Cold

[Stephgrey]

I’m worried that I’ve given my sister a bad cold. I was fine when I saw her but a day later I was in bed with a terrible cold a day later I’m feeling better but now she has a cold. She isn’t having chemo just now but is on letrozole and I’m having terrible thoughts that I will have caused serious effects on her.

[January-2016-UK]

If your sister doesn't have low neutrophils as a result of chemo I would assume she would be able to fight off a cold the same as the next person although I think if her spleen has been removed this may make it harder. However, why not ask her to give her medical team a call to check whether letrozole and a cold can cause complications.

It often isn't possible to tell where you caught a cold. You can spend days in a house with a member of your family and never catch their cold and also suddenly find yourself with a cold and no-one you can "blame" (very likely from some surface on public transport or at work, etc.).

Even if she did catch your cold, you cannot blame yourself since you were completely unaware you were incubating the cold virus at the time.

All the best and I do hope your sister's medical team can put your mind at rest.

[LittleSan]

Oh please don't feel guilty but I can relate. I didn't know that I was incubating a chest infection when I visited a baby who had a heart condition (and two of our lovely friends on here). I felt terrible until tests confirmed that it wasn't the same bug. Please don't blame yourself, you were neither negligent nor careless and she'll be as right as rain in no time. Xx