADS of fresh friuit and veggies, ending my showers by turning the water extra cold for 1-2mins (extra-benefit is that it really wakes me up and it makes your hair really shiny too!), I go for walks everyday in all kinds of weather and I am extremely OCD about coming into contact with sick people. I wash my hands a lot and carry a disinfectant around in case I need to use a public toilet.

This might sound extreme but it has worked for me so far. I also get the flu vaccine and had the pneumonia jab as well. I also drink a lot of herbal tea, especially when I feel a cold or something coming on.

Hope this helps a bit

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

"in" my power in the first sentence, silly typos, sorry!!

[earthwitch]

Sometimes I think it is just a coincidence an you'd probably have got the bugs anyway. Just remember that these immune suppressants are designed to control an over-active immune system (i.e. push you closer to normal on it) and not to destroy a normal immune system. It definitely does make sense to take slightly more than normal precautions (avoiding places where lots of folk are buggy), and take things like flu jab and pneumovac if offerered though.

My particular "poison" for when I start feeling buggy is ginger tea - either a slice of raw ginger, or about 1/4 teaspoon of crushed, plus a dash of lemon juice and a bit of honey, filled up with hot water. Yummy, and a definite bug-killer.

[Nantucket]

Thank you so much all of your replies it is so good to hear all these opinions, I will definitely try the ginger tree. My problem at the moment is I mind my 2year old granddaughter twice a week and she is a bug baby. Thanks again Carole

[Dotty7]

I was a secondary school teacher, and schools are basically germ factories. Kids are encouraged to maintain good attendance by coming to school if they possibly can, despite illness, so I used to be confronted by row upon row of sneezing, snotting teenagers. What happened to me was that I never actually came down with a cold, but my immune system would get busy fighting off the bugs, and I would get achy or flaring joints and whopping flares of fatigue. It finished me off in the end as far as work was concerned, but there was nothing anyone could do to change it. It's still the same if my own home-teenager has a cold, especially if she's feeling really poorly and wants to snuggle up with her mum.

[Rita56]

I seem to catch every bug going,even though I take great care with handwashing etc.I am due to start Enbrel soon and am dreading picking even more germs up as the Rheumy said I will be 10 times worse on this.I was on Leflumonide and then a low dose of MTX.I have the flu jab every year,going to ask about the pnuemonia later on in the year.I try to stay away from anyone who is sick and don't go out the house very often but still I pick up anything going.

[Nantucket]

I have just picked up a chest infection from my 2 year old granddaughter she was coughing all over me, I have just had my third jab of humari and my joints are good so I am hoping I would have got this latest bug anyway and don't want to blame it on the humari, good luck with the enbrel. Kind regards Carole